SCISSION OF THE BREAST OF THAT PRINCE OF EXALTED
DIGNITY.

Halimah said that he had two milk-brothers who went every day into the desert to pasture the sheep, and that when his lordship was three years old he said to her: ‘How is it that I have not seen my brothers these two days?’ She replied: ‘During the day they are engaged in pasturing the sheep.’ He queried further: ‘Why sendest thou not me with them?’ She answered: ‘No doubt thou wishest to be in their company.’ Accordingly, she combed his hair next morning, inserted collyrium into his blessed eyes, dressed him in a robe, and tied a string of Yaman shells round his blessed neck to avert the evil eye; but he immediately tore it off, threw it away, and said: ‘He who is my guardian will be with me!’ Sending him away with his [milk-] brothers, she enjoined them to take care of him, but about noon her son Zobeir came running in great dis­tress and bathed in perspiration, exclaiming: ‘O mother, rescue Muhammad—u. w. b.—but I believe thou wilt not be able to reach him.’ She asked what had happened, and he continued: ‘Two men, dressed in green, came from the sky, took him away from us to the top of the mountain, ripped open his abdomen, and they are still with him.’ Halimah says: ‘I, my husband, and several women of my tribe, ran helter-skelter to the meadow, and saw him standing on the top of the mountain, looking towards heaven. My husband asked him what had happened, and he replied as follows: “Two men alighted from the atmo­sphere, brought a vase full of snow-water, laid me down, opened my abdomen, and ripped up my breast. They took from it a small black grain, washed it with snow-water, and filled it with light. Then they passed their hands over my body, whereon it became again as it was before.”’ With reference to this matter there is also a tradition that Halimah said: ‘When my son Zobeir informed me that two men had borne Muhammad to the mountain, and had opened his breast, I immediately ran with my husband to the spot, where we beheld him sitting and looking around, and when his eyes alighted on me he smiled. I kissed his head and eyes, saying: “May my life be sacrificed for thee; tell me what has happened.” He rejoined: “I was standing with my brothers, when all of a sudden three”’—but according to another tradition two— ‘“men made their appearance, dressed in white garments. One of them had a silver pitcher, and the other a plate of green emerald in his hand. They took me away from my brethren and carried me to the top of the mountain. One of them ripped open my breast down to the abdomen, with­out my feeling any pain. Then he introduced his hands into the cavity and extracted my bowels, washed them with snow-water, and again replaced them. After this the second individual arose, and said to his companion: ‘Go away, for thou hast done thy duty.’ Then the second person took out my heart, halved it, and removed therefrom a black point enveloped in gore, which he threw away, and said: ‘This is the writing of Satan.’ Thereupon he filled my heart with something he had brought, and I had never seen anything more tender or fragrant than that substance.”’

Halimah reports that the prince of this world said: ‘They weighed me first against ten men, but I prepon­derated; then with five hundred, and I preponderated; then with five thousand, and I again preponderated. Then one of them said to the other: “Let him alone. If he be balanced with the whole nation he will preponderate.” Hereon they left me, flew away, and went to heaven.’ Halimah says: ‘When I brought Muhammad back to the house, the people said: “He ought to be taken to a sooth­sayer, because he is touched by the genii.”* But Muhammad replied: “I am free, and safe from what you imagine, nor has anything befallen me.” The people, nevertheless, insisted so much that we were obliged to comply. After we had stated the circumstances to the sorcerer, he desired the boy himself to explain them, as he was more familiar with them [than we could be]. When Muhammad—u. w. b.—had narrated the event, the sooth­sayer jumped up, pressed him to his breast, and exclaimed: “O Arab people, put him to death and me also. For if he remains alive he will consider your wise men to be fools, and will abolish your religion. He will invite you to worship a God whom you do not know, and to profess a religion contrary to your own.”’ Halimah says: ‘When I heard these words I snatched Muhammad from his arms, and said: “Thou art a fool! Had I known that thou wouldst utter such sentiments I would not have brought the child. Find a man to kill thee, for we shall not slay Muhammad.” Accordingly, I took him home; nor did we pass any house of the Bani Sa’ad which did not exhale the odour of musk. After this strange event the father of my children [i.e., my husband] and all my relatives advised me to return with Muhammad to A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, lest a misfortune should befall him.’

‘When we had determined to go to Mekkah, I heard a voice exclaiming every night: “Prosperity, blessings, and security are departing from the country of the Bani Sa’ad! Hail to you, Battha and Mekkah, as long as an individual like thee, O Muhammad, sojourneth there! O best of men, as soon as Mekkah becomes thy abode, the inhabitants of the sanctuary will be preserved and protected from calamities!”’ Halimah said further: ‘I mounted a beast, and seating Muhammad—u. w. b.—in front of me, watched him incessantly whilst I heard awful voices on all sides. When I arrived at the gate of Mekkah I alighted, and necessarily likewise took down Muhammad—u. w. b., etc.; on that occasion a small white cloud descended and I heard wonderful sounds. When I had terminated my business, I looked around, but could not see Muhammad, whereon I began to lament so bitterly that young and old took pity on me. An old man asked me for the cause of my grief, and I swore by the God of Ebrâhim that if I could not see Muhammad I would precipitate myself down from the mountain; but the old man replied: “Weep not, but enter the idol-temple and beseech Hobal to restore thy child,” but I replied: “O decrepit old man, hast thou not heard what happened to Lât and to U’zza on the night of his birth?

Hemistich: “U’zza had no honour, and Lât no power.”

‘The old man continued: “Woman, thy great distress makes thee speak nonsense! I shall enter and intercede, that he may again restore thy child.” The foolish old man went to Hobal, and after praising him as is the fashion of idolaters, he continued: “This woman of the Bani Sa’ad says that she lost Muhammad, the son of A’bd-ul-Muttalleb;* restore him to her if it so pleaseth thee; for she bemoans him as lost.” As soon as that misguided individual had pronounced these words Hobal fell prostrate on his face, and from the cavity of his statue the words were heard: “What have I to do with Muhammad, who will be the cause of our destruction? and Allah the Most High and Glorious, who alone is to be worshipped, will not abandon him. Tell the idolaters that he is the great sacrifice; that is to say, he will kill all, except those who will be so fortunate as to follow him.”’ Halimah says: ‘When the little old man came out from the temple he exclaimed: “I have never experienced anything like this from Hobal! Call thy son, for a great destiny is in store for him.” When I despaired of finding Muhammad, I was forsooth compelled to disclose the circumstance to A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, who immediately ascended Mount Safa and assembled the Qoraish, but they were unable to find the child, although they searched all the places in and around Mekkah. After being thus disappointed, A’bd-ul-Muttalleb entered the mosque of the sanctuary alone, circum­ambulated it seven times, and heard the following words: “Muhammad—u. w. b.—has a God who will not cause him to be lost.” A’bd-ul-Muttalleb answered: “O herald, where is Muhammad?” Whereon he heard the reply: “He is sitting under a tree in the Wâdi Tahamah.” A’bd-ul-Muttalleb immediately armed himself, proceeded in that direction, and met on his road Waraqah Bin Naufil, who joined him in the search after Muhammad, and they discovered his lordship reclining under a myrtle-tree.’ There is another tradition that Masu’d Thaqfi and A’mru Bin Naufil found his lordship the seal of prophecy sitting under a myrtle-tree gathering the leaves thereof, and that A’mru asked him: “Who art thou?” And he received the answer: “I am Muhammad, the son of A’bdullah, the son of A’bd-ul-Muttalleb.” When they had taken him back, and the eyes of A’bd-ul-Muttalleb were illuminated by the aspect of the prince of creatures—u. w. b.—he bestowed much gold and innumerable camels on deserving persons, and presented Halimah with many gifts, whereon she returned joyfully to her home.

It is necessary to remind the reader that numerous legends exist concerning the scission of the breast, as well as about the time and manner in which Halimah restored his lordship to Aminah, all of which are recorded in chronicles, but could find no place in this abridgment, wherefore only that which the ancient U’lâma have related on these subjects has been here inserted.