thout remorse those who opposed
him and were his equals in strength, but towards inferior tribes he had
the compassion of the strong. He could not censure Khalid as he was too
valuable a general, but he was really grieved at the barbarity practised
against the Jadzima. He effectually prevented any further cruelties, and
on that very account rendered his authority secure and his rulership free
from attempts to throw off its yoke within the vicinity of his newly-won
power.

The populace was far too weak to resist the Muslim incursion. Its
leaders, Abu Sofian and Abbas with their followings, had surrendered to
the hostile faith; for the inhabitants there was nothing now between
submission and death. The Believers were merciful, and they had nought to
fear from their violence. They embraced the new faith in self-defence,
and received the rulership of the Prophet very much as they had received
the government of all the other chieftains before him.

One command, however, was to be rigidly obeyed, the command inseparable
from the dominion of Islam. Idolatry was to be exterminated, the accursed
idols torn down and annihilated. Parties of Muslim were sent out to the
neighbouring districts to break these desecrators of Islam. The famous
Al-Ozza and Manat, whose power Mahomet for a brief space had formerly
acknowledged, were swept into forgetfulness at Nakhla, every image was
destroyed that pictured the abominations, and the temples were cleansed
of pollution.

Out of his spirit-fervour Mahomet's triumph had been achieved. In the dim
beginnings of his faith, when nothing but its conception of the
indivisible godhead had been accomplished, he had brought to its altars
only the quenchless fire of his inspiration. He had not dreamed at first
of political supremacy, only the rapture of belief and the imperious
desire to convert had made his foundation of a city and then an
overlordship inevitable. But circumstances having forced a temporal
dominance upon him, he became concerned for the ultimate triumph of his
earthly power. Thereupon his dreams took upon themselves the colouring of
external ambitions. Conversion might only be achieved by conquest,
therefore his first thoughts turned to its attainment. And as soon as he
looked upon Arabia with the eyes of a potential despot he saw Mecca the
centre of his ceremonial, his parent city, hostile and unsubdued.
Certainly from the time of the Kureisch failure to capture Medina he had
set