who act aright is uncertain. It is possible that it might refer to Nestorian Christians, with whom Muhammad may still have hoped to find sympathy. I think it much more likely, however, that the phrase simply means that some Arab Christians were prepared to accept Islam.

The great faults which Muhammad has to lay to the charge against the Christians lie in the doctrine of the Trinity and in that of the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is perhaps unfortunate that the Christian communities with which he actually came into contact were Monophysites who unduly ignored the humanity of Jesus. But I do not think it made much difference to the ultimate result. He would probably have had as little patience with the Nestorians, and have understood the doctrines as presented by them as little, if they had stood in his way. As he understood these two doctrines they were sheer unbelief. "Verily they are guilty of unbelief who say: 'God is the Messiah son of Maryam'." (Whether the inversion has any significance it is impossible to say.) "The Messiah said: 'O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates anything with God, God has forbidden him the Garden, and his dwelling is the Fire.'" (This is simply Muhammad's own conception of what the Messiah must have said.) "Verily they are guilty of unbelief who say: 'God is one of three'. There is no God but one God. If they do not desist from what they say, a terrible punishment will affect those of them who are guilty of unbelief. . . . The Messiah son of Maryam was only a messenger whom other messengers had pre-

ceded; and his mother was an upright woman. They ate food (like other human beings). See how we make clear to you the signs, and see how they lie" (v. v. 76 ff.).

Thus the relationship with the Christians ended as that with the Jews had ended — in war. "Fight against those who do not believe in God, nor in the Last Day, do not forbid what God and his Apostle forbid, nor practise the true religion, from among those who have been given the Book, until they pay the Jizya out of hand, being submissive. The Jews say that Uzair (Ezra) is the Son of God,¹ and the Nasara say that the Messiah is the Son of God. That is the saying of their mouths, imitating the saying of those who disbelieved before. God fight against them! How they are deceived! They have taken their ahbar (Jewish learned men) and their monks as lords to the exclusion of God, and the Messiah.² They were commanded only to worship one God than whom there is no other. Glorious be he beyond what they associate with him" (ix. v. 29 ff.). The latter part of the quotation might be taken as a reference to saint-worship. But it is more probable, I think, that the meaning is that they obey their ecclesiastical superiors who have led them astray from the true religion, and refuse to obey the Prophet who now in God's name puts the true religion before them. This sense is confirmed by what follows. "They wish to extinguish God's light by their mouths. But God refuses to do anything but perfect his light