RECORD OF THE ENEMIES ATTACKING THE CHILDREN OF ESRÂIL, AND THE LATTER OVERCOMING THE FORMER. ACCOUNT OF THEIR COMMITTING SIN AFTER THEIR VICTORY, AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HOLY HOUSE.

Allah—w. n. b. e.—has said: ‘And we expressly declared unto the children of Esrâil in the book [of the Law, saying], Ye will surely commit evil in the earth twice, and ye will be elated with great insolence. And when the [punishment] threatened for the first of those [transgres­sions] came [to be executed] we sent against you our servants endued with exceeding strength [in war]’ (to the end of the verse).* When the kingdom of Sulimân lapsed to one of his descendants of the name of Sadiqa [Hezekiah], who had an infirmity in his foot, the adjoining kings coveted his realm on account of this infirmity. The first who attacked him was the King of Jazirah [Mesopotamia], Lankan by name, who adored Venus, and therefore made a vow to offer her his own son as a sacrifice in case he should become Master of the Holy House. According to another tradition, Bakhtanassar was the secretary of this king, and when Lankan had encamped in the vicinity of the Holy House [Jerusalem] with an army numerous as locusts, the Lord and Ruler of winds sent a hurricane which destroyed the whole army, so that no one escaped but Lankan and Bakhtanassar, who returned to the country of Jazirah disappointed and sad. The son of the king having heard of his father’s vow, made use of the opportunity and killed him; Bakhtanassar, however, in his turn deprived the prince of life, and took possession of the kingdom without opposition. After this event the King of Mousul and the Governor of Adharbaijân [Media] marched with their armies to the Holy House without each other’s knowledge. There, however, they met, a sanguinary battle ensued, and the True Sovereign conveyed the pretenders and the foes of the religion, without any efforts of His friends, to the regions of annihilation, whereon the children of Esrâil took possession of all their baggage and property.

After the Jews had committed sin and had become rebellious by slaying the prophets, Sanjârib [Sennacherib], the King of Babel, marched with a numerous army to the Holy House, occupied that pleasant country, and com­mitted great depredations therein.* When Sanjârib returned to his country, the children of Esrâil assembled, but again pursued their criminal and wicked inclinations; consequently the Lord of Magnificence exalted Armia [Jeremiah] to the prophetic dignity, and appointed him to direct and to guide them;* that flagitious nation, how­ever, insulted, beat and imprisoned the prophet of God;* therefore the Lord and Mighty Avenger subjected the children of Esrâil to Bakhtanassar,* who put them to the merciless sword, burnt the Holy House, took the wazirs of the Jews captive, and sent them to Babel [Babylon]. Such is the tradition of Qotaiba, and of other historians, but what follows after the above events will— if it pleaseth Allah—be narrated in the proper place.

Khodaifa narrates a tradition of the prophet—u. w. b., etc.—which is as follows: ‘When the children of Esrâil sinned, and killed the prophets, God—w. n. b. e.—sent Bakhtanassar against them, who besieged and took the Holy House. He slew seventy thousand individuals [to atone] for the blood of Zakria the prophet, and carried off seventy thousand donkey-loads of ornaments and decora­tions from the Holy House; but some assert that he had taken one hundred thousand such loads to Babel.’ Khodaifa says: ‘I asked, Was the decoration of the Holy House con­siderable?’ He replied: ‘Yes; Sulimân had built that city of gold and rubies, ingots of which he demanded from the Satans, who produced them instantly by his orders. Bakhtanassar carried off the children of Esrâil, who remained prisoners during one hundred years. After that a king of the name of Korush sent the children of Esrâil back with their ornaments;* the city was again popu­lated, and the children of Esrâil returned to obedience [to God] for one hundred years. Then, however, they again commenced to sin, and God—w. n. b. e.—appointed the King of Rûm to reign over them, who carried away the ornaments of the Holy House to his country.’ It is also related of that prince—i.e, Muhammad—that he said: ‘When the Mahdi* arrives at the end of all time, he will send back the ornaments of the Holy House to their original place.’ But Allah is most wise!

The tradition of Muhammad Bin Esahâq, the author of the Maghâzi is, that God—w. n. b. e.—had sent a revela­tion to Musâ, the son of E’mrân, that the children of Esrâil will rebel twice on earth. After the expiration of a long period of time, the Jews sinned against the laws of their religion; and in that age there was an ordinance of God, in consequence whereof He sent a prophet during the reign of every king, for the purpose of teaching and directing him, and of holding up to him his good and evil deeds. When the royal dignity devolved upon Sadiqa [Hezekiah], who was a pious, devout, and righteous prince, Sha’ia Bin Mûsa [Isaiah] was sent, who prophesied the advent of I’sa [Jesus] and of Muhammad—u. w. b., etc.— it being related that he had prophesied: ‘Be of good cheer! The rider on an ass, namely, I’sa, and the rider on a camel, namely, the apostle of Allah—u. w. b., etc.— will come to thee.’*

In short, during the reign of Sadiqa [Hezekiah] the rebellion and disobedience of the children of Esrâil trans­gressed all bounds, and though the prophet and the king admonished the people, it was of no use. Meanwhile Sanjârib [Sennacherib], the King of Babel, marched with six hundred thousand warriors to attack the Holy House, and arrived in the vicinity thereof after performing the journey. On that occasion Sadiqa was suffering from a bad foot, and was overwhelmed by fear when Sha’ia informed him of the approach of the enemy, but asked: ‘O prophet of God, has no information from heaven been communicated to thee on this subject?’ Sha’ia replied: ‘No!’ Afterwards, however, the divine inspiration reached Sha’ia to tell Sadiqa to make his last will and testament,* and to appoint one of his family to succeed him as king Therefore Sadiqa immediately prepared himself to obey, engaged in prayer, supplication, and weeping, and besought the Lord of lords to save the children of Esrâil from the grasp of their enemies. His prayer was answered, and Sha’ia obtained the revelation to inform him to that effect, as well as that God had not only granted him victory over his enemies, but had also increased the duration of his life by fifteen years,* and that by applying a certain remedy* he would also be relieved of his malady. Sha’ia reported this information to the king, for which he felt very grate­ful; he then offered his thanksgivings, laid the prescribed remedy on the affected spot, and was delivered of his com­plaint. When Sadiqa and his people rose the next morning from their beds, and looked for the enemies, they found that all had died, except Sanjârib and five other individuals of his followers.

Muhammad Bin Esahaq relates that, according to some traditions, Sadiqa fought with Sanjârib, put his army to flight, and made him prisoner, with five other men, one of whom was Bakhtanassar. Then Sadiqa ordered the King of Babel to be yoked together with these five men, and to be driven daily round the city, everyone being fed with two loaves of oat-bread day by day. After seventy days had thus elapsed, the King of Babel sent the following message to Sadiqa: ‘It would be better to kill us, than to make us live in this manner.’ Therefore Sadiqa issued orders for their execution, but was checked by the com­mand of the Lord, communicated to him by Sha’ia, that he ought not to kill Sanjârib, but rather to show him kindness and civility, and to send him back to the country of Babel for the purpose of informing others of God’s wrath and anger. Sadiqa obeyed, treated Sanjârib honour­ably and respectfully, allowing him to return to his country, which he did; but being prostrated on the couch of weak­ness after the expiration of seven years, he appointed Bakhtanassar to be his successor. After the [above-mentioned] promised fifteen years had elapsed, Sadiqa took leave of this perishable world, and departed to the abode of eternity. After his decease the children of Esrâil began to quarrel with each other, fought, and reduced the country to a state of anarchy; they not only disregarded the admonitions of Sha’ia, but intended to slay him, therefore he fled, and perceived on his way a tree split lengthwise, which exclaimed to him: ‘O prophet of God, come to me.’ Sha’ia complied, and took shelter within its cavity. Satan, however, pulled him by the skirt of his garment, so that it remained outside, whereon the rebellious people arrived and sawed him into two parts with the tree; the current opinion, however, is that the prophet thus cut in twain was Zakria, as will—if it pleaseth Allah—be explained by-and-by.