Doctrines of Mohammed. In Mohammed, who had already broken away from the ancient idolatrous worship of his native country, preparation had been made for the rejection of those tenets which his Nestorian teachers had communicated to him, inconsistent with reason and conscience.  And, though, in the first pages of the Koran, he declares his belief in what was delivered to Moses and Jesus, and his reverence for them personally, his veneration for the Almighty is perpetually displayed.  He is horror-stricken at the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus, the Worship of Mary as the mother of God, the adoration of images and paintings, in his eyes a base idolatry.  He absolutely rejects the Trinity, of which he seems to have entertained the idea that it could not be interpreted otherwise than as presenting three distinct Gods.

His first and ruling idea was simply religious reform—­to overthrow Arabian idolatry, and put an end to the wild sectarianism of Christianity.  That he proposed to set up a new religion was a calumny invented against him in Constantinople, where he was looked upon with detestation, like that with which in after ages Luther was regarded in Rome.

But, though he rejected with indignation whatever might seem to disparage the doctrine of the unity of God, he was not able to emancipate himself from anthropomorphic conceptions.  The God of the Koran is altogether human, both corporeally and mentally, if such expressions may with propriety be used.  Very soon, however, the followers of Mohammed divested themselves of these base ideas and rose to nobler ones.

The view here presented of the primitive character of Mohammedanism has long been adopted by many competent authorities.  Sir William Jones, following Locke, regards the main point in the divergence of Mohammedanism from Christianity to consist “in denying vehemently the character of our Savior as the Son, and his equality as God with the Father, of whose unity and attributes the Mohammedans entertain and express the most awful ideas.”  This opinion has been largely entertained in Italy.  Dante regarded Mohammed only as the author of a schism, and saw in Islamism only an Arian sect.  In England, Whately views it as a corruption of Christianity.  It was an offshoot of Nestorianism, and not until it had overthrown Greek Christianity in many great battles, was spreading rapidly over Asia and Africa, and had become intoxicated with its wonderful successes, did it repudiate its primitive limited intentions, and assert itself to be founded on a separate and distinct revelation.

The first khalif.  Mohammed’s life had been almost entirely consumed in the conversion or conquest of his native country.  Toward its close, however, he felt himself strong enough to threaten the invasion of Syria and Persia.  He had made no provision for the perpetuation of his own dominion, and hence it was not without a struggle that a successor was appointed.  At length Abubeker, the father of Ayesha, was selected.  He was proclaimed the first khalif, or successor of the Prophet.