turned away from revelation; and in the latter, that you were then in error, and that whilst in error, ye offered up prayers to the true God." To this the Mussulmans replied, "Whatever God commands, is revelation; and whatever He forbids, is error." The Jews continued, "What do you say of those who died whilst you were praying towards our Kibla: are they blessed or condemned?" Upon this, the Most High sent the verse, "God did not put your faith (i.e. your prayer) towards the Holy House."

'The earliest Ulemas differ as to the Kibla which Mohammed observed before his flight to Medina. Ibn Abbas and many others affirm that he had been praying towards the Holy House; but that in doing so, he always took up such a position that he had the Kaaba on one side and never turned his back upon it. This is the correct view. But another account is, that he had been performing his prayers towards the Kaaba; and that during the early part of his residence at Medina he turned towards the Holy House, in order to conciliate the Jews and predispose them in favour of Islam. Sheikh Ibn Hajr says, that this view is not well supported, and that it implies a double abrogation of a previous injunction. But God knows best.

'It is recorded that at the time when the Kibla was changed, the Prophet went to the Kaba-mosque and changed its walls in such a manner that it exactly faced the Kaaba; and that he laid its foundation with his own blessed hands; and that his own blessed self, together with his friends, carried the stones and built them up. It is also credibly reported that his Excellency went every Saturday to that mosque, either on foot or on horseback, and that he declared its virtue to be such that any one who, after a complete ablution, performs his prayers in it, acquires the merit of a pilgrimage to Mecca.' ¹ (R.)

(31.) They were called upon to decide what punishment should be inflicted on adulterers, regard being had to the punishment prescribed by the Law of Moses.

a. 'The scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him... Jesus said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her... He said unto the woman, Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more' (John viii. 2-11).

b. 'In the fourth year after the Flight, his Excellency had a man and a Jewish woman stoned. The Jews wanted to deceive his Excellency in this matter by a trick, saying, "In our Law the punishment of adultery is this, that the guilty party, be he man or woman, should have his face blackened, and being placed in a reversed position upon a camel, should be publicly paraded on the market-place." Abd Allah Ibn Selam, who had been a Jewish priest, but had been ennobled with the nobility of Islam, said to his Excellency, "O thou Prophet of God, these men tell a lie; according to the Torah, adulterers have to be stoned." His Excellency commanded a Torah to be brought, in order to have the statement verified. Then a Jew read from the Torah, but with his hand covered the verse about stoning. Ibn Selam observing this, said, "Take thy hand away;" and when the Jew withdrew his hand, the verse about stoning was seen; and Ibn Selam read that verse to the Prophet: whereupon they stoned that adulterer and adulteress. In this year he also requested Zeid Ibn Thabit to learn the Torah, so as to prevent the Jews in the future from tampering with or altering any of its verses. Zeid Ibn Thabit learned the whole of the Torah in fifteen days.

In the year 9 A.H. Mohammed also ordered a woman of the Ghamid tribe to be stoned, for having committed