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The
life of Jesus - His Religion [back]
source:
al-islam.org
1.
Al-Sàdiq (‘a) said about …He has enjoined on me prayer
and the poor-rate so long as I live. (19:31) that by the
“poor-rate” what is meant is zakah al-ru’us,
because not all people have wealth, but the fitrah is [to
be paid] by the poor and the rich, the little and the big.
(Tafsír
al-Qumí, 2, 50)
2.
It is reported that there was retaliation in the revealed law of
Moses and blood money was necessary in the revealed law of
Jesus. So the true and tolerant religion [Islam] came down
permitting both of them.
(‘Awàlí
al-La’àlí, 1, 387)
3.
It is reported in true narrations that getting married without
limit [to the number of wives] was permitted in the revealed law
of Moses for the sake of men’s affairs; and in the revealed
law of Jesus only one was permitted for the sake of women’s
affairs. So this revealed law [of Islam] came for the sake of
both.
(‘Awàlí
al-La’àlí, 1, 446)
4.
It is reported that Abu al-Hasan al-Ridà u said, “Every
prophet who was in the time of Moses u and after him had the
revealed law of Moses and his rites and followed his Book until
the time of Jesus (‘a). And every prophet who was in the time
of Jesus and after him had
the rites of Jesus and his revealed law and followed his
Book until the time of our Prophet Muhammad (‘s). Then these
five prophets who possessed resolution (ulu al-‘azm)
are the most noble prophets and apostles, peace be upon them.
And the revealed law of Muhammad will not be abrogated until the
Resurrection Day and there will be no prophet after him until
the Resurrection Day.
(‘Ilal
al-Sharà’i, 1, 122)
5.
It is reported that Abu ‘Abd-Allah narrated from his fathers,
in order, until the Commander of the Faithful peace be upon all
of them, that one day the people of five religions, the Jews,
the Christians, the Naturalists (dahriyah), the Dualists
and the ‘Arab Idolaters gathered before the Apostle of Allah.
The Jews said, “We say, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah.’ O
Muhammad! We came to you to see what you say. If you follow us,
we were right prior to you and better than you, and if you
oppose us, we will argue with you.”
The
Christians said, “We say, ‘Verily Jesus is the son of Allah
who united with Him.’ We came to you to see what you say. If
you follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you,
and if you oppose us we will argue with you.” The Naturalists
said, “We say, ‘There is no begining of things and they are
everlasting.’ We came to you to see what you say. If you
follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and
if you oppose us we will argue with you.” The Dualists said,
“We say, ‘Verily the light and the darkness are the
administrators.’ We came to you to see what you say. If you
follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and
if you oppose us we will argue with you.” The ‘Arab
Idolaters said, “We say, ‘Verily our idols are gods.’ We
came to you to see what you say. If you follow us, we were right
prior to you and better than you, and if you oppose us we will
argue with you.”
The
Apostle of Allah (‘s) said, “I believe in God alone. There
is no partner for Him, and I deny every god but Him.” Then he
said to them, “Verily Allah the Exalted raised me for all of
the people as a bearer of good news, a warner and as an
authority for the inhabitants of the world, and Allah will turn
the deceptions of those who deceive in His religion back on
them.”…
Then
he faced the Christians and said to them, “You said that the
Eternal is united with Christ, His son. What do you mean by this
saying? Do you want to say that the Eternal became non-eternal
by this creature who is Jesus, or that the non-eternal, who is
Jesus, became eternal by the Eternal who is Allah, or your
saying, ‘He united with him’ means that ‘He distinguished
him by nobility while He did not ennoble anyone but him.’
If you mean that the Eternal, the Exalted, became non-eternal, you
are wrong. For it is impossible for the eternal to change and
become non-eternal, and if you mean that the non-eternal became
eternal you are wrong for it is impossible too for the
non-eternal to change to the eternal, and if you mean that He
united with him whereby He distinguished him and chose him among
His other servants, you confess to the originality of Jesus and
everything that is united with him for his own sake. Because if
Jesus is non-created and Allah is united with him and changed
him to the best creature before Him, Jesus and Him would have
been non-eternal, and this is opposite to what you said in the
begining.”
The
Christians said, “O Muhammad! Allah the Exalted manifested
some strange things by the hand of Jesus, so He took him as His
son for the sake of nobility.” The Apostle of Allah said,
“You heared what I said to the Jews about what you said.”
Then he repeated all of that. They said nothing except one of
them who said, “O Muhammad! Do not you say, ‘Abraham is khalíl
Allah (the friend of Allah)?’ So when you say this why do
you reject our saying, ‘Jesus is the son of Allah.’”
The
Apostle of Allah said, “These are not alike for khalíl
Allah is taken from khallah or khullah and the
meaning of khallah is poverty and neediness. He was a
friend of his Lord and needy of Him, chastely, abstemiously and
independently separated from all but Him. Because when they
wanted to throw him into the fire and to cast him with a
catapult, Allah, the Exalted, raised Gabriel and said to him,
‘Catch My servant!’ Gabriel came to him, met him in the air,
and said, ‘Commission me for what happened to you, for Allah
the Exalted rised me to help you.’ He said, ‘But Allah is
sufficient for me and He is the best Trustee (wakíl). I
ask no one but Him and there is no need for me unless of Him.’
Then
He named him His friend (khalíl), that means His poor
and needy, and who is separated from all but Him. When the
meaning of khalíl is taken from need (khullah)
and he is needy (takhalal) of Him and knows His secrets
that no one else knows, it means that he knows
Him and His affairs. And it does not
cause the likeness of Allah to him. Do not you see that
if he did not separate from all but Him, he would not have been
His friend, and if he did not know His secrets he would not have
been His friend. One’s father is he of whom one is born, even
if his father slanders him and sends him far away, for the
meaning of being born of him remains. Then if it is necessary
for you to compare Jesus with Abraham and say Jesus is His son
for He said, ‘Abraham is My friend,’ it is necessary for you
to say, ‘Moses is His son,’ For his miracles were no less
than the miracles of Jesus. So you should say ‘Moses is His
son too.’ And it is permitted for you to say, ‘He is his
shaykh, master, uncle, chief and commander,’ in the meaning
that I said it to the Jews.” Then some of the Christians said,
“According to the revealed books Jesus said, ‘I go to my
father.’” The Apostle of Allah said, “If you do according
to that book, you should say, ‘All of the people that He
addressed were His sons as Jesus was his son.’ For according
to that book, Jesus said, ‘I go to Him who is my father and
yours.’ Then something
that is in that book makes invalid what you think, that only
Jesus is His son because he was so distinguished. For you said,
‘Jesus is His son because He, the Exalted, distinguished him
by that which He did not distinguish the others.’ But you know
that Jesus was chosen for something that this group was not
chosen for, and Jesus said to this group, ‘I go to Him who is
my father and yours.’ So it is wrong that only Jesus is
chosen. For this is proven for you [that Jesus is not
distinguished as His son] by the saying of Jesus to those who
were not so distinguished. You narrated the words of Jesus but
you interpreted it wrongly. For when he said, ‘my father and
yours’ he wanted to say something you do not say and impute.
What do you know? Perhaps it was in his mind, ‘I go to Adam
and Noah. Allah raises me to them and gathers me with them. Adam
is my father and your father, and Noah is likewise.’ But he
did not mean anything but this meaning.” The Christians became
silent; then they said, “We did not see a disputant or an
opponent like what we saw today, and we will think about our
affairs….”
(Tafsír
al-Imàm al-‘Askarí, 530-535, 323)
6.
Imam al-‘Askarí reported that about the verse,
“It
is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward the East
and the West, but righteousness is this, that one should believe
in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the prophets,
give away wealth out of love for him to the near of kin, the
orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, beggars and for the
emancipation of captives, keep up the prayers and pay the
poor-rate…” (2:177)
‘Ali
Ibn al-Husayn (‘a) said, “The Apostle of Allah favored ‘Alí
u and informed [his people] about his majesty before his Lord,
the Mighty and Magnificent, and revealed the favor for his
followers and the helpers of his calling and rebuked the Jews
and Christians for their disblief and their concealing the
mention of Muhammad, ‘Alí and their descendents, peace be
with them, about their being favored and good deeds. Then the
Jews and Christians became proud [thinking themselves better].
The Jews said, “We prayed to this our qiblah many
prayers. There are some people among us who stay awake nights
with praying to this qiblah which is the qiblah of
Moses; and Allah commanded us about it.” The Christians said,
“We prayed to this our qiblah many prayers. There are
some people among us who stay awake nights with praying to this qiblah
which is the qiblah of Jesus; and Allah commanded us about
it.” Each of these two sects said, “Do you think that our
Lord makes invalid our numerous works and our prayers to
our qiblah, because we do not follow the desire of
Muhammad for himself and his brother?” Then Allah the Exalted,
sent, “O Muhammad! Say, ‘Righteousness is not the obedience
by which you reach heaven and merit forgiveness and sanctity. In
your prayers you turn your faces to the East, O Christians! And
to the West, O Jews! But you oppose the command of Allah and you
are angry with the friend (walí) of Allah. But righteous
is he who believes in Allah, in His being one, alone and unique,
impermeable (Samad); Who makes whom He wants great, makes
honor for whom He wants, makes despicable and humble whom He
wants—no one can refute His order and none can reprove His
judgement. Also righteous is he who believes in the Last Day,
the Resurrection Day.”
(Tafsír
al-Imàm al- ‘Askarí, 589)
7.
It is reported that Abu ‘Abd Allah (‘a) said, “Verily,
Allah, the blessed and exalted, gave to Muhammad the laws of
Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus: tawhíd (divine unity), ikhlàS
(purity), the dismissal of peers [for Allah], the liberal
uprightness of human nature, there is no monasticism and no
mendicancy, what is pure is made lawful and what is filthy is
prohibited, and He removes from them their burdens and the
shackles that were upon them. So, He made known his excellence
with this. Then He made obligatory for him the prayer, alms,
fasting, the pilgrimage, enjoining the good, prohibiting evil,
the allowable (halàl) and the forbidden (haràm),
the laws of inheritance, the penal laws, the obligations, jihad
in the way of Allah, and He added the minor ablution, He made
him excellent by the opening of the Book, the closing part of surah
Baqarah, and the detailed suwar, He made lawful for
him the spoils of war and booty, He aided him with fear [in the
hearts of his enemies], He made
the earth for prostration and made it purifying, He sent him
universally, to the white and the black, the jinn and the
humans, and He gave him the jizyah (poll tax for
non-Muslims), and taking the pagans as captives and releasing
them. Then He made it his duty what was not the duty of any of
the other prophets, He sent him a sword from heaven without a
scabbord, and it was said to him, (Fight in the way of Allah,
and you are not obliged for anyone but yourself.).” (4:84)
(Bihàr,
16, 330, 26)
8.
It is reported that Sama‘ah ibn Mahran said that he asked Abu
‘Abd Allah (‘a) about the saying of Allah, the mighty and
magnificent, ‘So, bear with patience as did those who had
resolution (Ulu al-‘azm)’ (46:35). He said, “Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (‘s).” I said, “How did
they become those who had resolution?” He said, “Because
Noah was raised as a prophet with a book and a divine law, and
all who came after Noah held to his book, law and his way until
Abrahamu came with a scripture and resolution, and he was
obliged to leave the book of Noah without disbelieving in it.
Then
each of the prophets who came after Abraham held to the law of
Abraham and his way and his scripture, until Moses came with the
Torah and his law and way and resolution and he was obliged to
leave the [previous] scripture. Then each of the prophets who
came after Mosesu held to the Torah and his law and way, until
the Messiah came with the Gospel and resolution, and he had to
leave the law of Moses and his way. Then each of the prophets
who came after the Messiah held to his law and way, until
Muhammad (‘s) came and brought the Qur’àn and his law and
way, and his permissions (halàl) are permitted until the
Resurrection Day and his prohibitions (haràm) are
prohibited until the Resurrection Day. So, it is they who are
those who had resolution.”
(Kàfí,
2, 17, 2)
9.
It is reported that Abu ‘Abd Allah said that when Christians
of Najràn came to the Apostle of Allah, they arrived at the
time of their prayer, so they started to sing with a bell and
prayed. Their chiefs were al-Ahtam, al-‘Aqib and al-Sayyid.
The companions of the Apostle of Allah said, “O Apostle of
Allah! This? In your mosque!?” He said, “Leave them
alone.” When they finished they approached the Apostle of
Allah and said, “To what do you invite us?” He said, “To
bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that I am the
Apostle of Allah and that Jesus is a created servant. He eats,
drinks and deficates.” They said, “So who is his father?”
Then a revelation descended
to the Apostle of Allah, and it said, “Ask them what they say
about Adam. Was he a created servant who ate, drank, spoke and
married.” Then the Prophet asked them this. They answered,
“Yes.” He asked, “Then who is his father?” They were
silent. Then Allah sent down,
Truly
the likeness of Jesus in the sight of Allah is as Adam’s
likeness; He created him of dust, then He said to him, ‘Be,’
and he was. The Truth is from Your Lord, so do not be of the
doubters. And whoever disputes with you after the knowledge that
has come to you, say: ‘Come now. Let us call our sons and your
sons, our wives and your wives, our selves and your selves; then
let us humbly pray and place the curse of Allah upon the liars.
(3:59-61)
Then
the Prophet said, “So let us curse one another. If I am
truthful the curse will be sent down upon you and if I am lying
the curse will be sent down upon me.” They said, “You are
fair.”
Then
they agreed upon the mutual cursing. When they returned to their
homes, their chiefs, al-Sayyid, al-‘Aqib and al-Ahtam, said,
“If he would curse us with his people, then we will curse him,
for he is not a prophet; but if he would curse us specifically
with his household, then we will not curse him, for surely he
would not stand up against his household unless he were
sincere.” When morning came, they came to the Apostle of
Allah, and with him was the Commander of the Faithful, FàTimah,
Hasan and Husayn, peace be with them. The Christians said,
“Who are they?” It was said to them, “That is his
uncle’s son, and his trustee, his son-in-law, ‘Alí ibn Abí
Tàlib, and that is his daughter, FàTimah, and those are his
grandsons, Hasan and Husayn.” Then they parted, and they said
to the Apostle of Allah (‘s) “We are satisfied with you, so
pardon us from the mutual cursing.” Then the Apostle of Allah
compromised with them for the jizyah and they left.
(Bihàr,
21, 340, 5)
10.
It is reported that when a delegation from Najràn came, the
Prophet (‘s) invited their chiefs, al-‘Àqib and al-Tayyib,
to Islàm. They said, “We became Muslims before you.” He
said, “You lie. Love of the cross and drinking wine prevent
you from it.” Then he called them to curse one another. They
promised him that they would come tomorrow morning. The Prophet
(‘s) came the next morning while he took the hand of ‘Alí,
al-Hasan, al-Husayn and Fàtima. They said, “He came with his
immediate family. They trust in their religion.” So they
refrained from cursing each other. The Prophet (‘s) said,
“If they had done it, fire would have been showered on them in
the desert.”
(Bihàr,
21, 341, 6)
11.
It is reported that Abu ‘Abd Allah (‘a) said, “Between
David and Jesus the son of Mary there were four hundred years.
The religion of Jesus was tawhíd (divine unity), ikhlàS
(purity) and what Noah, Abraham and Moses, peace be with
them, had bidden. The Injíl (gospel) was sent down to
him. The pledge that was taken from the other prophets was also
taken from Jesus, and it was made law for him in the book to
establish prayer with religion, enjoining the good and
prohibiting evil, forbidding what was forbidden, and allowing
what was allowed. Admonitions and parables were sent down to him
in the Injíl, but there was no law of retribution in it
nor precepts of retribution (ahkàm al-hudud), and no
obligations for inheritance. What was sent down to him was an
alleviation of what was sent down to Moses in the Torah. This is
in the saying of Allah in which Jesus the son of Mary said to
the Children of Israel, [and to make lawful to you certain
things that before were forbidden to you] (3:50). Jesus
commanded those with him who were believers and followed him
that they believe in the law of the Torah and Injíl.”
(Bihàr,
14, 234, 4)
12.
It is reported that Abu Ja‘far (‘a) said, “…then Allah
commissioned Jesus to witness that there is no god but Allah and
to recite what was brought to him from Allah, and He made for
him a law and a method. Then the Saturday, which they previously
had been commanded to strictly observe, was abrogated, and
generally the path and customs that had been practiced that were
brought by Moses. Then, one who does not follow the path of
Jesus, Allah will cast him into the fire, although what all the
prophets brought is not to associate anything with Allah.”
(Kàfí,
2, 29)
13.
Ibn ‘Abbàs said, “A group of the scholars of Jews came to
‘Umar when he was Caliph of the Muslims… Then ‘Alí said
to [the chief of them],‘Ask.’ He said, ‘Inform me about a
group from early times who died and after three hundred-nine
years Allah revived them. What was their story?’ ‘Alí
(‘a) started and wanted to read Sura al-Kahf. The
scholar said, ‘How much we have heared of your Qur’àn! If
you know them, inform us about their story, names, number, the
name of their dog, cave, king and the name of their city.’
‘Alí
(‘a) said, ‘There is no power and no strength save in Allah,
the High, the Great. O Jewish brother! Muhammad reported to me
that there was a city, named Aqsus, on the territory of Rum and
it had a pure king. Their king died. So they differed in their
words [among each other]. A king, from the kings of Persia,
named Daqyànus, heard of their differences and turned with one
hundred thousand persons and entered the city of Aqsus. Then he
took it as a part of the realm of his country and made a palace
in it, one parasang by one parasang. In the palace there was a
hall that was a thousand cubits in length by a thousand in width
in polished marble.
In
that hall there were four thousand golden columns, one thousand
golden chandeliers, for each of which was a chain of silver, and
lit with scented oil. There were eighty windows in the Eastern
wall, and in the Western wall it was the same. When the sun
rose, in lit the hall, and there was sunlight in the hall
wherever the sun went. In the hall was a golden throne that was
forty by eighty cubits whose legs were silver studded with
jewels, and on it were small cushions.
On
the right of the throne there were eighty chairs of gold
decorated with green chrysolite. There the Batàriqah sat. At
the left there were eighty silver chairs decorated with red
rubies, on which sat the Haràqilah. Then the king ascended the
throne and placed the throne on his head.’ The Jew started and
said, ‘What was his crown made of?’ Imam ‘Alí (‘a)
said, ‘Golden mesh with seven pillars on each of which was a
white pearl that shone like a light shining in a dark night.
There were fifty youths of the Haràqilah with shirts of red
brocade and skirts of green brocade. They wore crowns, bangles
and anklets. They had golden scepters and stood at the head of
the king. He took six young man as ministers and stood three of
them at his right and three of them at his left.’ The Jew
said, ‘What were their names?’
‘Alí
(‘a) said, ‘The names of those who were at his right were
Tamlíkhà, Maksalmínà and Míshílínà, and the names of
those who were at his left were Mirnus, Dírnus and Shàdharíus.
He consulted them about all his affairs. Every day he held court
in the yard of his house with the BaTàriqah at his right and
the Haràqilah at his left. Three boys were at the hand of one
of them serving a golden goblet with powdered musk, and at the
hand of another was a silver goblet full of rose water.
On
the hand of another was a white bird with a red beak. Whenever
the king looked at the bird, he would call it, and it would fly
until it fell into the goblet of rose water, in which it
drenched itself. Then it would fall into the goblet of musk,
which would stick to its feathers and wings. Then the king would
call it again, and it would fly onto the crown of the king, and
what was on its feathers and wings would fall onto the head of
the king. When the king saw this, he would exult and pride
himself. Then he would claim Lordship for himself to the
exclusion of Allah and call his people to it. So he gave,
granted and clothed everyone who obeyed him in this. He killed
everyone who did not swear allegiance to him.
So
all of them answered him. He held a celebration for them every
year. One day, at a feast, the people of Batàriqah were at his
right and the people of Haràqilah were at his left. Suddenly, a
BiTríq came to him and informed him that an army from Persia
had overcome him. So he became sad for it as his crown fell from
his head. One of those three who were at his right was called
Tamlíkhà and was a young man. He said to himself, ‘If Daqyànus
is God, as he thinks, he should not become sad, should not fear,
urinate, deficate or sleep.
These
deeds are not the deeds of God. Those six young people were in
the house of one of them every day and that day were in the
house of Tamlíkhà. He prepared pure food for them. Then he
said to them, ‘O brothers! There is something in my heart that
has kept me from eating, drinking and sleeping.’ They said,
‘What is that? O Tamlíkhà!’ He said, ‘I thought about
this sky for a long time and said to myself, “Who raised its
ceiling without any support and without any bond above it? Who
placed the sun and the moon in it as two luminous signs? Who
adorned it with stars?” Then I thought about the earth for a
long time and I said, “Who spread it over the back of the
brimming sea? Who has kept down the earth with mountains so that
it does not move all over?” Then I thought about myself for a
long time: “Who brought me out as a foetus from the belly of
my mother? Who fed me and who raised me? Verily, there is a
creator and a director other than the king Daqyus. He is not
anyone but the King of kings and the Almighty of the
heavens.”’
Then
that group fell at his feet, kissed them and said, ‘Allah
guided us from going astray by your guidance, so show us the
way.’ Tamlíkhà jumped, sold some dates from his garden for
three thousand dirhams and put them in his bag. They rode their
horses and went out of the city. When they went three miles,
Tamlíkhà said to them, ‘O brothers! The dwelling of the
other world came and the kingdom of this world went. Go down
from your horses and walk by foot. Allah may put relief and
escape for you.’
They
went down from their horses and walked for seven farsangs that
day, until their feet bled. A shepherd met them. They said, “O
shepherd! Do you have any milk or water?” The shepherd said,
“I have whatever you want, but I see that your faces are those
of princes. I suspect that you have fled from King Daqyus.”
They said, “O shepherd! It is not permitted for us to lie. If
we tell you the truth, will we be safe from you?” Then they
told him their story. The shepherd fell at their feet and kissed
them, and he said, “O people! In my heart I realized what you
realized in your hearts. Give me time to return these beasts to
their owners and join you. They waited for him. He returned the
beasts and hurried back. The dog followed.’ The Jew stood and
said, ‘O ‘Alí! What was the name of the dog, and what was
its color?’ ‘Alí (‘a) said, ‘There is no power and no
strength save in Allah, the High, the Great. The color of the
dog was between white and black, more toward black. The name of
the dog was QiTmír. When the youths looked at the dog, some of
them said, “We are afraid that the barking will reveal us.”
So they threw stones at it. Allah, the Exalted, magnificent is
His remembrance, made the dog speak: ‘Let me be, so I can
protect you from your enemies.’
The
shepherd constantly guided them until he brought them up a
mountain. Then he brought them down to a cave called al-WaSíd.
At the entrance to the cave there were springs and fruit trees.
They ate the fruit and drank the water, and the night covered
them. They took refuge in
the cave, and the dog lied down to sleep at the entrance of
the cave, and stretched out its paws. Then Allah, the Exalted,
revealed to the angel of death to take their spirits, and for
each of the men Allah appointed two angels to turn them from
right to left and from left to right. The Allah, the Mighty and
Exalted, revealed to the keepers of the sun so it inclined from
their cave toward the right and passed them by on the left. [See
Qur’àn (18:17)]
When
Daqyus, the king, came back from his celebration, he asked about
them. He was informed that they had left the city out of fear.
He mounted a horse with eighty thousand others, and they
constantly searched for any trace of them, until they ascended
and arrived at their cave. When they looked at them, they saw
that they were asleep. The king said, ‘If I had wanted to
chastise them, I would not have chastised them more than they
have chastised themselves. Bring the builders.’ They dammed
the entrance of the cave with lime and stone. The king said to
his companions, ‘Tell them to ask their God Who is in heaven
to save them and to get them out of here.’
‘Alí
(‘a) continued, “O Jewish brothers! They stayed there for
three hundred nine years. When Allah wanted to revive them, he
commanded the angel Isràfíl to breathe the spirit into them.
He breathed. Then they stood up from their sleep. When the sun
rose, some of them said, we neglected our worship the God of
heaven during the night. They stood and the water of the spring
had sunken, and the trees had withered. Some of them said,
‘How strange is our affair! Like this sunken spring that had
been full, and these trees that have withered in a single
night.’ They were hungry. They said,
Now
send one of you with this coin of yours to the city. Then let
him see which of them has purest food; so let him bring you
provision from it, and let him behave with gentleness, and by no
means make your case known to anyone.
(18:19)
Tamlíkhà
said, ‘No one but I will go for your needs. O shepherd! Give
me your clothes.’ So the shepherd gave his clothes to him and
he set out for the city. He saw places that he did not know and
roads with which he was unfamiliar, until he reached the gate of
the city, where there was a green flag on which was written,
“There is no god but Allah, and Jesus is the Apostle of
Allah.” He looked at the flag and rubbed his eyes and said,
“Am I dreaming?” Then he entered the city until he came to
the market. He came to a baker and said, “O baker! What is the
name of this city of yours?” He said, “Aqsus.” He said,
“And what is the name of your king?” He said, “‘Abd al-Rahmàn.”
He
said, “Give me food for this money.” The baker started in
surprise at the weight and size of the dirham.’ The Jew stood
up and said, ‘O ‘Alí (‘a)! What was the weight of a
dirham.’ Heu said, ‘The weight of every dirham was that of
ten and two thirds dirhams.’ ‘Alí (‘a) continued, “Then
the baker said, ‘O you! Have you found a treasure?’ Tamlíkhà
said, ‘This is the money I made selling dates three days ago,
and then I left this city to escape worshipping King Daqyus.’
The
baker took his hand and brought him to the king. The king said,
‘What is the story of this youth?’ The baker said, ‘He is
a man who found a treasure.’ The king said, ‘O youth! Do not
be afraid, for our prophet, Jesus (‘a), commanded us only to
take a fifth of what is found of treasure. So, give us a fifth
of it and go in peace.’ Tamlíkhà said, ‘O king! Look at my
affair. I did not find a treasure. I am a man of this city.’
The king said, ‘You are of its people?’ He said, ‘Yes.’
He said, ‘Does anyone here know you?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He
said, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘My name is Tamlíkhà.’
He said, ‘There is no such name among the names of our
times.’ The king said, ‘Do you have a house in this city?’
He said, ‘Yes. O king! Mount and come with me.’ The king
mounted and so did his people with him. Tamlíkhà brought them
to the highest building in the city. He said, ‘This is my
house.’
He
knocked on the door. An elderly man came out, whose eyebrows
covered his eyes because of his age, and said, ‘What do you
want?’ The king said, “This young man brought us something
strange. He thinks that this is his house.” The old man said
to him, “Who are you?” He said, “I am Tamlíkhà son of
QusTíkín.” The old man fell at his feet and kissed them, and
said, “He is my grandfather, by the Lord of the Ka‘bah. O
king! These six are those who escaped out of fear of King Daqyus.”
The
king came down from his horse and carried Tamlíkhà on his
shoulders, and the people started kissing his hands and feet. He
said, “O Tamlíkhà! What have your companions done?” He
informed him of the cave. In those days there was in the city a muslim
king and a Jewish king. Both mounted with their companions. When
they got close to the cave, Tamlíkhà said, “I am afraid that
my companions will hear the sound of the hooves of the horses
and suspect that King Daqyus is coming after them. Give me time
to go ahead and inform them.” The people waited and Tamlíkhà
went ahead until he entered the cave. When they looked at him
and gathered around him and said, “Praise Allah Who delivered
you from Daqyus.” Tamlíkhà said, “Leave off this talk of
Daqyus.”
He
said, How long have you tarried? They said, We have tarried
for a day or a part of a day. (18:19). Tamlíkhà said,
“You have tarried three hundred nine years, and Daqyus has
died, and centuries have passed. Allah raised a prophet called
the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary (‘a). Allah made him
ascend. The king came to our side and the people with him.”
They said, “O Tamlíkhà! Do you want to make a trial
by us for the people?” Tamlíkhà said, “So, what do you
want?” They said, “Pray to Allah, Whose remembrance
is glorious, and we will pray with you that our souls will be
taken.”
They
raised their hands. Then Allah commanded that their souls be
taken. Then Allah covered the door of the cave from the people.
The two kings came and circled about the door of the cave for
seven days without finding it. The muslim King said,
“They died with our religion. I will build a mosque over the
door of the cave.” The Jew said, “No! Rather they died with
my religion. I will build a synagogue over the door of the
cave.” Then they fought. The muslim won, and built a
mosque over it.’ O Jew! Does this agree with what is in your
Torah?” The Jew said, “You have not added or subtracted a
letter, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and
that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle.”
(Bihàr,
14, 411- 419, 1)
14.
It is reported that Safwàn the son of Yahyà, the companion of
al-Sàbirí said: “Abu Qurrah, the companion of al-Jàthilíq,
asked me to bring him to al-Ridà (‘a). Then I asked him for
permission. He said, ‘Bring him to me.’ Then, when he came
to him, Abu Qarah kissed the carpet and said, ‘This is our
duty, according to our religion, that we must do for the nobles
of our time.’
Then
Abu Qarah said to him, ‘May Allah help you. What would you say
about a sect that claimed something, and another sect bore
witness that it was right?’ He answered, ‘The claim is in
their favor.’ He said, ‘ [What about] another sect that
claims something but finds no witnesses for it but
themselves?’ He answered, ‘There is nothing in their
favor.’ He said, ‘So we, ourselves, claim that Jesus is the
spirit of Allah and His word, and the Muslims agree with us
about this. But the Muslims claim that Muhammad is the prophet,
while we do not follow them in this. That on which we agree is
better than that about which we differ.’ Al-Ridà (‘a) said
to him, ‘What is your name?’ He answered, ‘Yuhannà.’ He
said, ‘O Yuhannà! We believe in Jesus, the spirit of Allah
and His word, who believed in Muhammad and gave tidings of him
and acknowledged that he was His
servant and subject. So, if Jesus, the spirit of Allah and His
word, as you hold, is not one who believed in Muhammad,
and gave tiding of him, and who acknowledged that he is the
servant of Allah and that He is the Lord, then we are acquitted
of him. So, on what do we agree?’ Then he stood up and said to
Safwàn the son of Yahyà, ‘Stand up! We did not get anything
out of this meeting.’”
(Bihàr,
10, 30,341)
15.
Ishàq ibn ‘Ammàr said: “I asked Abu ‘Abd Allah (‘a)
about what Allah, the blessed and exalted, said, and
aforetime they used to pray for victory against those who
disbelieved, but when there came to them (the Prophet) that
which they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him,
(2:89). He answered, ‘There was a group between Muhammad
(‘s) and Jesus (‘a) that used to threaten disbelievers with
a prophet and they used to say, “Verily a prophet will appear
and will break your idols and will do with you this and that,”
but when the Prophet of Allah appeared, they disbelieved
him.’”
(Kàfí,
8, 310, 482)
16.
Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Nufalí said, “When ‘Alí ibn Musà
al-Ridau came before Ma’mun the later commanded Fadl ibn Sahl
to gather the scholars (aShàb al-maqàlàt) such as the
Catholicos (Jàthalíq), the Exilarch (Ra’s al-Jalut),
the chiefs of the Sabeans, Hirbidh al-Akbar, the Zoroastrians,
NasTàs al-Rumí and the theologians so as to hear his words and
their words. Fadl ibn Sahl gathered them and informed Ma‘mun
of their gathering.
Ma‘mun
said, ‘Bring them before me.’ He did it. Ma‘mun welcomed
them; then he said to them, ‘I gathered you here for the good,
and I would like you to debate with my cousin from Madínah who
has come before me. Come here early tomorrow morning, and let
not one of you be remiss.’ They said, ‘We hear and we obey,
O Commander of the Faithful! We will be here early tomorrow
morning, God willing.’…
The
next morning, Fadl ibn Sahl came and said to Ridà (‘a),
‘May I be your sacrifice. Your cousin is waiting for you. The
people have gathered. What is your view about coming before
him?’ Ridà (‘a) said to him, ‘You precede me, and I will
come to you, God willing.’ Then he made ablutions (wudu’)
as though for prayer, and he drank some barley water (sharbah
sawíq) and we also drank some. Then he left, and we left
with him, until we entered before Ma‘mun. All at once it was
crowded, and Muhammad ibn Ja‘far was among the Tàlibiyyin,
the Hàshimiyyin and the Quwwàd. When Ridà (‘a) entered,
Ma‘mun stood up, and Muhammad ibn Ja‘far and all the
Hàshimiyyin.
They waited until Ridà (‘a) sat with Ma‘mun and ordered
them to sit. Then they sat, and Ma‘mun faced him and spoke
with him for an hour.
Then
Ma‘mun turned toward the Catholicos and said, ‘O Catholicos!
This is my cousin, ‘Alí ibn Musà ibn Ja‘far, who is a
descendent of FàTimah the daughter of our Prophet and ‘Alí
ibn Abí Tàlib, may they both be blessed. So, I would like you
to speak with him and debate fairly.’ The Catholicos said,
‘O Commander of the Faithful! How can I debate with someone
who relies upon a book that I deny and a prophet in whom I have
no faith?’ Ridà (‘a) said to him, ‘O Christian! If I
debate against you by your Gospel, will you concede?’ The
Catholicos said, ‘Can I reject what is spoken in the Gospel?
Yes, by God, I will concede even if I do not like it.’Ridà
(‘a) said to him, ‘Ask whatever comes to your mind, and
understand the answer.’ The Catholicos said, ‘What do you
say about the prophethood of Jesus and his book? Do you deny
them?’
Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘I confess the prophethood of Jesus and his book,
and the glad tidings to his community to which the Apostles also
confessed. And I disbelieve in the prophethood of any Jesus who
did not confess the prophethood of Muhammad (‘s) and in his
book and who did not give glad tidings of him to his
community.’ The Catholicos said, ‘Is it not the case that
you consider the judgment of two just witnesses
decisive?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ The Catholicos said, ‘Then
bring two witnesses for the prophethood of Muhammad from a
nation other than yours who are not denied by the Christians,
and ask us for the like from other than our nation.’ Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘Now you are being fair, O Christian! Do you not
accept from me the earlier just ones who were with the Messiah,
Jesus the son of Mary?’
The
Catholicos said, ‘Who is that just one? Tell me his name?’
He said, ‘What do you say about John Daylamí?’ He said,
‘Very well! You have mentioned the most beloved person to the
Messiah.’ Heu said, ‘I swear to you, does the Gospel not say
that John said, “The Messiah informed me of the religion of
Muhammad the Arab, and he gave me glad tidings of him, that he
would come after him; then I gave glad tidings of him to the
Apostles, so believe in him.”?’ The Catholicos said, ‘John
mentioned this from the Messiah and he gave glad tidings about
the prophethood of a man and about his folk and his trustee. But
he did not specify when this would be, and he did not name these
people for us so that we could recognize them.’
Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘If we bring someone who reads the Gospel and he
recites for you the mention of Muhammad and his folk and his
community, will you believe in him?’ He said, ‘Surely.’
Ridà (‘a) said to NasTàs al-Rumí, ‘How is your memory of
the third scripture of the Gospel?’ He said, ‘I do not
remember it.’Then he turned to the chief of al-Jàlut and
said, ‘Do you not read the Gospel?’ He said, ‘Yes, by my
soul.’ He said, ‘Start the third scripture for me. If the
mention of Muhammad and his folk and his community is in it,
bear witness to it for me, and if it is not there, then do not
bear witness for me.’ Then he recited the scripture until when
he arrived at the mention of the Prophet (‘s) he stopped.
Then
he said, ‘O Christian! I ask you by the right of the Messiah
and his mother, did you know
that I know the Gospel?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ Then he
recited for us the mention of Muhammad, his folk and his
community. Then he said, ‘What do you say, O Christian? This
is the speech of Jesus the son of Mary. If you belie what is
said in the Gospel then you belie Moses and Jesus, peace be with
them, and when you deny this mention, it is obligatory for you
to be killed, because you would be a disbeliever in your Lord,
your prophet and your book.’
The
Catholicos said, ‘I will not deny what is clear for me in the
Gospel. I will confess to it.’ Ridà (‘a) said, ‘Bear
witness to what he has confessed.’ Then he said, ‘O
Catholicos! Ask whatever comes to your mind.’
The
Catholicos said, ‘Inform me about the Apostles of Jesus the
son of Mary. How many were they? And how many were the scholars
of the Gospel?’ Ridà (‘a) said, ‘You have come to one who
is well informed. As for the Apostles, they were twelve men, and
the most noble and knowledgeable of them was Luke. As for the
Christian scholars, they were three men: John the Great of Ajj,
John of Qirqísà and John Daylamí of Zijàr, and it is he who
mentions the Prophet (‘s), and mentions his folk and his
community, and it is he who brought the glad tidings of him to
the community of Jesus and to the Children of Israel.’
Then
he said to him, ‘O Christian! Verily, we do indeed, by Allah,
believe in Jesus who believed in Muhammad (‘s) and we do not
resent anything about your Jesus except his weakness and the
small amount that he fasted and prayed.’ The Catholicos said,
‘By Allah! You spoiled your knowledge and weakened your
affair. I imagined nothing less than that you were the most
knowledgeable of the folk of Islam.’ Ridà (‘a) said, ‘How
is that?’ The Catholicos said, ‘Because of what you said
about Jesus being weak and having little fasting and prayer,
while Jesus never broke his fast and slept through not a single
night; he was constantly fasting and holding vigals.’ Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘So, for whom did he fast and pray?’
Then
the Catholicos was dumbfounded and stopped speaking. Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘O Christian! I want to ask you about a
problem.’ He said, ‘Ask. If I know anything about it, I will
answer you.’ Ridà (‘a) said, ‘Why did you deny that Jesus
raised the dead by the permission of
Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent?’ The Catholicos said, ‘I
denied it because whoever raises the dead and cures the
blind and the leper is the lord deserving to be worshipped.’
Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘Elisha also did things like Jesus did: walked on
the water, raised the dead and cured the blind and the leper,
but his community did not take him to be the Lord, and not one
of them worshipped him instead of Allah, the Mighty and
Magnificent. And the prophet Ezekiel also did things like what
Jesus the son of Mary did, for he raised thirty-five thousand
men after they had been dead for sixty years.’ Then he turned
to the Exilarch and said to him, ‘O Exilarch! Do you find in
the Torah what there is about the youths of the Children of
Israel who were exiled by Nebuchadnezzar when they revolted in
Jerusalem and then he sent them to Babylon? Then Allah, the
Exalted, sent one to them and Allah revived them. This is in the
Torah. None of you deny this unless he is a disbeliever.’
The
Exilarch said, ‘We heard this and know about it.’ He said,
‘You spoke the truth.’Then he said, ‘O Jew! Consider the
scripture of the Torah.’ Then heu recited some verses of the
Torah. The Jew started at his recitation and was surprised. Then
he faced the Christian and said, ‘O Christian! Did this take
place before Jesus or was Jesus before that?’ He said, ‘No.
They were before him.’
Ridà
(‘a) said, ‘Once the Quraysh gathered before the Apostle of
Allah (‘s) and asked him to raise their dead for them. He had
‘Alí ibn Abí Tàlib (‘a) accompany them, then he said to
him, ‘Go to al-Jubbànah and call that clan by their names,
those about whom they had asked, with your loudest voice: O
so-and-so! O so-and-so! And O so-and-so! Muhammad the Apostle of
Allah says to you, “Rise, by the permission of Allah, the
Mighty and Magnificent.”’Then they rose and wiped the dust
from their heads.
The
Quraysh received them and asked how they were. Then they told
them that Muhammad (‘s) had been raised as a prophet. They
said, ‘We would love to see him and to believe in him.’ He
cured the blind, the leper and the insane. The beasts, birds,
genies and devils spoke to him, but we did not take him as a
Lord instead of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent. We do not
deny the virtues of any of them. So, when you take Jesus as
Lord, it becomes allowable to take Elijah and Ezekiel as Lords,
because both of them did things like what Jesus did, such as
raising the dead, etc... Verily, there was a tribe of the Children
of Israel who fled their town because of plague and fear of
death, and they were thousands, but in a single hour Allah made
them die. The people from that town set up an enclosure for
them, and they [the dead] were always in it, until their bones
rotted and decayed. Then one of the prophets of the Children of
Israel passed them, and wondered about them and the great
quantity of their rotted bones. So, Allah, the Mighty and
Magnificent, revealed to him, ‘Would you like Me to revive
them for you and warn them?’ He said, ‘Yes, O my Lord!’
Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, revealed to him that he
should call them. He said, ‘O you rotted bones! Rise, by the
permission of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent!’ Then they
rose living, all of them. They wiped the dust from their heads.
Then,
Abraham, the friend of the Merciful, when he took the birds and
cut them up, then put a portion of them on each mountain, then
called them and they went toward him with effort.Then there was
Moses of ‘Imràn and seventy of his chosen companions who went
with him toward a mountain, and said to him, ‘You have seen
Allah, glory be to Him, so show Him to us as you saw Him.’
He
said to them, ‘Verily, I did not see Him.’ They said, ‘We
will not believe in you until we see Allah openly. Then they
were struck by lightning. They burned, to the last of them, and
Moses remained alone. He said, ‘O my Lord! Verily, I chose
seventy men of the Children of Israel. I brought them here, but
return alone. So, how is my people to affirm what I report to
them? If you wanted, you could have destroyed them before and
me. Would You destroy us because of what the fools among us
did?’ Then Allah revived them after their death. Everything I
have mentioned to you, you cannot deny, for the Torah, the
Gospel, the Psalms, the Qur’àn have spoken of it. If everyone
who raises the dead, cures the blind, the leper and the insane
is to be taken as a Lord, instead of Allah, then take all of
these as Lords. What do say, O Christian?’ The Catholicos
said, ‘It is as you say, and there is no god but Allah.’
Then
heu turned to the Exilarch and said, “O Jew! Listen to me, for
I want to ask you about ten verses which descended to Moses ibn
‘Imràn. Do you find this written in the Torah about Muhammad
and his community: ‘When the last community comes following
the rider of the camel, and they glorify the Lord very earnestly
with a new glorification in new synagogues. Then let the
Children of Israel seek refuge with them and their king so that
their hearts may be assured. Verily, there are swords in their
hands by which they obtain revenge against the disbelieving
communities in the regions of the earth.’?” Do you find
anything like this written in the Torah?”
The
Exilarch said, “Yes. We find the like of this.” Then he said
to the Catholicos, “O Christian! How is your knowledge of the
book Sha‘yà?” He said, “I know it word for word.” Then
he said to him, “Are you familiar with these words from it:
‘O people! Verily I saw a figure riding a donkey clothed in a
garb of light, and I saw the rider of a camel whose radiance is
like the radiance of the moon.’?” They both said,
“Certainly Sha‘yà said this.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “O Christian! Do you know the saying of Jesus in
the Gospel: ‘Verily, I am going to your Lord and my Lord, and
the paraclete (bàrqalíTà) is coming, he who will
testify for me truly, even as I testify for him. And he will
interpret all things for you, and he is the one who will reveal
the sins of the nations, and he will break the pillar of
disbelief.’?” The Catholicos said, “You have not mentioned
anything from the Gospel that we do not confess.” He said,
“Do you find this set in the Gospel, O Catholicos?” He said,
“Yes.” Ridà (‘a) said,
“O Catholicos! Will you not inform me about the first Gospel, when
it was lost, with whom was it found? And who compiled this
Gospel for you?” He said, “We did not lose it, except for
one day, and when we found it, it was like new, and it was
brought out by John and Matthew.” Then Ridà (‘a) said to
him, “How little is your knowledge of the mystery of the
Gospel and its scholars! If it is as you imagine, then why are
there differences about the Gospel? And verily, there are
differences about the Gospel that is in your hands today. If it
were the original testament, you would not differ about it. But
I will offer you knowledge about it. Know that when the original
Gospel was lost, the Christians gathered around their scholars
and said to them, ‘Jesus the son of Mary was killed, the
Gospel has been lost, and you are scholars, so what is in your
possession?’ Luke and Mark said to them, ‘Verily, the Gospel
is within our breasts, and we will bring it out scripture by
scripture for everyone, so do not worry about it. Do not empty
the synagogues. So, we will soon recite for every one of you
scripture by scripture until it is all collected.’ Luke, Mark,
John and Matthew sat down and compiled this Gospel for you after
you had lost the original Gospel. These four persons were
students of the first students. Did you know this?”
The
Catholicos said, “I did not know this, but now I know it. The
extent of your knowledge of the Gospel has become clear to me. I
heard something to the truth of which my heart testifies, so I
want to increase my understanding.”
Ridà
(‘a) said to him, “What do you think about that to which
they all testify?” He said, “It is allowed; they are the
scholars of the Gospel. Everything to which they testify is
true.” Ridà (‘a) said to Ma‘mun and to his folk and
others with him present, “Bear witness to this.” They said,
“We bear witness.” Then he said to the Catholicos, “By the
truth of the son and his mother, do you know that Matthew says,
‘Verily the Messiah is the son of David son of Abraham son of
Isaac son of Jacob son of Yahudà son of Hadrun,’ and that
Mark, regarding the lineage of Jesus the son of Mary says,
‘Verily, he is the word of Allah, He made it incarnate in the
body of a man; so it became man,’ and that Luke says,
‘Verily, Jesus the son of Mary and his mother were two persons
of flesh and blood, and the holy spirit entered into them,’
and then you say that Jesus testifies about himself, ‘In truth
I say to you, O company of disciples, verily, no one ascends to
heaven unless he descends from it, except the rider of the
camel, the seal of the prophets. Verily, he ascends to heaven
and then descends from it.’? What do you say about this
saying?”
The
Catholicos said, “That is the saying of Jesus; we do not deny
it.” Ridà (‘a) said, “So, what do you say about the
testimony of Luke, Mark and Matthew about Jesus and what they
have attributed to him?” The Catholicos said, “They lied
about Jesus.” Ridà (‘a) said, “O people! Did he not just
say that they were pure and testify that they were scholars of
the Gospel, and that their word is the truth?” The Catholicos
said, “O scholar of the Muslims! I would like you to pardon me
for this about them.” Ridà (‘a) said, “We have done it.
Ask, O Christian, whatever comes to your mind!”
The
Catholicos said, “Let someone other than me ask you. Nay! By
the truth of the Messiah! I never imagined that a scholar like
you was among the Muslims.” Then Ridà (‘a) turned to the
Exilarch and said to him, “Will you question me or shall I
question you?” He said, “I would question you, and I will
not accept any argument from you unless it is from the Torah,
the Gospel, the Psalms of David or from what is in the
scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “Do not accept any argument from me unless it is
spoken of in the Torah by the tongue of Moses ibn ‘Imràn, the
Gospel by the tongue of Jesus the son of Mary or the Psalms by
the tongue of David.” the Exilarch said, “How do you prove
that Muhammad was a prophet?” Ridà (‘a) said, “Moses ibn
‘Imràn, Jesus the son of Mary and David the Steward of Allah,
the mighty and magnificent, on earth bore witness to it.” So
he said to him, “Prove the saying of Moses ibn ‘Imràn.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “Do you know, O Jew, that Moses ibn ‘Imràn
left a will for the Children of Israel in which he said to them,
‘Verily, there will soon come to you a prophet from among your
brethren, so affirm him and listen to him.’ Do you know any
brethren of the Children of Israel other than the offspring of
Ismà‘íl, if you know of the kinship of Israel and Ismà‘íl,
and the relation between them from Abraham?” The Exilarch
said, “That is the saying of Moses; we do not deny it.” Ridà
(‘a) said to him, “Has there come to you from the brethren
of the Children of Israel any prophet other than Muhammad?” He
said, “No.” Ridà (‘a) said, “Is this not correct
according to you?”
He
said, “Yes, but I would like you to show the correctness of
this matter from the Torah.” Ridà (‘a) said to him, “Do
you deny that the Torah says to you, ‘Light came from Mount
Sinai, and that it radiates to us from Mount Sà‘ír, and it
has appeared to us from Mount Fàràn.’?” The Exilarch said,
“I know these words, but I do not know the interpretation of
them.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “I will inform you of it. As for its saying,
‘Light came from Mount Sinai,’ that is the revelation of
Allah, the blessed and exalted, which He sent down to Moses at
Mount Sinai; as for His saying, ‘and that it radiates to us
from Mount Sà‘ír,’ it is the mountain at which Allah, the
mighty and magnificent, sent revelation to Jesus the son of Mary
when he was on it; and as for His saying, ‘and it has appeared
to us from Mount Fàràn,’ this is one of the mountains of
Mecca which is one day’s journey from Mecca. The prophet
Sha‘yà says in the Torah, what you and your companions also
say, ‘I saw two riders for whom the earth became illuminated,
one of them on a donkey and the other on a camel.’ Who is the
rider on the donkey and who is the rider of the camel?” The
Exilarch said, “I do not know those two, so inform me of
them.” Heu said, “The rider of the donkey is Jesus, and the
rider of the camel is Muhammad. Do you deny that this is from
the Torah?” He said, “No, I do not deny it.”
Then
Ridà (‘a) said, “Do you know the prophet Habakkuk?” He
said, “Yes. I know of him.” Heu said, “He said, and this
is narrated in your book, ‘Allah brought down speech on Mount
Fàràn, and the heavens were filled with the glorification of
Muhammad and his community. His horse carries him over water as
it carries him over land. He will bring a new book to us after
the ruin of the holy house [the temple in Jerusalem].’ What is
meant by this book is the Qur’àn. Do you know this and
believe in it?” The Exilarch said, “Habakkuk the prophet has
said this and we do not deny what he said.” Ridà (‘a) said,
“In his Psalms, David said, and you recite it, “O God! Send
one to revive the tradition after it has languished.’ Do you
know a prophet other than Muhammad who has revived the tradition
after it languished?”
The
Exilarch said, “This is the saying of David. We know it and do
not deny it, however, what is meant by this is Jesus, and his
day was the period of languishing.” Ridà (‘a) said to him,
“You are ignorant. Verily, Jesus did not oppose the tradition,
but he was in agreement with the tradition of the Torah, until
Allah raised him to Himself. It is written in the Gospel,
‘Verily, the son of the good woman will leave, and the
paraclete will come after him, and he will lighten the burden,
and he will interpret everything for you, and he will bear
witness for me as I bear witness for him. I have brought
parables for you, and he will bring for you exegesis.’ Do you
believe in this from the Gospel?” He said, “Yes. I do not
deny it.”
Ridà
(‘a) said to him, “O Exilarch (Ra’s al-Jàlut)! I
ask you about your prophet Moses ibn ‘Imràn.” He said,
“Ask!” Heu said, “What proof do you have that Moses was a
prophet?” The Jew said, “Verily, he brought that which had
not been brought by any prophet before him.” He said to him,
“Like what?” He said, “Like the splitting of the sea,
changing his staff into [a serpent] running, hitting the rock so
that fountains sprung from the cleft, bringing out his hand
white for the observers, and signs for the like of which people
have no power.”
Ridà
(‘a) said to him, “You spoke truly that the proof of his
being a prophet was that he brought that for the like of which
people have no power. Is it not the case that it becomes
obligatory for you to affirm whoever claims to be a prophet then
brings the like of that for which people have no power?” He
said, “No. Because there was no one like Moses in station
before his Lord, and nearness to Him; and it is not obligatory
for us to admit the prophethood of one who claims it unless he
bring signs like what he brought.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “So, how do you admit that there were prophets
prior to Moses, while they did not split the sea, and did not
cleft the rock so that twelve fountains sprung from it, and they
did not bring out their hands as Moses brought his hand out
white, and they did not change staves into running serpants.”
The Jew said to him, “I will indeed inform you that when one
brings a sign the like of which people have no power to bring,
even if they are not what Moses brought or are other than what
he brought, it becomes obligatory to affirm him.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “O Exilarch (Ra’s al-Jàlut)! So, what
prevents you from admitting [to the prophethood of] Jesus the
son of Mary, while he revived the dead, cured the blind and the
leper, and created of clay what had the form of birds, then blew
into them and they became birds by the permission of Allah?”
The Exilarch said, “It is said that he did this, but we did
not witness it.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “Tell me, did you witness the signs that Moses
brought? Is it not the case that narrations from the trusted
companions of Moses conveyed that he did these things?” He
said, “Yes.” He said, “Then likewise, successively
confirmed reports (akhbàr mutawàttir) have come to you
about what Jesus the son of Mary did. So how is it that you
affirm Moses but you do not affirm Jesus?” He gave no answer.
Ridà
(‘a) said, “And likewise the affair of Muhammad (‘s) and
what he brought, and the affair of every prophet commissioned by
Allah. Among the signs Muhammad (‘s) had was that he was an
orphan, poor, a shepherd and a wage laborer who did not study
any book and who was not taught by any teacher, yet brought the
Qur’àn in which there are the stories of the prophets and
reports of them letter by letter, and reports of those who have
gone before, and the peoples who will remain until the day of
resurrection. He reported about their secrets and what they had
done in their houses, and he brought unaccountably many
signs.” The Exilarch said, “According to us, neither the
reports about Jesus nor the reports about Muhammad are correct,
and it is not permitted for us to affirm these two by what is
incorrect.”
Ridà
(‘a) said, “So, the witnesses who testified for Jesus and
Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be with them
both, are not valid?” He gave no answer.
(Bihàr,
10, 299-310, 1)
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