Then Mary said to Gabriel : ' If people ask iiow the child was born, Avliat shall I rei)iy ? ' He said : ' Say, " I have .seen no man, I am fasting ; I speak with none about it." ' It is said tliat wiien tiie Jews found her and tlie child iinder the tree, they began to make a tumult and reproached her, saj'- ing, ' Neitiier tiiy father nor mother were evil- doers.' She replied : ' I am fasting to-day, what- ever you want to know, ask the child. They became very angry, and said: 'How siiall we
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CHRIST IN MOHAMMEDAN LITERATURE
speak to the infant ? ' However, they asked him the circumstances of his birth. He said : ' I am the slave of God, appointed to be a prophet and a blessing in whatever place I may be, and He has ordered me to keep the fast and almsgiving as long as I live. I am not appointed a tyrant, but the peace of God is upon me from the day of my birth to the day of my death and resurrection to life again.' Having said this, he did not speak again till the natural time for an infant to speak arrived. Having witnessed the miracle, the Jews gave up their suspicion and reproach, and said that this was the prophet of whose birth the preceding prophets had spoken.
Then Mary went to Jerusalem, where, seeing the miracles done by the child, people sought to destroy him. Then, by the order of God, Mary took him to Egypt. Some say she went with Joseph and the child to Damascus, to the house of a rich man, Avho protected and provided for them. He nourished many lame and blind persons. At this time a very valuable article of his Avas stolen, and no trace of the thief could be found. Jesus said : ' Sucli a lame and such a blind man stole the thing.' When accused, the blind man said : ' How could I see to steal ?,' and the lame man, ' How could I walk to do so ? ' Jesus said : ' The blind man carried the lame man, who then from a shelf took the goods and divided the booty.' So the theft was found out.
Then Jesus, having received from God the gift of prophecy, returned to Jerusalem and invited the Jews to embrace the strong religion ; but they were displeased, and only his apostles followed him.
It is said that the term hawari* 'apostle,' comes from a word meaning ' to whiten,' and that the apostles were so called because they were fullers by trade. Jesus said to them : ' Just as you make clothes clean, so by faith in God cleanse your hearts from the dust of sin.' Then they asked for a miracle. Jesus took various clothes and filled a jar with them. Some time after he took them out, when they were all of one colour. These twelve men then believed in him. God told Jesus to tell people first, that ' God is one without a partner,' then to tell them of the coming of Mohammed as a prophet, and say : ' A prophet will come after me, Ahmad by name.' Then Jesus, wearing a woollen cloth, with staff in hand went here and there. At night he used a stone for a pillow and lay on the ground. His food was barley bread and greens. He cared nothing for worldly wealth. He never desired the society and friendship of women. His life was one of great simplicity. Seeing his fatigue in walking, his disciples brought him an animal to ride ; but after using it once he returned it to them, for the anxiety of providing it with fodder was more than he could bear. They then wished to procure him a house ; he declined it on the ground that if he lived long it would go to ruin ; if he soon died, some one else would get it.
One day he saw an old man sitting by the grave of his son. Jesus, after two prostrations in prayer, said : 'O certain one, rise by the order of God.' The grave opened, and the corpse came forth and said : ' O Lord, why didst thou call me ? ' The Jews said : ' We have never seen such a sorcerer.'
It is related that God ordered Jesus to go to the king of Nasibin, a proud and infidel ruler. Jesus went with his twelve disciples, and on arriving near the place said : ' Who of you will go and announce to the people of this place my arrival ? ' James and Thomas and Simon Peter went. When near the place, Simon told the other two to go on and give the news, and he would wait ; so that if evil * Really the Ethiopic for ' messenger,' ' apostle.'
' I will not repent. Then by the order the hands and feet unclean place.
should fall on one of them he might make some plan. Then James and Thomas entered the city, and cried out, 'Jesus the Prophet of God and the Spirit of God has come to the city.' The people seized Thomas and took him to the king, who said : ' Who has spoken here of a prophet, and God, and the Spirit of God? if he does not repent, I will kill him.' Thomas said; Let the king do as he wills.' of the king the people cut off of Thomas, and left him in Simon then came and sought the audience of the king, and begged to be allowed to interrogate Thomas. He then asked liim how he supported the statement he had made. Thomas replied that Jesus worked miracles, for the blind and lame and sick were healed. Simon said : ' Doctors do this ; what other proof have you ? ' ' Jesus knows what people eat, and drink, and say in their houses.' Simon said : ' This too can be done by in- telligence and hearing: give another proof.' 'He makes birds of mud, and makes them fly.' Simon said: ' This is simply magic : give another proof.' Thomas said : ' He raises by the order of God the dead to life.' Simon then said to the king : ' If this is so, it is advisable that your honour should send for Jesus, and see whether what Thomas says is right : if he raises the dead he is a true prophet.' The king approved, and sent for Jesus, to whom Simon told all that had passed. Jesus asked what miracles were called for. Simon said to heal the hands and feet of Thomas ; then to state what each one in the assembly had eaten, and what stores he had ; then to make mud birds fly. Jesus did all these things. Salman al-Farisi says that wlien all the sick in Nasibin were healed, the people asked Jesus to raise the dead. Jesus said he would do so. They came to the grave of Shem, son of Noah, and said, ' Kevive him.' Jesus made two prostrations in prayer and prayed to God. Then by order of God the earth opened, and a person with white hair and beard came forth from the grave, and, having saluted Jesus, said to the people : ' Certainly, Jesus is a prophet of God. All of you should believe in him and obey him.' Then Jesus said to Shem: 'In your lifetime no one had white hair ; how is it yours is white ? ' He replied : ' When I heard your voice, I thought the day of judgment had come, and my hair turned white with fear.' Jesus said : ' How long have you been dead ? ' He replied : ' Four thousand years.' Jesus wished to pray for iiis life, but Shem said : ' Again I must die, I have no wish to live on, if you will ask God to have mercy on me.'