es he felt a noise in his ears
like the tinkling of bells or a low deep hum, as if bees were swarming
round his head.

At this period of his life the chapters of the Koran were delivered in
throes of pain. The paroxysms were preceded by depression of spirit, his
face became clouded, his extremities turned cold, he shook like a man in
an ague, and he called for coverings. His face assumed an expression
horrible to see, the vein between his eyebrows became distended, his
eyes were fixed, his head moved to and fro, as if he was conversing,
and then he gave forth the oracle or Sura.

The hitherto mentally and emotionally normal trader, husband, and father
was thus suddenly swept off his feet and carried irresistibly away on a
mighty tide. His perturbed spirit now soared to the heights of Heaven,
now plunged into the chasms of hell. Moments of ethereal bliss would be
followed by periods of profoundest melancholy.

"It is related that the Angel Gabriel, who thus far had labored only in
the field of Christian endeavor, was chosen by Allah as bearer of the
divine revelation to Mohammed. One day, while the trader-poet was
wrestling with his doubts among the foothills of Mount Hira, he saw a
wondrous apparition floating downward on celestial wings. 'Thou art
God's Prophet, and I am Gabriel,' announced the awe-inspiring guest
before he departed to receive the blessing of Allah for having so
successfully executed the heavenly command. Gabriel was a very valuable
ambassador, for through the to-and-fro journeying of this indefatigable
messenger Allah was able to remain at ease in heaven, thus keeping up
the appearance of intangible, majestic remoteness so necessary for
dignified gods. And thus Mohammed came into his own. From that moment
Mohammed looked upon himself as Allah's vice regent, through whom
Allah's incontestable decrees were to be given to man." (_Mohammed_--_R.
F. Dibble._) Mohammed's every doubt had now vanished, his soul was
completely at ease, and from his lips there burst the wildly exultant
chant, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His Prophet."

The obliging Gabriel, he said, had borne him on a winged steed over
Medina to the Temple of Jerusalem, and from there he continued his
celestial journey until he was carried completely out of this world to
those ethereal realms of bliss where the Seven Heavens are. Up and up he
flew, while he carefully noted the order of precedence of those prophets
whose model