________________
1002
longer be relied upon. Accordingly, he made a departure from the policy of peace. Fortunately, the followers of Masab, who had embraced Islam in the meantime, undertook to defend him. With their aid, he established himself at Medina. Then followed a series of expeditions, skirmishes and assaults in which the little band gave a good account of themselves. These were followed by the famous battle of Bedr, which may be reckoned as the foundation of the temporal power of Islam. The Prophet now became a warrior chief, in addition to a religious preacher. Rather than suffer his enemies to persecute his followers, he himself now declared jehad against them. He had no political ambition in his earlier days, but now the element of power, engendered by constant persecution and suffering, came to occupy a prominent place in his mind. He now became the militant prophet in which capacity he has become intimately associated with history.
C
In the Qur'an, which was admittedly compiled after the death of the Prophet, no distinction is observed between those of the sayings that emanated from the preacher' and those which originated from the statesman' in him. Possibly, a few of the sayings of others, erroneously ascribed to him, were also included in the manuscript.
6
The doctrine of the abrogation of the word of God, which is peculiar to Islam, obviously owes its origin to the exigencies of the political life the Prophet finally adopted. But, so far as we have been able to ascertain, from a perusal of the Qur'an, it is confined only to such of the sayings as are not the essential and eternal
Jain Education International
THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org