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He was descended from a very common tribe, from Ishmael, the son of Abraham. For Nizar, the descendant of Ishmael, is proclaimed the father of them all. He begot two sons, Mudar and Rabia. Mudar begot Quraysh and Qays and Tamim and Asad and other unknown ones. All these men dwelled in the desert of Midian and in it they raised cattle, living in tents. And there are also some who live further inland than these, not being of their tribe, but of Joktan, who are called Amanitai, that is, Homeritai. And some of them engaged in trade with their camels. The aforementioned Muhammad being poor and an orphan, it seemed good to him to go to a certain rich woman, a relative of his, by the name of Khadija, as a hired hand to drive camels and trade in Egypt and 334 Palestine. Little by little, growing bold, he insinuated himself with the woman, who was a widow, and took her as his wife and got her camels and her property. And going into Palestine, he associated with both Jews and Christians. And he picked up from them some scriptural things, and he had the affliction of epilepsy. And his wife, realizing this, was greatly distressed, being of noble birth and joined to such a man, who was not only poor but also an epileptic. But he managed to console her by saying thus, "I see a vision of a certain angel called Gabriel, and not being able to bear the sight of him, I faint and fall." And she, having a certain monk, an exile there because of false belief, who was her friend, reported everything to him and the name of the angel. And he, wanting to fully convince her, said to her, "He has spoken the truth; for this is the angel who is sent to all the prophets." And she, being the first to accept the word of the false abbot, believed him, and preached to other women of her tribe that he was a prophet. And so from the women the rumor came to the men, first to Abu Bakr, whom he also left as his successor. And his heresy took hold of the parts of Yathrib at last through war; at first secretly for ten years, and through war for ten likewise, and openly for nine. And he taught his subjects that he who kills an enemy, or is killed by an enemy, enters paradise. And he said paradise was of carnal food and drink and intercourse with women; a river of wine and honey and milk, and women not of the present kind, but others, and that the intercourse would be long-lasting, and the pleasure continuous; and other things full of debauchery and foolishness; and to have sympathy for one another, and to help those who are wronged. 335 In this same year, in the 4th indiction, on the 7th of the month of November, David, his son, was born to Heraclius in the east; on the same day Heraclius was also born, son of Heraclius the younger, also called Constantine, son of Heraclius the great. And he was baptized in Blachernae by Patriarch Sergius in the 5th indiction, on the 3rd of the month of November. Leader of the Arabs, Abu Bakr, for 3 years. Bishop of Jerusalem, Modestus, for 2 years. ρκγʹ. χκγʹ. κβʹ. αʹ. κγʹ. αʹ. ιγʹ. In this year the Persians rose up against one another and made war upon themselves. And at this time the king of the Indians sends congratulations to Heraclius on his victory over the Persians, with sufficient pearls and precious stones. And Muhammad had died before, who had appointed four amirs to make war on the Christians of the Arab race; and they came opposite a village called Moucheon, in which was Theodore the vicarius, wishing to attack the Arabs on the day of their idol-sacrifice. But the vicarius, learning this from a certain Khoraseni, called Qutaybah, who had become his hired hand, gathers all the soldiers of the desert border-guards, and having ascertained from the Saracen the day and the hour in which they were about to attack them, he himself, attacking them in a place called Mōthous, kills three amirs and the multitude of the people. And one amir escaped, Khalid, whom they call the sword of God. And there were some of the nearby Arabs receiving stipends from the emperors

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γενικωτάτης φυλῆς κατήγετο ἐξ Ἰσμαήλ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Νίζαρος γάρ, ὁ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ ἀπόγονος, πατὴρπάντων αὐτῶν ἀναγορεύεται. οὗτος γεννᾷ υἱοὺς δύο, Μούδαρον καὶ Ῥαβίαν. Μούδαρος γεννᾷ Κούρασον καὶ Κάϊσον καὶ Θεμίμην καὶ Ἄσαδον καὶ ἄλλους ἀγνώστους. οὗτοι πάντες ᾤκουν τὴν Μαδιανῖτιν ἔρημον καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐκτηνοτρόφουν ἐν σκηναῖς κατοικοῦντες. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἐνδότεροι τούτων μὴ ὄντες τῆς φυλῆς αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Ἰεκτάν, οἱ λεγόμενοι Ἀμανῖται, τοῦτ' ἔστιν Ὁμηρῖται. ἐπραγματεύοντο δέ τινες αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς καμήλοις αὐτῶν. ἀπόρου δὲ καὶ ὀρφανοῦ ὄντος τοῦ προειρημένου Μουάμεδ, ἔδοξεν αὐτῷ εἰσιέναι πρός τινα γυναῖκα πλουσίαν, συγγενῆ αὐτοῦ οὖσαν, ὀνόματι Χαδίγαν, μίσθιον ἐπὶ τῷ καμηλεύειν καὶ πραγματεύεσθαι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ 334 Παλαιστίνῃ. κατ' ὀλίγον δὲ παρρησιασάμενος ὑπεισῆλθε τῇ γυναικὶ χήρᾳ οὔσῃ, καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν γυναῖκα καὶ ἔσχε τὰς καμήλους αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν ὕπαρξιν. ἐρχόμενος δὲ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ συνανεστρέφετο Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Χριστιανοῖς. ἐθηρᾶτο δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν τινὰ γραφικά, καὶ ἔσχε τὸ πάθος τῆς ἐπιληψίας. καὶ νοήσασα ἡ τούτου γυνὴ σφόδρα ἐλυπεῖτο, ὡς εὐγενὴς οὖσα καὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ συναφθεῖσα, οὐ μόνον ἀπόρῳ ὄντι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιληπτικῷ. τροποῦται δὲ αὐτὸς θεραπεῦσαι αὐτὴν οὕτω λέγων, ὅτι "ὀπτασίαν τινὰ ἀγγέλου λεγομένου Γαβριὴλ θεωρῶ, καὶ μὴ ὑποφέρων τὴν τούτου θέαν ὀλιγωρῶ καὶ πίπτω." αὕτη δὲ ἔχουσα μοναχόν τινα διὰ κακοπιστίαν ἐξόριστον ἐκεῖσε οἰκοῦντα, φίλον αὐτῆς, ἀνήγγειλεν αὐτῷ πάντα καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀγγέλου. κἀκεῖνος θέλων πληροφορῆσαι αὐτὴν εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὅτι "ἀλήθειαν εἴρηκεν· καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ὁ ἄγγελος ἐκπέμπεται πρὸς πάντας προφήτας." αὕτη δὲ πρώτη δεξαμένη τὸν λόγον τοῦ ψευδαββᾶ ἐπίστευσεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐκήρυξεν ἄλλαις γυναιξὶν ὁμοφύλοις αὐτῆς προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶναι. καὶ οὕτως ἐκ γυναικῶν ἡ φήμη ἦλθεν εἰς ἄνδρας, πρῶτον Ἀβουβάχαρον, ὃν καὶ διάδοχον κατέλιπεν. καὶ ἐκράτησεν ἡ αἵρεσις αὐτοῦ τὰ μέρη τῆς Ἐθρίβου διὰ πολέμου τὸ ἔσχατον· πρώην μὲν κρυπτῶς ἔτη δέκα, καὶ διὰ πολέμου ὁμοίως δέκα, καὶ φανερῶς ἐννέα. ἐδίδαξε δὲ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπηκόους, ὅτι ὁ ἀποκτέννων ἐχθρόν, ἢ ὑπὸ ἐχθροῦ ἀποκτεννόμενος εἰς παράδεισον εἰσέρχεται. τὸν δὲ παράδεισον σαρκικῆς βρώσεως καὶ πόσεως καὶ μίξεως γυναικῶν ἔλεγεν· ποταμόν τε οἴνου καὶ μέλιτος καὶ γάλακτος, καὶ γυναικῶν οὐ τῶν παρουσῶν, ἀλλ' ἄλλων, καὶ τὴν μίξιν πολυχρόνιον εἶναι, καὶ διαρκῆ τὴν ἡδονήν· καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ἀσωτίας καὶ μωρίας μεστά· συμπαθεῖν δὲ ἀλλήλοις, καὶ βοηθεῖν ἀδικουμένοις. 335 Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ ἔτει, ἰνδικτιῶνος δʹ, μηνὶ Νοεμβρίῳ ζʹ, ἐγεννήθη Ἡρακλείῳ ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ ∆αβίδ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ· τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ Ἡράκλειος ἐτέχθη, υἱὸς Ἡρακλείου τοῦ μικροῦ τοῦ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου, υἱοῦ Ἡρακλείου τοῦ μεγάλου. καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη ἐν Βλαχέρναις ὑπὸ Σεργίου πατριάρχου τῇ εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνι μηνὶ Νοεμβρίῳ γʹ. Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς Ἀβουβάχαρος ἔτη γʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Μόδεστος ἔτη βʹ. ρκγʹ. χκγʹ. κβʹ. αʹ. κγʹ. αʹ. ιγʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἐπανέστησαν Πέρσαι κατ' ἀλλήλων καὶ ἐπολέμησαν ἑαυτούς. ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ καιρῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰνδῶν πέμπει συγχαρίκια τῷ Ἡρακλείῳ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Περσῶν νίκῃ, μαργαρίτας καὶ λίθους τιμίους ἱκανούς. ἦν δὲ προτελευτήσας ὁ Μουάμεδ, ὃς ἦν στήσας τέσσαρας ἀμηραίους τοῦ πολεμεῖν τοὺς ἐξ Ἀράβων γένους Χριστιανούς· καὶ ἦλθον κατέναντι Μουχέων κώμης λεγομένης, ἐν ᾗ ὑπῆρχε Θεόδωρος ὁ βικάριος, θέλοντες ἐπιρρίψαι κατὰ τῶν Ἀράβων τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς εἰδωλοθυσίας αὐτῶν. μαθὼν δὲ τοῦτο ὁ βικάριος παρά τινος κορασηνοῦ, Κουταβᾶ λεγομένου καὶ μισθίου αὐτοῦ γενομένου, συνάγει πάντας τοὺς στρατιώτας τῶν παραφυλάκων τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ ἀκριβωσάμενος παρὰ τοῦ Σαρακηνοῦ τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν ὥραν, ἐν ᾗ ἤμελλον ἐπιρρίπτειν αὐτοῖς, αὐτὸς ἐπιρρίψας αὐτοῖς ἐν χωρίῳ ἐπιλεγομένῳ Μόθους ἀποκτέννει τρεῖς ἀμηραίους καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ. ἐξῆλθε δὲ εἷς ἀμηρᾶς ὁ Χάλεδος, ὃν λέγουσι τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ θεοῦ. ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν πλησίον Ἀράβων λαμβάνοντες παρὰ τῶν βασιλέων ῥόγας