d, "We will
come here again, if it please God." When the army reached Jesana, where
all the booty taken from the Hawazanites had been left, a deputation
arrived from that tribe to beg it might be restored. The prophet having
given them their option between the captives or their goods, they chose
to have their wives and children again. Their goods being divided among
the Mussulmans, Mahomet, in order to indemnify those who had been
obliged to give up their slaves, gave up his own share of the plunder
and divided it among them. To Malec, however, son of Awf, the general of
the Hawazanites, he intimated that if he would embrace Islamism he
should have all his goods as well as his family, and a present of one
hundred camels besides. By this promise Malec was brought over to be so
good a Mussulman that he had the command given him of all his countrymen
who should at any time be converts, and was very serviceable against the
Thakishites.

The prophet, after this, made a holy visit to Mecca, where he appointed
Otab, son of Osaid, governor, though not quite twenty years of age;
Maad, son of Jabal, _imam_, or chief priest, to teach the people
Islamism, and direct them in solemnizing the pilgrimage. Upon his return
to Medina his concubine, Mary, brought him a son, whom he named Ibrahim,
celebrating his birth with a great feast. The child, however, lived but
fifteen months.

In the ninth year of the Hegira envoys from all parts of Arabia came to
Mahomet at Medina, to declare the readiness of their several tribes to
profess his religion.

The same year Mahomet, with an army of thirty thousand men, marched
toward Syria, to a place called Tobuc, against the Romans and Syrians,
who were making preparation against him, but, upon his approach,
retreated. The Mussulmans, in their march back toward Medina, took
several forts of the Christian Arabs, and made them tributaries. Upon
his return to Medina the Thakishites, having been blockaded in the Taif
by the Mussulman tribes, sent deputies offering to embrace Islamism,
upon condition of being allowed to retain a little longer an idol to
which their people were bigotedly attached. When Mahomet insisted upon
its being immediately demolished, they desired to be at least excused
from using the Mussulmans' prayers, but to this he answered very justly,
"That a religion without prayers was good for nothing." At last they
submitted absolutely.

During the same year Mahomet sent Abu-Bekr to Me