Whilst his disciples were seeking shelter in distant lands, Mohammed remained steadfast at his post. Undeterred by the cruelties to which he was subjected, he preached unceasingly amongst the Meccans and the outsiders who came to the city on business or pilgrimage. He adjured them ‘by the noon-day brightness, by the night when she spreadeth her veil, by the day when it appeareth in glory,’ by all the manifestations of nature as the evidences of God, to abandon their evil ways and abominations. He told them of ‘the day of reckoning when the deeds done by man in this world shall be weighed before the Eternal Judge, when the children who had been buried alive shall be asked for what crime they had been put to death, and when Heaven and Earth shall be folded up and none be near but God.’[28] The Koreish came several times to tempt him from his duty. They offered him wealth, even to make him their king, to induce him to desist from attacking their ancient deities and their old institutions. His refusal to listen to their messages made them still more furious. =Is Driven out of Tâyef.=—Finding the Koreish obdurate, he proceeded to the neighbouring city of Tâyef, hoping to find the people there more willing to give heed to his preachings. He found them even more bigoted than the Meccans; they pelted him with stones and drove him from their midst. Wounded and bleeding, Mohammed returned to pursue his mission in his native city. His persistence led the Koreish to plan his murder. In the meantime came an invitation to him from the rival city of Yathreb to the north, some of whose inhabitants had already accepted Islâm. And there he and his followers betook themselves for safety. =The Hegira.=—On the 16th of July 622 A.C. the Prophet, accompanied by Abû Bakr, left Mecca; and after three days wandering attended with many dangers from the pursuing Koreish, enraged at his escape, they reached Yathreb. This is the _Hijrat_, the exile of the Prophet. Before this happened, the devoted and loving Khadîja had died. She had borne him several children: the sons all died in infancy. Three daughters survived. The youngest, Fâtima (_az-zahra_—the Beautiful), ‘Our Lady,’ married Ali, and from her are descended the nobility of Islâm, the ‘Syeds’ and ‘Sherifs.’[29] =Mohammed at Medîna.=—At Yathreb the Teacher was received with wonderful enthusiasm; the city changed its name and was henceforth the City of the Prophet—_Medînat-un-Nabi_, or shortly Medîna. Special homes were allotted to the exiles—the _Muhâjirîn_; whilst the Medinites received the noble designation of Helpers—the _Ansâr_. A new brotherhood was created which united the Exiles and the Helpers by a tie stronger than the tie of blood—as many a later page in the history of Islâm proves.