Page:The Oriental Biographical Dictionary.djvu/194

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Muhammad 182 Muhammad are still preserved. It is very remarkable that though. Muhammad himself so often declared in the Kuran that he wrought no miracles, yet his followers have ascribed a great many to him. For instance, they affirm, that he caused water to flow from his fingers ; that he split the moon in two ; that the stones, trees, and beasts acknow- ledged him to be the true prophet sent from God, and saluted him as such ; that he went one night from Mecca to Jerusalem, from whence ho ascended up to heaven, where he saw and conversed with God, and came back again to Mecca before the next morning ; with many more miracles equally incredible. Muhanunad permitted by his law, four wives to each of his followers ; but did not limit himself to that number ; for he observed that a prophet, being peculiarly gifted and privileged, was not bound to restrict himself to the same laws as ordinary mortals. The authors who give him the smallest number of wives, own that he had fifteen, four of whom, however, never shared connubial rites. Their names and the year ■when they died, are as follow : A. D. A. H. 1. Khudyja, the daughter of Khawylid died 3 years before the Hijri era, aged 65, 619 2. Suda, daughter of Zama' a, died, .... 674 54 3. 'Ayesha, daughter of Abu Bakr, died aged 66, 677 57 4. Hafsa, daughter of 'Umar Khattab, died, 665 45 5. Umm Salma, daughter of Abu TJmay- ya, outlived all Muhammad's wives, and died, 679 69 6. Umm Habiba, daughter of Abu Sufyan, died, 664 44 7. Zainab, daughter of Jahash, widow of Zaid, Muhammad's slave, died, 641 20 8. Zainab, daughter of Ehiizyma, died 2 months after the above, 641 20 9. Maimuna, daughter of Harith, died, G71 61 10. Jawyria, daughter of Harith, 670/5 50/56 11. Safj^a, daughter of Hai bin-Akhtab, died • 670 60 1 2. Maria Copti, or the Egyptian, of whom was born Ibrahim, 637 16 By Khudj'ja his first wife, he had six children, two sons and four daughters, viz., Kasim and 'Abdullah who is also called Tahir ; and Zainab, Eukia, Umm Kulsum and Fatima ; all of whom died before their father, excepting Fatima who was married to 'Ali, and survived her father six months. muhammad I, Jj' (or IMahomct I) Sultan of the Tm-ks, was the son of Bayezi'd I (Bajazet) whom he suc- ceeded in 1413 A. D., 816 A. H., after an interregnum of eleven years, during which time his brother Sulaiman had taken possession of Brusa. He was a brave and politic monarch, conquered Cappadocia, Servia, "Walla- chia, and other provinces, and was at peace with Manuel Paloeologos, emperor of Constantinople, to whom he re- stored some of his provinces, and died at Andrianople of a bloody-flux 1422 A. D., 825 A. H., aged 47 years. He was succeeded by his son Murad II (Amurath). Muhammad II, ij'^ i^+s^, (Mahomet II) emperor of the Turks, sumamed the Great, succeeded his father Murad II (Amurath) in February, 1451 A. D., Muliarram, 855 A. H. His reign was begun with preparations for war ; he besieged Constantinople, and conveyed over the land some of his gallies into the harbour, which the Greeks had shut up against the invaders. Constantinople was taken by him on Tuesday the 29th of May, 1453 A. D., 20th Jumada I, 857 A. H,, and in her fall poured forth her fugitive philosophers and learned men to revive literature in the Western world. Muhammad by his vic- tories, deser.ved the name of Great ; and the appellation of Grand Seignor, which he assumed, has descended to his successors. After subduing two empires, twelve tributary kingdoms and two hundred towns, he was preparing for the subjugation of Italy, when a colic proved fatal to him, and he died on Thursday the 3i'd May, 1481 A. D., 3rd Eabi' I, 886 A. H., after a reign of 31 lunar years. His death was the cause of universal rejoicings over the Christian world, whose religion he had sworn to exter- minate, for the tenets of Muhammad. He was of an exceeding courage and strength, of a sharp wit, and very fortunate ; but withal, he was faithless and cruel : and in his time occasioned the death of 80,000 Christians of both sexes. His son Bayezid II succeeded him. Mllhammad III, '^■"^ <>.*^j emperor of the Turks, suc- ceeded his father Murad III in January, 1595 A. D., Ju- mada I, 1003 A. H. to the throne of Constantinople. He began his reign by ordering nineteen of his brothers to be strangled, and ten of his father's wives to be drowned, whom he supposed to be with child. He made war against Eodulphus II, emperor of Germany, and invaded Hungary with an army of 200,000 men, but his progress was checked by Maximillian the emperor's brother, who would have obtained a decisive victory, had not his troops abandoned themselves to pillage. Muhammad, obliged to retire from Hungary, buried himself in the indolence of his seraglio. He died of the plague, after a reign of 9 years in January, 1604 A. Shaban, 1012 A. H., aged 5 9 years, and was succeeded by his son Ahmad I. Muhammad IV, C?!; emperor of the Turks, was the son of Ibrahim, whom he succeeded on the throne of Constantinople in 1649 A. D., 1059 A. H. He pui-sued the war with the Venetians, and after reducing Candia, with the loss of 200,000 men, he invaded Poland. His arms proved victorious, but the disgrace was wiped off by the valour of Sobeski, king of Poland, who the next year routed his enemies at the battle of Choezim. He was deposed in 1687 A. D., 1098 A. H., and sent to prison where he died in 1691 A. D., 1102 A. H. He was suc- ceeded by his brother Sulaiman II. Muhammad Abd, author of a Persian work on Jurisprudence called " Asas ul-Islam," the Foundation of Muhammadanism, and of one called " Fikha Sunnatf wa-Jamaa't." Muhammad 'Adil Shah, J^^ '^♦==, king of Bijapur, succeeded his father Ibrahim 'Adil Shah II, in the year 1626 A. D., 1036 A. H. As the armies of the emperor of Dehli were daily extending their conquests in the Dakhin, and he knew that should the country of Alimadnagar be reduced, his own would become the object of attack, he assisted Nizam Shah against the imperial arms ; and more than once suffered for his con- duct, being obliged to purchase peace by large contribu- tions. In the year 1634 A. D., 1044 A. H. the armies of the emperor Shah Jahan invaded the Dakhin on three quarters and laid waste the country of Bijapur without mercy. After the reduction of Daulatabad and other forts, with most part of the kingdom of Nizam Shah, Muhammad 'Adil Shah agreed to pay a considerablo tribute to the emperor. He was the last king of Bijapur who struck coins in his own name. In the latter part of his reign, his vassal Sewaji, the son of Sahu Bhosla, by stratagem and treachery obtained great power, and the foundation of the Bijapur monarchy became weakened. He died in November, 1656 A. D., Muharram, 1067 A. H. and was succeeded .by his son 'AH 'Adil Shah II. His tomb at Bijapur called " Gol Gumbaz," has a dome which measui'es 130 feet in diameter which can be seen from 30