him, and took him up to heaven, so that he disappeared out of my sight. In that state I heard a caller call out, "Pass him through the east and west of the earth, and take him to the birthplaces of the prophets, that they may bless him, and pray for him, and that they may clothe him in the dress of the Hanifites, and present him to his father Abraham; and take him also to all the seas, that all their inhabitants may know his name, his attributes, and his form. Verily, in the seas his name is Annihilator, for not a grain of Polytheism remains on the face of the earth that shall not be annihilated in his time." Then in an instant they brought Mohammed back to me, wrapt in wool whiter than snow,' etc. etc.

Ibn Ishak narrates: 'The Apostle of God was born on a Monday in "the year of the elephant" (see p. 9), when twelve nights of the month Rabia-l-ewwel had passed. After he was born, his mother sent for Abdu-l-Mottaleb, begging him to come and see the child. 'When he came, she told him what she had seen during the time of her pregnancy, what she was told about him, and how she had been commanded to name him. It is believed that his grandfather then took him in his arms, and carried him to the Kaaba, to thank God for the gift; and after this was done, he brought him back to his mother and began to look out for a wet-nurse.'

In the Mohammedan biography entitled Rawzet ul Ahbab, the subject of the wet-nurse is thus introduced: 'It was customary amongst the noble families of the Arabs to give their children to wet-nurses, so that their wives might without care or trouble occupy themselves with their husbands, and bear the more children; and also because it is acknowledged that the enjoyment of fresh water and a healthy climate by children predisposes them to clearness of speech and eloquence. Hence they used to have their children nursed amongst Arab tribes, whose localities were celebrated for their pure water and salubrious air. Of all the Arab tribes the Beni Saad enjoyed the highest reputation on the score of the excellency of their air and water. Accordingly the women of the tribes in the neighbourhood of Mecca used to come to the city twice a year, in spring and autumn, for the purpose of obtaining infants to nurse; and when they had

received any, they took them away with them to their own tribe, to suckle and tend them there.'

Ibn Ishak has preserved to us the story which, in after-days, the Saadite woman Halima is reported to have told as to the way in which she became Mohammed's wet-nurse. It is highly coloured, to suit Moslem notions as to the special providences which ought to have signalised their Prophet from his infancy, and runs as follows: 'In a year of grievous famine I left my home with my husband and sucking babe, together with other women of the Beni Saad, who likewise were in search of babies for suckling. I had a troublesome journey, because my baby was crying with hunger. Neither myself nor the she-camel we took with us had milk enough to satisfy him; and the donkey on which I rode was so lean and weak that it could not keep pace with the caravan, and proved an irksome drag to it. But we buoyed ourselves up with the hope of help and deliverance, till we at last reached Mecca. The Apostle of God was offered to all the women; but none of them would accept him as soon as they learned that he was an orphan. For we expected presents from the fathers of the sucklings, and thought that a mere grandfather and widow mother were not likely to do much for us. But when all the other women had found sucklings, and we were about to return home, I said to my husband, "By Allah! I do not like to go back with my companions without a suckling; I will take this orphan." He replied, "Thou wilt not be a sufferer by taking it: God may bless us on its account." So I took the child, from no other reason than that I could not find another. When I laid him on my bosom, he found so much milk that he could drink till he had enough, and likewise his foster-brother drank, and was satisfied. Then they also both slept quietly, whilst before that my own child had been so restless as to give us no sleep. My husband, on going to our camel, found her quite swollen with milk, and drew so much from her that both he and I could drink as much as we liked; and we spent a most happy night. The following morning my husband said to me, "Know, O Halima, that thou hast obtained a blessed child." I replied, "By Allah, I hope so!" Then we departed, and I took him with me on my ass, which now ran so nimbly that my fellow-