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treatise. We next meet with his pupil Zohri, and some others who died early in
the second century, engaged in the same work. Zohri attempted the task of
writing a history of Mahomet's campaigns, which formed a separate subject of
study, and which, as we have seen, Sprenger holds to be the only reliable
portion of the biographies. From the public character of the Prophet's warlike
undertakings, it is natural to expect that they could be ascertained with more
exactness and detail than matters affecting his ordinary life. Yet even in the
campaigns, there is abundance of romance: and many episodes regarding the
battle of Bedr, for instance, or the exploits of Aly at Kheibar, bear to the
full the marvel-loving stamp of the rhapsodist.
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The first regular biography of Mahomet of which we have any notice is that by
Ibn Ocba (d. 141), but it is not extant. The earliest which remains to
us is by Ibn Ishâc (d. 151), and this we have only in the corrected
and amplified version of Ibn Hishâm (d. 213). In a former article an
account has been given of these early Biographers;1 it is,
therefore, unnecessary here to do more than extract the opinions of Sprenger
on the value to be attached to the works of Wâckidi and his secretary, Ibn
S'ad:
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Wâckidi, who was born at Medina,
died in Baghdad, A.H. 207 (A.D. 803), aged 78. He spent in the purchase of
books 2000 dinars, and he had two slaves constantly employed in copying
manuscripts. He left behind him 600 chests full of books, each requiring two
men to lift it. With such rapidity had traditional literature increased . .
. . He possessed dozens of versions of one and the same tradition, and these
he arranged in chapters under appropriate headings. To turn this mass of
tradition to advantage, Wâckidi set about the sifting of the mass. The plan
of his work consists of biographical notices arranged in chronological
order, and embraced all traditionists of note up to his own time. The latest
he mentions is Muâvia, whom he met on a pilgrimage. It is related of each
traditionist with what persons he had come in contact, and from whom he
received and propagated traditions, and the measure of reliance to be placed
on him.
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Wâckidi chiefly occupied himself
with the biography of Mahomet, and he applied a new style of criticism to
the work. He wrote various monographs on special subjects connected with the
Prophet's life:—one on his Divine mission, a second on his wives
(extracted by the Secretary), a third on the chronology, and a fourth on the
campaigns, which last is still extant.
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