History of the Saracens

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History of the Saracens (1857)
by Simon Ockley

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Published in 1708 (for the first half) and 1718 (for the second half). "Ockley based his work on an Arabic manuscript in the Bodleian library which later scholars have pronounced less trustworthy than he imagined it to be. His English is pure, and simple, his narrative extraordinarily vivid and dramatic, and told in words exactly suited to his subject—whether he is describing how Caulah and her companions kept their Damascene captors at bay until her brother Derar and his horsemen came to deliver them, or telling the tragic story of the death of Hosein. The book was translated into French in 1748, and was long held to be authoritative. As a history, its defects are patent, its account of the conquest of Persia, for example, is so slight that even the decisive battle of Cadesia is not mentioned; nor is any attempt made to examine the causes of the rapid successes of the Saracen arms: it reads, indeed, more like a collection of sagas than a history. Such defects, however, do not impair its peculiar literary merit."

—From the Cambridge History of English and American Literature (1918)

184038History of the Saracens1857Simon Ockley

THE

HISTORY OF THE SARACENS;

COMPRISING THE

LIVES OF MOHAMMED AND HIS SUCCESSORS,

TO THE DEATH OF ABDALMELIK, THE ELEVENTH CALIPH.

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF

THEIR MOST REMARKABLE BATTLES, SIEGES, REVOLTS, &c.

COLLECTED FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES, ESPECIALLY ARABIC MSS.

BY SIMON OCKLEY, B.D.

PROFESSOR OF ARABIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.

THE SIXTH EDITION,

REVISED, IMPROVED, AND ENLARGED.

LONDON:

HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

1857.

Ancient Arabs—The Kaaba—Birth and family of Mohammed—Traditions of his childhood—Marries Kadija—Writes the Koran—His mission—First converts—Marries Ayesha, Hafsa, &c.—Traditions of his night-journey to heaven—Persecuted by the Koreish—Flight to Medina—Victory at Beder—Defeat at Ohud—Prohibits wine—War of the Ditch—Marries Zainab and Juweirah—Ayesha’s intrigue—Submission of Mecca—Nearly poisoned—Bewitched by the Jews—His amours with Mary—Conquest of Arabia—Marches into Syria—Farewell pilgrimage to Mecca—His death—His person and character—His wives—The Koran—His miracles—Mohammedan religion—Mohammedan creed and practice.

SUCCESSORS OF MOHAMMED.

Abubeker. An. Hej.. 11-14. A.D. 632-634

Election of Caliph—General disaffection of the Arabians—Malec Ebn Noweirah beheaded by Kaled—Moseilama the false prophet defeated and slain—Was with Syria—Kaled, general—Bostra taken—Siege of Damascus—Battle of Ajnadin—Damascus taken—Abubeker’s sickness and death—Collected the Koran into one volume—His person and character.

Omar I. An. Hej.. 13-23. A.D. 634-643

Sends Abu Obeidah Ebn Masud into Persia—Death of Abu Obeidah—War with Persia—Slaughter of the Damascenes—Story of the two lovers—Deposition of Kaled—Fair at Dair Abi’l Kodas—Siege of Hems or Emesa, raised by Abu Obeidah Ebn Jerahh—Kinnisrin taken—Siege of Baalbec—Hems taken—Arrestan taken—Battle of Yermouk—Siege of Jerusalem—Omar’s journey—Treaty with the inhabitants—Victories in Persia—Siege of Aleppo—Successful stratagem of Dames—Aazaz taken—Surrender of Antioch—Omar writes to Heraclius—Plague in Syria—Amrou’s conquests in Egypt—Treacherous surrender of Misrah—Alexandria taken, and library burnt—Assassination of Omar—His person and character—His wives.

Othman. An. Hej.. 23-35. A.D. 643-655

Chosen Caliph by six commissioners—Deposes Amrou—Moawiyah invades Cyprus—Death of Yezdejird—Disaffection of the Saracens—Revolt at Cufah—Merwan’s ill-ministration—Othman’s palace besieged—His death and character.

Ali. An. Hej.. 35-40. A.D. 658-661

Dissensions among the Arabians—Ali consents to become Caliph—His embarrassments—Disaffection towards him—Revolt of Ayesha—Writes to Cufah—Ayesha’s letter—Defeat of Ayesha—Disturbances in Syria—Revolt of Moawiyah and Amrou—Skirmishes at Seffein—Arbitration fruitless—Rebellion of the Separatists—Malec Alashtar poisoned—Assassination of Ali,??? and conspiracy discovered—Person and character of Ali—His wives—Anecdotes—Shiites and Sonnites

Sentences of Ali

Hasan. An. Hej.. 40, 41. A.D. 660, 661.

Dissensions in the caliphate—Hasan proffers the throne to Moawiyah—Resignation of Hasan—Poisoned An. Hej.. 49—His birth and character.

DYNASTY OF THE OMMIADES.

An. Hej.. 41-132. A.D. 661-750.

1. Moawiyah I. An. Hej.. 41-60. A.D. 661-679

Birth and descent of Moawiyah—Death of Amrou-Ziyad, the Caliph’s brother—Story of—Character and anecdotes of—Execution of Hejer—Siege of Constantinople—Kairwan built—Makes Damascus his capital—Death of Ziyad—Makes the caliphate hereditary—Death of Ayesha—Death of Moawiyah—His patronage of letters—Anecdotes of—His character—The first Caliph who formed a navy.

2. Yezid I. An. Hej.. 60-64. A.D. 679-683

Hosein endeavours to obtain the caliphate—Disaffection at Cufah Destruction of Hosein’s party and his melancholy death—His family—Traditions concerning his head-Anecdotes of—Revolt of Abdallah, the son of Zobeir—Rebellion at Mecca—Abdallah besieged in Mecca—Death of Yezid—His character.

3. Moawiyah II. An. Hej.. 64, A.D. 683

Deposed after a reign of six weeks—Abdallah the son of Zobeir proclaimed Caliph.

4. Merwan I. An. Hej.. 64, 65. A.D. 683, 684

Proclaimed in Syria—Defeats Abdallah—Marries Yezid’s widow—Proceedings at Cufah to revenge Hosein’s death—The Cufians march towards Syria—Cut to pieces by Obeidollah Ziyad—Death of Merwan by poison—His character.

5. Abdalmelik. An. Hej.. 65-86. A.D. 684-705

Insurrection of Al Moktar—Death of Obeidollah—Death of Al Moktar—Murder of Amrou, son of Saïd—Musab assumes the government of Cufah-Expedition against him—His death—Hejaj besieges Mecca—Death of Abdallah, the son of Zobeir—Abdalmelik acknowledged Caliph throughout Arabia—Cruelty of Hejaj—Insurrection of Shebib and Salehh at Mosule—Arabian money first coined—Death of Shebib—Anecdotes of Hejaj—His death—Death of Abdalmelik—Stories of—His conquests.

End of Ockley’s History

TABULAR VIEW OF THE HISTORY OF THE SARACENS, in continuation of Ockley.

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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