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Ramadhan 19 Friday Hijrah 1445
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Title – The Message   Preface   Arabian Peninsula the Cradle of Islamic Culture   Arabia before Islam   Conditions of Roman and Iranian Empires   Ancestors of the Prophet   Birth of the Prophet   Childhood of the Prophet   Rejoining the Family   Period of Youth   From Shepherd to Merchant   From Marriage up to Prophethood   The First Manifestation of Reality   The First Revelation   Who were the First Persons to Embrace Islam?   Cessation of revelation   General Invitation   Judgement of Quraysh about the Holy Qur’an   The First Migration   Rusty Weapons   The Fiction of Gharaniq   Economic Blockade   Death of Abu Talib   Me’raj – The Heavenly Ascension   Journey to Ta’if   The Agreement of Aqabah   The Event of Migration   The Events of the First Year of Migration   Some Events of the First and Second years of Migration   The Events of the Second Year of Migration   Change of Qiblah   The Battle of Badr   Dangerous Designs of the Jews   The Events of the Third Year of Migration   The Events of the Third and Fourth years of Migration   The Jews Quit the Zone of Islam   The Events of the Fourth Year of Migration   The Events of the Fifth Year Of Migration   The Battle of Ahzab   The Last Stage of Mischief   The Events of the Fifth and Sixth years of Migration   The events of the Sixth Year of Migration   A Religious and Political Journey   The Events of the Seventh Year of Migration   Fort of Khayber the Centre of Danger   The Story of Fadak   The Lapsed ‘Umrah   The Events of the Eighth Year of Migration   The Battle of Zatus Salasil   The Conquest of Makkah   The Battle of Hunayn   The Battle of Ta’if   The Famous Panegyric of Ka’b Bin Zuhayr   The Events of the Ninth Year of Migration   The Battle of Tabuk   The Deputation of Thaqif goes to Madina   The Prophet Mourning for his Son   Eradication of Idol-Worship in Arabia   Representatives of Najran in Madina   The Events of the Tenth Year of Migration   The Farewell Hajj   Islam is completed by the Appointment of Successor   The Events of the Eleventh Year of Migration   A Will which was not written   The Last Hours of the Prophet  

 

Chapter 16: God’s Words to Jesus

 

1. Allah revealed to Jesus the son of Mary (‘a), “O Jesus! I do not forget those who forget Me, so how could I forget those who remember Me! I am not stingy with those who disobey Me, so how could I be stingy with those who obey Me.” (Jàmi‘ al-Akhbàr, 1, 180)

2. Allah, the Exalted, revealed to Jesus (‘a), “O Jesus the son of the virgin, al-Batul! Cry over yourselves, like one who says his last good-bye to his family, loathes the world, abandons it to its people, and who has come to desire what is near his God.” (‘Udda al-Dà‘í, 169)

3. It is reported that among what was revealed to Jesus (‘a) is: “Do not be deceived by those who are disobedient to Me, who eat what I provide for them, but woship other than Me, then they call Me when they are worried, so I answer them, then they go back to what they did. Do they disobey Me or want to anger Me? [I swear] by Myself! I will take them in such a way that there is no deliverance from it and there is no refuge but Me. Where can they flee from My sky and My earth?” (‘Udda al-Dà‘í, 212)

4. ‘Abdullah ibn al-Walíd said, “Abu ‘Abdullah (‘a) said to me, ‘What do the followers say about Jesus, Moses and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be with them?’ I said, ‘They say, “Verily Jesus and Moses are better than the Commander of the Faithful.”‘ He said, ‘Do they think that he knew every thing that the Apostle of Allah knew?’ I said, ‘Yes, but they do not prefer anyone over the possessors of determination (Ulu al-‘Azm) among the apostles.’ Abu ‘Abdullah (‘a) said, ‘Argue with them by the Book of Allah.’ I said, ‘From which place of it?’ He said, ‘Allah, the Exalted, said to Moses:

We wrote in the tablets some knowledge of everything for him.” (7:145)

He did not write everything for Moses. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said to Jesus:

I will explain for you something that you differ about.” (43:63)

And Allah, the Exalted, said to Muhammad:

We brought you as a witness over them and revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything.” (16:89). (Basà’ir al-Darajàt, 227)

5. It is reported that Sayyid said that among the hadiths from the Imams he saw, “Allah, the Exalted, ordered Adam to pray toward the West, and Noah to pray toward the East, and Abraham to gather them, and this is the Ka‘abah. When Moses was commissioned, He ordered him to revive the religion of Adam. When Jesus was commissioned, He ordered him to revive the religion of Noah. When Muhammad was commissioned, He ordered him to revive the religion of Abraham.” (Bihàr, 81, 57, 9)

6. It is reported that Allah, the mighty and magnificent, revealed to Jesus the son of Mary, “Let him who considers Me slow in providence beware of My wrath, so that I open a door to this world against him.” (Bihàr, 100, 21, 16)

7. It is reported that one of the Imams, peace be with them, said, “The Messiah said: ‘Allah, the blessed and exalted says, “My believing servant is saddened if I turn the world away from him, and that is what is most loved by Me, and that is what is most near to Me; and he is gladdened if I am open handed with him in this world, and that is what is most hated by Me, and that is what is furthest from Me.'” (Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, 1, 513)

8. The Apostle of Allah (‘s) said, “…O Abu Dhar! Verily, Allah revealed to my brother Jesus, ‘O Jesus! Do not love the world! Verily I do not love it. And love the otherworld, for it alone is the realm of the Ressurection.'” (Mustadrak al-Wasà’il, 12, 39, 13456)

9. It is reported that Abu ‘Abdullah [Imam Sàdiq] said, “Jesus the son of Mary (‘a) ascended clad in wool spun by Mary, woven by Mary and sewn by Mary. When he was brought up to heaven it was called, ‘O Jesus! Cast off from yourself the finery of the world.'” (Bihàr, 14, 338, 9)

10. I asked Abu ‘Abdullah [Imam Sàdiq] about the best thing by which the servant may draw near to his Lord and what is most beloved by Allah, the Almighty and Glorious. He said, “I know of nothing, after knowledge (ma‘rifah), better than the ritual prayer (Salah). Do you not see that the good servant Jesus the son of Mary (‘a) said:

“And He enjoined on me the ritual prayer (Salàh) and the alms tax (zakàh) for as long as I live.” (19,31) (Kàfí, 3, 264, 1)

11. Allah revealed to Jesus, “O Jesus! Humble your heart for me … let me hear from you a sad sound.” (Bihàr, 90, 341)

12. Allah revealed to Jesus (‘a), “Be to the people like the earth below in meakness, like the flowing water in generosity, and like the sun and the moon in mercy, which shine on the good and sinner alike.” (Bihàr, 14, 3)

13. Allah revealed to Jesus (‘a), “O Jesus! Grant me the tears ofyour eyes, and the humility of your heart, and stand beside the tombs of the dead, and call to them aloud that you may be advised by them, and say, ‘I will join you with those who join you.'” (Bihàr, 79, 178)

14. A Christian catholicos (jàthilíq) met with Masab ibn Zubayr (an amir) and spoke words that angered him. He [Masab] raised a cane against him, then left him until his anger subsided. He [the catholicos] said, “If the amir permits me, I would report to him something revealed by Allah to Christ.” He (Masab) turned his attention to him, and he (the catholicos) said, “Verily, Allah revealed to Christ, ‘It is not fitting for a sultan to become angry, for he commands and is obeyed, and it is not fitting for him to be hastey, for nothing eludes him, and it is not fitting for him to be unjust, for injustice is repulsed by him.'” Then Masab became embarassed and was pleased with him. (Àdàb al-Nafs, 2, 69)

15. Allah said to Jesus, “O Jesus! Verily I have granted unto you the poor and mercy upon them. You love them and they love you. They are satisfied with you as a leader and guide and you are satisfied with them as companions and followers. These are two of my characteristics. Whoever meets Me with these [characteristics] meets Me with the most pure of deeds which are most beloved by Me.” (Bihàr, 69, 55)

16. Verily Allah revealed to Jesus, “Then indeed be warned! Otherwise you should be ashamed before Me to warn [preach to] the people.” (Irshàd al-Qulub, 1, 112)

17. It is reported that Nuf al-Bukàlí said, “I spent a night with the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Alí ibn Abu Tàlib (‘a). I saw that he often left his room to go outside and look at the sky. Once when he came back in, as usual, he said to me, ‘Are you asleep or awake?’ I said, ‘I am indeed awake, O Commander of the Faithful! From the beginning of the night I have been watching you to see what you are doing.’ He said, ‘O Nuf! Blessed are the ascetics in this world, those who yearn for the other world, the people who spread Allah’s earth beneath them [to sleep on], who lean against its dust, whose motto is His book, whose maxim is supplicating Him, whose perfume is water, and who take the world on loan in the way of Christ. Verily, Allah, the Exalted, revealed to Jesus, “O Jesus! Keep to the first way, keep to the manner of the messengers, say to your people, O brother of the warners, ‘Do not enter any of My houses except with pure hearts, clean hands and lowered eyes. I will not hear the prayer of any who supplicate Me if any of My servants is oppressed by him. And I will not answer the prayer of any who has not fulfilled any of My rights over him.'” (Bihàr, 67, 316)

18. Allah revealed to Jesus, “Say to the Children of Israel, ‘Do not enter any of my houses unless with lowered eyes and clean hands.’ And inform them that verily, I will not answer the prayer of any of them while any of my creation is oppressed by them…” (Bihàr, 90, 373)

19. Allah said to Jesus (‘a), “O Jesus! Your tongue must be a single tongue in secret and in public, and likewise your heart. Verily, I warn you of your self, and I suffice as the All-aware.48 It is not proper for there to be two tongues in a single mouth, nor two swords in a single scabbard, nor two hearts in a single breast, and likewise two minds.” (Kàfí, 2, 343, 3)

20. Allah, the Great and Almighty, said to Jesus (‘a), “O Jesus! Remember me within yourself and I will remember you within myself, and remember me publicly and I will remember you publicly in a public better than that of the people. O Jesus! Soften your heart for me and remember me much in solitude, and know that my pleasure is in your shuddering [literally wagging the tail, taken as an indication of fear or being driven in an animal] for me, and be alive in that and be not dead.” (Kàfí, 2, 502, 3)

21. Allah the Supreme revealed to Jesus, “When I give you a blessing, receive it with humility, [and] I will complete it for you.” (Bihàr, 14, 328, 56)

22. Among the words revealed to Jesus is, “O Jesus! Humble yourself to those who do good, participate with them in it, be witness over them and say to the unjust of the children of Israel, ‘O companions of evil and participants in it! If you do not accept the prohibition, I will transform you into monkeys and swine.'” (Kàfí, 8, 138, 103)

23. It is reported in a long tradition that Muhammad al-Munkadir narrated from his father that he said, “When al-Sayyid and al-‘Àqib, the two bishops of Najràn, with seventy persons arrived mounted [at Madina], they came to the Prophet and I was with them… Al-‘Àqib said [to his companion,] ‘Did you not read the fourth al-Misbàh from which were revealed to Christ, ‘Say to the children of Jerusalem, ‘How ignorant you are! You perfume yourselves with perfume, to be perfumed with the people of this world and with your people, but your interiors are dead corpses to Me…'” (Bihàr, 21, 350, 20)

24. [Imam] Ja‘far reported that his father (‘a) said, “Najashi the king of Habashah [Ethiopia] sent for Ja‘far the son of Abí Tàlib and his companions. Then they arrived before him while he was sitting in the dust in his house with worn garments…. Ja‘far ibn Abí Tàlib said to him, “O pious king! What is the matter with me, that I see you sitting in the dust in these worn garments?” He said, “O Ja‘far! We find among that which has been revealed by Allah, the Supreme, to Jesus (‘a) is, ‘Verily, among the rights of Allah over His servants is that they should make themselves humble before Allah when He makes them blessed.’49 So, when Allah showed favor by His prophet Muhammad (‘s), I showed this humility to Allah.” He [Imam Ja‘far] said, “When that news reached the Prophet (‘s), he said to his companions, ‘Verily, giving alms increases abundance, so give alms and Allah will have mercy on you, and humility increases one’s elevation, so be humble and Allah will elevate, and forgiveness increases glory, so forgive and Allah will grant you glory.'” (Bihàr, 18, 418)

25. Verily Jesus (‘a) passed by a grave, and he saw the angels of punishment chastise a dead person. When Jesus (‘a) had finished his business and passed by the grave [again], he saw the angels of mercy. Levels of light were with them. He was surprised at that, and called upon Allah about this. Allah revealed to him, “O Jesus! This servant was a sinner, and left his wife when she was pregnant. Then she bore and raised his child. When the child got older, she gave him to the charge of the scribes. They instructed him to say, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate,’ so I was ashamed to chastise My servant with My fire in the bowels of the earth while his child was remembering my name on the surface of the earth.” (Majmu‘ah al-Akhbàr fí Nafà’is al-Àthàr ,146)

26. The Apostle of Allah (‘s) said, “Allah, the Exalted, may His greatness be glorified, revealed to Jesus (‘a), ‘Make a serious effort regarding My affairs, and do not give up. I made you without a male as a sign for the worlds. Tell the people to believe in Me and in My Apostle, the unlettered, whose ancestors are blessed, and she is with your mother in heaven. Tubà50 is for he who hears his word is contemporary with him.’ Jesus said, ‘O my Lord! What is Tubà?’ He said, ‘It is a tree in heaven under which is a fountain from which those who drink will never again thirst.’ Jesus said, ‘Quench me with a drink of it.’ He said, ‘No, Jesus. It is forbidden to the prophets until that prophet drink from it. And that heaven is forbidden to all communities until the community of that prophet enters it.'” (Bihàr, 14, 323, 33)

27. Imam Ja‘far Sàdiq (‘a) said, “Among the things which Allah, the Blessed and Supreme, exhorted Jesus (‘a) was, ‘O Jesus! I am your Lord, and the Lord of your fathers. My Name is the One, and I am unique and alone in the creation of all things. All things are my work, and all My creations shall return to Me.'” (Bihàr, 14, 289, 13)

28. ‘Alí ibn Asbàt has reported from the Household of the Prophet, peace be with them, this from among the admonitions of Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, given to Jesus (‘a):

“O Jesus! I am your Lord and the Lord of your father. My name is One and I am the One, the Unique in having created everything. All things have been made by Me and all return to Me.

O Jesus! You are the Messiah by My command, and you create from clay what has a shape like a bird by My permission, and you revive the dead by My word, so be one who beseeches Me and one who fears Me, and apart from Me seek no sanctuary except toward Me. O Jesus! I charged you in tenderness to you though mercy until you became worthy of my friendship (wilàyah) because you sought My pleasure and so you were blessed when old and you were blessed when young wherever you were. I bear witness that you are My servant, son of my handmaid. Let Me into your soul as your foremost regard, and make the remembrance of Me the means to your return, and draw near to Me through the supererogatory deeds. And trust in Me that I may suffice for you and do not trust in any other than Me so that I abandon you.

O Jesus! Be patient with calamities and be content with the decree. Be in such a way that I will be happy with you, because what pleases Me is obedience without sin.

O Jesus! Enliven the remembrance of Me by your tongue, and let there be love for Me in your heart.

O Jesus! Wake up at the hours of neglecting and give your decisions for my sake with subtle wisdom.

O Jesus! Be one who beseeches and fears Me, and let your heart die of awe of Me.

O Jesus! Be vigilant through the night seeking My pleasure, and thirst through your day for the day when you are in need of Me.

O Jesus! Compete with others by doing good as hard as you can so that you will be well known for good wherever you go.

O Jesus! Judge among my servants though My counsel and establish My justice for I have brought down to you a cure for breasts against satanic disease.

O Jesus! Do not associate with anyone infatuated [with the world].

O Jesus! Indeed I say, no creature believed in Me without becoming humble to Me nor became humble to Me without seeking My requittal; so bear witness that such a one is secure from My punishment unless he changes or alters my norm (sunnah).

O Jesus, son of the Virgin Lady! Weep for yourself with the weeping of one who bade goodbye to his home, deserted this world and left it to the worldly so that he became one beseeching what is with his God.

O Jesus! In addition to this, be someone who speaks mildly, who offers salaams vigorously, and who keeps awake while the eyes of the pious sleep in order to beware of the Day of the Return and severe earthquakes and the terrors of the Resurrection Day when neither household nor wealth nor offspring shall profit one.

O Jesus! Adorn your eyes with a touch of sadness when the vain (i.e., foolish) laugh.

O Jesus! Be one of those who humble themselves and are patient, for if you attain that of which the patient have been promised, you are most fortunate.

O Jesus! Day by day abandon this world and taste that which has lost its taste, for truly I tell you; you live to an appointed hour and an appointed day, so pass through this world by what is sufficient for your survival and be content with coarse food and rough dress after you have seen what your destiny is to be, and what you have spent and wasted is recorded.

O Jesus! You are responsible, so be merciful toward the weak, just as I am merciful toward you, and do not be cruel to the orphan.

O Jesus! Weep over yourself in seclusion; let your feet regularly make for the places where prayers are performed, and let me hear the sweetest melody of the words you say in remembrance of Me. Verily, what I have done for you is good.

O Jesus! How many nations I have caused to perish for the sins they had committed and from which I have preserved you.

“O Jesus! Minister to the weak and turn your weary eyes toward the sky and ask your needs from Me, for I am near to you, and do not call upon Me except as one who pleads with Me and whose concern is a single concern. Then, when you call on Me in this way, I will answer you.

“O Jesus! I am not content that the world should be the reward of those who were near you nor as a chastisement for those you would punish.

O Jesus! You perish and I remain, and your provision is from Me. The term appointed for you is with Me, and to Me is your return and with Me is your reckoning. So ask from me and do not ask from any other, so that your supplication may be suitable and I will answer it.

O Jesus! How numerous are the people and how few is the number of the patient. The trees are numerous, but those that are good among them are few. Do not be deceived by the beauty of a tree until you taste its fruit.

O Jesus! Do not be deceived by he who rebels against me by sin. He eats what I have provided for him but he serves another. Then he calls on Me in his sorrow, and I answer him. Then he returns to what he had been doing. Does he rebel against Me or does he seek My wrath? By Me, I have sworn I will take him with a taking from which he cannot be delivered and other than Me he can find no shelter. Where will he escape from My heaven and earth?

O Jesus! Say to the unjust from the children of Israel, do not call upon Me while you are involved in unlawful dealings and there are idols in your houses, for I have resolved that I will respond to them who call upon Me, and my response to their calls will be curses upon them lasting until they disperse.

O Jesus! How long must I wait and hope for good from people while they are heedless and reluctant to return? The words which emitted fom their mouths do not do not correspond to what is in their hearts, they subject themselves to my loathing, while seeking the love of the believers by [feigning] drawing near to Me.

O Jesus! Let your tongue say the same in secret and in the open, and let your heart and your vision be in accord with that. Turn your heart and your tongue entirely away from the forbidden, and withhold your eyes from anything in which there is no good. How many a beholder there has been whose look planted in their hearts a lust and threw them into the pit of destruction.

O Jesus! Be merciful with great mercy, and behave in such a way that you wish others to treat you, and increase your remembrance of death, and departing from your household, and avoid wasting your time, for wasting time corrupts one, and do not be heedless, for he who is heedless of Me is far away from Me. And remember Me by doing righteous acts so that I will remember you.

O Jesus! Turn toward Me after sinning, and remind those who are penitent of Me. Believe in Me and seek nearness to the believers by Me, and bid them to call upon Me with you, and beware of the call of the wronged one, for I have resolved to open a gate in the heavens to accept it and to answer him, even if later.

O Jesus! Know that evil ones infect others and the companions of evil cause others to perish, and know those to whom you are near, and choose for yourselves brothers from the believers.

O Jesus! Turn toward Me, for no sin is too great for Me to forgive, and I am the most Merciful of the Merciful. Work for yourself in the period before your death before your heirs may fail to do it for you, and worship Me for a day that is equal to a thousand years of what you reckon in which I repay for the good many times over, and evil deeds will corrupt one who performs them, so prepare the way for yourself throughout the period appointed for you, and compete with others to do whatever is righteous, for how many an assembly there have been from which people rose and were then granted sanctuary from the Fire.

O Jesus! Restrain yourself from being involved in this mortal life which comes to an end, and follow in the footsteps of those who have lived before you. Call them and speak to them in confidence. Do you feel their presence? Take your advice from them, and know that soon you will join them.

O Jesus! Tell him who rebels against Me by offense and who would compromise [his religion], that he should await My punishment and expect My destruction of him, soon he will be cut off with the destroyed ones. O son of Mary! Blessed are you, that you take your manners from your God, Who shows tenderness toward you mercifully, Who first bestowed blessings from Him gernerously, and He aids you in difficulties. Do not offend, O Jesus! For offenses are not lawful for you. I have made a covenant with you as I made a covenant with those who were before you, and I am a witness of that.

O Jesus! I have honored no creature as I have My religion, and I have not blessed [any creature] with the like of My mercy [for My religion].

O Jesus! I have honored nothing in creation like My religion, and I have bestowed nothing on it like My mercy.

O Jesus! Wash your exterior by water and your interior by good deeds, for verily you are returning to Me. Get ready, for that which is coming is near; and let me hear from you a sad sound.

O Jesus! That with which I have blessed you by grace without pollution; and I sought from you a loan for your soul, then you were stingy, so you will be of those who are destroyed.

O Jesus! Adorn yourself with religion and love of the needy, and walk through the earth modestly. And perform the prayers at any place, for all of them are [ritually] clean.

O Jesus! Be prepared, for whatever is coming is near, and recite My book while you are [ritually] clean, and make Me hear from you a sad voice.

O Jesus! There is no good in pleasure that does not continue, and in a life, for the one who lives it, that fades away.

O son of Mary! If only your eyes could see that which is furnished as a reward for My righteous friends, your heart would melt and your soul would depart longing for it, for there is no abode like that of the other world, where the good live as neighbors, and the cheribum enter it among them, and they are safe from the fear of the day of resurrection. It is an abode in which blessings do not change and they are not lost.

O son of Mary! Vie with others for [that abode], for it is the hope of the hopeful, being such a good sight. Blessed are you, O son of Mary, if you work for it, and you are with your fathers, Adam and Ibrahim in the Garden and bliss, you seek no alternative to it and no change in it. I do this for the God-wary.

O Jesus! Flee toward Me with those who flee from a fire having a dreadful blaze and a fire having chains and shackles into which no gentle wind enters and from which no gloom ever goes, with sectors like those of the dark night, and he who is delivered from it will have attained a great achievment, and those who perish will never be delivered from it. It is the abode of tyrants, the wrongdoing oppressors, all who are rudely obstinant and all who are proud boasters.

O Jesus! It is an evil abode for those who rely on it, and evil place to stay, the abode of the oppressors. I warn you of yourself. So, be aware of Me.

O Jesus! Wherever you are, be observant of Me, and bear witness that it is I who created you, that you are My servant and that I formed you and conveyed you to the earth.

O Jesus! It is not proper for there to be two tongues in one mouth nor two hearts in one breast, and likewise for minds.

O Jesus! Do not be awake while sinning, do not be aware while wasting time. Wean yourself from destructive lusts and put away every lust that puts you far from Me. Know that to Me you are a trusted apostle, so be careful of Me. Know that your world will give you back to Me, and I will take you knowledgably, so abase yourself when you remember Me. Humble your heart when you remember Me. Be awake beside the sleep of the negligent.

O Jesus! This is My advice to you and My admonition to you, so take it from Me and I am the Lord of the worlds.

O Jesus! When My servant is patient for My sake, the reward for his work is from Me, and I am beside him when he calls on Me, and I am sufficient in avenging those who disobey Me. Where will the oppresors go to escape from Me?

O Jesus! Make your speech wholesome, and wherever you are, be both learned and a learner.

O Jesus! Send good deeds to Me, so that they will be remembered by Me for you, and grasp My advice. Verily, in it there is a cure for hearts.

O Jesus! Do not feel safe when you devise your plans from My plans, and do not forget, when alone in the world, the remembrance of Me.

O Jesus! By returning to Me, take account of yourself, so the reward may be deserved of those who work. They are given their compensation and I am the best of the givers.

O Jesus! You were created by My word, Mary gave birth to you at My command that I sent to her by My spirit, the trusted Gabriel of My angels, until you grew up as one alive and walking, and all of this was in My foreknowledge.

O Jesus! Zacharias is in the position of a father to you and as a guardian to your mother. When he went to her in the prayer niche then he found with her provisions. John is like you among My creatures. I granted him to his mother when she was old when she did not have the strength for it. By this, I wanted My sovereignty to appear to her, and My power to appear in you. The most beloved of you by Me is the most obedient to me and the most intense of you in fear of Me.

O Jesus! Wake up and do not despair of My mercy and glorify Me with those who glorify Me and with wholesome speech hallow Me.

O Jesus! How can the servants disbelieve in Me when their forelocks are in My fist and their changes take place on My earth? They are ignorant of My blessings and they are supporters of My enemy, and so the disbelievers are perishing.

O Jesus! Indeed, this world is a foul prison, and the fair seeming in it is, as you see, that over which the tyrants slaughter one another. Beware, the world and all of its blessings will come to an end, and it has but few blessings.

O Jesus! Seek Me when you go to bed, and you will find Me; and call upon me while you love Me, and I am the most hearing of the hearers; I answer the callers when they call upon Me.

O Jesus! Fear Me and make My servants fear Me. Happily the sinners may abstain from what they do because of it, so they do not perish unless they knowingly [do it].

O Jesus! Be afraid of Me as you fear predators and death you will meet. I have created all of them, so of Me alone, be afraid.

O Jesus! Verily, Mine is the kingdom and it is in My hand, and I am the King. If you obey Me, I will make you enter My Garden in the neighborhood of the righteous.

O Jesus! If I am angry with you, the pleasure of those who are pleased with you will not benefit you, and if I am pleased with you, the anger of those who are angry with you will not harm you.

O Jesus! Remember Me to yourself, and I will remember you to Myself. Remember Me among your people, and I will remember you among a people better than the children of Adam.

O Jesus! Call upon Me with the call of one who is drowning, afflicted, for whom there is none to aid.

O Jesus! Do not swear by Me falsely, so that My Throne shakes with anger. The world is short lived, but is long on hope, and with Me is a realm better than what you gather.

O Jesus! What will you do when I take out for you a book that speaks in truth, while you witness it, of the secrets you have hidden, and the deeds you have done?

O Jesus! Say to the unjust of the Children of Israel: You wash your faces and soil your hearts. Are you deceived about me, or would you be audacious toward me. For the worldly you use perfumes, but to me your stomachs are like putrid corpse, as though you were a dead people.

O Jesus! Say to them, “Draw back your hands51 from illicit gain, and stop your ears from listening to curses, and come near to me by your hearts for your appearance does not appeal to me.

O Jesus! Rejoice in the good deed, for it pleases Me, and weep over the evil deed, for it is a disgrace, and that which you do not like to be done unto you, do not do unto others, and if one slaps your right cheek, offer him the left one, and draw near to Me by your efforts through love, and ignore the ignorant.

O Jesus! Be humble toward the doers of good deeds and take part with them in such deeds, and be witnesses to them, and say to the unjust of the Children of Israel, “O friends of evil, and those who keep company with it! If you do not comply with the prohibitions, I will transform you into apes and swine.

O Jesus! Say to the unjust of the Children of Israel that wisdom52 weeps in fear of Me, while you [Children of Israel] leave laughing. Has there come to you a repreive, or is there with you a guarantee against My chastisement, or that you will not be subject to My punishment? I swear by Myself, that I will abandon you as an example for those who remain.

Thus I charge you, O son of Mary, that you bring news to the Children of Israel of the Master of the messengers and My beloved, who is Ahmad, having a red camel and a face like the moon, who is a shining light, a pure heart, courageous, venerably modest. Verily, he is a mercy to the worlds, and master of the children of Adam on the day of his meeting Me, the most honored of the foremost,53 and the latest of the messengers from Me, an Arab, a trustworthy person, one committed to My religion, one patient for My sake and one who struggles by his hand against the idolaters for the defense of My religion. Order them to affirm him, believe in him, follow him and help him. Jesus (‘a) said, “Who is it that I should please? Then, pleasure is for You. He said, “He is Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (‘s) to the people, all of them. In station, he is nearer to Me than they; in intercession, he is more ready than they; blessed be he as prophet, and blessed be his community (ummah) if they meet Me on his path. The inhabitants of the earth praise him, and the inhabitants of the heavens ask for his forgiveness. He is the trustworthy, the blessed, the wholesome and salutary, better than others with Me. He will be at the end of time.

When he arrives, the spouts of the heavens are loosed, and the earth puts forth its blossoms, so that they see the benediction. I will bless them by that upon which he puts his hand. He has many wives and few children. He is an inhabitant of Bakkah [Mecca] the place of the foundations of Abraham.

O Jesus! His religion is upright (Hanífiyyah), and his qiblah is Yemenite,54 and he is of My party, and I am with him, so blessed be he, then blessed be him. The Kawthar55 is for him, and the greatest position in the gardens of Eden. He lives most honored of all who have ever lived, taken as a martyr, for whom is a fountain greater than the distance from Bakkah to the place of the rising of the sun, full of wine untouched, in which there are dishes like the constellations of the sky, and stars like the clouds of the earth, agreeable, in which is every sort of wine and the flavors of every fruit in the Garden. Whoever drinks a drink from it will never thirst.

It is apportioned for him, and I have preferred him by a period of time between you and him. His secrets agree with what is apparent from him, and his words with his actions. He does not command the people, unless he first begins to practice it. His religion is a struggle in hardship and in comfort. The cities will obey him, and the ruler of Rome will humble himself before him following the religion of Abraham. He will mention the Name of God at meals, and bid peace, and he will pray while the people sleep. For him each day there will be five prayers in succession. His call to prayer will be like the call to muster troops. He will open his prayer with ‘Allahu akbar (God is the greatest)’ and end it with salutations of peace. He will put his feet in line in prayer as the angels place their feet in line, and his heart and head will be humbled for Me.

Light is in his breast and truth is on his tongue. And he is in the right, wherever he is. First an orphan, wandering for a time time regarding what He wills for him, his eyes sleep but his heart does not, interceding is only for him, and his community will reach the [Final] Hour,56 and My hand will be above their hands, whoever breaks [his pledge with the Prophet (‘s)], breaks [it] against himself, and whoever is loyal to his pledge, I will be loyal to him [awarding to him] the Garden. So command the oppressors of the Children of Israel not to obliterate his books and not to distort his tradition and to offer peace to him. Surely, there is a noble station for him.

O Jesus! Whatever brings you near to Me, I have guided you to it, and all that takes you far from Me, I have prohibited it for you. So, seek what is for your own sake.

O Jesus! Surely this world is sweet, and surely I have employed you in it, so keep aside from you all from which I have warned you, and take from it all that I have given to you in forgiveness.

O Jesus! Look into your deeds with the look of a mistaken sinful servant, and do not look into the works of others from the position of Lord. Be without attachment to [this world], and do not long for it so that it causes you hardship.

O Jesus! Reason about and contemplate and look into the regions of the earth as to what has been the outcome of the oppressors.

O Jesus! All of My attributes are counsel for you, and all of My speech to you is the Truth, and I am the plain Truth. So, in truth I say, “If you disobey me after I informed you, there is no protector or helper for you but Me.

O Jesus! Humble your heart in meekness and look at those who are lower than you and do not look at those who are above you. And know that at the head of every mistake and sin is the love of this world. So, do not love it, for I do not love it either.

O Jesus! Make wholesome your heart for Me and remember Me much in solitude, and know that My pleasure is in your fawning love Me, in an animated and not in a lifeless manner.

O Jesus! Do not make anything My partner, and be wary on account of Me, and do not be deceived by health, so delight in yourself. Surely, this world is like a passing shadow, and what comes from it is like what goes from it. So compete in your struggle for righteousness, and be with truth wherever it is, even if you will be cut or burned by fire. So, do not deny me after knowledge. So, do not be of the ignorant. A thing is surely with things [of its own sort].

O Jesus! Pour forth tears from your eyes for Me, and humble your heart for Me.

O Jesus! Call on Me for help in hard conditions. I am He Who helps those who are upset, and Who answers the destitute. And I am the most merciful of the merciful.” (Kàfí, 8, 131-141, 103)

Notes:

48. Cf. Qur’àn 17:17; 25:58.

49. According to another report by the same narrator: “Verily Jesus the son of Mary became more humble whenever God’s blessings were granted him.”

50. The phrase Tuba ‘alay is translated as “Blessed are those,” or “Happy are those,” in the Arabic version of the beatitudes.

51. Literally, “Clip your fingernails from illicit gain.”

52. Those who are wise.

53. The foremost are the first to have believed in God.

54. The portion of the Arabian penninsula including Mecca and Yemen was referred to as Yemenite.

55. The term kawthar has several meanings. Literally it means ‘abundant [good]’, and in many hadiths it is used in reference to Hadrah Fàtimah, peace be with her. It is also considered the name of a fountain in heaven.

56. This indicates that he will be the final prophet.

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