The life and death of Mahumed, the author of the Turkish religion being an account of his tribe, parents, birth, name, education, marriages, filthiness of life, Alcoran, first proselytes, wars, doctrines, miracles, advancement, &c. / by L. Addison ... author of The present state of the Jews.

CHAP. XXII. (Book 22)

Of Mahumed's Miracles.

THough the things Mahumed indulged his Followers in this life, and promi∣sed them in the next, were certainly very taking with the sottish and Idolatrous Ara∣bians, and a very proper instrument to seduce them to his party: Yet with those who were of a more awakened Under∣standing, he was forced to deal in another Method. And because he was often urged to do Wonders, like Noah, Moses and Christ; and to confirm the Divine Right of his Apostleship by express Miracles, he preten∣ded these following to have hapned to him.

1. That in his Infancy (as was said a∣bove) the Angel Gabriel launced his Stomach, and pulled out his Heart, and took thence the black Coar, which is the seat of temptations, and instantly put up his heart again. Mahumed not suffering the least disease or pain.

2. That going with the Caravan, and one day it chancing to be very hot, a Cloud

settled over Mahumed's head, and over∣shadowed, and went along with him, to save him from the violent heat.

3. Mahumed (as he may well) reckons it for a Miracle, that Gabriel should come and salute him in the Cave, and begin to deliver him the Alcoran.

4. A fourth Miracle was, that of the Beasts, Birds and Stones saluting him, as one evening he came from the Cave, and told him expresly, that he was the Messenger of God. To which he addes, that in his pas∣sage there lying the trunk of a tree, and Mahumed being ready to step aside, the tree cleft asunder in the midst, so that he went thorow it; and assoon as he was gone, the tree grew together again as it was be∣fore.

5. Another Miracle was the coming of the trees to shadow him, and after they had performed that office, at his command to return to their places. In the Sunè this Miracle (saith Jo. Andr. Maurus) is thus re∣ported:

Mahumed being one day uncovered in the fields, he had occasion to untruss, during which the Sun shone so hot on his head, that he was all in a sweat; whereupon he looked towards certain Trees which were far from him, and called them to come and shadow him; upon which two Trees tore up the

earth with their roots, and came to the place where Mahumed was, and made him an Arbour; and having done their office, at Mahumed's command they returned to their places, and the earth closed up their roots again.

6. Another Miracle was the weeping of the trunk of a Palm-tree: which I finde thus related:

When Mahumed was ready to leave Mec∣ca, and go to Medina, he had a dry trunk of a Palm-tree in his house; which on the night of his Alhegira, or Banishment from Mecca, was very moist; whereupon he cal∣led the Moors, and desired them to see a great Miracle. The Moors answer'd, that they desired nothing more than to see Mira∣cles; then he brought them where the trunk lay, and bad them touch it with their hands, and see how it wept for Mahumed's depar∣ture.

7. But his greatest Miracle was the divi∣ding of the Moon, as is intimated in a Chapter of the Alcoran, bearing that Ti∣tle. Upon which a Commentary thus re∣lates the whole Story: One night an Uncle of Mahumed promised that he would turn Musulman, and believe him for a Prophet, if he would make the Moon come to the midst of Heaven, and be in the Full, which was then but newly Changed, and divide it

self into two equal parrs, and come out of Heaven to the Earth, and the two pieces to go, the one through the hole of one of Mahumed's sleeves, and the other piece through the hole of the other, and both pieces to come out at the collar of his Coat, utttering these words, Mahumed is the Pro∣phet of God; and then to joyn together, and return to Heaven where it was at first.

Mahumed (saith the Legend) prayed God to assist him with his Divine Power to do all that his Uncle demanded. And the Story saith, that the Moon presently, at Mahumed's request, came to the midst of Heaven, and divided it self, and descended, and did as is above-mentioned. But all this was no whit prevailing upon Mahumed's Un∣cle, who charged him for a Conjurer, and imputed to Negromancy, what his Ne∣phew pretended to be done by the Divine Power: which occasioned those words in the Chapter of the Moon, The wicked say, it was a manifest Forgery.

These are the greatest of Mahumed's Mi∣racles, and the most authentique among the Moors; though numbers more are related to have been done by him; of all which, not one witness is produced, nor any reason ren∣dered that might move him to perform them.