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BP 134. J37 Z9 1912

Zwemer, Samuel M.
The Moslem Christ

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

MAY 10

1913

^Smm

st^

THE
MOSLEM CHRIST
An Essay on the

Life,

Character, and Teachings of

Jesus Christ according to the
Koran and Orthodox Tradition

BY

SAMUEL

M.

ZWEMER

D.D., F.R.G.S.

AUTHOR OF "the MOSLEM DOCTRINE OF GOD " "ARABIA

THE CRADLE OF ISLAM" "ISLAM, A CHALLENGE
TO FAITH" ETC.

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY

150

NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK

##

TO

Sames Canttne
PIONEER MISSIONARY, YOKE-FELLOW AND FRIEND
FOR TWENTY YEARS IN ARABIA

" Who,

tliinkest thou,

might that have been, con-

ceived without an earthly father, and to

birth Satan could find no

way

of approach

whom

at His

"Who could

that have been, named in the Koran 'The

called also in the
God and a Spirit from Him
Sunnat The Spirit of God ? For what Being, one
would ask, could be greater than the Spirit of God ?
" Who could that have been who, we are told, spoke to
those around Him while yet in the cradle ? Who, that

Word

of

'

'

'

and
and to their
who other than the Almighty and the Holy
From the Minar ul Haqq (An Apology for the

could, as Beidhawi explains, give life to the dead

to the hearts of
spirits)

Ghost

"

men

{i.e.

Christian Faith), p. 159.

to their bodies

INTRODUCTION
ISLAM

is

the only

ODe of the great non-

GhristiaD religions which gives a place to

Christ in

its

book, and yet

it is

also the only one of

the non-Christian religions which denies His deity,

His atonement, and His supreme place as Lord of

all in its

sacred literature.

sacred books of the East

In none of the other

is

Christ mentioned

Koran alone gives Him a place, but does it

by displacing Him. With regret it must be adthe

mitted that there

is

hardly an important fact

and work of our

concerning the

life,

Saviour which

not ignored, perverted, or denied

is

person,

by Islam.
Yet Moslems acknowledge Jesus Christ as a
true prophet, and no less than three of the chapters

of the Koran,

Family (Surah
and that of

III),

Mary

namely, that of

Amrans

that of The Table (Surah V),

(Surah XIX), are so named

because of references to Jesus Christ and His

work.

The very

fact that Jesus Christ has a

7

INTRODUCTION

place in the literature of Islam, and

ledged by

Moslems

all

in itself challenges

Mohammed, and

is

acknow-

as one of their prophets,

comparison between

Him and

affords an opportunity for the

Christian missionary to ask every sincere Moslem,

"

What

think ye of the Christ

"

This

is still

question that decides the destiny of

the

men

To help our Moslem brethren

and of nations.

answer this question, however, we must know

what Moslems
lead

them up

believe in regard to Christ,

to

higher

by

truth

admitting

Not our

of the truth which they possess.

all

and

ignorance, but our accurate knowledge of the

Moslem

Christ, will enable us to

show

forth the

glory and the beauty of the Christ revealed in

New Testament to those who

honour Him as a mere prophet.
the

ignorantly

Moreover, at a time when the study of other

common, it must be of interest to

all Christians to know what .two_ hundred million
Moslems think of their Lord and Saviour, and to
compare His portrait taken from the Koran and
religions

later

is

so

Moslem

literature with

that given in the

Gospels.

This volume, as in the case of

on The Moslem Doctrine of God,

my earlier essay
is

based entirely

INTRODUCTION

on the Koran, the commentators, and orthodox

Palmer's

Koran

The

tradition.

translation

East, vols.

vi.

and

text

quoted

from

is

{Sacred Books

of

the

Oxford, 1880), together

ix.

with references to the three standard commentaries of Beidhawi,

Zamakhshari, and

Jellalain.

For Moslem tradition in regard to Jesus Christ,

the references will be found in the Bibliography,

but

have specially used a standard work on the

subject, and, in fact, the only popular

know which
life

work

gives a connected account of the

Moslem

of Jesus Christ according to

sources,

namely, Kitab Kusus al Anbiali (also called

Al

'Ara'is),

by Abu Ishak Ahmad bin Mohammed

bin Ibrahim Eth-Thalabi, a doctor of theology of

the Shafi school,

tioned,

is

who

died 427 a.h. (a.d. 1036).

author

of

the

work men-

thus described

in

Ibn

Khallikan's

Eth-Thalabi,

the

Dictionary of Biography (vol. i. p. 22) " He

was the first of his age in the science of
:

interpretation,

which
the

is

and wrote the great commentary

superior to

many

others.

He

said, 'I

It is related that

Abu Kasim

saw the Lord Most Mighty

and He was talking with me, and

wrote

and other

book called Kusus-al-Anbiah

books.

also

el

in a

Kashiri

dream,

was talking

INTRODUCTION

10

with Him.

the Lord said, " The

And

character has approached "

behold,

work

is

Eth-Thalabi was

found

MS.

in

and

man

of good

looked and,

approaching.' "

His

in several of the libraries

of Europe, and was printed at Cairo, 1293, 1306,

1308, 1310, 1325 a.h., and at Bombay, 1306 a.h.

I

have used the

latest Cairo edition.

have also compared the account of Jesus

by

Christ given in Bihle de V Islam

airesse,

French translation

Rauzat-as-Safa

Awwal by
mani,

1894) and the Arabic

(Paris,

the historian

who was born

much

Neither adds
Eth-Thalabi.

Lam-

Mirkhond's

of

Akhhar ad Duwal wa

text found in

E.

Abu

in a.d.

'1

AtJiar al

'Abbas

al

Qara-

1532 and died 1611.

to the fuller biography of

Except

Versuch

for C. F. Gerock's

einer Darstellung der Christologie des

Koran

(Gotha, 1839), and a more recent French work,

Mahomet

Jesus -Christ d'apres

par

Edouard

Sayous (Paris, 1880), both limited to the Koran

and not giving the traditional accounts, I do not

know

of any

treatise

languages of the West

trace

anywhere

in

Mohammed's

nor have

Moslem

on Jesus Christ as the

fore

on the subject in the

I

last of the

advent.

been able to

literature a

monograph

prophets be-

INTRODUCTION

11

The question may well be raised concerning

How
the sources of Mohammed's information.

whom
Whatever may

did he learn of Jesus Christ?

and from

have

been

no doubt that

Christianity in Arabia, there

is

he came in contact with

through his

all

it

life.^

must have heard

of the chief stories he

One

of

condition

the

from his boyhood days was that of the Christian

invasion

Abraha's
Syria,

from

and the

south

the

Later

troops.

in

met the monks, and

life

defeat

of

he went

to

through

also passed

the territory of the Christian tribes in

Arabia.

After he professed to be a prophet,

concubine was Miriam, a Coptic

favourite

his

Christian, the

In

north

addition

mother of
to

all

his darling son Ibrahim.

this,

Moslems themselves

admit that there were Christians and Jews who

assisted

Mohammed and

recent study

by

instructed

him.

P. L. Cheikho, entitled Quelques

Legendes Islamiques Apocryphes (Beirut, 1910),

enumerates

some

Mohammed was
Christianity.

the

sources

First

in

he

order,

Waraka

bin

bin 'Amru, Zaid, and Kaab.

^

to

which

indebted for his knowledge of

contemporaries

his

of

states,

were

Naufel, Zobeir

The author

also

Wright's Early Christianity in Arabia (London, 1855).

INTRODUCTION

12

speaks of a book called Kitab bin Munabali,

of which a dozen pages were recently found in

According to Sprenger,

a collection of papyri.

man who
Mohammed in
the

foreigner

16

him.
is

105),

"It

writing

the

Mohammed

for

countrymen

his

is

said

assisted

was

Koran,

himself said (Surah

only some mortal

who

teaches

The tongue of him they lean towards

barbarous, and this

is

Sprenger

plain Arabic."

man referred to was "Addas,

Nineveh, who was settled at Mecca."

says^ that the

monk

The

of

commentators

Mohammed

inform

us

further

that

used to listen to Jaber and Yassar,

two sword manufacturers

read the Scriptures

at Mecca,

when they

and Ibn Ishak says that

he had intercourse with Ar-Rahman, a Christian

of

Yamama.^

Sprenger

in

Koelle goes even further than

indicating

the

He

hammed's information.

sources

says:

of

Mo-

"Not want

want of sympathy and

compatibility kept him aloof from the religion
of Christ.
His first wife introduced him to
of opportunity,

her Christian

but

cousin

one of his later wives

had embraced Christianity

Mohammed

in

Abyssinia,

and

(Allahabad, 1851), p. 99.

2 Cf. W. St. Clair Tisdall, The Original Sources
of the Qitran,
(London, 1905), pp. 136-179.
1

Si^renger's Life of

INTRODUCTION
most favoured

the

13

was a

concubines

of his

Christian damsel from the Copts of Egypt.

was acquainted with

He

monks, and had

ascetic

dealings with learned bishops of the Orthodox

In those days the reading of the Holy

Church.

Scriptures in the

public

authoritatively enjoined
tised

wished

he

if

was already

services

and universally prac-

thoroughly to

acquaint

himself with them, he could easily have done

But, having no adequate conception of the

so.

nature of sin and man's fallen estate, he also

lacked

the

remedy

for it

A
for

faculty

knowledge

his

Sprenger

Harnack

the

which was offered in the Gospel."

recent critical study on

Christ,^

appreciating

of truly

Mohammed's

the

conclusions

and

others.

The

his starting-point,

sources

and

Christianity

of

confirms

reached

the

by

makes

author

who shows

in

his

History of Dogma that there was a close

and striking resemblance between the teaching
of

Jewish-Christian

Mohammed.

He

Mohammed came
W.

Koelle,

gnosticism

questions,

and

Mohammed and Mohammedanism,

S.

V. Neuschj " Miihammeds Quellen

fiir

seine

Christentuins," in Zeitschrift fur Missionskunde

Heft

4, p.

113.

of

however, whether

in direct contact with

vnssenschaft, 1910,

that

any one

p. 471.

Kenntnis des

und

Religions-

INTRODUCTION

14

History

of these sects.

us that Judaism

tells

found an early entrance into Arabia, and we

know

that there were various sects of Christianity

represented, but

of none.
people,

we know

of the preponderance

As we have to do with a non -literary

we cannot assume much dogmatic

knowledge.

Neusch

Mohammed's

teachers were prominent

or

enough

definite

Christianity

in

none

that

believes

of

enough

knowledge

their

of

warrant us in declaring that

to

he was dependent on them alone for his sources.

If

Mohammed

could read,

was probably

it

late

in life that he learned the art, too late to affect

his

views which had already been announced.

His

conclusion

opinion
is

is

in

that

is

Harnack's

although

general correct,

we must

so often done, simply declare that

not,

Mohammed

was dependent on the Jewish-Christian

of his day.

We

the present

dogma

as

sects

must remember that much of

of Islam

the days of the prophet.

is

much

later

than

As regards Moslem

traditions which give us fuller information than

the
these

Koran
were

itself,

largely

Goldziher

has

shown that

by Christian

contributed

renegades.^
1

Muhammedanische Studien,

vol.

ii.

p. 268.

INTRODUCTION
There
in later

are, of course,

Moslem

many

literature,

15

references to Jesus

and the present-day-

philosophical disintegration of Islam not only

as regards its

dogma, but

its

has compelled Moslems anew

fact

and

of the

press

to

consider

the

These reform movements

Christ.

re-adjustments

modern

ethical teaching,

Moslem teaching to
by the progressive

of

conditions, as voiced

and the new Islam on the one hand, or

the sects that sprang from Islam, the Babis, the

Beha'is,

and the followers of the

late

Mirza

Quadian, on the other, have, however, scarcely

touched the fringe of public opinion among the

masses.

known

This
(if

book

known

of Jesus

tells

at all)

Christ

as

by the vast majority

of Moslems, whether learned or illiterate.

SAMUEL

M.

ZWEMER.

Bahrein, Arabia, \
March 1912.

Note.

The

Ciific inscription

old manuscript, and reads

and Compassionate."

"In

on the cover-design
the

May Moslems

as revealed in the Christ.

name

of

God

is

from an

the Merciful

soon learn of His mercy

" Le musulman proclame

que I'Evangile

qn'il

et superieur a lui, le

un

livre plus recent

Goran

il

proclame

venu un prophete
inferieur ii quelques egards, notamment parsa naissance,
mais moralement et religieusement superieur, Mahomet.

que six

siecles apres Jesus-Christ est

C'est celui-la le Maitre, et Jesus, n'est qu'-ww maitre.

Aussi regardons nous I'lslamisme comma una des trois

grandes religions monotheistes, h part des deux autres

mais non pas independante, car sans

n'aurait

existe."

Edouakd

d'apres Mahom4t).

16

elles

Sayous

jamais

{Jdsus

elle

Christ

CONTENTS
PAOB

CHAP.

Introduction

I.

...

His Names and Their Significance

Importance of names in the Orient The name 'Isa Its
use in the Koran El Messih The Word of God
Spirit from God
The title of Prophet Qualifications
of a prophet The apostles and their special titles The
derivation of the word "Isa of Messih The homeless-

ness of Jesus

Two
II.

Why

is

He

Word

called the

of

God

other epithets.

The Koran Account of His

Death, and

Life,

Translation
Three

difficulties at

41
the outset because of the character

of the Koran, its contradictions

and

The Annunciation
miracles His mission and

logical order

His

23

its

lack of chrono-

of Jesus

His birth
His death,

message

both affirmed and denied His character as an

and prophet, including denial of His deity
The meagreness of the Koran account supplemented by
Sources of
tradition
Its authority among Moslems
Moslem tradition on the Christ Their reliability.

which

is

apostle

III.

....

Jesus Christ according to Tradition, from His

Birth to His Public Ministry
A translation of Eth-Thalabi's account, which is based

The birth of Jesus Gabriel as the

of Aaron Jesus speaks from
Mary the
the cradle The departure of Mary and Jesus to Egypt
on early tradition
messenger

sister

59

CONTENTS

18

PAGE

CHAP.

Jesus amazes His teacher at school

On

the form and

Concerning the signs and wonders

figure of Jesus
wrought by His hand in His youth The blind man and
the lame man The marriage of the ruler's son Jesus
and His playmates He provides food miraculously
He raises a boy from the dead Dyes garments various

colours from one vat

and Jesus

after the

Concerning

death of Herod

Mary

the return of

His precocity His

prayer for the sick.

from His
Public Ministry to His Second Coming
The story of Jesus' disciples Their names and their
The special characteristics of Jesus and His
call

IV. Jesus Christ according to Tradition,

79

How He created birds from clay His miracles

The raising of Lazarus Of the widow's son
The daughter of the toll-gatherer The raising of Shem,
Noah's son Of Ezra His knowledge of secrets His
walking on the water Other traditions concerning
Jesus Christ The story of the loaf The sending down
of the table Different versions of this story How

miracles

of healing

Jesus was taken to

heaven The attempt

to kill Jesus

The Last
The disciples asleep in the gardenThe binding
of Jesus The death of Jesus, but not on the cross The

The

crucifixion of another

His stead

in

Supper

story of

Mary Magdalene The disciples are scattered

Gospel The ascension of Jesus His

to preach the

return

His

grave at Medina

later

account of the

trial of Jesus.

V.

The Person and Character of Jesus Christ

Where

the Koran

falls

short in

negative as well as affirmative

sonship denied
ence of

He

Mohammed

is

a mere

affirmed

its

Christology

This

Christ's deity and

man The pre-exist-

that of Jesus denied

"Why Islam denies the Atonement Modern antagonism

in Egypt to Christian doc trine Some puzzling questions
put by Moslems Seyy id Ameer 'Ali on the divinity of

113

CONTENTS

19
FAOa

Christ What Moslems admit and ])elieve as regards the

dignity and purity of Jesus His titles of honour His

Christ as the
remarkable tradition
healer and worker of miracles He is a living prophet
and can intercede Jesus Christ announced the coming
sinlessness

of

Mohammed Other

prophecies in regard to

alleged

Islam.

VI. His

135

Teaching

Meagreness of our sources No direct quotations from

the New Testament Four references to its teaching

To whom did Jesus Christ come as a teacher The

Gospel according to Moslems Its corruption hy the
The story of Habib the
apostles, especially Paul

carpenter

Later

tradition on the teaching of Jesus

Certain of His sayings

poets

The

The gentleness
buted to

Jesus

Christ according to the

parable of the Publican and the Pharisee

of Jesus

Words of Jesus which are

Mohammed The

Lord's

Mohammed

VII. Jesus Christ supplanted by

attri-

Prayer Conclusion.

Jesus Christ eclipsed Mohammed in the foreground ;

Jesus Christ in the background This distinguishes

Mohammed

In what sense is
all other religions
the Moslem Christ His two hundred and

one

honour Prayer

Islam

from

titles of

biographies of

Mohammed

for

MohammedThe

later

a caricature of the Christ

Mohammed's
How Mohammed resembled Jesus in
his miracles, his death Isaiah's
his birth, his
prophecy of Mohammed Mohammed the supplanter

Testimony of Rene Basset and Dr. Koelle

journey to heaven

life,

Christmas, or the birthday of

Sunday

The

name Messiah

Mohammed

as applied to

Friday or

Mohammed

in current literature, in the Gospel of Barnabas

Islam

Islam in
Christianity Christ the

What

anti-Christian

Moslems think

of

Him.

no

sense a

preparation

centre of our religion

for

155

CONTENTS

20

PAGE

CHAP,

VIII.

How

TO Preach Christ to
Jesus

"Why we should do
Christ

it

Testimony of

Moslems who know

177

The

Moslem world needs Jesus

Dr. James S. Dennis Difficulties

do not remove responsibility Islam itself a witness to

their need of the Christ
The fact of the Christ a point

Moslems
We must become
Moslems to the Moslem The nearest way to the Moslem
heart The message of the Cross What think ye of the
Christ The strength of Islam overestimated Back
to Mohammed and away from tradition
The revival
of Islam
What Christianity will gain by preaching to
Moslems A stronger grip on the fundamentals
of

contact

vital

with

A conviction that
not Christianity The Nicene Creed.

theology based on experience

tarianism

is

XJni-

Bibliography

195

LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS
(1)

The Prophet's Mosque

(2)

Plan of the Prophet's Mosque at Medina

Medina

(5) List of

Frontis2nece

Facing

....,,

from Chinese Moslem

Page from Moslem Book of Devotion

(3) Letter
(4)

at

Names

Mohammed

in Arabic applied to

God and

p.

108

116

,,

156

,,

160

to

HIS

NAMES AND THEIK SIGNIFICANCE

The Christ of History brings the cardinal problem

down from the clouds of speculation to the
world of hard and prosaic and determinable facts, and
'

'

of religion

that

is

a dangerous place for either things or persons to

who

stand

are not

what they seem.

handle and speak of

strenuously
faith

if

they

all

who stand

Criticism
there,

make extraordinary
all men and times

and reverence of

white,

now

must

the more

claims on the
;

and the now

lurid lights it creates enable those piercing

and pitiless eyes that love to see the distant past unbury its dread secrets and make confession of its forgotten crimes, to search the period or person on which
they fall. That Jesus Christ has so long stood amid
those burning lights and before these curious eyes tells
an eloquent tale of the quality of His person and the
reality of His character.

at

Him

studied

till it

Him

The

love of earth has looked

has grown Divine, the thought of man has

till it

has become reverent.

criticism is touched with reverence

when

the supreme Person of history, finding

the supreme Good of man."
City of God).

A.

it

The

coldest

stands before

Him

to be also

M. Fairbaihn

{^The

NAMES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

HIS

AMONG

Semites,

names.

Orientals, but

all

This

deep

among the

especially

significance

is

attached

evident not only from

is

to

the Bible,

but from the practice among the Arabs of to-day.

Names, surnames,
bestowed upon

and appellatives are

nicknames,

men and

with the intent of

places

expressing the very character of the person or thing

named.
the

In considering, therefore, the

Koran

and

Lord Jesus Christ,

Moslem
we begin

first of all

the names that are applied to

teaching of

concerning

tradition

Him

our

by mentioning

in

Mohammed's

Book, and that are therefore those most commonly

used among Moslems.
inadmissible

for

an

In

fact,

We

give

to

use any

Christ than

other terms in relation to Jesus

used in the Koran.

would be quite

it

Moslem

orthodox

the

names

those

the

in

order of their importance and the frequency of their

usage.

'ISA (Jesus). This name, the

among Moslems,
(prophet)

and

generally
often

with
23

most commonly used

with
the

the

prefix

addition

"

Nehi

Son

of

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

24

Mary,"
follows
.

used twenty-five times in the Koran, as

is
:

We

Surah 2:81.

gave Moses the Book and we

\Xiollowed him up with other

with the Holy

Spirit.

Surah 2:130. Say

/^what

"We

ye,

has been revealed to

vealed to

and we gave

manifest signs and aided him

Mary

Jesus the son of

apostles,

God, and

in

believe

and what has been

us,

Abraham, and Ishmael, and

and the Tribes, and what was brought

re-

and Jacob,

Isaac,

Moses and

to

Jesusr
,

And we have

Surah 2 254.
:

manifest signs and strengthened him by the

Mary
Holy

Spirit.

When

Surah 3:40.
verily

God

his

name

Mary, regarded in

those whose place

Surah 3
'^-'"'belief,

he

said, "

will

make

is

shall be

said,

"0 Mary!
of a Word

Messiah Jesus the son

world and the next and

this

of

nigh to God."

And when

45.

Who

are

Jesus perceived their un-

my

When God

Surah 3:48.

make

angel

the

gives thee the glad tidings

from him;
of

given Jesus the son of

helpers for
said,

"0

God ?
Jesusl I

will

thee die and take thee up again to me, and

thee

clear

those

who

believe, at the

of

those

who

misbelieve,

follow thee above those

day

of

judgment, then to

and

will

who mis-

me

is

your

return."

Surah 3
i& as

52.

Verily the likeness of Jesus with

the likeness of

Adam.

God

NAMES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

HIS

Surah 3

78.

Say,

"

We

25

and what

believe in God,

has been revealed to thee, and what was revealed to

(.^^Abraham, and Ishmael, and

and Jacob, and

Isaac,

the tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus

and the prophets from their Lord."

Surah 4 156. Their saying, "Verily, we have killed
:

the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of

God,"

but they did not

kill

him.

Surah 4:161. Verily, we have inspired thee as we

L^nspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Jacob, and the
tribes,

and

Jesus.

Surah 4 169. The Messiah, Jesus the son

:

\y^ but the

of

Mary,

God and His Word, which He

apostle of

Mary and a spirit from Him.

Surah 5 50. And we followed up

cast into

. these

the footsteps of

(prophets) with Jesus the son of Mary, confirming

him and the

that which was before

Surah 5

82.

Those

of the

law.

children of Israel

disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of

who

David and

Jesus the son of Mary.

When God said, " Jesus, son of

^Mary remember my favours towards thee and towards
Surah 5

109.

thy mother."

When

Surah 5:112.
son of

Mary

is

our Lord

said, "

Jesus,

thy Lord able to send down to us a

table from heaven

Surah 5

the apostles

114. Said Jesus, the son of

Mary,

"

God,

send down to us a table from heaven to be

to us as a festival.

."
.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

26

And when God said, "0 Jesus, son

of Mary is it thou who didst say to men, take me
and my mother for two gods, beside God ?
Surah 6 85. And Zachariah and John and Jesus
Surah 5:116.
!

"'

and

Elias, all righteous ones.

Surah 19

That

35.

Jesus the son of Mary,

is,

by

the word of truth whereon ye do dispute.

Surah 33

And when we

7.

took of the prophets

l^^their compact, from thee and from Noah, and

and Moses, and

Jesics

the son of

might ask the truth-tellers

Surah 42

He

11.

and

to

that

He

Jesus.

signs he said, " I

And when Jesus came

am come to you with

will explain to

you something

Surah 57

Surah 61
^Siid, "

And we

27.

Mary

the son of

Noah, and what we inspired

of

did dispute, then fear God, obey me.

'

what we inspired Abraham and Moses

with, and

.Surah 43: 63.

t^^

of their truth.

has enjoined upon you for religion

what He prescribed

^thee

Mary

Abraham,

6.

with manifest

wisdom, and I

whereon ye

that
."
.

followed them up with Jesus

and we gave him the

And when

children of Israel

gospel.

Jesus the
verily, I

son of

am

Mary

the apostle

of God."

Surah 6
-

of

"

God

Who

14.

ye

who

as Jesus, son of

are

my

helpers for

believe

God

It is interesting to note that

places in the

be ye the helpers

Mary, said

Koran where

to the apostles,

among

these twenty-five

'Isa is used, in sixteen of

AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

HIS NAMES
them He

the son

called

is

His name

passages

of

Mary, and

in

27
five

coupled with Moses (Musa),

is

the great prophet of the old

Dispensation.

Isidor

Loewenthal, who was a Semitic scholar and a misthe Afghan

sionary on

coupling
in the

name

the

of

frontier,

thought

Koran might be the reason

the name, to correspond with other

character;

e.g.,

rhymes

This

of this

the

in

passages

name,

later.

name, The Messiah, sometimes

joined to that of Jesus and sometimes used by

occurs

of

of that

Harut and Marut, Habil and Kabil,

however, we will speak

El Messih.

the

form

for the

Of the etymology and significance

etc.^

that

Jesus with that of Moses

of

Koran

eight

itself,

times in the following

Surah 3 40.
:

See above.

Surah 4 156.

See above.

Surah 4 169.

See above.

Surah 4 170. The Messiah doth surely not disdain

:

to be a servant of God, nor do the angels

Him; and whosoever

to

too proud.

He

Surah 5

God

is

will gather

19.

them altogether

They misbelieve who

the Messiah the son of

any hold on God,

if

who

are nigh

disdains His service and

Mary

"

say,

" say, "

Loewenthal, Isidor.

has

he wish-ed to destroy the Messiah

on the earth altogether

'

Verily

Who
who

the son of Mary, and his mother, and those

1861.

is

to Himself.

The

"

are

Name

'Isa

An Investigation.

Reprirted in The Moslem Woi'ld (London), vol.

i.

Calcutta,

No,

3.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

28

Surah 5

76.

They misbelieve who

the Messiah

is

said, "

the son of

children of Israel

Mary;" but

the Messiah

worship God,

God

say, " Verily,

my

Lord

and your Lord."

Surah 5
a prophet

and

The Messiah the son

79.

Mary

only

is

prophets before him have passed away

mother was a confessor

his

of

they both used to

eat food.

Surah 9

The Jews say Ezra

30.

is

the

son of

God, and the Christians say that the Messiah

God

son of

that

is

what they say with

imitating the sayings of those

God

fight

them

how they

lie

is

the

their mouths,

who misbelieved

before.

^
!

In one of the passages above quoted (Surah 4

170)

there seems to be a reference to the title of the Messiah

in Isaiah as the servant of Jehovah.

have learned of

Surah 9 30
:

that

the

mouth

this

name from

(see above)

title

of

seems

of Christians

Palmer's

the Jews, although

to indicate very clearly

the Messiah was coupled in the

with the words the Son of God,

It is probable, therefore, that

Mohammed may

comment on

both names were learned

this curious passage is as follows:

"The

that Ezra, after being dead a hundred years, was

raised to life, and dictated from memory the whole of the Jewish
Scriptures which had been lost during the captivity, and that the

Moslem

tradition

is

Jews said he could not have done this unless he had been the
son of God. There is no Jewish tradition whatever in support of
this accusation of Mohammed's, which probably was entirely due
Baidhawi, the wellto his own invention or to misinformation.
known commentator, says that it must have been true, because the
Jews themselves, to whom the passage was read, did not deny it."

AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

HIS NAMES
from the

lips of Christians rather

29

than from those of

we are confirmed in this belief by the

third name in the Koran, namely, the Word

the Jews, and

use of the
of God.

Kalimet Allah (The Word of God). This is used

In
in the Koran twice in direct reference to Christ.
other passages it occurs, but not as one of the names
In the following cases the reference

of the Messiah.
is

clear

Surah 3 40.

See above.

Surah 4

See above.

169.

In these

two

Jesus

passages

Word

referred to as the

Christ

of God and

is

clearly

Word from

as a

God; and modern Arabic usage clearly distinguishes

between the

which

is

Word

of

God

There

Allah.
in

Word

which

God

of

this

Holy Writ,

in the sense of

always referred to as

Kaldm

Allah, and the

His Messenger, which

as
are,

is

Kalimet

however, only these two passages

New

Testament

title

is

given to our

Saviour.

Kalim Allah, and the

common explanation is that Moses was the mouthpiece of God in the sense that God spake to him, and
made him His special confidant; but Jesus is the
Kalimet Allah, or Word of God, because He communiThe

title

given to Moses

is

cates God's word, God's will to men.

RuH Allah
Spirit

(Spirit

from God).

of

This

God, or
title

is

more

correctly.

used in the Koran

once concerning Jesus Christ (Surah 4

169, quoted

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

30

above), but the commentators are not agreed as to its

and whether

real significance,

it is

name

that can be

applied to Jesus Christ, or whether the passage simply

signifies that Jesus,

with

all

other mortals, was par-

taker of the creative Spirit of God.

In addition to these four names which are specially

applied

to

know by

Jesus

Christ in

common

the

titles

He

the Koran,

NoM

of

also

is

(prophet) and

Basul (apostle).

Surah 19 30 (Where Jesus speaks from the cradle,

:

using these words), Verily, I

He

has brought

prophet, and

Surah 57

He

me

the servant of God,

the Book, and

has made

me

27.

See above.

Surah 4:169.

See above.

am

He

has

made me

blessed wherever I be.

The number of prophets and apostles sent by God,

according to Moslem teaching, amounts to 124,000.
Others say 240,000, and others 100,000.

These state-

ments show that the words, prophet and

apostle, in

Moslem usage have not the same dignity, which

we infer from their usage in the Old and New
Three hundred and thirteen are said to

Testaments.

have been apostles who came with a special mission.

man

God, but not sent with a special

dis-

prophet, according to

inspired by

pensation or book
either
special

with a

Moslem

while an apostle

special

dispensation

book has been revealed.

prophets, but

not

teaching,

all

is

is

one who comes

or

All

to

whom

apostles

prophets are apostles.

are

Jesus

HIS

NAMES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

the

commentators

According to the

was both.

a prophet:

definition of

male ^ person,

free,

"A

this

whom

to

is

prophet must be a

Adam

not a slave, of the sons of

sound mind and without bodily defect or

of

31

disease,

has been revealed a revelation which he

himself accepts; nor must he come with a message

before he

The

is of

age."

qualifications of a prophet are four

FaitlifIllness,

1.

prophet he

ward

is

That

is,

during

his

The

sinful act.

the prophets, including

Truthfulness.

Mohammed

They

Islam, in spite of
sins of

in accordance with

or

what they believe

opponents.

are said to possess in

of

himself.

This

much

all

events,

to be the truth.

Sagacity, or intelligence, enabling

objectors

many

speak the truth in accord-

ance with the real state of the case, or at

3.

as

sinlessness of all the prophets

dogma of
Koran testimony regarding the

2.

work

kept from the commission of any out-

has become a favourite

the

them

quality

to silence

the apostles

higher degree

than the

prophets.
4.

The Delivery of their Message. In other words,

on no account conceal what God has

they must

revealed to them.

Because Jesus Christ was an apostle and a prophet

^

the

Maryam, Eve, and Sarah

list

of prophets, but it

commentators.

Cf.

is

are admitted

by some Moslems among

contrary to the teaching of the leading

El Jowhara,

"No

female ever was a proi)het

(Klein, Religion of Islam, p. 74).

-

El Jowhara, quoted in Klein, The Edition of Islam,

p. 72.

"

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

32

He

also

had the power

working miracles, as we shall

of

see in a later chapter.

In order to understand the

ascribed to Jesus,

title

prophet and apostle

we must remember

that the highest

rank among the prophets and apostles is said to be

Mohammed. He is considered not only the greatest

in

prophet and apostle, but the most excellent of

all

him come Abraham, Moses,

and Jesus. These four are distinguished by the
title, Ulu-el-^ Azim, possessors of constancy or endowed
with a purpose. This name was taken from Surah
created things.

After

'

"

46 34.
:

Then do thou be patient

as the apostles

and hastened
company of the
prophets are classed apart by Moslems and said to
have brought in new dispensations and a new law,
and they therefore have each of them a special title.
Adam Safi Allah (Chosen of God) Noah Nehi
Allah (prophet of God) Abraham Khalil Allah (the
friend of God) Moses Kalim Allah (the mouthpiece
of God) Jesus, Buh Allah (Spirit of God) Mohammed,

endowed with a purpose were

not on their punishment."

patient,

Six of the

Basul Allah (the apostle

of God).

It is clear

from the

above and at the very outset of our investigation that

Jesus Christ does not occupy the supreme place, but
at the

best

ranks only with

Abraham, Moses, and

Mohammed.

We

turn

now

to

consider

what

significance

is

attached to the proper names given by Moslems to our

Lord, both as regards their form and their etymology.

HIS
The

NAMES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

why Mohammed

question

instead of Yesu'a,

is

more

used the word

33
*

Isa

easily asked than answered.

Moslem convert who

Kamil Abd ul Messiah,
reads the Arabic Scriptures.
writing to Dr. Jessup from Aden after his conversion
It is a stumbling-block to every

Christianity, says

to

reply to this question

Moslem

"

Will you kindly send

Why

name

exist

among

the

Arabs before Mohammed's time during the days

Ignorance

"

Jesus styled 'Isa in the

is

books, and did this

me

of

Dr. Jessup in his reply called attention to some of

The

the explanations given.

there

is

Mohammed

couplet

name

to

the

of

as he changed the
of Saul

that

among them

is

no particular significance in the form

word, and that

way

first

to

Talut,

invented

of the

rhyming

as a

it

that

Moses (Musa), in the same

name

of Goliath to Jalut,

and

apparently as a matter of

rhythm, in the second chapter

Koran

of the

248-253); and the names of the sons of

(verses

Adam

to

Habil and Kabil in Moslem usage for Cain and Abel

or as he used the fanciful names,

the names of angels

2

The

96).

Harut and Marut,

who taught men

difficulty

with this theory

seen, that only in five cases is the

that of

Musa

there

no apparent reason for

is

in the

Koran

text.

for

sorcery (Surah

name

is,

as

we have

'Isa joined to

In every other case

this particular

form

of

the word because of the rhythm.

second explanation given by some Arabic lexico^

Jessup, Rev. H. H., Kamil, p. 122.

Philadelphia, 1898.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

34
graphers

is

that the

word has been

by inverting the order

word

This explanation seems forced

Yesu'a.

Hebrew
;

nor can

be satisfactorily explained by the laws of etymology,

it

in

for

reversing the letters not only are the vowels

one of

but

altered,

changed in

Yesto'a

Commentary

asserts

Hebrew

Yesu'a,

the

weak consonants must be

make 'Isa. Beidhawi in his

the
to

that 'Isa

with

the Arabic form of

is

and goes on

from a root Al-'Ayos, which

to say that it

comes

white mingled

signilies

red.^

A fourth
"

deliberately formed

of the letters in the

explanation

Hebrew Esau,

the

offered

is

The Koran expression

'Isa

name

of

by Dr. Otto Pautz.^

corresponds with
the

Because his descendants

(Israel).

all

.through their

history stood hostile over against the Israelities,

were the people

Mohammed

Jews

of the promise, the later

name

the

catured

of

by making

Jesus

the

brother of Jacob

it

who
cari-

Esau.

took this form of Esau from the Jews at

Medina, without being conscious

of the sinister

We

connected with the name in their minds."

import

would

like further proofs of this ingenious theory before ac-

cepting

it,

although

Beidhawi, vol.

i.

it

appears most plausible in view

He

p. 96.

also gives a curious,

name of Jesus' mother, Mary

On the
zir min er rijal, etc.''

derivation for the

onin

el

nisa

Tea el

Fairozabadi's Kamoos, vol.

vol.
'^

ii.

p.

1478.

Pautz, Otto.

Leipzig, 1898.

And on

i.

p.

125,

Zir^ vol.

i.

''
:

but unchaste,

Hooa

hil

AraUya

derivation of 'ha,

and Katr ul Muhit

cf.

(Beirut),

p. 874.

Muhammed's Lchre von

der Offcnlarung, p. 191.

NAMES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

HIS

Mohammed

that

of all

35

borrowed and adapted from

Judaism.^

In regard to the name El

term

Messili,

Hebrew and has the

the Moslems

evidently taken from the

is

Hebrew

significance

explain

Arabic

of

they connect

roots,

anointed,

the

Bringing everything back to

difterently.

it

with the word SaJi (to

it

wander, to go on pilgrimage), and say

form

of that root,

wanderers,

"

Imam

Jesus has alwa3^s

Mohammedan

it is

of

The homelessness

of

al sa'yihin."

impressed

strongly

imagination.

C.

village, I

verse

" Is

this

Mary had nowhere

to lay

on the

itself

H. A. Field relates

Once on entering a Pathan

of

the intensive

and that Jesus was the leader

youth who asked,

Son

although this

^
:

was met by a

in the Injil

His head

'

"

The

In the

Kusus-al-anhiya (Stories of the Prophets) this takes

the following grotesque shape

One day
He said to

Jesus saw a fox roaming tlirougli the wilderness.

O fox whither art thou going ? " The fox
answered, " I hav^e come out for exercise now I am returning
liim, "

my own

Jesus said, " Every one has Luilt himself

l3ut for Me there is no resting-place."
a house
Some people
who heard it said, " We are sorry for Thee, and will build Thee

to

home."

a house."
"

We

will

He
pay

replied, " I
all

have no money."

They answered,
Then He said, "Very well, I
them down to the edge of the sea

the expenses."

will clioose the site."

He

led

and, pointing where the waves were dashing highest, said, "Build
Me a house there." The people said, " That is the sea, O

Geiger,

Mohammed
-

Abraham, Judaisvi and Islam. Madras, 1898

JVas hat
aus dcm Judenthume aufyeno'tnmen ? Bonn, 1833.

Church Missionary

Eevieic,

July 1910.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

36

Prophet! how can we build there?" "Yea, and is not the

world a sea," He answered, " on which no one can raise a build?

ing that abides

A similar echo of Christ's words is found in the famous

Fatehpur Sikri

inscription over a bridge at

whom

(upon

pass over

it,

be peace) said, 'The world

but do not build upon

Although

this

explanation

it.'

Moslems have generally adopted

evidently an attempt to

word which

ingenious,

was given

to Jesus Christ because

is

the Arabic

name

this

He was

often on

His days in one

journeys, and did not spend

it

in his Arabic dictionary

Masaha, to anoint, but states that

root

a bridge;

is

name Messih under

Fairozabadi gives the

Jesus

from the ordinary

escape

Even

significance of the root.

is

"

"

the

of

place.

Concerning other derivations he says there are no

less

enumerated by him in

his

than

explanations

fifty

book Masharik Al Anwarr'

The Moslem interpretation

the

of

name

Kalimet Allah, has already been given.

19

35,

An

He

is

called

argument can

Kaul

ul

Hah, the Word

but

admit

its

says

"

it is

of Truth.

on these expressions

easily be based

for the eternal nature of Jesus Christ

office,

of Jesus,

In Surah

and His supreme

doubtful whether most Moslems would

force.

Dr.

W.

The term Kalimah

St.

Clair

(Xoyog,

Tisdall

rightly

word, speech) denotes

Ileview, July 1910.

Church Missionary

Fairozabadi, Kamoos,

vol.

3:40.
^ Revised Mixanu'l Haqq,

i.

p. 185.

p.

156

of.

Beidhawi on Surah

London, 1910.

NAMES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE

HIS

the expression of what

who

God Most High.

in this case is

Word

of

God,

would be

it

one expression of God's will

calls

Him

Word

" the

mind

in the

is

of

of the speaker,

He was

it is

only

God Himself

but since

God,"

Christ were

If

clear that
;

37

He must

clear that

be the one and only perfect expression of God's will,

and the only perfect manifestation

Him

through

that the prophets spoke

them His Holy

Since then the

Spirit.

It

was

when He

sent

God.

of

title

God

lldh shows that Christ only can reveal

He

It is clear that

Kalimatu
men.

to

Himself must know God and His

Will perfectly."
In closing this account of the names of Jesus Christ
in

Koran and

the

more expressions

The

Mary
made

first

to

these

of

significance, there are

their

which we must
occurs

Surah 21

in

two

call attention.
:

91,

where

made,

"We

her and her Son a sign unto the worlds."

The

is

referred to, and the statement

is

use of the singular instead of the plural in this con-

nection brings to
Isaiah's

on

mind the name

prophecy,

of our Saviour in

to

He

significance of the expression.

minimise the

says

her and her Son a sign unto the worlds

story of their

life

or

their

thinks of their condition

of

power

in

Mary

in

verily,

"

We

that

made
is,

the

condition, for whosoever

convinced of the perfection

God Most High, Who

The other occurs

said, "

is

comment

Beidhawi's

Wonderful.

an evident attempt

this text is

is

Surah 3 40
:

God

the Creator."
:

When

the angel

gives thee the glad tidings

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

38
of a

Word from Him His name

;

shall be

Jesus the son of Mary, Illustrious

the nexty
If

and

of those

Moslems were

words imply,

it

whose place

willing

to

would not be

this passage of the

apostles.

ing on this

"His

world and

nigh unto God."

is

admit

all

difficult to

that

these

prove that in

Koran the person and character

Jesus Christ are superior to those of

and

The Messiah,

this

i7i

all

of

other prophets

The commentator Beidhawi, commentpassage,

illustriousness

uses these remarkable words

in

this

world

is

the

gift

of

prophecy, and in the world to come, the power of

intercession

and whose place

'

is

nigh to

God

'

signifies

His high position in Paradise, or the fact that He, was

raised

up

heaven and enjoys the companionship

to

the angels."

Beidhawi on Surah 3

40.

of

II

THE KORAN ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE,

DEATH, AND TRANSLATION

"The contents and the arrangement of the Koran

speak forcibly for its authenticity. All the fragments
that could possibly be obtained have with artless simplicity been joined together.
The patchwork bears no
marks of a designing genius or a moulding hand. It
testifies to the faith and reverence of the compilers, and
proves that they dared no more than simply collect the
sacred fragments and place them in juxtafiSition.
Hence the interminable repetitions the palling reitera;

tion of the

same

scriptural stories

again with

want

little

ideas, truths,

and doctrines

hence,

and Arab legends, told over and over

verbal variation

of connection,

adjacent passages."

and the

hence the pervading

startling

chasms between

Muir's Life of Mahomet

40

p. 557.

II

THE KORAN ACCOUNT OF HIS

LIFE,

DEATH, AND TRANSLATION

of Jesus
of the
IN attempting to give an account
of the Koran, there are
life

Christ in the very words

three difficulties that meet us at the outset.

The
of the

first relates to

Koran

the general piecemeal character

It has

as a book.

nor logical sequence.

Its

times and in

different

together in

confusion,

prayers

fancies,

no chronological order

were revealed at

verses

places,

different

laws and

and throw

legends,

and imprecations.

facts

and

Very few Bible

characters are mentioned in the earliest group of the

Surahs, and although there are distinctively Christian

features in
is

some

Jesus Himself

of the early revelations,

not mentioned.^

more

serious difficulty

is

that the

Koran

ments about the Lord Jesus Christ are not

contradiction,

Some
'^^

any more than some

passages speak of

prophet

others, as

as are giv^n to

we have

J3,_

4.

as a

mere man and a

seen, give

no other human being.

~~--^

from

of its other teaching.

him such

titles

Especially in

^SHiith^Jiri*;^ TJie'-Bibkjiaui Islam, pp. 86-87

I'Cf.

Koran

Him

free

state-

Rodwell's

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

42

relation to His death, the statements are contradictory,

and cannot be reconciled without violence

third difficulty relates to the chronological order

of the Surahs.

development
Christ,

it

mention
this

to the text.

of

If it

were our purpose

Mohammed's

show the

ideas in regard to Jesus

would be important
of

to

to begin

with the earliest

Jesus Christ in the Koran, and follow out

teaching to

the

final

Surahs.

But there

agreement as regards the chronological order

various chapters in the Koran.^
^

had occasion recently

is

no

of the

Moslems themselves

to investigate the chronological place of

one of the Surahs, and the more authorities consulted the less certainty appeared.
In Hughes' Dictionary of Islam three distinct lists
are given that of Jalal ed Din, of Rod well, and of Muir.
Noldeke's
History of the Koran afforded a fourth list. All of them are authori-

ties

on the subject, each professing to have arrived at his results by

and criticism of the accepted text, with the help of

internal evidence

authoritative tradition.

and persuaded by the

After reading of their painstaking

logical reasons for

many of Noldeke's

efforts,

deductions

I was curious to know in

was agreement between the authorities mentioned.
The following was the result
By actual count there were sixty-five among a hundred and fourteen
There were only five instances
possible instances where two agreed.
where three agreed on the order of certain chapters. There were fortyfive instances where all disagreed, and there was not a single instance
where all ivere agreed as to the place of a Surah in chronological order.
The greatest agreement was between Niildeke and Rodwell, but even
they differed on the chronological place of fifty-two of the hundred
and fourteen chapters.
Where Muir followed the Arabic commentator, Niildeke rejected his order altogether, and where the latter
approached the traditional order, Rodwell and Muir agreed to disagree
with both. There was the widest divergence in nearly every case.
The first Surah according to Muir is the 103rd, while Noldeke makes
it the 97th.
The Surah of The Fen is considered by Jalal ed Diu the
second in order, and by the others the seventeenth, fifty-second, and

in his elaborate treatment of the subject,

how

far there

eighteenth respectively.

AND DEATH

HIS LIFE

acknowledge that the present order

not

43
Surahs

of the

is

and yet they admit the im-

at all chronological,

when and

portance of ascertaining the time

the place

where each Surah was revealed.

As our purpose
idea in the

is

not to trace the growth of this

Mohammed, but to collect all the

common opinion in regard to
among Moslems, rests, vro need not

mind

of

passages on which the

Jesus Christ,

trouble about the chronology of the Surahs, but, group-

ing them as far as possible in the order of the Gospel

herewith a

give

history,

words

of the

Koran

Jesus Christ in the

of

life

only.

His Annunciation

And when

Surah 3:37-43.
the

angels

"

said,

O Mary

God has chosen

verily,

thee

thee,

and has

chosen thee above the

women

and has purified

The following index

relate

Surah 19:16-21. And menBook, Mary when

she retired from her famih'
and she
into an eastern place
tion, in the

took a veil

(to screen herself)

of the leading passages in the

Jesus Christ, as they occur

to

Beidhawi's

in

Koran that
Commentary

those who have found

Beidhawi's Commentary does not

(Cairo edition, 2 vols.), will prove useful to

in

difficulty

locating

number the verses

The Annunciation

them,

as

Surah 3

37-43, vol.

206, 207

p.

i.

Birth

Surah 23 52, vol. ii. pp. 121, 122

Miracles: Surah 3 43-46, vol. i., pp. 207,208; Surah 5: 112-115,
vol. i. pp. 365-367; Mission: Surah 2:81, vol. i. p. 96; Surah 2:
254, vol. i. p. 173 Surah 3
Surah 4 157, vol.
44, vol. i. p. 207
i. p. 316
Surah 4 50-51, vol. i. p. 340 Surali 6 85, vol. i. p.
389 Surah 17 26, 27, vol. i. p. 695 Surah 61 6, vol. ii. p. 517
Crucifixion
Surah 3 47-50, vol. i. p. 209 Surah 4 155, 156, vol.
i.
Divinity and Sonship denied
Surah 3 51, 52, vol. i.
p. 315
Surah 3 72, 73, vol. i. pp. 215, 216 Surah 5 19, vol. i.
p. 210
Sijrah 19

22-24, vol.

ii.

p.

34

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

44

Mary be
devout unto thy Lord, and
adore and bow down with those
who bow. That is (one) of the
declarations of
the unseen
world which we reveal to thee,
though thou wert not by them
when they threw their lots
which of them should take
care of Mary, nor were ye by
them when they did dispute."
of the world.

When the angel said, " O Mary

verily,

God

tidings of a

name

his

gives thee the glad

Word from Him

shall be the Messiah

Jesus the son of Mary, regarded

in this world and the next and

on thee a pure boy." Saidishe,

" How can I have a boy when
no man has touched me, and
when I am no harlot ? " He
said, " Thus says thy Lord, It
is easy for Me
and we will
make him a sign unto man,
and a mercy from us for it is
!

a decided matter."

whose place

of those

And

God.

and we sent unto

her our spirit ; and he took
for her the semblance of a wellmade man. Said she, " Verily,
I take refuge in the Merciful
One from thee, if thou art
pious." Said he, " I am only a
messenger of thy Lord to bestow
from them

is nigh to
he shall speak to

people in his cradle, and when

shall be among
the
righteous."'
She said,

grown up, and

" Lord

how can I have a son

when man hath not yet touched
me?" He said, "Thus God
!

creates

what

When He

He

pleaseth.

He

decrees a matter

and

and
He will teach him the Book, and
wisdom, and the law, and the
gospel, and he shall be a proonly says

Be,'

it is

phet to the children of Israel."

p.

36

330 ; Surah 9 36,

Surah 43 57-65,
:

169,

vol.

i.

pp.

vol.

i.

vol.

318, 319

i.
;

p.

498

Surah 19

35, 36, vol.

:

Surah 5:116, 117, pp. 367, 368.

^ Jelal-ud-Din comments on these passages as follows:

mus

earn de spiritu nostro,

ii.

p.

pp. 411, 412 ; The Trinity Surah 4

Surah 5
76-79, vol. i. pp. 351-352

cum

" Inflavi-

inflavit in ai)erturam tunicae

ejus

HIS LIFE

AND DEATH

45

His Birth
Surah 19 22-34. So she conand she retired
with him into a remote place.
And the labour pains came
upon her at the trunk of a palm
tree, and she said, "0 that I
had died before this, and been
forgotten out of mind " and
he called to her from beneath
her, " Grieve not, for thy Lord
:

ceived him,

52. And we made

Mary and his mother
and we lodged them

Surah 23

the son of
a sign

both in a high place, furnished

with security and a spring.

has placed a stream beneath thy

feet

and shake towards thee

the trunk of the palm tree, and

upon thee fresh

so eat and
drink and cheer thine eye and
if thou shouldst see any mortal
say, 'Verily, I have vowed to
the Merciful One a fast, and I
it

will drop

dates

to gather

fit

will not speak to-day with a

human

being.'

Then she brought

it to

her

people, carrying it said they,

" O Mary thou hast done an
;

extraordinary thing

sister

Aaron thy father was not

a bad man, nor was thy mother
of

a harlot

"
!

(Mariae) ad collum, efficiente Deo, ut flatus ejus perveniret ad

ejus et ex eo conciperet

Jesum."

vulvam

Beidhawi (vol. ii. p. 33) agrees with

this, and states that Gabriel took the form of a beautiful youDg man
**ut excitaret Mariae cupidinem et ita," etc.
It is the opinion of
Gerock that Mohammed's idea of the conception of Jesus Christ by the
Virgin Mary was wholly sensual, and that Gabriel was his natural
father.
Cf. Christologie des Koran, pp. 36-40.
His argument is
based on the Koran text itself.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

46

And

she pointed to him, and

they said, "How are we to

speak with one who is in the
He said,
cradle a child?"
" Veril}^ I

He

am

a servant of

me

has brought

God

'

the Book,

and He has made me a prophet,

and He has made me blessed
wherever I be and He has
required of me prayer and
;

almsgiving as hmg as I live,

and piety towards my mother,

and has not made me a miserand peace upon

me the day I was born, and the
day I die, and the day I shall
be raised up alive."
able tyrant

His Miracles
Surah 3 43-45. And He will teach him the Book, and wisdom, and the law, and the gospel, and he shall be a prophet to
the people of Israel (saying) that I have come to you with a
sign from God, namely, that I will create for you out of clay as
though it were the form of a bird, and I will blow thereon, and
and I will heal the
it shall become a bird by God's permission
blind from birth, and lepers and I will bring the dead to life
by God's permission and I will tell you what you eat and what
you store up in your houses. Verily, in that is a sign for you if
ye be believers. And I will confirm what is before ycni of the
law, and will surely make lawful for you some of that which
was prohibited from you. I have come to you with a sign from
your Lord, so fear God and follow me, for God is my Lord, and
your Lord, so worship Him this is the right path.
:

Jesus perceived their unbelief. He said, " Who are

helpers for God % " Said the apostles, " We are God's helpers,"

And when

my

We believe in
we have

God, so bear witness that we are resigned. Lord,

Thou hast revealed, and we have

believed in what

AND DEATH

HIS LIFE

followed the apostle, so write us

witness."

down with

47

those which bear

112-115. When the apostles said, "0 Jesus, son of

thy Lord able to send down to us a table from heaven ?
He said, " Fear God, if ye be believers " and they said, " We
desire to eat therefrom that our hearts may be at rest, and that
we may know that what thou hast told us is the truth, and that
we may be thereby amongst the witnesses." Said Jesus, the son
send down to us a table from
of Mary, " O God, our Lord
heaven to be to us as a festival to the first of us and to the

Surah 5

Mary

is

last,

and a sign from Thee,

and grant

us provision, for

Thou

art the best of providers."

God said, "Verily, I am about to send it down to you; but

whoso disbelieves amongst you after that, verily I will torment
him with the torment which I have not tormented any one with
in all

tlie

worlds."

His Mission and Message

Surah 57 26-27. And we
Noah and Abraham and
placed in their seed prophecy
and the Book and some of
them are guided, though many
of them are workers of abomi-

Surah 2 254. These apostles

have we preferred one of them
above another. Of them is
one of whom God spake and
we have raised some of them
degrees
and we have given

nation

Jesus the son of

sent

Then we followed
footsteps

with

uj) their

our

apostles

and we followed them up with

Jesus the son of Mary and we
gave him the gospel and we
;

Mary manifest

and strengthened him

by the Holy Spirit. And, did
God please, those who come
after them would not have
fought after there came to
signs,

These verses are the only reference in the Koran to the miracles of
How meagre compared with any of the Gospels And
yet later tradition has built up on these verses or added to tliem a
whole mass of legendary wonders, many of them puerile in the extreme.
^ The reference is undoubtedly to the institution of the Lord's
Supper. Tlie later explanations, as we shall see, are wide of the mark.
^

Jesus Christ.

Cf. 1 Cor. xi. 27

and 29-34.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

48

placed in the hearts of those

that followed

him kindness and

But

compassion.

they

invented

monkery,

we only

it;

them the craving

and

prescribed to

after the goodwill of God,

they observed

not with due

it

them manifest signs.

But they
did disagree, and of them are
some who believe, and of them
some who misbelieve, but, did
God please, they would not
have fought, for God does what

He

will.

But we gave to
who believe amongst

observance.
those

their hire though many

amongst them were workers of
abomination

them

Surah 5 50-51. And we

up the footsteps of
:

followed

these (prophets) with Jesus the

son of Mary, confirming that

which was before him and the
law, and we brought him the

wherein

guidance
and light, verifying what was

gospel,

is'i

the law, and

before it of

guidance and an admonition

unto those who fear.
Then let the people of the
gospel judge by that which is

whoso
will not judge by what God
revealed

for

therein,

Surah 2 81. We gave Moses

Book and we followed him
up with other apostles, and we
:

the

gave Jesus the son of Mary

manifest signs and aided him

with the Holy Spirit. Do ye

then, every time an apostle
comes to you with what your
souls love not, proudly scorn
him, and charge a part with
lying and slay a part

Surah 6 85. And Zachariah

and John and Jesus and Elias,
:

all

righteous ones.

has revealed, these be the evildoers.

Surah

61

And when
Mary said, " O

6.

Jesus the son of

children of Israel

am

the apostle of

verifying

the

verily,

God

law

to you,

that

was

before me, and giving you glad

tidings of an apostle

who

shall

Surah 4

157.

And

there

one of the people

of the Book but shall believe
in him before his death and
on the day of judgment he
shall be a witness against them.
shall not be

5''^

HIS LIFE
come

after

shall be

AND DEATH

me, whose name

Ahmed."

49

Surah 3 44. " I have come

you with a sign from your
Lord, so fear God and follow
me, for God is my Lord, and
your Lord, so worship Him
:

to

this is the right path."

His Death
[The assertion of His death and the denial of His
crucifixion are here placed in parallel

columns

to

show

a discrepancy in statement which has been the despair

even of Moslem commentators.]

Surah 3:47-50. But they
Jews) were crafty, and
God was crafty, for God is the

(the

best of crafty ones

When God

said,

*'

Jesus

make thee die and take

thee up again to me, and will
clear thee of those who misbelieve, and will make those
who follow thee above those
who misbelieve, at the day of
I will

me

your
return. I will decide between
you concerning that wherein

judgment, then to

ye disagree.

who

And

is

as for those

misbelieve, I will punish

them with grievous punishment in this world and the

next, and they shall have none
But as for
to help them."
those who believe and do what
will pay them
is right, He
4

Surah 4 155-156. And for

and for their
saying about Mary a mighty
calumny, and for their saying,
"Verily, we have killed the
:

their misbelief,

Messiah,

Jesus

the

son

of

Mary, the apostle of God."

But they did not kill him, and
they did not crucify him, but a
similitude was made for them.
.

And

verily,

those

who

differ

about him are in doubt conthey have no

cerning him
knowledge concerning him,
but only follow an opinion.
They did not kill him, for
;

sure

nay,

God

unto Himself.

raised

him up

50

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

their reward, for

God

loves not

the unjust.^

Surah 19 34. " And peace

upon me the day I was born,
and the day I die, and the day
^
I shall be raised up alive."
:

His Character as an Apostle and Prophet

(Denial of His Deity)

O ye people
do not exceed in
your religion, nor say against
God aught save the truth.
Surah 4

of the

The Messiah, Jesus the son of

Mary, is but the apostle of God
and His Word, which He cast
and a

into Mary,

Him

His

spirit

believe then in

from

God and

and say not

Have done it were

apostles,

" Three."

Surah 5

169.

Book

God

only
one God, celebrated be His
praise that He should beget a
better for you.

believe

who

76-79. They missay, " Verily, God

Messiah the son of

but the Messiah said,
"
children of Israel worship
God, my Lord and your Lord ;
verily, he who associates aught
with God, God hath forbidden
is

the

Mary

"

him

Paradise,

is

They misbelieve who say,

God is the third of
three " for there is no God

"Verily,
;

but one, and

guardian.

misbelieve

resort

have none to help him.

is

His is what is in the

heavens and what Ms in the
earth ; and God sufficeth for a

Son

and his

the Fire, and the unjust shall

desist

from

if they do not
what they say,

there shall touch

those

amongst

who
them

grievous woe.

Surah 5

God
^

said,

116-117.

"0

Beidhawi

And when

Jesus,

son

of

says on this passage

Will they not turn again

towards God and ask pardon
(vol.

i.

p.

209),

after

various

attempts to escape the ordinary meaning of the words: **Itis said

God caused him to die for seven hours and then raised him to heaven."
2

Beidhawi makes no comment on this clear declaration of the death

Moslems say it refers to his death after his second coming.

of Christ.

HIS LIFE
Mary

is

thou

it

say to men, take

AND DEATH

who didst
me and my

mother

for

two gods, beside

God
Thy

He

said, " I celebrate

"

what ails me that

I should say what I have no
right to? If I had said it,
praise

Thou wouldst have known it

Thou knowest what is in my
soul, but I do not know what
is in Thy soul
verily, Thou
are one who knoweth the
unseen. I never told them
save what Thou didst bid me,

of

Him?

51

God

for

is

forgiving

and merciful.

The Messiah

the son of Mary

only a prophet prophets
before him have passed away
is

and

his

mother was a confessor;

they both used to eat food.

See how we explain to them
the signs, yet

turn aside

see

how they

Worship God, my Lord and

your Lord,' and I was a witness
'

against

them

didst take

to Thyself

the watcher over

Thou

them, for
over

but when Thou

me away

Thou wert

was

as long as I

amongst them

witness

art

all."

His Character as an Apostle and Prophet

Surah 19

35-36. That

is,

Mary, by
the word of truth whereon ye
do dispute

Jesus the son of

God
self

could not take to

any son

Him-

celebrated be

His praise when He decrees

a matter He only says to it,
" Be," and it is
and verily,
God is my Lord and your
Lord, so worship Him this is
the
the
right
way. And
!

Surah 3: 51-52. That is

what we recite to thee of the
signs and of the wise reminder.
Verily,

the likeness of Jesus

with God

Adam.

is

He

as the likeness of

created

him from

earth, then He said to

" Be," and he was.

him,

For a summary of the teaching of these passages see Chapter V.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

52

parties have disagreed

amongst

themselves.

Surah 9 30. The Jews say

Ezra is the son of God and

Surah

the

Christians

say that

the

is

what they say with

mouths,

their

sayings

imitating

those

of

believed

them

the son of

before.

how they

lie

Surah 47 57-64.
:

who
God

"

mis-

say, " Verily,

say,

"

the

Who

God

son of
has any

hold on God, if he wished to

destroy the Messiah the son of
Mary, and his mother, and

the
mis-

who

those

fight

altogether

And when

They

19.

Messiah

the

Mary

God

Messiah
that

is

is

who

believe

the son of

on

are

earth

Mary was

set forth as

a parable, behold thy people turned away from him and said,
" Are our gods better, or is he ? " They did not set it forth to
thee save for wrangling.

Nay, but they are

a contentious

people.

He is but a servant whom we have been gracious to, and we

have made him an example for the children of Israel. And if
we please we can make of you angels in the earth to succeed you.
And, verily, he is a sign of the Hour. Doubt not then concerning it, but follow this right way and let not the devil turn you
away verily, he is to you an open foe
And when Jesus came with manifest signs, he said, " I am come
to you with wisdom, and I will explain to you something of that
whereon ye did dispute, then fear God, obey me verily, God,
He is my Lord and your Lord, serve Him then this is the
;

right way."

Surah 3 72-73. And,

:

verily,

amongst them

twist their tongues concerning the Book, that ye

is

a sect

may

who

reckon

it

from the Book, but it is not from the Book. They say,
" It is from God," but it is not from God, and they tell a lie
against God, the while they know.
It is not right for a man that God should give him a Book and
judgment and prophecy, and that then he should say to men.
to be

HIS LIFE
"

Be ye

AND DEATH

mine rather than

servants of

God

of

"

5S
but be ye rather

masters of teaching the Book and of what ye learn.

The
Koran

texts above given are the total contents of the

as far as they relate to the life of Jesus Christ,

and have formed the

of

His

life,

basis for the traditional account

among Moslems.

commentaries on

the

study of the Koran

given

texts

show how
Mohammed's

will

later tradition has taken the outlines of

revelation and

made the

more

picture

but also more fantastic.

real,

Whatever was

more

full,

unintelligible

Mohammed's revelation
made clear by means of

or contradictory in the words of

could only be interpreted and

tradition,

and

the

portions of
material.

this applied

not only to the legislative

Koran, but

Tradition

also

in

its

occupies a totally different

stand by tradition in the Christian Church.^

tradition

consists of

historical

we must remember,
position to what we under-

Islam,

in

the record of what

Orthodox

Mohammed

did or enjoined, or that which he allowed, as well as the

authoritative sayings

There

prophet.
to the

Koran

is

and doings of

the

companions of the

not a single Moslem sect that looks

as the only rule of faith

as the only reliable source of

on the earlier prophets.

and

historical

Therefore

practice, or

information

we must necessarily

go to tradition for the fuller portrait of Jesus Christ.

According to Goldziher, tradition

principle
^

in

Islam.

is

the

normative

"Before the end of the

Hughes, Dictionary of Islam,

art,

"Tradition."

first

54

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

century," he

says, " they

had already

canon: The Sunna (tradition)

laid

down

the

the judge over the

is

Koran, and not the Koran the judge of the Sunna" ^

and he goes on

to

show that the authority

of tradition

increased century after century.

There

no doubt that much

is

account of the
of

life of

Mohammed

the

of

traditional

Jesus Christ came from the

lips

but was not recorded in the Koran.

Other portions of

were accredited to him, although

it

they were the invention or contribution of Christian

who became Moslems.^

renegades
are

disagreement

in

tradition

in

traditions

general

that so

Students of Islam
the

reliability

and the authenticity

particular.

in

tonishment

regarding

many

of

While Dozy expresses

much

of

Moslem

of

as-

tradition

is

authentic and reliable,^ Goldziher, on the other hand,

thinks the greater part was manufactured by

who came
and

after

Mohammed,

Moulavi Cheragh Ali

State.*

Mohammed was
and

abused to support

those

Church

The name of
manner of lies

says, "
all

absurdities, or to satisfy the passion, caprice, or

arbitrary
sideration
I

for private ends in

am

the

seldom
or

little

will

no

of

the

any

inclined

to

quote traditions,

in

their

standards

genuineness,

Mohammedanische Studien,

vol.

pp. 382-399.
Essai sur VHistoire de Vlslamisme, p. 12.

Vol.

^Jbid., vol.

ii.

out of con-

of

belief

Goldziher,

leaving

despots,

creation

ii.

p. 5, Goldziher.

ii.

of

test.

having
as

p. 19.

they

HIS LIFE

AND DEATH

55

and onegenerally are unauthenticated, unsupported,

sided."

When

one reads the standard commentaries on the

their
above passages of the Koran, or the net result of
followinvestigations based on tradition, as given in our
determine in
ing two chapters, it seems impossible to

how

far

we have

Mohammed
who

a portrait of

himself, or a portrait of Christ

followed him.

Muir's conclusion

and may well lead us from

"That the

Christ as given by

Collectors of

service to Islam,

and even

is

by those
unbiassed,

this chapter into the next.

Tradition rendered an important

to history, cannot be doubted.

The

every quarter of the

vast flood of tradition, poured forth from
from innumerable
volume
gathering
daily
and
Moslem empire,
heterogeneous elements
tributaries, was composed of the most
have formed
without the labours of the traditionists it must soon
fact and fable, would
a chaotic sea, in which truth and error,
It is a
have mingled together in undistinguishable confusion.
Tradition,
that
sketch,
foregoing
legitimate inference from the

That
of truth.
in the second century, embraced a large element
much that
even respectably derived traditions often contained
conclusion.
was exaggerated and fabulous, is an equally fair
Quoted from Political and Social Reform in the Ottoman Empire,
(Bombay, 1883), pp. 19 and 147, in Hughes' Dictionary of Islam.
Abu
The most voluminous authority quoted in Moslem Tradition is
" the Father of the little Cat," on
Huraira, known by this surname,
1

etc.

of Mohammed
account of his fondness for cats. He joined the followers
More traditions are attributed to
in A.H. 629, and lived with him.

him than to any other source. He was renowned for his infallible
his
memory, and yet Moslems themselves raise suspicion in regard to
the extreme of pious humbug,"
Sprenger calls him
trustworthiness.
sayings which
but we must take into account the fact that most of the
probably at a much
tradition attributes to him were foisted on him
'

'

later di^tQ. Encyclopedia of Islam, p. 94, art.

'*

Abu

Huraira."

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

56

It is proved by the testimony of the Collectors themselves that

thousands and tens of thousands were current in their times,

which possessed not even a shadow

of authority.

The mass may

be likened to the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, formed by

the unnatural -union of gold, or silver, of the baser metals, and
of clay

and here the more valuable parts were

hopelessly with the bad."

^

fast

commingling

Muir, The Life of Mahomet^ vol.

i.

p. xlii.

Ill

JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO

TRADITION

67

Low

lies

the Syrian town behind the mountain

"Where Mary, meek and spotless, knelt that morn,

And saw the splendid Angel by the fountain,

And

heard his voice, ''Lord Isa shall be born!"

Arnold's Pearls of the Faith.

The

Christ of post-Koranic tradition

like than the Christ of the Koran.

The

is far

more

latter is a

life-

mere

bedecked with honorific titles indeed, such

" Spirit of God and a word proceeding from Him,"

lay-figure,

as the

and working miracles, but displaying no character. In

the post- Koranic writers, on the other hand, we have
His sinlessness, His return to judgment, His humility,
His unworldliness, His sufferings, His doctrine of the
New Birth, topics upon which the Koran is entirely
silent. C. H. A. Field in the G. M. S. Review.

Ill

JESUS CHRIST ACCOKDING TO

TRADITION
FROM HIS BIRTH TO HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY

THE

account of the

this

mary

Jesus Christ given in

life of

and the next chapter

of all that

is

is

a connected sum-

given by leading commentators and

orthodox tradition on the Koran passages of Chapter

as collected

by

Imam Abu Ishak Ahmed bin Mohammed

bin Ibrahim Eth-ThalabL^

account of Eth-Thalabi

reasons for using the

and Eth-Thalabi, who was himself a

commentator on the Koran

work on

My

have already been given in the

There are other accounts, but they are

Introduction.

largely parallel,

his

traditions

of

some reputation, based

which are universally acknow-

ledged as authoritative by most Moslems.

lation given

II.

is

The

as far as possible literal, although

trans-

some

few passages are omitted because characterised by the

crude indecency which so often occurs

in

Moslem

The work of Thalabi was made the thesis for his doctoral degree
by Lidzbarski. He investigated the sources of all the legends found
iu it, and gives special references. His work is entitled De Propheticis
^

legendis Ardbicis.

Leipzig, Drugulin, 1893.

59

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

60
literature.

have also omitted the long preliminary

account found in Kusus-al-Anhiah on Zechariah and the

family of Amran, as not strictly germane to our topic.

Although no footnotes are given, the authority

for

every statement and story can easily be found in

Beidhawi, Zamakhshari,

Koran

under the appropriate

etc.,

passages.

On the Birth of Jesus {upon whom he peace) and on

Marys Conception of Jesus {on both of them he peace)}
Said God Most High, and it is recorded in the Book
" that Mary when she separated from her people, went
In explanation

an eastward place."

to

learned say that

Mary

girl of fifteen

old,

when

conceived Jesus,

she

years

of

this

the

three days had passed since

and

old,

she was at that time a

and some say thirteen years

dwelt in a mosque

and there was with her

named Joseph the carpenter,

and he was a sweet-tempered man, who earned his
And Joseph and Mary were also
living by his trade.
servants of the mosque as water-carriers, and when
Mary had emptied her water-jar and Joseph his, each
of them took the jar and went to a cave where the

in the

mosque her

cousin,

water-spring was, to draw water.

And

then they

returned to the Mosque.

And when the day came on which Gabriel (upon

whom be peace) encountered her, it was the longest
A

life of Jesus Christ from Kusus-al-Anhiah, by

Ishak Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Eth-Thalabi.
The account of the birth and life of Jesus Christ is found in this work
on pp. 241-255, Cairo edition, 1325 a.h.
^

translation of the

Imam Abu

AND LIFE

HIS BIRTH
day

the year and the

of

61

wheu her

She,

hottest.

water-jar was emptied, said, "Will you not go with

" I

we

Joseph, and

me,

have

still

to-morrow

"

abundance

but she

have no water."

will

draw water

But

whom

that I

may

"

she found there

be peace), and

Mary, truly God hath sent

give you a pious child."

refuge with the merciful

honest person," that

'Ali bin

And

God had

And he
me to you

is,

Said she, " I take

One from you

if

you are an

a true believer, obedient to God.

Abi Talib ^ says (may God be gracious

countenance) she

and went away

a beautiful young man.

made him resemble

said to her,

said,

by God,

as for me,

So she took her jar

alone until she entered the cave.

with her Gabriel (upon

He

"

water sufficient until

of

said, "

knew

to his

the pious person

that

merciful and modest, and she considered him a

was

man

of

the sons of Adam.^

Akrima says
form

of a beautiful

young man

that

God
Mary might have

The

And

the learned say

human being
confidence in him and be able
he had come down in his angel

sent Gabriel in the form of a

to hear his words, for

in the

of fine countenance, with

curly hair and an erect form.

that

to her

that Gabriel appeared

if

reference to those wlio

sometimes

contradictory

are authority for the various and

are introduced in Moslem

traditions

" Ali bin Abi Talib said, Abu Huraira said,

have not thought it worth while to give a
Ihn
biographical note in every case. Those interested can consult

literature

Katada

by these words

said, etc."

We

Khallikan.
2

Cf. footnote

on page 44.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

62

form, she would have been terrified and have fled from

him and not been

able to hear his message.

And when Mary

said, " I

take refuge from you," he

am

the apostle of thy Lord to

said unto her, " Verily I

Said she, " Shall there be to

give you a pious child."

me

a child, and no one has touched me, and I have

committed no

Lord

folly

"

Said he,

finds a miracle easy

"

"

That

in the opening of her chemise

off

And

she

filled

on

her,

whom

her water-jar and went back

Its character

from another

may be

that,

Mary put

it

it on,

Then

to the mosque.

at considerable

indicated in a footnote

source.^

Then she went

to

an eastward place, because

in the winter, the shortest

says in relation
^

said

he breathed

be peace.

Here follows an indecent explanation

length.

but thy

and she had taken

and when he departed from

so she conceived Jesus,

true,

and when he

she submitted to the decree of God.

and

is

of

the year.

it was
Hasan

to this tradition that therefore

As-Suhaili states that in

hy farj the opening

day

the

"She guarded her/ar/," God intended

of her shirt

that

is

to say, there

was no suspicion

attached to her dress, she being clean in her clothes. The openings
(faruj) of a shirt are four, namely, the two sleeves and the upper and

under parts. Do not let your thoughts take you to any other than
this meaning, this being an excellent metaphor, for the Kur'an is too
pure in meaning, too laconic in words, too delicate in suggestions, and
too beautiful in expressions, to intend that to which the imagination
of the ignorant

may

lead, especially as the breathing (into her) of the

was by the order of the Holy One, so that sanctity

joined with the Holy One, and the sanctified one (Mary) thus became
Ad-Damiri's
free from any false thought and suspicion (about her).
spirit of sanctity

Ray at Al-Hayawan^

p. 521.

HIS BIRTH

AND LIFE

toward the

Christians worship

east,

63

because

Mary-

an Eastward place when she met Gabriel.

went

to

And

there was with

her at the

relative of her's, called

time,

they say, a

Joseph the carpenter, and they

were employed in the mosque which was near Mount

Zion; and this mosque at that time was one of the
largest of their places of worship,

and Mary and Joseph

did service there which was of great reward, namely,

keeping
not
or

and purifying

in order

it

known

at that time people

it.

And

there were

who were more

diligent

more worshipful than these two.

And

the

first

one who doubted her because she had

conceived a son was her relative and friend, Joseph

the carpenter.
prised,

And when he

and did not know what

marvelled and was surto do in regard to her,

spoke to her concerning the matter.^

he

Said El Kelbi

We condense here again and quote from the French translation of

Mirkhond's Bauzat-us-Safa, by Lamairesse
" Le charpentier Yusuf (Joseph), son cousin du cote maternel,
II venait habituelles'aper9ut le premier de la grossesse de Mariana.
ment adorer dans le Ville Sainte et a I'occasion causait avec Marie.
*

J'ai sur ta piete et sur ta devotion

Fort afflige, il lui dit un jour
un soup^on dont je desire te faire part.' 'Soit,' repondit Marie.
A-t-on jamais obtenu recolte sans semence ? A-t-on
Yusuf reprit
Mariam
jamais eu une semence qui ne provint pas d'une moisson 1
:

'

replique

*Si tu admets que Dieu a cree une moisson, elle est venue

si tu crois qu'il a cree une semence, celle-ci n'est pas

;
parvenue d'une moisson si tu admets que Dieu a cree en meme temps
la moisson et la semence, aucune des deux ne provient de I'autre.'
A-t-il jamais existe un enfant sans pere ?
Yusuf demanda ensuite

sans semence

'

'Oui,' repondit Marie,

et

n'eurent ni pere ni mere.'

*

Mes

questions

pardonne

ma

etaient

meme sans une mere. Adam et five

Yusuf ne contesta pas, mais il ajouta
purement philosophiques, maintenant,

hardiesse et apprends-moi

comment

tu es

devenue

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

64

Joseph the carpenter afterwards took Mary and Jesus

to a cave,

and caused them

Then

for forty days.

and walked on the road

Jesus spake to her and said,

am
And when

because I

Messiah."

young child was with

ful,

had brought forth her

after she

child, she left the cave

thee

and she lived there

to enter,

my

"

mother,

and

all hail to

God and His

the servant of

she came to her people, and the

her, they

because they were pious

wept and were sorrow-

"0 Mary!

folk, saying,

you have done great wickedness and abomination,

sister of

man,

Katada

Aaron."

said that

Aaron was a pious

of the upright of the children of Israel,

was not Aaron the brother

And

of Moses.

and

it is

that he followed the funeral on a certain day

40,000 of the children of Israel died,

named Aaron

But Wahab

all of

said that

this

related

whom

when
were

Aaron was one

of

the most corrupt of the children of Israel and taught

them corrupt

Mary

practices,

to Aaron, saying,

why they compared

Your father Amran was not

and that
"

is

wicked, and your mother was not a transgressor nor

impure;
child

whence, then,

there

is

come

to

you

this

Then Mary
angry and

told

said,

them

"How

to talk to Jesus,

and they grew

can we speak to him who

in the cradle, a little child

"

Wahab

is

says that then

Zachariah came to her, when she showed herself to

grosse.'

Marie repondit

'Allah m'a

fait savoir qu'il enverrait

monde son Verbe, procedant de lui-meme,

Miriam.'" pp. 290-291.

le

Messie

Isa,

fils

au
de

AND LIFE

HIS BIRTH

the Jews, and said to Jesus,

your argument

65

"

Speak up, and give us

you are so commanded." And at

if

that instant Jesus (upon Him be peace), and He was

only forty days old, said, " Verily, I am the servant of

God

to

whom He

by saying

has given a wonderful Book."

He

this

God and proved

that

Christians

are

when Mary came

said that

Jesus, they took

when Jesus

He

argument against them.

established His

Maimun

that

confessed

up stones and

liars,

and

Amru

bin

to her people with

tried to stone her,

spake, they left her alone.

God knows best.

On the Departure
High in the Koran
and His mother a

of
:

Mary

We

sign,

who begin to

to

but

It is also said

that after this Jesus did not speak again until

of the ordinary age of children

And

worshipped

He was
And

talk.

Egypt. Said God Most

have made the son of Mary

and given them refuge for a

time and a resting-place appointed.

They say that

the birth of Jesus took place forty-two years after the
beginning of the reign of Augustus, and fifty-one years
had passed

of the

of the tribes.

hands of the kings

Syria and

And

its

Kingdom

And

Ashkanin, the kings

of these tribes,

and the sovereignty

of

provinces was to Caesar, the king of Eome.

the ruler of the provinces on behalf of Csesar was

And when Herod

Herod.

Christ, he desired to kill

what
5

this

the king heard the news of

Him, and

it was because they

and they knew by their reckonings
referred, from a book which they had.

had looked at a
to

of the

the kingdom at that time was in the

star,

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

66

Then God sent an angel to Joseph the carpenter, and

told him what Herod desired to do, and commanded
him to flee with the young child and His mother into
Egypt

and God revealed also

to

Mary

that she should

Herod gets hold of your son, he

go to
will kill him, but when Herod dies, return then to
your country." Then Joseph put Mary and his son
upon a donkey which he had, until they came to
Egypt

"

For

if

Egypt, and this was the place which God spoke of

in

'Abdullah bin Salaam said that the

His Book.

they took refuge was Damascus

place where

Huraira says

was Eamleh

it

Kaab

was Jerusalem.
world which

is

was Egypt;

it

Damascus,

etc.

says

it

was that part of

nearest heaven, and

Dhahak

said

it

Abu

Zaid says

was the plain

in

Egypt twelve

of

years, spinning

cotton and gleaning after the reapers.

gleaning after the reapers,

carried

it

the

etc.

Mary remained

she

Abu

and Kitada says

and when

And

she was

she gleaned,

Jesus on one of her shoulders and her

He was twelve years

And it is related that Mohammed the son of
old.
Ali el Bakir said When Jesus was born and He was a
day old, it was as though He was a month old and
when He was nine months old, His mother took Him
by the hand and led Him to the school and placed
Him between the hands of the teacher; and the

gleaning basket on the other

till

teacher said

rahiin"

to

Him,

Then Jesus

" Say,

said

it.

Bismillah er-rahman er

The teacher

said, "

Say

AND LIFE

HIS BIRTH
Ahjad."

67

Then Jesus (upon whom be peace) lifted up

" Do you know what Abjad
Then the teacher lifted up his rod to strike

His head and said to him,

means

"

Him, and Jesus

said, "

you know

explain

to you."

it

it

And

to me."

teacher

no God but God

When

the ha stands for the glory of

God

Hawwaz Ha
:

and the dal

is

God

for the

stands for hell, and the

loaw stands for woe to the people of the

fire,

and the

Hatta

signifies

Kalman

signifies

za stands for their groanings in hell.

that their sins can never be forgiven.

of

if

can

the teacher said, " Explain

the jim for the majesty of

Word

Jesus said, ^'Alif means that there

;

religion of God.

the

me

do not strike

you do not know, ask me, so that

if

God Uncreated and Unchangeable.

Safas signifies measure for measure and part for part.

Karshat

that

signifies

God

"

His mother,

Woman,

will collect

them

Then the teacher

time of the resurrection."

take thy child, for

at the
said to

He knows

everything and does not need a teacher."

According to another tradition

the prophet of

mother sent

Him,

"

Him

The ha
^

is

said:

is

related that

when His
and the teacher said to

replied, "

said, " I

it

Verily, Jesus,

to be taught,

Say Bismillah,"

and the teacher

"

God

What

is

do not know."

the Glory of God, and the sin

Bismillah

Jesus said,
is

the sub-

first word in a mnemonic series containing the Arabic

following the ancient or numerical order, and used as

Abjad, the

alphabet,

numerals by the Arabs until superseded by later notation. Each

word in the series is here interpreted fancifully with a play on the
Arabic root.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

68

the mim is the kingdom of God

Most High and Exalted," etc. etc.
On the Form and Figure of Jesus {upon Him he
Said Kaab: Jesus, the son of Mary, was a
peace).
limity of God, and

His hair was

ruddy man, inclining towards white.

not lank, and

and

He

He

never oiled

He went

it.

bare-footed

never owned a place, or a change of garments,

or property or vesture or provisions, except His daily

And whenever

bread.

set, He would
He was in the

the sun began to

kneel and pray until the morning.

habit of healing the sick and the lepers, and raising

He

the dead by the will of God.

about

Him what

could

tell

those

they ate in their houses, and what

He walked on the
He had dishevelled
He was an ascetic in

they laid up against the morrow.

the

water on the

face

of

hair,

and His face was small.

this

world and greatly desirous of the world to come

And He was

diligent in serving God.

the earth
kill

sea.

Him.

God knows

a wanderer in

the Jews sought Him and desired to

Then God lifted Him up to heaven, and

till

best.

Concerning the signs and wonders which were manifested

hy the hand of Jesus in His youth until

became a prophet.

Wahab

He

said that the first miracle of

Jesus which people saw was as follows: His mother

was living in the house

Joseph the carpenter

of the ruler in

left her,

and

this

Egypt where
was the house

where the poor congregated. Money was stolen from

the treasury of the ruler, and the poor did not care.

AND LIFE

HIS BIRTH

69

And Mary was grieved by this occurrence. Now

when Jesus saw the sorrow of His mother at what had
happened

to their host,

you wish that

And

is ? "

"

Say

all

do

his property

said to her,

the poor in his

and when they were collected Jesus pointed

One

out two men.

He

was lame.

man

And when

How

man upon

said to him, "

am

said, " I

said to him, "

them was blind and the other

of

put the lame

man and

the blind

too

weak

the back of

Get up

to do

it."

were you able to do

it

"

and the

Then Jesus
yesterday

man
got up, the lame man
treasure house.
And

they heard that, they struck the blind

And when

he got up.

showed him the way

Jesus said to the ruler,

upon the owner

the blind

He

son."

mother

So Mary told the ruler to gather the poor

courtyard."

till

my

Yes,

him that he gather together

to

together

blind

"

my

said, "

show him where

I should

she said,

He

man

"

he
the

to

Thus they played the

of the property yesterday;

trick

because

helped with his strength and the lame

man with his eyes." Then the blind man and the lame
man said, " He speaks the truth, by God " and they
;

returned his property to the ruler, and he received

and put

it

in the treasury

And

half of

it."

that."

Then

and she

said, "

Not long

said the ruler,

He

and

is

am

Mary

it

take

not poor enough for

"Give

it

to your son";

greater in dignity than I am."

after the ruler desired to have the marriage

of his son take place, so

all

she said, " I

said, "

he made a feast and collected

the people of Egypt and fed them for two months.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

70

And when
came

it

was

and he did not know

to see him,

until they

anxiety on this account,

chambers

He

of the ruler in

Him

thus

Go home,

touched one

it

was

And

to the last one.

told

When He

was in school with

them what

say, for

their fathers

were

example, to one of the

your people are doing thus and

for

and they are eating

He

He came

be peace)

He
He would

boys, "

of jars,

concerning another miracle of Jesus

said

His playmates,
eating.

which there were rows

at that time twelve years old.

Es Sadi
(upon

And when Jesus saw his

He entered some of the

and every time

with drink until

He was

on that day

passed by them one by one, touching them

with His hand

filled

coming

of their

And

came down upon him.

he had no drink for them.

and

from Syria

finished, certain people

and

so

so

or,

they have

Then the boy would

run home to his people and cry until they gave him
what they had been eating. Then they said to him,
prepared for you this and

"

Who

told

you

of it

"

this."

said, " Jesus."

and he

kept their boys away from Him, and

with this sorcerer."

And when

said, "

Do

So they
not play

they were gathered

together in a house, Jesus came seeking them.

said, "

they
is

there in

He,

"

Let

it

They are not here " and He said,

this house ? "
They said, " Swine
;

be

so."

And when

the boys had turned into swine.

"
;

And
What

"

said

they opened the door

And when

this

was

noised abroad the children of Israel understood that

He was

a prophet.

And when His mother was

afraid

AND LIFE

HIS BIRTH
His

for

she put

life,

Him up

Him upon

71

a donkey and carried

to Egypt.

Another miracle

Es

said

When

Sadi,

Jesus and

His mother went out on their wanderings throughout

they came

the earth,

land

the

to

alighted in a village at the house of a

them

tained

The king

his

as

guests

that time

at

and

Israel

of

man who

and was kind

enter-

them.

to

was a mighty man and an

So one day their host came in greatly

oppressor.

worried and sorrowful, and he entered his house, and

Mary was then sitting with his wife. So she said to

her, " What is the matter with your husband, for I see
him sad of countenance ? " and she said, " Do not ask
me." And Mary said, " Tell me, for perhaps by my
hand

And

his sorrow will be lightened."

she said, "

have a king who puts a burden upon every

in his turn, because he compels us to feed

wine

to

him and

he does not do
turn,

him,
us,

his soldiers
it,

'

Do

and

tion for him,

Jesus.

Mary

command my

I will

and

And
said, "

it

We

and

if

our

he has been kind to

He make

son that

" If I

it is

do

it,

supplica-

Then Mary

told

evil will befall."

do not care, because he w^as kind to us

us."

fill

up

with water, and then come and

called Jesus.

to

him that

all his vessels

and pots

Said Jesus,

he bring together and

and

To-day

will suffice him.' "

Jesus said,

and honoured

for

all,

us

Said Mary, " Say to

sufficiency."

not be anxious at

We

of

and to give

on a certain day

he punishes him.

and we have no

man

"

Then say

tell

Then the water

me."

So he did

in the vessels

so,

was

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

72

changed into meat and gravy, and the water in the pots

was changed into wine such

"

"

never tasted

So when the king came, be ate and drank

before.

Whence

"

and asked,
him,

men had

as

is

this

And

wine ? "

From such and such a country."

My wine

they said to

Said the king,

comes from the same country, but

it is

not as

Then they mentioned another country,

and when this again was a mistake and the king became suspicious, he said, " Tell me the truth " and he

good as

this."

me a young man
who never asks God for anything but He gives it to
Him. He asked God Most High, and He made the

said, " I will tell you.

There

with

is

water, wine."

Now

this

whom

king had a son

his successor

he desired to be

and he had died some days previous,

and the king loved him more than anyone

he

water into wine,

my

may

son

him,

"Do

let

live again."

Him

spoke to

concerning

not do

will befall you."

it,

make him
mother

live

to go

So they called Jesus and

this.

because

And

if

And

Jesus said to

he lives again, evil

said, " I

The king

only I can see him."

do not care,

life.

that

his

for you, will

where we please

And when
son

weapons and

if

Jesus said to him, "If I

you allow me and

?

"

And

he

So Jesus called upon God, and the young

to

So

else.

man who can ask God to make

him make intercession so that

said, " If there is a

my

said, " Yes."

man came

the people of the kingdom saw

was
said, "

alive,

they

got

together

their

This one has devoured us, and

HIS BIRTH
now when
father

his death is near,

over

son rule

AND LIFE

So

did."

who

us,

they

will

73

he desires to have his

also

devour us as his

them, but Jesus and

killed

his mother went away.

Wahab: While Jesus was

Said

playmates, one

him between the arms

with blood; and when
they took notice of

and

with his

them jumped upon another and

of

kicked him with his feet

of Egypt,

playing

it

till

he

So they threw

died.

He was covered
came upon them,
and carried Him to the Kadi
of Jesus,

and

the people

said to him, " This

boy has killed the

So the Kadi asked Him, and Jesus said, " I

other."
do not know who killed him, and I am not his
companion." They desired to fall upon Jesus (upon

Him

He

be peace), and

boy who was killed"; and they

wish to do with him

who

Him

to

is

He

"

dead

"

said,

How

can he speak to

They took Jesus and brought

and
prayer, God raised him from

offered

the dead, and Jesus said to him, "

said, "

son

said, "

Who

of

So and

is this

Mary."

Him?" and
Israel."

do you

wish to ask him

the place where the boy was killed;

when Jesus
The boy

"What

the

said, " I

Said they, "

killed him."

you when he

me

said to them, " Bring

he

"

And
said,

so."

killed

Then the children

and he

said, "

they said,

"The

Who
This

"Who

you

of Israel

is

Jesus, the

is

that with

judge of the children of

Immediately he died again.

Then Jesus

went back with His mother, and a great multitude

followed Him.

And His mother

said, " Shall I

defend

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

74

you from them

and He

And

God

keep

will

us,

the Most Merciful."

is

Another miracle.

He

Jesus, after

learn

"

he said,

His

And

various

to

to

Him

gave

to

she put

took

workmen

whom she
Him with the

the last

trade,

were dyers.

When Mary

Said 'Atta:
school,

left

chief dyer

So he brought together different

to learn the trade.

Then he

coloured garments.

have learned this part of your trade, and

out on a journey.

Now

said to Jesus, "

I will not

am

you

going

return for ten days.

These garments are a different colour, and you have

learned
I

how each

be dyed.

is to

hope the work will be

whom
all

When

come back,

So Jesus (upon

finished."

be peace) prepared one kind of dye, and put

the garments in

God Most High,

permission of

And when
?

The dyer
vessel."

"Yes."

Said the
is

dyer, "
it

He

the

What have
"In

said,

All of them

possible for

Pdse and see."

all

have finished the work."

''Where?"

You have

he

the

be ye as I order.

said to Jesus, "

said, " I

replied,

"How

one vessel
Jesus, "

vessel,

He

"

"By

them,

to

came back and found

the dyer

garments in one

you done

and said

it,

"

them

Jesus said,
all

to

spoiled the garments."

So he arose

this

be in
Said

and Jesus pulled

out a yellow garment, a green garment, a red garment,

etc.,

according to the desire of the dyer.

astonished, and

and glorious
see

knew

and he

it

And he was

was from God most great

Come and

said to the people, "

what Jesus has done."

So he and his friends

AND LIFE

HIS BIRTH

Him, and these his

And God knows best.^

believed in
apostles.

Concerning the return of

friends

75

became the

Jesus {upon them

Mary and

own country after the death of Herod.

that when Herod the king died twelve

he peace) to their

Wahab

said

years after the birth of Jesus (upon

Him

be peace),

God Most High revealed to Mary the news of the

death of Herod and commanded her to return with
her cousin Joseph the carpenter to Syria. So Jesus
and His mother (upon them be peace) returned and

dwelt in the mountains of Galilee, in the village of

From

Nazareth.
their

name.

the Nasara (Christians) get

this

And

Jesus used to learn in one hour

the knowledge of a day, and in a day the knowledge

of a month, and in a month the knowledge of a

And when He had

year.

year,

God

Himself

revealed

men

before

Him

to

and

completed his thirtieth

that
call

He must
them

to

manifest

God;

and

and
speak parables to them, and heal their
palsied and their blind and should tame and subdue
sick

Another miracle of the boyhood days of Jesus is given as follows

Jesus, the son of Mary, and John, the son of Zacharias,
were once going together, they saw a wild she-goat (or ewe) in labour,
upon which Jesus said to John, Say these words, "Hanna (Hannah)
gave birth to John, and Mary gave birth to Jesus the earth calls
Hammad b. Zaid
young one, come forth, O young one "
thee,
states that if these words are uttered near any woman in labour in a
John
tribe, she will not be long in delivering by the order of God.
(Yahya) was the first one to believe in Jesus they were the sons of
(each other's) maternal aunts, and the former was older than the
1

"While

'

latter

by

six

to heaven."

months John was killed before the translation

Ad-Damiri's Hayat-Al-Hayawan, p. 111.
;

of Jesus

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

76

those possessed of devils, and they died for fear of

Him.

men
with

Him

So

He

what was commanded Him; and

Him;

number

and the

increased,

Him and

and palsied

were pleased

of those that

and His reputation became

there collected around

perchance

one

did

loved Him, and turned to

Him

of

get to

Him, went

to

great,

and

the

sick

And

in one hour, fifty thousand.

who could

followed

every

Him, and who-

And He
faith.
And

soever was not able, Jesus went to them.

healed them by prayer on condition of

He

the prayer by which

the dead

is

as follows

art in heaven

and the

healed the sick and raised

God Thou art the God who

God who art on earth. There
!

no God in them save Thee; and Thou art the

is

Strong One in the heavens and the Strong One upon

And
earth, and there is no Strong One save Thee.
Thou art the King of all who are in heaven and
the King of those who are on earth, and there is
no king in them save Thee. Thou art the Euler in
heaven and the Ruler upon earth, and there is no
Ruler in them save Thee. Thy power on earth is as
Thy power in heaven, and Thy authority in heaven
I ask Thee by Thy
is as Thy authority on earth.
names most gracious, for Thou art all-powerful.^
^

All of the above

is

translated from the Arabic text of Eth-Thalabi.

IV

JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO

TRADITION

"Traditions can never be considered as at

unless they are traceable to some

common

all reliable

origin,

have

descended to us by independent witnesses, and corre-

spond with the statements of the Koran itself always of

course deducting such texts as (which

is

not infrequently

the case) have themselves given rise to the tradition.

It

soon becomes obvious to the reader of Muslim traditions

and commentators that both miracles and historical

events have been invented for the sake of expounding a
dark and perplexing text and that even the earlier tradi;

tions are largely tinged with the mythical element. "

J.

M. RoDWELL, Introduction

to

Koran

Translation,

p. 7.

"The

Cross of Christ

lim's creed
religion

whilst
T. H.

for

which

its

we have

is

the missing link in the Mus-

in Islam the great

anomaly of a

rejects the doctrine of a sacrifice for sin,

great central feast

is

a Feast of Sacrifice."

Hughes, Dictionary of Islam,

78

p. 233.

IV

JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO

TRADITION
HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY TO HIS SECOND COMING

BEFORE we pass on to
labi's

account,

the death of Jesus Christ

the Koran.

the continuation of Eth-Tha-

important to remember that

it is

both affirmed and denied in

is

In order to unify

its teaching,

He was

a few hours or days,

to this,

time

He

frailty of

will die

In addition

not crucified.

again, emphasizing, as

it

His human nature, which, even

is

subject to death

the

dicting all the teaching of

He

died for

Moslems add that when He comes the second

return from glory,

"

the only

He

escape possible was to affirm that although

died for sin

once,"

dominion over Him."

We

and

"

New

and

were, the
after

His

so contra-

Testament that

death hath no more

take up Thalabi once more

The Story of Jesus Disciples.- Seiid God Most High

Koran), When Jesus called them back from

(in the

infidelity.

Then the

He

Who are my helpers for God

said, " We are your helpers for God.

said, "

disciples

79

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

80

We

have believed in God, and we bear witness that we

And

Moslems."

are

Praiseworthy,
that

is,

When

said

God Most

was revealed

it

Glorious and

to the disciples,

they were inspired to know, that they should

believe in

Him

and in His

apostle, they said,

*'We

have believed and we witness that we are Moslems.

Know

that the disciples were the chosen of Jesus, the

whom He

son of Mary, and His favourites; those in

was pleased, and His helpers and

They were

viziers.

twelve in number, and their names were

yellow one (pale),
his brother

who was

called Peter,

Simon, the

and Andrew

James, the son of Zebedee, and Yahya his

brother; Philip and Bartholomew and

Thomas and

Matthew, the toll-gatherer; James the son

of Haifa,

and Liya (Levi) who was called Thaddeus, and Simon

the Canaanite, and Jude Iscariot (upon them be peace)."

And

the learned

these names.^

who

We

they said

We
^

and Jesus passed by them and

are

you doing

"

and they

said,

fish."

will call the people to God."

The

And He said, " Will you not

And
me, so that we may catch men ? "
And He said,
to Him, "How is that?"

are catching

walk with
"

What

why they had

They were fishermen

are disagreed as to

plied their trade,

said to them, "

"

men

Said Ibn 'Abbas

apostles are not called rusul as

They

Mohammed

said, "

is

Who

called rasill

but Eawari (Surah 3 4, 5 ; 4 111, 112 61 14). The word

is derived from the iEthiopic hora = to go, hawarxja, an apostle.
According to Beidhawi it comes from hawira^ to be white, and was
given to the disciples of Jesus because of their purity of life and sincerity. Others say because they wore white garments or dyed them white.
(apostle),

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

And He

Thou?"

art

Mary, and servant

Will any

said, "

He

said, "

said, ''I

of God,

am

and His

Jesus, the son of

apostle."

prophets be above Thee

of the

Yes, the Arabian prophet."

81

And
?

they

And

"

So they followed

Him, and believed in Him, and departed with Him.

Said Sa'di They were sailors. Ibn Artat said They
:

were dyers, and

they were

called

by

their

name,

Hawari, because they dyed garments and made them

white.
It hath

been told us by Ibn Fatuh in his tradition

received from Mass'ab, that the disciples were twelve

men who
they

would
it

followed Jesus

said, "

and when they were hungry

God

Spirit of

we

are hungry."

Then He

His hand upon the ground, whether

strike with

was a plain or a mountain, and there would come

man of them two loaves, and they would

And when they were thirsty they would
eat them.
Spirit of God we are thirsty." And He would
say, "
forth to every

strike the earth,

whether

and water would gush

it

was a plain or a mountain,

forth,

and they would drink.

Spirit of God who is happier than

Then they said, "
we when we wish, Thou dost feed us, and when we
are desirous. Thou dost give us drink, and we believe in
Thee and have followed Thee." Said Jesus, " The best
!

of

you

is

he who works with his hands and eats what

he has earned."

make

So

it

is

related that they began to

clothes for their living.

Said Ibn 'Aun

One

of the kings of the earth

made

a feast and invited the people, and Jesus was one of the

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

82

And the repast did not grow less. Then the king
Him, " Who art Thou ? " and He said, " I am

guests.

said to

Jesus, the son of Mary."

my kingdom

and follow Thee."

disciples.

some say this was the dyer and his friends, whose

we have

story

their hearts.

They were

And

Dhahak: They

Said

already related.

were called Hawariyun

of

leave

So he departed with

Him, and they were the

those that followed

And

" I will

Said the king,

(disciples) because of the purity

said

'Abdullah ibn Mubarak:

so called because they

were luminous with

On them was the sign of worship, its brightness

light.
and its purity. And the old meaning of Hut among
the Arabs is intensity of whiteness. And Hassan said
The

disciples

are

the

were the helpers

who became

ones

[Here the author quotes

and Katada

said

They

the caliphs after Christ.

Mohammed

saying that

as

every apostle had his disciples, and then goes into a

discussion as to
of

who were

An account of the
Him he peace), and
hand
be

the disciples {HawariyHn)

Mohammed.]

after

His

upon Him).

this,

that

Said the

the miracles

call until

Among

{upon

which came from His

He was lifted up

{God's blessing

His special characteristics was

God strengthened Him by the Holy Spirit.

Book of God And We strengthened Him by
:

the Holy Spirit.

Surah

special characteristics of Jesus

of the

similar expression

Table when

God

said,

is

used in the

Jesus, son of

My mercy upon Thee and

We strengthened thee with

Mary, remember

upon Thy

mother when

the

Holy

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

And

Spirit.

83

the learned are disagreed in regard to the

Eabi'a said

significance of these words.

which was breathed upon Him, which

is

It is the Spirit

God

related to

Himself in the same sense as we use the words House

God and Camel of God in the Koran. And the HolyOne He is God Most High, as is indicated by the

of

Him "

expression " Spirit from

breathed in

Him

significance of

Jesus (upon

He had
manner

purity, the

is

be peace) was

of other

men

Holy

of

He was

Kaab and

God.

Spirit is Gabriel,

Pure

Spirit.

And

not born after the

[the expressions here used are

unfit for translation], but

mand

We

called a Spirit because

He was

no male parent.

"

Others say that the

of our Spirit."

Holy

Him

and the expression

created by the com-

Sadi, however, say that the

and that Jesus was strengthened

by Gabriel's presence because he was His companion

and His helper, going with
until

He

of Jabir,

took

Him up

Him

wherever

And

to heaven.

and Obeid, the son

of

Amir,

He went

Seyyid, the son

state,

The Holy

God Most High, and by it Jesus

raised the dead and showed men these wonders.
And among his characteristics was that God taught
Spirit

Him

is

the

name

of

the Gospel and the Torah, and

memory, as God

said in

His book,

He read them from

" When we taught

you the book," namely, by memory.

memory

consists of ten parts,

It

is

said

that

and that Jesus possessed

nine of them, as well as wisdom and a knowledge of the

Torah and the Gospel.

And among His

characteristics

was that

He

created

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

84

God Most High

birds from clay, as

come

to

you from clay the appearance

for

breathe upon them and they will

And

God.

Truly I have

said,

you with a sign from your Lord.

birds; I

of

will

by permission

fly,

in accordance with this

I will create

word

of

the Koran

of

Jesus fashioned clay into the form of birds, and then

He

breathed upon them and they were birds, by per-

And He

mission of God.

And He

only created bats.

selected this variety because the bat

the most perfect

is

and

of birds in its powers, because it suckles its young,

gives birth to them, and has teeth,

and

Wahab

flies.

said the birds

looked at them, and

they

fell

known

mammal,

is

fly

while

when they disappeared from

down, to distinguish the work

from the work

be

and

would

men
sight

mere man

of a

God Most High and that it might

only one who is perfect is God Most

of

that the

High.

And among His

characteristics

was that He cured

God

the blind from birth and lepers, as

book.

My

And Thou

shalt heal the blind

And

permission.

lepers,

by

these two special diseases were

selected because physicians could not cure

as

His

said in

and

them; and

medicine was the most celebrated science in the

days of Jesus,
sort.

And

it

He showed them
is

related

a miracle after this

that Jesus

(upon

Him

be

peace) passed by a village in which there were blind

people,

and

He

said,

Who

are

these?

Him, These are people who sought

they put out their eyes with their

They

for justice,

own

hands.

told

and

And

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETUKN

Jesus said to them,
said, "

We

did

ourselves, as

"

it

Ye

"

What made you do

you

are the learned,

And He

see."

and immediately

And among

and they

we

said to them,

Now

ignorant.

all of

'

wipe your

Bismillah '"

them had

and they

their sight.

His characteristics was raising

dead by the permission of God.

As God

when Thou

dost come, the dead

come

permission.

And among

Your brother Lazarus

And He was three

when He and His

the dead

His

Lazarus, His friend.

is

of

said,

forth

whom He

by

the

And

My

raised was

sister sent to Jesus, saying,

dying;

He came to him.
away from him, and

so

days' journey

friends came, they found that he

had already died three days

Depart with us

sister,

"

and the judges, and the advocates

eyes with your hands and say

so,

feared the punishment of the judge, so

and the noble are the

did

it

85

ago.

And He

said to his

and it was in
Then Jesus said,
heavens and the three

to his grave;

a rock built up like a tomb.

God

Lord

of

the

seven

Thou hast sent me to the children

them to Thy religion, and Thou
hast told them that I can raise the dead by Thy
permission, so raise up Lazarus. Then Lazarus arose
and came out from his grave, and remained alive
earths,
of

verily,

Israel

and had

to

call

children.

And among
was the son

of

those

whom He

raised from the dead

an old woman, and

this is the story.

Jesus passed in His wanderings with the disciples

by a

city,

and

He

said, "

Verily in this city there

is

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

86

Who will go and get it

said, "0 Spirit of God, no

And

treasure.

out for us

they

stranger can enter

"

they will

city, for

this

He came

said, "

to the city

and stood

me

give

to

eat."

said to him, "Don't you wish

the governor so that you

to eat

'

And

"

may

And an old
me to go with you

to

say to him, 'Give

me

son of the old woman,

"

Make me thy

approached.

Jesus said to him,

this night;"

and the young man replied

And

mother, the old woman.

tell

you that

the daughter

you

if

gave

Him

will do

guest

as did his

Jesus said to him, "I

it,

marry you

I will

to

The young man said to

crazy, or you are Jesus the

of the king.

Him, "Either you

son of Mary."

am
woman
;

while Jesus was standing at the door,

young man, the

behold, a

and

at the gate

people of this place

Peace be to you,

stranger:

And said Jesus,

And He went
return."

him."

kill

Stay where you are until I

till

"

are

And He

lodging,

He

him; and when

said,

and He

"I am
spent

arose in the

Jesus."

So he

night with

the

morning,

He

said

"Take your breakfast and go to the king,

and say to him, I have come to be engaged to your
Then he will command them to strike
daughter.'
you out. So the young man went to
cast
you and

to him,

'

the king, and said to him,

"

have come that I

be engaged to your daughter."

him
out.

told

to be

beaten,

and they did

So he commanded

and cast him

so,

Then the young man came back

Him

the news.

And

may

Jesus said,

"

to Jesus

On

and

the morrow

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

87

him again with the same request, and he

you the same punishment, but less." So
young
man did as he was told, and they struck
the
him with fewer blows than the first time, and he
Then Jesus
came back to Jesus and told Him.

go

to

will

give

said, "
'

Go

I will

and

him to-morrow, and he will say to you,

marry you to my daughter upon one condition,

my

to

condition

a castle of gold and silver, and

is

gold and silver and precious

is in it of
Then say to him, I will do it.' And if he
sends some one with you, go outside with him, for
you will find it, and nothing will happen to you."
that

all

stones.'

Then he went

in

to his daughter

the king and became engaged

to

and the king

said, "

her the dowry according to niy desire

"

What

your desire

is

"

And

Will you give

And

"

cordance with what Jesus had told him.

am

" Yes, I

will give

it

him
and

daughter.

his

said, "

like this,

to him,

you."

" I

and

And

tlie

Spirit of God,

and

still

said,

And

so the king gave

young man marvelled

you are able

you are poor

"

to do things

And

Jesus said

have preferred that which remains to that

which fades away."

it,

So he

marvelled at that.

all

So he

me some one who

sent a man with him,

him what the king wished, and the

and he gave
people

said,

Send with

willing.

to

he

he commanded in ac-

I will

Said the young man,

be your companion."

the world and followed Jesus.

" I also prefer

So he forsook

Then Jesus took him

by the hand and brought him to his companions.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

88

and

said

whom

them, "This

to

And

I told you."

Him

remained with

on

the

God; and the young man

from the necks

bier

dressed

him

to

to

up and took up the

men

that

carried

it,

his

back

and

alive;

and

on

it

also children were born.

And among

the miracles of raising the dead was

daughter of

the

cried

and remained

carried

people,

his

to

Jesus

bier,

sat

the

of

and

himself,

went back

woman
And when they

the son of the old

he died.

till

passed by with him

the treasure concerning

is

Jesus, "

the

toll

They

gatherer.

said

to

Will you raise her, for she died yesterday

And He

God

upon

called

Most

and

High,

she

lived.

Among

He

those

describing Noah's ark,

who had
we would
hill,

of

it

He

arose and

They

If

said, "

Yes

Come

and
Then Shem, the son

staff

grave,

white

"

resurrection day

you out

in the

"

name

and

to

us,

to a little

the grave of

of

He

struck

to life

Shem,

him

for

upon God by

called

the

with

hill

by permission
he

Said Jesus, "

of

will raise

His

of God."

Noah, came forth from his

And

haired.
?

is

you wish, I

His greatest name, and

said, "

it

came

with His hand and took a handful

the earth and said, "This

the son of Noah.

of

you had sent us some one

" If

So

son

when He was

seen the ark and could describe

believe."

and struck

you."

Shem, the

was

raised

Said the disciples unto Him,

Noah.

said,

" Is

No, but

God Most High."

this

the

have called

Shem had

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

hundred years and he was

lived five

he told them the news of the ark.

to him, "

Die

God

that

"

and he

protects

said, "

me from

89

young.

So

Then Jesus

said

still

Only on one

condition,

the agonies of

death."

Jesus granted his request by permission of God; and

all this is

mentioned in the story

Noah

of

the prophet

whom be peace).
And among those whom He raised from
was Ezra (upon whom be peace). They said

(upon

the dead
to Jesus,

Raise him from the dead, or we will burn you with

fire.

So they collected a great lot of wood

vine;

and in those days

people in coffins

made

it

of

the grave of Ezra with

was the custom

When

stone.

name

his

the

bury

to

they found

written

they tried their best to open

outside,

of

it

on

the

and were

not able, so they could not get him out from the
grave.

They went back

He handed them

to Jesus

a vessel with

Sprinkle this upon his grave

the coffin

him

was

easily

And

to Jesus.

and told Him, and

some water and

and they did

said.

Then

so.

opened, and they came with

behold, he

was wrapped

in a

shroud, and the earth does not consume the bodies

Therefore

of the prophets.

garment.

body and

He

his head.

"

to Ezra,
?

"

Will you

And

said,

"

he sat up in the sight

said

off his

Come to life, O
God Most High " and behold,

Then He

Ezra, by permission of

namely, Jesus

when they took

began to sprinkle the water upon his

he

of

their

eyes.

And

they

not witness to this man,

said, " I

witness that

He

is

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

90
the servant of
to Jesus, "
us, that

he

God and His

Ask your Lord

may

be alive

"Take him back

some believed in
were
^

to his

apostle.

to allow

among

us."

And

him

they said

to stay with

And

Jesus said,

And

grave;" and he died.

Jesus, the son of

Mary, and some

rebellious.^

To complete

this series of miracles

we add one more

story popular

Historians and authors of stories of the deeds (of the

ancients), relate that a man among the Beni-Israil in the time of
in Arabia

whose name was Ishak, had a wife (cousin) who was one of the
handsomest women of her time. He was devotedly attached to her,
and she happened to die. He therefore stayed near her grave, and for
One day Jesus happened to
a long time never flagged in visiting it.
So Jesus asked him,
pass by him while he was by her grave crying.
" What makes you cry, O Ishak?" He replied, "0 Spirit of God,
I had a cousin who was also my wife, and I used to love her very much
I have no patience, and her
she is now dead, and this is her grave.
separation has killed me." Jesus asked him, " Do you wish me to
revive her for you, by the permission of God ? " And he replied, " Yes,

Jesus,

God." Jesus then stood over the grave and said, "Rise
dweller in this grave, by the permission of God," whereupon
the grave clave open, and there stepped forth out of it a black slave
with fire coming forth from his nostrils, his eyes, and other openings
Spirit of

up,

and saying, "There is no deity but God, and Jesus is His

His Word, His Servant, and His Apostle." Ishak said, "0
Spirit and Word of God, this is not the grave in which my wife is,
but it is this one," pointing to another grave. Jesus then said to the
black slave, "Return to the state in which you were," upon which he
He then stood over
fell down dead, and he buried him in his grave.

in his face,
Spirit,

the other grave and said, "Rise up,

permission of God," and thereupon the

dweller in this grave, by the

woman

rose up, scattering off

Jesus asked him, " Is this your wife?" and
Jesus then said, "Take her
Spirit of God."

the dust from her face.

he replied, "Yes,
then by the hand and go away." He therefore took her and went
away, but having been overcome by sleep he said to her, "The want
of sleep over your grave has killed me; I wish therefore to rest."
She replied, "Do so." So he placed his head on her lap and slept.
While he was asleep, the king's son happened to pass by her he was
beautiful and handsome, had a large frame (of body) and was mounted
;

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

Among His
things, for He

characteristics

used to

tell

what they treasured up

Kalbi:

When

Him

secret,

tell

them what they

in

their

houses.

of

secret

ate,

and

Said El

Jesus healed the blind and the lepers

and raised the dead, they

let

knowledge

is

91

us what

and we

we

said, "

eat

will believe."

This

is

a sorcerer, but

and what we drink

So

He

told

in

them what

on a beautiful courser. When she saw him, love for him entered her
mind, and she stood up hurriedly for him and when he saw her, love
for her also entered his mind ; so she came to him and said to him,
"Take me." He therefore caused her to mount behind him on his
courser and went away.
When her husband woke up from his sleep,
he looked about for her, but not finding her, he went in search of her,
following the footsteps of the courser.
He at last overtook them and
said to the [king's son, "Give me my wife and cousin." But she
denied it, saying, " I am the slave-woman of the king's son ;" and he
She then said, " I do
said, "No, you are my wife and my cousin."
not know you, I am only the king's son's slave-woman." The king's
son then said to him, "Do you want to spoil my slave-woman?"
upon which Ishak said, "Verily, by God, she is my wife, and Jesus
the son of Mary has revived her for me by the permission of God,
While they were thus quarrelling, Jesus
after she had died."
happened to pass that way, so Ishak said to him, "0 Spirit of God,
is not this my wife whom you have revived for me by the permission
Spirit of God, he
of God ? " and he replied, " Yes " but she said, "
;

lies

said,

am

the slave- woman of the king's son."

"This

The

king's son also

my slave-woman." Jesus therefore asked her, "Are

one whom I have revived by the permission of God?"

is

you not the

Spirit of God," upon which he said
and she replied, " No, by God,
to her, "Return to us what we have given you," and she fell down
dead. Jesus then said, "Whoever wants to see a man whom God
caused to die an unbeliever, then revived him and caused him to die
a second time, a Muslim, let him look at the black slave, and whoever
wants to see a woman whom God caused to die a believer, then
revived her and caused her to die a second time an unbeliever, let him
look at this one." Ishak the Jew then swore to God that he would
Adnever marry again, and went away crying into the deserts.
Damibi's Hayat-Al-Hayawan, pp. 497-498.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

92

they would eat the following day, or what they had

eaten in the past.

Another characteristic was His walking upon the

He went out once on His

Him a man of short
And
stature and he was a close companion of Jesus.
when they approached the sea. He said, " In the name of
God, good health and certainty." So He walked upon
Then the man of short stature
the face of the waters.
It is related that

water.

wanderings, and there was with

;

In the name

said, "

of

God, in health and certainty;" and

Then

he walked upon the face

of the waters.

ment

said, " This is Jesus, the Spirit

of

seized him,

and he

God, walking on the water, and I

No

the water."

And He

short stature

him, "

What was

said, "
?

is

And

the

to pull

Him

him

out.

man

of

and Jesus said

to

that you said,

yourself in the

wrong place and

angry at what you said; so repent to God."

man

repented, and regained his position with

Mohammed and
saying that

He would

if

Christ,

and quotes

Mohammed

as

Jesus had possessed more faith and trust.

have walked not only on the water, but on

air.]

Other
said

it

[Here the author draws a comparison between

Jesus.

the

to Jesus

So he told

"

You have put

God

walking on

sooner had he said so than he began to

and he cried aloud

sink,

am

astonish-

Traditions concerning Jesus

Jesus (on

whom

Christ.

Wahab

be peace) went out one day on

His wanderings, and a Jew accompanied Him, who had

two loaves

of

bread,

and Jesus had

only one

loaf.

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

Said Jesus unto him,

Jew

said, "

only one

up

Yes

" I

"

me

your food

and the

And when

Jesus went

His companion went aside and ate one of

When

his loaves.

asked him,

Share

but when he saw that Jesus had

he was sorry.

loaf,

to pray.

"

93

"

Where

had only one."

is

the other loaf

"

and he

So they both ate one

loaf,

replied,

and then

how Jesus

[The story goes on to relate

they departed.

He

Jesus had finished His prayer,

performed miracle after miracle (mostly of an inane

which convinced the Jew

character),

mission

and how the Jew continued

eaten the

loaf, until

for his greed,

finally

the

His divine

of

to

deny having

Jew was punished

and Christ went on His way.]

Concerning the sending down of the Table.

Most High,

in the

Jesus, son of
to
if

Koran,

Mary,

is

When

how

the table

and what was upon

it.

it

from Yasar, who received

God (upon him be

down, and upon

it

said, "

it

it

the

The

table

He

eat,

said, " I wdll

first

if

you do

that, it will

of

came

this

was

which would
do

it,

and

with you as long as you do not hide

conceal it; but

And

was bread and meat, and

because they asked Jesus for food to

will abide

from Omar, who

from the Apostle

prayers and peace)

not prove insufficient.

God

Trust in

are at disagreement

came down, and its character,

Katada says in a tradition

which he got from Jaber, who got

got

"

thy Lord able to cause a table

come down from heaven ? " He

you are believers." The learned

concerning

Said God

the disciples said,

it

it

or

punish you."

day had not passed by when they began

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

94

and hide

to deceive

of it

relate that they stole of

come down always.

and some
it,

So the table was taken up, and

who deceived were turned

those

And Ibn

said, "

He

Children of

then ask God

ye for thirty days, and

whatsoever you wish, and

and swine.

into apes

'Abbas said that Jesus

fast

Israel,

of the traditions

for they said, It will not

So

will give it to you."

they fasted thirty days, and when they were ended

they

said, "

and we
to

Jesus, whenever

he feeds

finish his job,

God, and we are hungry

make

a table

come down

we work

for

now ask God

to us

anybody

Behold we fasted

us.

that

He

Then

from heaven."

Jesus put on sackcloth and sprinkled Himself with

God Most High, and said, "

to come down to us a table from

ashes and called upon

God, our Lord, cause

Then the angels brought the

heaven."

which were seven loaves and seven

placed
the

between their hands and they ate

it

first to

that

the

Israel

table

contained

it

all

heaven in which was the taste

heaven

said that
it

had on

when the

it

of it

from

came down to the children of

manner of food except meat.

'Attiah al 'Ufi said that a big fish

Katada

and they

'Atta the son of Ibn Saib relates

last.

when the

upon

table,

fishes,

of

table

came down from

all

kinds of food.

came down from

it came

the fruits of paradise, and

down every morning and every night wherever they

happened to be, like the manna and the quails to the
children of Israel in the wilderness. Wahab said God
made a barley loaf to come down and two fishes, and
:

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

this

was

sufficient for all of them.

and eat and depart

them and

Kaab

food remaining.

Some would come

and others would follow

satisfied,

they had

eat, until

eaten and there was

all

said: Verily the

down from heaven, upside down, and

with

it.

table

came

the angels flew

between heaven and earth, and

it

meat and food were on

95

all

kinds of

Makatal and Kalbi said

God heard Jesus (upon Him be peace), and said,

Verily, I will make a table come down to you as you

that
"

have desired, and whosoever eats of this food and does

not believe in Me, I will

make him an example and a

They said, " We are

curse to those that follow after."

So

agreed."

He

the apostles, and

Simon

said, " I

And He

said, "

Give them

arose

sat

and

answered

and

down
called

Him

and he was the best

to him, "

have two small

into tiny pieces,

and they

called Simon,

He said

fishes

to me."

said, " Sit

Have you any

and

food

of
?

six loaves."

So Jesus cut them up

down upon

the grass

Then Jesus
God Most High, and He

in companies of ten.

upon

and sent the blessing upon

bread became loaves, and the

fish

it,

and the

became whole

fish.

Then Jesus got up and walked about, and threw before

each company handfuls. Then He said, "Eat, in the
name of God." And the food increased until they all
had a great

and there was food remaining,

people was five thousand and over.

sufficiency

and the number

of

Then the people said, "We have borne witness that

Thou art the servant of God and His apostle."
Then at another time they asked Him, and God sent

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

96

down

He

as

back

and two

five loaves

did at the

fishes,

And when

first.

to their villages

and spread

who had not observed

those

He

and

it

them

did with

the people went

some

this report,

laughed and

said, "

of

Woe

verily. He hath bewitched your eyes."

whom God wished good, retained their
those to whom He wished punishment,

be unto you

So those

to

sight; and

returned unto their unbelief and were changed into

monkeys and swine.

'Atta bin Abi Eabah
Jesus

who was His

He

orphan; and

He

relates

equal

and

that no one followed

He

never scolded an

never laughed immoderately; and

never even drove a

from

fly

His face

off

never broke a promise once given

was

And when

frivolous.

should

make

down upon
food upon

a table

and

the disciples asked that

come down. He

said, "

it

we may eat, for Thou art the best of

Then a large, red, covered dish came down

and they were looking at

down slowly

until it

Jesus wept and said, "

ones

and make

it

came

in

God, make

looked upon

it,

it

it.

their

and a cloud

And

it

presence.

me

came
Then

of the thankful

a mercy to us, and do not

make

And when

they

an example and a punishment."

it

He

God, send

that

between two clouds, a cloud above

it

He

never

us a table from heaven, and furnish us with

providers."

below

and

He

they saw a sight which no one had

seen before, and they never smelled a meal better than

*

The

find.

text here

is

very obscure

this is the best rendering I could

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

you

works uncover the dish and say grace and

in good

eat from

said to them, " Let the best of

Then Jesus

this meal.

97

Then

it."

of the apostles, "

said Simon, the pale one, the chief

You

are the one to do

rather than

it

Then Jesus got up and performed the ablution,

and prayed a long prayer and wept very much. Then
He took off the cloth cover and said, " In the Name of
God, the best of Providers." And behold, it was a fish,

we."

broiled, without scales

with
tail

oil

and

and without bones

head was a pot

at its

some vinegar, and around

And

except leeks.

overflowing

of salt,

and at

its

sorts of vegetables

it all

there were also five loaves of bread

them there were olives, and upon another

was honey; upon another, butter; upon the fourth,
cheese and upon the fifth, salted meat. And Simon

upon one

of

said, "

Spirit of God, is this food

from the other world

"

from

Jesus said, "

this

world or

What ye see

is

the food of this world nor of the other world, but

has created

by His mighty power

it

with your request, as

much

show us another miracle beside

"O

fish,

shook

live,

itself,

by permission

and

its

scales

when

I give,

not wish to frighten you

by permission of God."
broiled state as

it

said, "

was.

and there

will

Spirit of God,

And

this."

accordance

Jesus said,

Then the fish

returned upon it, and its

bones, and they were terrified.

thing which,

eat, in

as ye like,

Then they

be enough for you."

not

God

of

God."

Said Jesus,

you do not

like

"
?

Why ask a
But

I do

O fish, go back as you were,

And the fish returned to its
Then they

said, "

Spirit of

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

98

God, you be the

eat."

those

it,

and then we

will

God forbid that I should eat, but

Jesus
who have asked for it shall eat it." And they
said, "

were afraid to eat from

and the
halt,

from

to eat

first

and the

sick,

and said

it,

so Jesus invited the poor,

lepers,

and the maimed, and the

them, "Eat that which God has

to

may you have good health and

the others punishment." And those that ate of it were
thirteen hundred men and women, of the poor and

provided for you, and

needy, and the sick and the lepers, and

were

And

filled.

behold,

it

was as

it

was before when

Then the

from heaven.

were looking, until

none

of

all of

Jesus looked upon the

it

it

and

came down

table flew back while they

And

disappeared from them.

those that were sick on that day ate from

but they got well, and the weak became strong

no poor

them

fish,

man

it

and

but became rich, and remained so until

his death.

So the disciples and those who did not eat

repented.

And

down,

it

came

to

pass

that

the rich and the poor, the small

when

it

came

and the

great,

men and women, crowded together round it; and it

came down for forty mornings but when the shadows
;

lengthened,

it

went up again while they beheld, and

disappeared from their

irregularly

not, like the

one day

it

And

sight.

it

came down

would come and another day

camel of Thamud.

Jesus, " Surely I have prepared

for the poor, not for the rich."

And God

my
And

the rich, so that they doubted and

table

revealed to

and

my

food

this did not please

made men

to doubt,

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

99

Do you

said, "

really think a table came down

Then Jesus said to them, " Ye have
perished, and deserve the punishment of God."
And
God Most High revealed to Jesus, " Truly I have laid

and they

from heaven

"

two conditions upon those that

my

belie

they continue to disbelieve after

it

miracle,

comes down

if

to

them, and I will punish them with a severe punishment.

Then Jesus said, " If you punish them, they are your
servants and if you forgive them, you are the mighty
;

and
of

So God changed three hundred and thirty

wise."

them

in

men who were with

one night;

families in bed

and when they arose

in the

their

morning

they were swine, wandering about in the streets and

among

the sewers

people saw
of

this,

And when

the

terrified at Jesus, the

son

and eating

they were

filth.

Mary, and they wept, and the friends

were changed into swine also wept.

of those

who

And when

the

swine saw Jesus, they wept, and they went round

about

Him; and

Jesus called them by their names,

one after the other, and they wept and wagged their

And

heads and were not able to speak.

they lived

three days and then died.

And among His

up into heaven.
will cause

you

purify

will

Koran).

characteristics

When God

to die,

and

you above

And

their

will raise

those

but they did not

Jesus, verily, I

you

who

saying, "Verily

the Messiah, Jesus the

God

was His being taken

said, "

to myself

disbelieve"

we have

and
(the

killed

son of Mary, the apostle of

kill

Him, and they did not

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

100
crucify

Him,

"But God

Him

whom

of

Him

and they thrust out

Jesus saw that,

He

God and
am of Thy

called to

me and

curse

my

mother."

that,

of

Him

said, "

Spirit,

God,

and by

And God answered His

And when

Him

and His

the chief of the

Jews

he was terrified and affrighted, and the

killed.

So they

together on a certain day, and began to

He

questions, but

Jews, verily

Him

And when

come to them
curse them that curse

Jews agreed that Jesus should be

collected

did not

prayer, and changed those who cursed

mother into swine.

said,

of the sorceress

and His mother.

Thou art my Lord, and I

Thy word am I created and I
God,
on my own account.

ask

met a

be peace)

Jews; and when they saw Him, they

There comes the sorcerer, the son

saw

says,

Most

is

Concerning these Koran verses,

Mighty and Wise."

"

and God

to Himself,

Kalbi says that Jesus (upon

mob

Koran verse

the

but," etc., until

raised

God

said to them, "

hates you."

company

Then they hated

because of that saying, with a strong hatred,

and gathered together

Most High
caused

Him

to

murder Him.

sent Gabriel (upon

whom

to enter into a hovel

Then God

be peace),

and concealed

who

Him

Then God Most High lifted Him from

Then the chief of the Jews commanded
its parapet.
one of his men who was called Phelatanus, that he
should enter the hovel and kill Him. And when
Phelatanus entered he did not see Him, and he
on the

roof.

remained behind a long time, so they thought that

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

Then God made him appear

he was killing Him.

like Jesus,

and when he came out they thought he

was Jesus and they

Wahab

101

killed

him and

that Jesus,

relates

made Him know

when God Most High

He was

that

crucified him.

about to leave the

world, was terrified at death and in great doubts, so

He

together the

called

and He

meal

for I

have need of you.

He

that night,
serve

them

their hands,
their

seemed strange

part in me."
finished

He

this night

and gave them commandments

to them,

And

this

Then

and they despised Him.

you return the thing which

have no part in you and you have no

And He

repeated

said to them, "

my

this,

What

and when

I have

He had

done to you

hand, has not been except that ye

my

might be equals on

among

you.

Do

above the other, but

account

have given up

my

for ye see that I

every one humble himself for

own

will for the others, as

will for you.

But

the need which I said I felt for you,

that you call upon

prayer that

He may

am

not therefore be proud the one

let

the other, and give up his

I

Him

by serving you with food and washing your

hands with

best

they came to

hands with His garment.

said to them, " Unless

have done,

this night,

and when they had finished the meal.

He washed

And when

me

gave them a supper and stood up to

and wiped

He

and made them a

disciples

said to them, Stay with

God

for

me and

put

off

my

when they arranged themselves

in regard to

my

request

is

persevere in your

time of death."

for prayer

And

and desired

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

102
to persevere,

God

sent upon

them sleep, so that they

Then Jesus began to awaken

were not able to pray.

them and

God

to say, "

be praised

me

patient for a single night and help

they

said, "

with

us.

By God, we

We

can you not be

know what

do not

"

And

the matter

is

and whenever we

wished to pray, some one prevented

The shepherd

is

And He

stay behind."
this sort

it

were anxious to keep awake the night,

but we were unable to keep awake

said, "

in

continued to speak words of

Then He

concerning Himself.

one of you will disbelieve in

crows three times

Then Jesus

it."

going away and the sheep will

and one

said, " Verily,

me

before

you

will sell

of

the cock

me

for

dirhems, and then he will devour his hire."

a few

Then they went out and scattered, and the Jews

were seeking Him and they took Simon, one of the
;

disciples,

and

said,

"This

one of His companions."

is

Then he became anxious and

companions," and they

left

said, " I

am

not of His

Then another took

him.

hold of him in the same way; then he heard the

made him

voice of the cock and wept, for

it

When

the disciples came to

those
if

it

was morning one

Jews and

I indicate to

of

said to them,

you where

He

will

you give me

And

they agreed

"What
is ? "

sorrowful.

with him for thirty dirhems; and he took them and

showed them where Jesus was.

and bound

Him

So they took

with ropes and led

Him

Him

out; and

while they were leading Him, they kept saying, " Thou
art

He

that didst raise the dead, and cure the blind

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

and the

lepers,

now why cannot you

And

from these ropes?"

put thorns upon
crucify

Him upon

Him upon

loosen yourself

they spat upon

Him

God

they descended between them and

between Jesus; and God cast the likeness

upon him who had betrayed Him, and

And

and

Him and they erected the wood to

it.
And when they came to crucify

the tree, the earth was darkened, and

sent angels, and

Judas.

103

his

Jesus

of

name was

they crucified him in His stead, and they

Then God made

Jesus to die for three hours, and then raised Him up
to heaven and this is the meaning of the Koran verse,
thought that they crucified Jesus.

" Verily, I will

cause Thee to die, and raise Thee unto

me, and purify Thee above those who disbelieve."

And when he who resembled Jesus was crucified,

Mary his mother came, and another woman whom
Jesus had cured of possession

one who was

and they wept at the

Then Jesus came

"
them
to
and said, For whom are ye weeping ? " And
they said, "For Thee." Then He said, "Truly God
Most High hath lifted me up and no evil has befallen

feet of the

crucified.

Verily, this person only resembled me to them."

And Makatal said Verily, the Jews appointed a
man to keep guard over Jesus, and to go wherever
He went; and when Jesus went up a mountain, an
angel came and lifted Him up to heaven.
Then
God made the man who watched Him resemble Jesus,

me.

and the Jews thought that

him.

And

it

he kept on saying,

was Jesus
" I

am

so they took

not Jesus

am

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

104

So and So, the son of So and So

believe him,
said

It has

and they

killed

my

but they would not

"

Which

of the

crowd

killed,

and God prevented them from

and
the

God, Jesus,

is

willing to

Then

Prophet of God."

common form of Joshua,

And God knows best.

An

man

killing Jesus

Him up to Himself. And it

man who resembled Jesus and was

said that

is

crucified in

Ashua

Israelite called

So he was

lifted

His place was an

(this is the

or Jesus), the son of Kandir.

account of the Descent of Jesus from Heaven seven

days after His Ascension.

those

who

Jesus,

He

to

of

you

of

form, and he will be killed."

said, " I,

Katada

crucified him.

been related that the Prophet

said to His companions, "

take

and

Him,

"

Said Wahab

are learned in books

tarried in

heaven seven days.

Your enemies, the Jews,

and others

When God

lifted

Then God

of

up

said

are trying to prevent

your covenant with your companions, so go down to

them and give them commandment

Magdalene, for no one
she

is,

and no one

is

is

weeping

and go

So go down to her, and

the

first

meet you

tell

much

Mary
as

as she

her that she will be

and instruct her

men

to

gather

may

send them

to the

worship of

together your disciples, so that you

throughout the earth, calling

to

you as much

sorrowful for you as

is.

to

for

God."

Now

the

story

of

Mary Magdalene

belonged to the children of Israel from a

of

Antioch, called Magdala;

is

that she

little village

and she was a pious

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

woman, but she had
from

purified

blood and was not

a flow of

So the learned

it.

105

of

Israel

tried to

cure her, but she was not cured; she only concealed

her sickness from them.

coming

of

Jesus (upon

And when she heard of the

Him be peace), and how God

cured people at His hand, she approached Him, hoping

When she saw Jesus and the dignity with

which God had clothed Him, she was ashamed, and

for a cure.

came up from behind and touched His back.

Jesus said, " Some one hath touched

me

and God hath granted her her desire and

with

my

Then

for a cure

purified her

purity."

So when God commanded Jesus

to

come down

to

He came down
with light when He

her seven days after His ascension,

upon

her,

and a mountain burned

came down.

He

So the disciples gathered together, and

them out

sent

into the world to call

Then God took Him

and covered

Him

desire for food

And

to God.

Him with feathers

Him of all
And He flies with the
So He is human and

and clothed

with light

and drink.

angels around the

angelic,

up,

men

throne.

and deprived

and earthly and heavenly.

He had commanded
He came down is a
Christians.
Now they say that

the disciples scattered as

them, [and that night on which

night of glory with the

Peter turned his face to

Rome; and Andrew and

and Thomas

Matthew

to the country of the cannibals

and Levi

to the land of the East

to

Kairwan and Africa;

and

and Philip and Jude

John

to

Ephesus, a

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

106
village of the

companions

of the cave

which

his brother to Jerusalem,

and Bartholomew

to Arabia, that

And

to the land of Barbar.

when he came

is

and James and

the Holy Land;

is

Hejaz

and Simon

every one of the disciples

to the people to

whom

he was sent,

spoke in their language.

Here ends the account

of Eth-Thalabi.

It

needs no

comment.

Other accounts of the death, resurrection,

and return

of Jesus Christ, however,

about Jesus and put

caricature of the Christ.

add new legends

new touches to the Moslem

Karmani relates that Jesus

commended His mother

at the time of

His death to

Simon and John and

and do not leave
Him up and clothed Him

the care of two men, namely,

He

said to them, "

her at

Then God

all."

with feathers,

up

years.

lifted

of her,

Mary

lived after Jesus

was taken

six years,

and her age was

fifty-three

etc.

heaven

into

Take care

Then she died and was buried

of the Incarnation in Jerusalem.

But

in the
it is

Church

also related

by Abu-'l-Leeth, the Samarkandi, that Mary died

before Jesus

was taken up into heaven, and that Jesus

attended her funeral Himself.

Abu Huraira
Him be peace)

says that the apostle of

said:

All the prophets are brethren.

Although their mothers are

one,

and

am

the nearest

different, their religion is

of all

He

will

men

to Jesus, because

Him and me. And the

come down upon you and

there was no prophet between

days will come when

God (upon

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

107

He will come
down to my people and when you see Him you will
know Him, for He is a man neither tall nor short,

judge with a righteous judgment, for

;

between red and white, with dishevelled hair as

And He

rained from His head.

and

kill

the

and

swine,

in

He

away the

His day the people

of

God

will destroy the anti- Christ,

by His hand and those

of

and

shall destroy

every other faith except

And

Islam, and worship shall be God's alone.

day God

poll-tax

will grant peace,

Islam until

fight for the religion of

it

will break the Cross,

take

property will be plentiful, and

if

who

His servants

in

His

will be slain

and there

will

be safety in the land, so that the lion will herd with

camels and the leopard with kine, and the wolves

with the sheep; and

little

children shall play with

harm them.

Then Jesus

will tarry in the earth forty years, will

marry a wife

serpents,

and they

from the daughters

Then He
grave of

will not

Omar

Ghassan and

of

will die in

bin Khitab (may

have children.

God be

raised in the resurrection between

In Burton's Pilgrimage

to

to the

pleased with

Abu Bakr and Omar, who

him), and blessed be

refers

will

Medina, and be buried next

will be

two prophets.

El Medina and Mecca, he

to this tradition in these words,

and gives a

sketch of the Hujrah.

" It

is

is now spare
Maryam after

popularly asserted that in the Hujrah there

place for only a single grave, reserved for Isa bin

his second coming.

The

proving that though

many

historians of Al-Islam are full of tales

of their earlier saints, as

Osman

the

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

108

Caliph and Hasan the Imam, were desirous of being buried

there and that although Ayishah, to whom the room belonged,
;

willingly acceded to their wishes, son of

able to occupy

man

has not yet been

it."

"The Hujrah,

or

tomb

in

which

Mohammed

died and was

buried, was originally the apartment of 'Ayesha, the Prophet's

At

favourite wife.
fifty-five feet,

present

it

an irregular square

consists of

of

separated from the mosque of the Prophet by a

passage about twenty-six feet wide.

Inside the Hujrah there

Mohammed, Abu Bakr,

are three tombs, supposedly those of

and Omar, surrounded by a stone wall, or some say by strong

planking. "Whatever the material may be, it is covered by a
curtain, and the outer railing is separated by a darker passage
from the inner, and is of iron work painted green and gold.
Above the Hujrah is a green dome surmounted by a large gilt
crescent.
There is much confusion among Moslems in regard
Fatimah,
to the whole arrangement of this grave chamber.
the Prophet's daughter,
part of the building.

length on his right

right cheek

and

is

side,

his face

supposed to be buried in a separate

is said to be stretched full
with the right palm supporting the

Mohammed

toward Mecca.

Close behind

him Abu

Bakr is placed, whose face fronts Mohammed's shoulder then

Omar, who occuj^ies the same position with respect to his predecessor.
The space left for the grave of Jesus when He returns
to earth, occupies the same relation described above, to the
grave of Omar, as can be seen on Burton's sketch.
;

" There are reasons for doubting whether the prophet

buried in the mosque raised to his honour.

No

less

is

really

than twelve

arguments can be given against the supj)Osition.i The garden

annexed to the tomb is called ar Raudha. The Hujrah has four
gates, all kept locked except the fourth one, which admits only
the officers in charge of the treasure, the eunuchs who sweep the
floor, light the lamps, and carry away the presents thrown into
the enclosure by Moslem devotees.
that

many
^

early

Moslem

saints

It is

commonly

asserted

and warriors desired

See Zwemer, Arabia the Cradle of Islam, pp. 47, 48.

to

be

PLAN OF THE HARAM

oil

THE PROPHET'S MOSQUE AT AL-MADINAH.

Sf(p'

RiumU
Stept

or

Uonr

Hypoit]/tt

HypoilyU

Tht

O
O
Rahmah
O O O

PrcphfC,

Dab

^*'W/

(<i/

Upright ptanking,
behind wltxch prayerl
are recited
el

Hajar, the fiaf^^ed passa^f

THE PLACE WHERE JESUS WILL BE BURIED.

(From Burton's "Pilgrimage

to

i*'omnj

Hypcrthrai Court

Farsh

cl r^isi

Gardtn

Lady Fatirua

Baft

o/ the

of lh

Madinah and Mecca.")

DEATH, ASCENSION, AND RETURN

109

buried in the remaining space next to the grave of Omar, but

by Mohammed's own wish

was reserved for 'Isa on his

was taken by the
Wahabis in 1804, their chief stripped the tombs of all valuables
and proclaimed that all the prayers and exclamations addressed
to it were idolatrous.
At present, however, many superstitious
practices are indulged in, and Medina is almost as much a
that

it

When Medina

second coming and death.

centre of pilgrimage as Mecca.

"All Moslem pilgrims,

Jesus the Messiah

We

therefore,

to be buried."

know

of the place

where

are indebted to C. H. A. Field for the following

account of the

and

is

trial of

our Lord before the Sanhedrin

It occurs in the

Pilate.

(a.d. 1647),

Dabistan of Mohsin Fani

and resembles the Gospel narrative more

than the earlier traditions.

" When Jesus appeared, the high priest said, We charge Thee
upon Thy oath by the living God, say art Thou the Son of God ?
The blessed and Holy Lord Jesus replied to him, I am what
thou hast said. Verily, We say unto you, you shall see the Son
of Man seated at the right hand of God, and He shall descend in
the clouds of Heaven.' They said, Thou utterest a blasphemy,
because, according to the creed of the Jews, God never descends
'

'

in the clouds of Heaven.'

" Isaiah the prophet has announced the birth of Jesus in words

A branch from the root

branch shall come forth
a flower in which the Spirit of God shall dwell verily, a virgin
I'shai is the
shall be pregnant and shall bring forth a Son.'

the translation of which

of I'shai shall spring up,

is

as follows

and from

this

name
"

of the father of David.

When

blessed face

they had apprehended Jesus, they spat upon His

and smote Him.

Isaiah

had predicted

it.

I shall

1 This tradition is given as reliable by Ibn ;Khaldoon {3TuTcadimet

Ibn Khaldoon, Beirut edition, pp. 226, 227). This author gives the
other traditions regarding Christ's return in the same form as above.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

110

up My body to the smiters, and My cheek to the diggers of

wounds. I shall not turn My face from those who will use
bad words and throw spittle upon Me.' When Pilatus, a judge
of the Jews, scourged the Lord Jesus in such a manner that His
body from head to foot became but one wound, so was it as Isaiah
had predicted.
He was wounded for our transgressions ; I
struck Him for his people.' When Pilatus saw that the Jews
insisted upon the death and crucifixion of Jesus, he said, I take
no part in the blood of this Man I wash my hands clean of His
The Jews answered,
His blood be on us and on our
blood.'
children.'
On that account the Jews are oppressed and curbed
down in retribution of their iniquities. When they had placed
the cross upon the shoulder of Jesus and led Him to die, a
woman wiped with the border of her garment the face, full of
blood, of the Lord Jesus. Verily, she obtained three images of
it and carried them home ; the one of these images exists still in
Spain, the other is in the town of Milan in Italy, and the third
in the city of Rome."

give

'

'

Later accounts like these, however, are evidently

largely based on the Gospel story or Christian traditions,

and are neither generally known nor access-

ible to the masses.

It is not correct to quote

as belonging to the

common

them

stock of ideas on Jesus

The masses are wholly dependent on what

the Mullahs teach, and these do not read historians
Christ.

nor poets, but orthodox tradition and the Koran.

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF

JESUS CHRIST

111

"Jesus Christ

is

name that

represents the most

wonderful story and the profoundest problem on the

field of history
the one because the other.
There is
no romance so marvellous as the most prosaic version
of His history.
The Son of a despised and hated people,
meanly born, humbly bred, without letters, without

opportunity, unbefriended, never save for one brief and

fatal

moment

priests,

the idol of the crowd, resisted by the

and the

religious

by the
was obscure,

learned, persecuted unto death

destined to a

as short as

life

it

issuing from His obscurity only to meet a death of un-

and His
ever

He

He

by means of His very sufferings

upon a throne such as no monarch
and a dominion such as no Caesar ever exercised.

pitied infamy.

yet,

cross, enters

filled

they accept His

words as law, though they confess it a law higher than
human nature likes to obey they build Him churches,
they worship Him, they praise Him in songs, interpret
Him in philosophies and theologies they deeply love,
they madly hate, for His sake." A. M. Fairbairn,
leads captive the civilised peoples

Christ in

Modern Theology.

112

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF

JESUS CHRIST

THE chapters that preceded have clearly shown that

Christ has a place in Islam as one of the greater

Prophets, and that the

Koran

of the Messiah's greatness,

veiling

his

Mohammed
fails

to

glorious

perfection

falls

short of un-

and Divine majesty.

leads his followers to the portal, but he

open the door.

of the traditions

who

gives precious glimpses

but yet

perusal of the

Koran and

on the part of any sincere Moslem

tries to interpret

Jesus Christ,

may

indeed kindle

the flame of curiosity, but will ever leave his heart-

longing unsatisfied.

Yet no Moslem who reads

book can escape forming some opinion

his

of Jesus Christ,

the son of Mary, and therefore of giving a verdict on

His person and character.

This chapter
is

in the

mind

is

intended to show what the conclusion

of the average

Moslem from the accounts

already given in regard to the person and character of

Jesus Christ.

It

sums up

all

the

data

found

Chapters I-IV, in the completed idea of the

8

in

man

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

114

Jesus Christ as

and

historical:

He

stands before

Moslem mind

the

The chapters that precede are

heart.

in

this

we attempt dogmatic

largely-

treatment.

And

yet

it is

impossible to approach the subject and

use

Christian

terminology, because Islam eliminates

all
its

the Cliristian ideas

back of

this

terminology, by

denials and contradictions.

The doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ is central,

In
determinative, and supreme in Christian theology.^
dealing with the person of Jesus Christ the Church
throughout the centuries has taught that

God and very Man, and

to

He was

very

His person there have

always been ascribed, according to the teaching of the

Bible, the threefold office of Prophet, Priest,

His eternal existence as the Son

of

and King.

God, His wonderful

humiliation as the Son of man, and His exaltation in

glory,

the

are

comfort of

commonplaces

of

theology and

the

all believers.

Yet no Moslem can study the person and character

For him
of Jesus Christ according to these categories.
they do not
Christ from

exist.

therefore, take

In considering the person

Moslem
up

standpoint,

of

Jesus

we must

first,

the subject negatively.

The Moslem idea of Christ, as of God, consists

not only in what is asserted of Him, but also, and
more emphatically, in what is denied. As James
Freeman Clarke remarks " The error in every theory
I.

^ Fairbaim,
A. M.,
London, 1894, passim.

The Place of Christ in Modern Theology.

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

usually found in

is

What
see

is

sees

it

its

denials, that

substantial and real

is

mark only

is,

its limitations.

what

of its limited vision."

denies the Deity and the

eternal

115

it

does not

The Koran

Sonship of Jesus

He is a creature like Adam. " Verily, Jesus

is as Adam in the sight of God.
He created him of
dust; He then said to him, Be, and he was" (Surah
Christ.

Those who assert that Jesus Christ

52).

than

human

the Messiah

"The

are infidels.
is

He

if

He

"

Who

(Surah 5:19).

tion

the

of

"

more

is

say that

them

how

Jesus Christ

God nor

to

can obtain anything

chose to destroy the Messiah, the son

Mary, and His mother and

together

is

not essential to

is

God's plans in the world.

of

fight

Not only

they lie!" (Surah 9: 30).

from God

God

the Son of God.

a mere creature, but

Christians

person of

all

Jesus

He was

are on the earth

Christ begins

by the

man among men.^

servant whom we favoured,

only a

assertion

that

" Jesus is

no more than a

and proposed as an instance

children of Israel, and,

who

To Moslems a considera-

if

we

of

divine power to the

pleased,

we could from

yourself bring forth angels to succeed you on earth

(Surah 43

Nothing

59).

so arouses the hostility of the

as the statement that Jesus Christ

The Mohammedan

ideas

is

Moslem mind

the Son of God.

and misconceptions

of

the

Quoted in The Moslem Doctrine of God, p. 77.

Cf. the refutation, in most bitter terms, of the doctrine of the
Trinity in Carletti's translation of Idhar-ul-Hak^ vol. i. pp. 388^

417.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

116

more

Trinity are

ant this denial

doctrine

will

make

Trinity

the

of

person

the

of

elsewhere/ but two

fully treated

Koran

passages from the

thing

monstrous

The

mountains
to

fall

Merciful

to

take

" Praise

91-93).

to

regards

import-

But

ye have brought

is

that
it

riven

they

burst

and

the

attribute

becomes not the

Himself a son"

belongs to God,

their

"They say the

heavens well-nigh

broken,

Merciful a son

the

as

is

earth

the

down

how

Jesus.

of

Merciful has taken to Himself a son

asunder thereat, and

clear

(Surah

19:

who has not taken

Himself a son and has not had a partner in His

to

kingdom, nor had a patron against such abasement"

(Surah 17: 112).

Whatever the Koran and

tradition

may

we

state, as

have already seen and shall see afterwards, concerning

Jesus Christ, His dignity, His sinlessness, or His power
to

work

miracles,

person in any
prophets
Christ

who came

of

created

Moslems do not
as to

before

distinguish

His

His nature from the other

Him.

The pre-existence

of

everywhere denied, while Moslem tradition

is

full

is

way

stories

before

all

about the Light

things

and

of

existing

Mohammed,
before

all

seems incredible that Islam, while im-

worlds.2

It

puting to

Mohammed

that which he never asserted of

The Moslem Doctrine of God, chapter vi.

See liisan al Ayoon, by Burhan ud Diu al Halibi, and the evidence
collected by Koelle, Mohammed and Mohammedanism, pp. 246-252.
^

Facsimile of Letter from a

Mullah

in Chefoo,

China (1911),
in

which

he

objects

deity, urges that

to

the

Mohammed

is

doctrine

of

Christ's

superior to Christ in

every respect, and that the fact of the Virgin birth

does not necessarily prove

because

"Adam

the superiority of Jesus,

had neither father nor mother, and

was in

this respect superior to Jesus, while it is well

known

that even scorpions propagate miraculously."

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

117

namely, pre-existence, should deny this in

himself,

connection with Jesus Christ.^

The bitter attacks of Islam on Christianity in the

Moslem press of Egypt and of India nearly always
find their centre in the Deity and the atoning work of
Jesus Christ. To Christians Jesus Christ is God and
man He is Prophet, Priest, and King. To Moslems
;

He

only human, and while they admit that

is

a Prophet, His

is

He

kingship and His priesthood are

Islam

neither understood nor admitted.

is

a religion

without a priesthood, without a clear idea of the

Atonement, and therefore

work

of

Jesus

Christ

thought in the

this central

absent from the

is

Moslem

mind.
Dr. Sayous calls attention to the absence of this
idea

from Mohammed's own mind in this striking

way:
"

En un

mot,

Mahomet

n'a pas

pas besoin de redemption.

II

vu

le

p^che, et

mtoe rendu

il

n'a

ses dis-

ciples de tons les si^cles presque incurablement rebelles

k cette id^e.
est sans

C'est pour cela

que

monde de Tlslam

comparaison celui dans lequel

a recrute le moins de proselytes.

et de la grace est

comme un mur,

musulman curieux de

le

le

la foi chr^tienne

La doctrine du pech^
k la rencontre duquel

christianisme se detourne en

levant les ^paules et revient sur ses pas."

^

Carle tti's Idhar-ul-Hak, "Refutation de la Trinite par les paroles

de Jesus Christ, vol. i. pp. 396-417.

- Sayous, Edouard, J^sus Christ cCapres Mahomet, p. 64.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

118

We are

not surprised, therefore, that the Cross

a stumbling-block to most of
as

Mohammed

was to

it

Mohammed's

is still

followers,

himself.

Eecent Moslem literature of every sect and every

school of thought

as positive in its rejection of tliese

is

distinctively Christian doctrines as

orthodox tradition.

is

Koran and

the

missionary in Egypt writes

that the bitter antagonism of learned Moslems to the

Deity and the Cross of Christ

As

front.

a rule, Moslems

He

Christ.

is

reverenced

is

again coming to the

refrain from reviling the

among them
"a

"but," says Mr. J. Gordon Logan,

who

signed himself

of the

'

as a Prophet,

recent writer,

Moslem,' set aside the teaching

Koran, and proceeded to prove from what he

called 'history' the true character of Christ

mother, using the most

casting the vilest

and His

blasphemous language and

accusations on

the

Son

of

God."

Cairo a

Moslem distributed broadcast throughout

poem of which the following is a free transla-

tion.2

It

Another

was headed,

"

A Wonderful

Question for the

People of the Cross."

"

You who worship

If

Jesus, I

have a question for you, and can

you answer it ?
Jesus was Almighty God, with power
men,
^

J.

Gordon

Logan,

Leaflet,

Islam

to strike terror into all

defies

your

King!

Egypt

General Mission.

^'*E1 Khalasat el Burhanieh ti Sahet Dianet el Islamieh," by

bin Seyyid 'Ali (Cairo, 1319), contains it in full, with com-

Mahmood
ments.

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

119

Why

do you believe that the Jews could make him endure the
agony of the Cross ?
And why do j^ou believe that God died, and was buried in the dust,
And sought from his creatures a draught of water, that he
might quench his fiery thirst ?
And that they gave him instead myrrh and vinegar, a nauseous
mixture.

So that he threw it on the ground because he could not take

And that he died a miserable death in an agony of thirst ?
And that they put on his head a crown of thorns,
So frightful that it could turn raven locks to whiteness ?

And

that the blood flowed

down

henna 1
that he rode on a donkey's

his cheeks,

it ?

and stained his

face like

And

toil of

You

the journey

colt to save himself

from the

say too that Perez, son of Tamar, was his ancestor

One who was born

and the Lord will not receive a

of incest,

bastard into His assembly.

And

after that will

error

Nay, he

you count him God, and not be

in grievous

is

only one of the creatures of God, as he said of himself

plainly in the Book.

And

if

he was God

as

you suppose, why did he pray

delivered from the torment

And who
And who

restored his Spirit

kept the world in

the dead

Was

when

it left

its state

his

body ?
came back from

until he

suffer it to

its affairs ?

go to destruction

And was he crucified for some evil he had done ?

Or why did he merit the punishment ?
And did the Jews do well when they crucified
that you might be saved

Or did they do

An

be

there a second Lord watching

Or did he

to

evil that

you might be delivered

extraordinary thing

And if you say that they did well,

Do you count them enemies ?

I ask you,

why

him, in order

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

120

And
And

if

you say they did wrong,

as they crucified

God,

this is fearful sin,

why was it wrong, if without it you could not be saved

from the judgment ?
And was he himself pleased with the crucifixion, or angry?
I say,

Tell

And

if

me

truly.

you say he was pleased with

it

in order that he

might

atone for the fault of the repentant,

I say that

God

Adam

sinned and repented by the grace of God, and

him

forgave

You therefore
Book put

it

(i.e.

without atonement).

about your Lord

lie

for the matter is plain as the

For he fled from his cross, and wept much for himself,
And prayed to the God of heaven
And said, I beseech thee, save me from this trial,'
And cried, *Eli, Eli, why do you leave me this day
torment ?
:

'

'

And

if it is

Save me,

And

possible,

my

to the

Creator, to save me,

best of Fathers.'

this is a proof that

he was only a servant of the Lord with-

out doubt.

And
And
And

this is a proof that

say what
if

you

lie

about him,

is false.

you say that the

cross

was forced on him in

spite of

himself

Almighty God is not Almighty, for he hung on the

on every side as it is written.
Do not blame me for thus putting the matter.

Then

this

Cross, cursed

Answer

my questions.

And do

not

fail,

I have given

because silence in this

you

advice,

is

a disgrace to you.

and desire only that

it

may

profit

you.

For myself, I will die a firm believer in the religion of Mohammed, the noblest of men.
As I do not wish to see the horrors of the day of Judgment." ^
^

Quoted in Islam

defies

your King

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

Not on a par with

this sort of popular

121

antagonism

to the doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ as held

by Christians, and yet equally decisive are the

ments

of

Seyyid Ameer

most able apologist

of Christ is

for

Islam

"

So far as the divinity

concerned, one can almost see the legend

But assuming that Jesus made use

growing.

state-

Ali of Calcutta, the latest and

of

the

expressions attributed to him, do they prove that he

claimed to be 'the

With

all his

only-begotten

of

the Father?'

dreams and aspirations, his

mind was

absolutely exempt from those pretensions which have

been fixed on him by his over-zealous followers. That

Jesus ever maintained he was the Son of God, in the
sense in which it has been construed by Christian
divines and apologists,

Here we should

we

totally deny."^

notice a boastful assertion

among Mohammedans when arguing with

common

Christians,

that they honour the Lord Jesus Christ more than

After their deliberate and systematic
Christians do.

lowering of His dignity and depreciation of all His

claims and work as given in the Gospel, such state-

ments seem strange, but most workers among Mohammedans have been surprised and shocked to see how
great

is

the misconception and ignorance implied in

In the Life of Bishop French we

Another was only come to dispute and entangle
read
us in our talk, a learned Mullah, full of captious
He said he was
quibbles and subtle disputations.
such an assertion.
:

"

Ameer

Ali,

The Spirit of Islam, pp. 121-122.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

122

sure he loved Christ

more than

He was

believe such bad things as I did, that

dead and buried, for he believed, and

He

believed,

never died at

all."

he did not

I did, for

crucified,

Mohammedans

all

So far we have considered the Moslem idea

II.

of

the person and character of our Saviour negatively.

We

pass on

regards

as

believe

consider what

to

Moslems admit and

the dignity of person and

help feeling that the Moslem

who has

the

One cannot

purity of character found in Jesus Christ.

carefully studied

the Koran will come to the conclusion, independently

of

all

the commentators, that Christ

Mohammed and
;

it is

superior to

is

a joy to all missionaries to

who come

that occasionally one finds persons

know

to this

conclusion, and in consequence turn to the Gospels,

led to

them by the Koran.

Peshawar

tells of

The Eev.

such an instance

writing to the Bible Society Depot in

asking for a

New

mentioned

.Christ

Bannu mentioned
There

is

Testament
in

the

other cases

no better way

to

Koran
of

Bomford

T.

man

learn

Lahore, and

more

of

the

Pennell

Dr.

of

from Mecca

of

a similar nature.

of preaching Christ to

Moslems

than by beginning with the testimony of the Koran

to Jesus.2

First of

all,

as prophet and
^

Moslems admit the dignity

apostle, with

names given

Life of Bishop French, vol. ii. p. 119.

Christ in Islam : The Testimony of

2 Cf.

Rev.

Wm.

Goldsack.

tlie

to

Quran

of

Christ

Him

which

to Christ,

Christian Literature Society, Madras.

by

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

are applied
as

no other prophet and

to

we have seen

in Chapter

admits the force of

this

I.

to

no other

123

apostle^

Every sincere Moslem

argument

the unique

for

character and personality of Jesus Christ, although

a

man among men.

Nevertheless, the average

force of this

argument until

specially, because,

even although these

to Jesus Christ, he himself

and prophets

apostles

no special dignity
quoting the text,

them

"

is

has sent

78

in such a

of position.

"We make
" Say,

down

We

to us,

does not see the

called to

is

titles

it

are applied

ranked with the other

way

as to give

Moslems

Him

are fond of

no distinction between

between the prophets)

{i.e.

285, and 3

He

Moslem

his attention

Surah

130, 2

God and what

and what has come down to
believe in

Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and what

came down to Moses and to Jesus and the prophets
from their Lord. We make no distinction between
any of them." And it is remarkable that the name of
;

Jesus

is

mixed up with the other prophets

complete
" Isaac,

list

given in the Koran

Jacob, David,

in the only

(Surah

84)

Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses,

Aaron, Zechariah, John, Jesus, Elias, Ishmael, Elisha,

Jonah, Lot."
tradition

To the average Moslem the Koran and

yield

no chronological conception

order of prophetic history, and one would

of

from the Koran necessarily that Jesus was the

of the prophets before

Mohammed

the

not infer
last

or the greatest.

In the second place, Mohammedans teach the

sinless-

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

124

And

ness of Jesus Christ.

according

to

although this sinlessness,

does not put Jesus

present teaching,

Christ in a class by Himself, as all the prophets are

Moslem

sinless in the

sense

Koran, while mentioning the sins

and

Solomon,

word, yet the

that

of

Adam, David,

of

prophets, leaves no

other

doubt

Moham-

regards the purity of the character of Jesus.

med

himself,

Moslems

course,

of

considered by

also

and

as the paragon of excellence

who has never

as one

is

as

purity,

all

and

In regard to Jesus

sinned.

Christ, however, the statements of orthodox tradition

The prophet

are very remarkable.

"There

no one

is

and her son but

is

of the sons of

said,

Adam

we

are told,

except

Mary

touched by the devil at the time of

his birth,

and the child makes a loud noise from the

touch."

Here we have the doctrine

Conception not only of the Virgin

We

are

the palm

also told, "

the

tree,

of the

When Mary was

angels

Immaculate

Mary but

of Jesus.

standing under

defended her, and when

Satan tried to get at her from above, they flocked

above her.

Then he

and behold, the

tried to get at her

from beneath,

feet of the angels protected her.

And

when he tried to get in between them, they prevented

So Satan went back and

him.

said,

There

ever born which was defended against

fully as this birth."

One

of the

is

nothing

so success-

commentators, Er-Razi, says that Jesus

was given the

^

me

Mishkatf Bk.

title
I.

Messiah "because

chap.

iii.

Qarmaniy

He was
vol.

i.

p. 70.

kept

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

clear

from the taint of

Mohammed

prove that while

sinfulness,

is

a remarkable

by Anas, which seems by implication

tradition related

to

There

sin."

admitted his own

he could not charge Jesus with

reads as follows

125

sin.

It

"In the Day of Resurrection MusHms will not be able to

move, and they will be greatly distressed, and will say, Would
to God that we had asked Him to create some one to intercede
for us, that we might be taken from this place, and be delivered
from tribulation and sorrow.' Then these men will go to Adam
'

and

will say,

'Thou

the father of

art

thee with His hand, and

made

men, God created

all

thee a dweller in Paradise, and

ordered His angels to prostrate themselves before thee, and

taught thee the names of

all

things.

Ask

grace for us,

we

pray thee
And Adam will say, I am not of that degree
of eminence you suppose, for I committed a sin in eating of
the grain which was forbidden. Go to Noah, the Prophet,
he was the first who was sent by God to the unbelievers on
!

'

'

Then they will go to Noah and ask

and he will say, 'I am not of that degree
which ye suppose.' And he will remember the sin which
he committed in asking for the deliverance of his son (Hud),
not knowing whether it was a right request or not
and he
will say, Go to Abraham, who is the Friend of God.'
Then
they will go to Abraham, and he will say, I am not of that
degree which ye suppose.' And he will remember the three
occasions on which he told lies in the world
and he will say,
Go to Moses, who is the servant to whom God gave His law,
and whom He allowed to converse with Him.' And they will
go to Moses, and Moses will say, I am not of that degree
which ye suppose.' And he will remember the sin which he
committed in slaying a man, and he will say, 'Go to Jesus,
He is the servant of God, the Apostle of God, the Spirit of God,
and the Word of God.' Then they will go to Jesus, and He
will say,
Go to Muhammad who is a servant, whose sins
the face of the earth.'
for

intercession,

'

'

'

'

'

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

126

God has

forgiven

come

both

and

first

Then the Muslims

last.'

me, and I will then ask permission to go into

God's presence and intercede for them." ^

will

There

to

which may indicate His victory over the

of Jesus
devil,

also this curious version of the temptation

is

but

Ta'us of Yemen,

not very conclusive:

is

Mohammed, used to say,

man says but is counted
against him, even his moaning in illness."
He said,
" Jesus having met Iblis, the latter said to him,
Do
you not know that nothing will betide you but what
one of the early followers of

"There

nothing which a

is

'

destined

is

then

for

you

'Ascend

said,

Jesus

'

to

see

My

I please

but God

tries

of

know

will live

that

God

servant cannot test me, for I do what

His servant.'

his

enemy."

"

Ta'us said, " Iblis there-

Worker, especially as the healer

common

Iblis

mountain

whether you

In the third place, Jesus Christ

the

Yes.'

Verily, a servant does not try his Lord,

"

became

'

of this

Jesus replied, 'Do you not

or not.'

has said, "

fore

summit

the

and throw yourself down

replied,

opinion

is

the great Miracle-

of

among Moslems

the sick.

It

is

that the science

medicine had reached a high degree of perfection

in the days of Jesus Christ, and that

God

His apostle by making

Him

it

possible for

We

the sick through miraculous power.

in the story of the miracles of Jesus
1

Mishkat, Book XXIII. Chapter 12.

Ad-Damiri's Hayat Al-Hayawan,

p.

how
227.

glorified

to

heal

have seen
this con-

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

ception

elaborated.

is

Physician

Jesus

Christ

Great

the

as

127

a familiar picture to Moslems.

is

The following beautiful account of Jesus healing

the sick occurs in the Masnavi/ and may well compare
with our evening hymn,

"At

evening, ere the sun was

The

sick,

"The house

Ho

of 'Isa

afflicted one,

set,

Lord, around Thee lay "

was the banquet

quit not this door

of

men

of heart,

From all sides the people ever thronged,

Many blind and lame, and halt and afflicted,
To the door of the house of 'Isa at dawn.
might heal their ailments.
he had finished his orisons.
That holy one would come forth at the third hour
He viewed those impotent folk, troop by troop.
Sitting at his door in hope and expectation

That with

As soon

his breath he

as

He

stricken ones
spoke to them, saying,
The desires of all of you have been granted by God
'

walk without pain or affliction.

Acknowledge the mercy and beneficence of God
Then all, as camels whose feet are shackled,

Arise,

When

you

loose their feet in the road.

Straightway rush in joy and delight to the halting-place.

So did they run upon their feet at his command."

Lastly, Christ

is

alive

and in heaven, where

Commentary on the Koran

his
this

signifies
^

text,

world and the next " (Surah 3

the

office

of

He

Zamakhshari in

able to intercede for His people.

is

"illustrious in

46) says, " This

prophet and supremacy over

Masnavi-i-Manavi ofJalal-ud-Din, Whinfield's translation,

p. 116,

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

128

men

this world,

in

and

Intercessor

of

and

Moslems disagree

in the next world the office

loftiness

as to

The Sunni divines agree that

but they
in

He now

say

He

that

some say the

Shiah Sect assured

He

is

is.

no corruption,

His human body.

resides in

some say

in the second heaven;

is

the third
of the

He saw

the exact state of celestial bliss

differ as to

which

rank in Paradise."

of

where Jesus Christ now

fourth.^

me

He

Some
in

is

learned doctor

that the Shiah belief

is

in the highest, or the seventh heaven.

Gathering up these ideas of the character of Jesus

and His person, and yet remembering what they deny

in regard to our Saviour, it is evident that to Moslems
the

Founder

of

Christian

the

miraculously born, with power to work

the

last

and

greatest

Mohammed, who

also

of

all

had the

taken up into heaven,

is

although

religion,

prophets

the

special

and

miracles,

honour

until

of being

nevertheless a mere man,

sent of God, and one of the objects of His mission

(and this

always the climax

is

was that Jesus came

Mohammed.

to

announce

all

later

Surah 61:6:
of

Mary

said,
^

lips.

of

often

is

the

confirst

Every Moslem, even boys

their religion, can glibly quote

"And remember when

'

coming

Moslem teaching

cerning the person of Jesus, and

argument on Moslem
who are well read in

the

teaching)

taken a permanent and

This idea has

prominent place in

Moslem

of

children of Israel

Hughes, Dictionary of Islam,

Jesus the son

of a truth I
p. 235.

am

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

129

God's Apostle to you to confirm the law which was

given before me, and to announce an apostle that
Ahmed'"
shall come after me, whose name shall be

By

this

token from the

lips of

Mohammed

himself,

and alleged to be a revelation from God, the prophet

Prophet
of Arabia not only succeeds but supplants the
of Nazareth.

Moslems have always been eager

proof of the coming of Mohammed

New

Testament

interpretation of

in

further

find

to

the Old and

Scriptures in addition to their mis-

John 16: 7: The Paraclete}

They

therefore not only quote the words of the Koran, but

the parable
refer to Deuteronomy 33 2, Isaiah 21 6
:

Matthew 20, John 4: 21, and 1 John 4 1-3.

The passage in Deuteronomy states that Jehovah
came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them He
shined forth from Mount Paran. Sinai is a Jewish
:

in

mountain;

Seir,

where Christ
Mecca, and

they say,

died,

signifies

is

a mountain in Galilee

but Paran
the

is

Mohammedan

mountain near
religion.

As for Isaiah's prophecy, in which he sees a troop

coming of horsemen and of men riding asses, and of
those

who

ride camels, to

which the prophet should

hearken diligently, their interpretation

is

that

the

horses refer to Moses' dispensation, the asses to that

on which Christ rode, and the camels to Mohammed.

The parable in the twentieth chapter of Matthew's
Gospel of the labourers in the vineyard
1

See following chapter.

is

cleverly

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

130

Judaism;

noonday

the

and those

Christ;

whom

to

statement

interesting

the

labourers,

apostles

of

he came in the evening,

This interpretation

the Moslems.

the morning,

dispensation:

applied to the threefold

attributed

is

based on a most

to

Mohammed

in

the traditions.

"Your
Jews and

Christians,

He

labourers.

day

Moslems, in comparison

likeness,

said,
?

for a shekel

is
'

like that of a

Who

will

work

man who hired

me a whole

for

These are the Jews, for they have

'

Then

laboured a long time for a small wage.

man, 'Who

will

to the

work from noon

said the

night for a

until

Then he

shekel?'

These are the Christians.

'Who

work from afternoon prayer time until

Such labourers are ye, and remember that

sunset?'
for

you there

is

the other prophets."

the

of Truth,

ye

have

and in him

and how God

in the terms

said, " I will give those

what I will." ^
According to John 4:21, the true worshippers
God are those that " neither on this mountain nor
I love

Jerusalem " worship

Him

The most daring use

prophecy of the coming

of

Scripture, however, as a

Mohammed,

by know ye the Spirit of God.

Mishkat, vol.

ii.

p. 814.

of

in

namely, the Mohammedans.

of

is

the

interpretation of the last passage mentioned.

all

The tradition goes on to show

Jews and Christians complained,

of the parable,

whom

wage, because

double

acknowledged the prophet

how

said,

will

Every

Moslem
"

spirit

Captain Mathew's translation.

Herethat

THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JESUS

confesseth that Jesus Christ

come

is

in the

131

flesh is

God because

God." Mohammed
he taught that Jesus Christ was come in the flesh;
namely, He came as man and man only, not as God.^
is

of

the true Spirit of

After this fashion the Koran and its interpreters

unite to obscure the glory of the person and character

Jesus Christ, by obtruding ever and anon Mohammed as the last of the prophets and the one to

of

even Jesus Christ bears witness. And what

Moslems have done as regards the person of Jesus

whom

have not hesitated to do in regard to

His teaching, as we shall see in the next chapter.

Christ, they

establish
1
For other passages of Scripture used by Moslems to
coming of Mothe fact that Jesus and His apostles foretold the

hammed,

Carletti's

see

translation of

Iclhar-ul-HaTc,

vol.

quotes the following passages with comment

190-250.
9-17.
Isa. 42
Deut. 18 17-22.

He

Tisdall's

pp.

32:21.
33:2.
Gen. 17:20.
49:10.
Dan. 2 31-45.
Ps. 45:1-18.
,,149:1-9.

65:1-6.

Cf.

ii.

Mohammedan

Matt. 13

31, 32.

20:1-16.

22:33-45.

Jude 14 15.
Rev. 2:26-29.
:

Objections

to

Cliristianity ,

Rice's

des
Crusaders of the Twentieth Centunj, and Gerock's Christologie
Koran, pp. 110-112.

VI

HIS TEACHING

"There seems
Arabic

version

Mohammed's

be no satisfactory proof that an

to

of

time.

New

the

Even

Testament existed in
" Orthodox " Church,

in the

the Gospel was neglected in favour of legends of saints

which appealed more to the popular taste for the marWe shall see that the agreement in detail
vellous.
between what the Koran relates on these subjects and
what may be found in apocryphal and heretical litera.

Here again Mohammed seems

is very remarkable.
have had a wonderful talent for rejecting the true
and accepting the false, just as in the case of the Jewish
ture
to

traditions."
the

W.

St.

Clair Tlsdall, The Sources of

Quran, pp. 140-143.

On pourrait faire un volume avec ce que

musulmans rapportent des paroles ou des
'

'

Jesus Christ.
suflfisent

actions de

Les examples que nous venous de donner

pour demontrer que

encore a chercher.

Ibn Salam a

auteurs

les

Ne

le

serait-ce

fait la traduction,

'

injil

'

musulman

est

point I'evangile dont

com me

il

I'assure

dans

le

Fihrist.

"Mais

cet evangile n'existe plus;

chercheur pourra-t-il un

jour le

peut-etre quelque

retrouver

"

P.

Cheikho, Quclques Lcgendcs Jslamiques Aiwcryphcs.

134

L.

VI

HIS TEACHING

THE

New

Testament, and especially the Gospels,

give as full an account of the teaching of Jesus

as of His

the

and ministry.

life

Koran and

cidedly meagre on

This

Moslem

in

spake as never

regarding the message of

man

spake."

Although, as we have seen, there are

to Jesus Christ

there

the Koran,

in

Both are de-

and Moslems in general

the subject,

are unable to give details

Him " who

not the case in

is

tradition.

it

many references
remarkable that

is

New

not a single direct quotation from the

is

Testament in the whole book, and only one from

the Old Testament (Surah 21
sages

in

Koran,

the

Mohammed
the following

if

own

for you.

He

" The

eartli

indicate that

indirectly

borrowed

Among them

are

its

or

not language.

In Surah 29 60 we read,
not carry

There are pas-

however, which

directly

either

Scripture thought

105).i
:

provision.

"

How many
God

both hears and knows."

my

a beast can-

provides for

it

We may

righteous servants shall inherit." Of. Ps. 37

135

and

com:

29.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

136

pare this with the teaching of Jesus Christ on God's

(Matthew

care for the birds

In Surah 18

morrow,' except (ye say)

we

4 13-15
:

'if

Ye ought

"

shall both live

In Surah 42

26).

am

say of anything, 'Verily, I

Jas.

24 the reference

and do

clearer

is

"

Never

going to do that to-

God

Compare

please.'"

to say,

'

Lord

If the

will,

this or that.'

19 there

is

a reference to the law of

sowing and reaping like that in Gal. 6:7.

He who

"

we will increase
him the tilth and he who desires the tilth of this
world, we will give him thereof, but in the next world
wishes for the tilth of the next world,

for

he shall have no portion."

The passage that approaches nearest to a quotation,

is found in Surah 7
39 " Verily, those who

however,

say our signs are

lies

and are too big with pride

for

them, for these the doors of heaven shall not be

opened, and they shall not enter into paradise until

a camel shall pass into a needle's eye

(Matt. 19

"

24).

Passing by these references to the

for

which no credit

is

are not, therefore, considered by

the teaching of Jesus,

we

He

tliat

It is not evident

the mission of Jesus

contrary,

is

apostle to the

Moslems

consider

conception of the message

to the Jews.

New

Testament,

given in the Koran, and which

first

Christ

as a part of

Mohammed's
came

to bring

from the Koran that

On

Christ was universal.

sent to the

Jews

only,

and

whole world, although His

is

the

not an

disciples

HIS TEACHING

137

afterward carry His message into other lands.

who had

Christ was God's messenger to the Jews

The miracles were intended

into error and unbelief.

to persuade

lead

them

them

His revelation received from God,

The Koran does not

Gospel.

or

Injil

into

His message, and to

of the truth of

to accept

namely, the
indicate

what particular

the Jews had

errors

and in what respect they had

fallen

Abraham

religion of

(Islam), that

In one passage

God.

Jesus
fallen

it is

is,

left

30),

true

the belief in one

asserted that the

divine honours to Ezra (Surah 9

the

Jews gave

but whether this

took place after the mission of Jesus Christ or before,

uncertain.

is left

Al Qaramani,

in his History of Ancient

Peoples^ relates that "

When

Times and

Jesus was eight years old.

named Yasu'a. When He

was thirty years old revelation came to Him, and He
entered the Holy House where the children of Israel

He was

circumcised and

He

were buying and selling; then

them and
snakes

to say,

Ye

sons of the children of vipers and

Then God made the Gospel

As

the

Injil, or

Koran, but by
Jesus,

it is

all

" (vol.

Gospel,

is

gvavyg/./ov

to

of

p. 70).

i.

is

considered not only by the

Moslems, as the special message of

important to

know what

in regard to its character

injil

God for a bazaar ?

come down to Him and

have you taken the house

Gabriel ten times

began to strike

undoubtedly
(evangel).

a
It

Koran teaches
The word
of
the Greek

the

and authority.
corruption

occurs

twelve times in the

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

138

Koran,^ and there doubtless refers to the revelations

made by God

to Jesus, that

to

is,

usage

New

applied to the whole

it is

of the passages that

His verbal messages,

Mohammedan

In later

afterwards put into writing.

mention the

Testament.

All

occur in the

Injil

later Surahs.

Concerning the original divine character and authority of this book, or

message or teaching

Koran expresses no

doubt.

teaching that preceded

it

it

the basis of firm belief

is

72

"Ye

rest

48

29),

to

and

to

prompt

passion (Surah 57

But

since

for the

It

produce the

of

spirit

it

Surah

salvation.

"a word

is

men

a guidance to

is

and

God's

all

on naught until ye stand

law and the gospel."

effect is

of Jesus, the

confirms

It

fast

by the

of truth."

Its

adoration (Surah

of

to deeds of kindness

and com-

27).

Mohammed makes

support of his

own

an appeal to the Gospel

mission in what he con-

known

siders a genuine saying of Christ's, well

to the

Christians of his day, he gave the reason for the later

charge of Moslems against Christians, that they have

This appeal

either lost or changed the original gospel.

Mohammed to Jesus Christ's words occurs

Gl:6: "And when Jesus the son of Mary

in

of

Surah

*0

said,

Surah 3:2; Surah 3 43 Surah 3 58 Surah

7 156
Surah 48 29 Surah 9 112 Surah 5 50, 51 Surah 5 70 ;
Surah 5 72 Surah 5 110, and perhaps Surah 19 31. In this last
passage, the infant Jesus says, " Verily, I am the servant of God.
He hath given me The Book, and He hath made me a prophet."
- Cf. Rodwell and Noldeke.
1

57

Surali

27

HIS TEACHING
children of Israel

am

verily, I

139

the apostle of

God

to

you, verifying the law that was before me, and giving

you glad tidings

whose name

an apostle who shall come after me,

of

Ahmed.'

shall be

"

coming

Jesus, they say, foretold the

He

and

tors

later

tradition

assert,

of

Mohammed

The commenta-

pointed to him that was to come.

that

therefore,

the

teaching of Jesus, originally pure monotheism, was

corrupted by the apostles that followed Him.

commenting on the words

Messiah

tians say that the

what they say with

who

of those

they

lie

"

of the
is

the son of

"

In

The Chris-

God

that

is

their mouths, imitating the sayings

misbelieved before

El-Kalbi states

the religion of

Koran,

"

God

fight

them how
!

The Christians followed

Islam for eighty-one years after the

translation of Jesus, praying with their faces directed

the

to

Kihlah

Ramadan,
Jews.

and

fasting

who

followers of Jesus.

He

the truth

we
if

is

the

month

man among

There was a brave and bold

called Paul,

Jews

during

of

war occurred between them and the

until a

killed a large

said one

day

number

to the Jews,

with Jesus, we have misbelieved

shall go to Hell-fire,

and we

the

of the
'

If

Him and

shall be over-reached,

they enter Paradise and we enter Hell -fire

but

^ Ahmed is the equivalent of Mohammed, and Moslem commentators

have ingeniously found an allusion to this promise in the words of

16, 15 26, and John 17 7).

word irapaKXrjTos has been substituted in the
which would mean the same as Ahmed. The

Jesus concerning the Paraclete (John 14

They

assert that the

Greek for irepiKXvros,

whole context makes clear the

futility of this contention.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

140
shall

scheme a dodge and mislead them,

would enter

Eagle, on the back

hocked

you

of

which he used

He

'

called the
fight

to

he

showed repentance, and threw dust on

his

Who

are

upon which the Christians asked him,

head,
?

it,

so that they

Now, he had a horse

Hell-fire.'

replied,

heaven declared

to

Paul, your enemy.

mes

"

Your repentance

'

voice from
will not be

accepted until you become a Christian," and here, I

have now repented.'

[This

doubtless

history of Paul's conversion, Acts

ix.].

the

to

refers

They therefore

took him into the church, and he entered a room in

and remained

in it for a year, not going out either

day or by night until he learnt the

He

then came out and

declared to me, "

said,

'

New

Testament.

voice from heaven has

God has accepted your

repentance."

They therefore believed him and loved him.

went

to

it

by

He

then

Jerusalem and appointed over them as his

successor Nestorius,

and God were

three.

whom he taught that Jesus, Mary,

He then went to Greece (ar-Eum)

and taught them there the doctrine

He

of the divinity

and

them that Jesus was neither

a human being nor a jinn, but that he was the son of
God, and he taught a man named Jacob this doctrine.
He then called a man named Malkan, and told him
the humanity.

that

God always was

When
them
'

You

told

and

always will

be

Jesus.

he had got a proper hold over them, he called

three, one

by one, and said

are exclusively mine,

a dream, and he

to

each of them,

and I have seen Jesus

was pleased with

me.'

He

in

also said

HIS TEACHING
to each

one of them,

I shall

141

to-morrow

myself

kill

then invite people to follow your persuasion.'

He

then entered the arena and killed himself, saying,

am

When

doing this to please Jesus.'

'

the third day

came, each one of them invited the people to accept

his creed,

and a party followed each

of

the Christians became separated into

bodies,

the

They
Hence God

kites.

them

so that

three distinct

Nestorians, the Jacobites, and the Maladiffered from,

and fought with, one another.

'And the Christians say that the

Messiah is the son of God that is what they say with
their mouths, imitating the sayings of those who misbelieved before.
God fight them how they lie " ^
Another account of how the apostles corrupted the
said,

original message of Jesus

'

is

given in the Biographical

Dictionary of Hajji Khalifah, entitled Kashf-uz-Zunun.

The statements made are such a curious mixture

fact and fiction that we quote them at length

of

" In the book entitled the TuhfatuH-Adih

Saliby or

'

A Refutation of the Servants

fi

Raddi

of the Cross

'

'ala Ahli's-

(written

'Abdu'llah, a pervert from Christianity to Islam, a.h. 823),

by
it

companions are they who corrupted the

religion of Jesus, and have added to it.
And that they were not
of the Hawariyun, or apostles mentioned in the Koran. Matta
did not see Jesus until the year he was taken up to heaven
and after the ascension of Jesus he wrote in the city of Alexandria, with his own hand, his Injil, in which he gives an
account of the birth and life of Jesus, mentioning several
circumstances which are not mentioned by the others. Luka
is

said that these four

Ad-Damiri, Hayat-Al-Hayaivan,

vol.

ii.

pp. 537-538.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

142

but he was converted to Christianity by

one Bulis (Paul), who was an Israelite, who himself had not seen
Marqus also
Jesus, but was converted by Ananiya (Ananias).
did not see Jesus at all, but was converted to Christianity, after
the Ascension of Jesus, by the apostle Bitrus^ and received the
also did not see Jesus,

Injil

from that apostle in the

many

respects

city of

Rome.

And

his gospel in

contradicts the statements of the other three.

Yuhanna was the son

Maryam, the mother

of the sister of

of

and the Christians assert that Jesus was present at the

marriage of Yuhanna, when Jesus changed the water into wine.
It was the first miracle performed by Jesus."
"When Yuhanna saw the miracle, he was converted to
He was the
Christianity, and left his wife and followed Jesus.
writer of the fourth Injil. It was written in Greek, in the
These are the four persons who altered and
city of Ephesus.
changed the true Injil, for there was only one Injil revealed to
Jesus, in which there was no contradiction or discrepancy.
These people have invented lies concerning God and His
prophet Jesus, upon whom be peace, as is a well-known fact,
although the Christians (Nasara) deny it." ^
Jesus,

It

echo

is

in

evident from these traditions which find an

the

common

that the gospel story

belief of

now

Moslems everywhere,

in the

hands of Christians

not for them a true account of the teachings of Jesus.

is

Although the Koran in general terms commends both

the Old and the

New

Testament,^ in a whole series of

passages which assert that the Torah, the Zaboor, and

the

Injil are

Koran nor

the very word of God, yet neither the

tradition give

any adequate indication

of

Quoted in Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, p. 212.

All the references of the Koran to the sacred scriptures of the
Jews and Christians have been collected by Sir William Muir in his
London, 1878.
book, The Coran. S.P.C.K.
^

HIS TEACHING
the contents

and message

143

these books of

of

God

as

they relate to sin and salvation.

Habib the carpenter, which is

Surah 36 12-30 of the Koran, tells of the

The curious story

given in

of

preaching of the apostles at Antioch and the conver-

to

out any reference

carpenter, but leaves

the

sion of

the character of the message which the apostles

carried
called

to

that

city

where the

disciples

were

first

El Beidhawi, the commentator,^

Christians.

that the people of Antioch were idolaters, and

says

that Jesus sent two of His disciples, John and Jude,

to

When

preach to them.

they arrived, they met

What signs can you

show that you are sent from God ? " They replied,
" We can heal the sick, and give sight to the blind,
Habib the carpenter, who

When Habib

and cure leprosy."

to them,

they laid

Habib then

said, "

brought his sick son

hands upon him, and he was healed.

believed

on

Jesus,

Gospel to the people of the

and published the

city.

When

the news

reached the governor, he sent for the disciples, and

asked them,

and they

your God different from our God

" Is

said, " Yes,

thy gods."

Then the

While they were

who made

He

is

in prison

access to

his

miracle by raising his child

days.
1

Jesus sent Simon Peter,

friends with the servant of

secretly, gained

This child,

when

who made both thee and

governor put them in prison.
it

who had been dead seven

raised

El Beidhawi on Surah 36

the governor

presence, performed

12-30

from the dead, said he

;

cf.

also

Zamakhshari.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

144

had seen Jesus Christ in heaven, who was interceding

.

Then the governor

for the three disciples in prison.

many others, but

and when Habib

believed and

disturbance

the unbelievers raised a

the carpenter preached

them, he was stoned, and having died, entered

to

Habib's tomb

Paradise.

and

is

visited as a shrine

When we
Moslem
more

turn

and

traditions

later

to

be seen at Antioch,

still to

on the teaching

always attributed to
prophet

said,

men

shall say,

"

should we

was

Thou
visit

and ye visited
?

He

"

will

servant of mine was sick, and

able teaching, for

between God and

it

Me

"

The

shall say, "

Me

They

not."

the Lord of the worlds

art

Thee

ye would have found

God

resurrection

sick

not

it is

In Bokhari we read,

Him.

At the
I

although

of Jesus,

later

to

something

literature, it is refreshing to find

real

sons of

is

by Moslems.

say,

''

ye

how

certain

ye had visited him,

if

with him."

"
'

This

is

remark-

brings out a sense of nearness

man which

is

generally ignored by

Moslems.
In regard to the teaching attributed

and alleged
P. L.
says,

to Jesus Christ

to be found in the original Gospel, or Injil,

Cheikho gives the following extracts, taken, he

many sources: "Jesus Christ

Hope if ye are afraid, and be

from

Gospel,

'

hope.'

'Your

breaths,

life

consists

and some one

is

of

certain

watching over

forget death, therefore, because death will

you.'

'Good health

is

secret

king.'

said in the
if

ye

number

of

afraid

it.

Do

not

not forget

'Anxiety

is

HIS TEACHING
part of the weakness of old age.'

craves for

that which

145

forbidden.'

is

of

Adam

A bribe

blinds

The son

'

'

the eyes of the learned, and what think ye then of the

ignorant

'

'

Weep

with those that weep, and laugh

with those that laugh.'

Another story
attributed to

book

told in the

Wahab

the Israelites,

of

bin Munabah,

is

that Jesus one

day passed a skull lying by the wayside and com-

manded

speak.

to

it

It

fantastic story to those

am

Bilwam, the son

and recounted a

obeyed,

who were

So and So, King

of

saying, " I

present,
of

Yemen.

and married so many women,

many enemies, and conquered so
Let those who see me remember, and

lived a thousand years,

and slaughtered

many cities.
may the world

so

not deceive them as

it

has deceived me,

for all the time that has passed is like the

one who sleepeth."

There
the

is

Moslems, which

many

thoughtful

is,

however, attributed to

Mohammed

Abu Huraira

of

I have prepared for

my

*'
:

The Most High

righteous servants what

eye hath not seen nor ear heard, nor hath

to

the heart of a

human

being.' "

evidently quoted from 1 Cor. 2

whether

Mohammed

4.

it

occurred

These words are

Yet

ever used them, as

it is

doubtful

much

later traditions are pure invention.^

^

Quclques Legcndes Islamiqucs ApocrypheSj pp. 43, 44.

Mishkat-ul-Masabih,

lO

of

wept.^

with

favourite

on the authority
*

dream

one striking instance of a quotation from

epistles,

said,

Then Jesus

p. 487.

of the

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

146

Other instances are given by a recent writer on the

subject

"In

the

Awarifu-l-Mawo,rif

Suhrawardi the doctrine

attributed to Christ.

which they

call "

The death

'

of

New

of the

Shahab-ud-Din

Birth

is

definitely

and

of nature

of will,

the second birth," even as Jesus has

written.'
"

Ghazzali in

the

Ihya-ul-ulum thus refers to

Matthew 11: 17: 'Some one

the

Gospel,

We

have sung

been moved with emotion

but

have

ye

Matthew

not

"I saw written

He

said.

in

you, but ye have not

we have

danced."'

'Jesus

25,

said,

to

St.

piped unto you,

quotes

also

Consider

the

St.

fowls,

etc'

"The

historian Tabari mentions the institution of

the Last Supper, Christ's washing His disciples' hands,

requesting them to watch with Him, predicting Peter's
denial,

and quotes the

smitten, and

Centuries after

Mohammed,

Persia interpreted

gathered

it

text,

'

The shepherd

the sheep shall be scattered.' "

either

from

Moslem

of

Jesus as

they

or

from

tradition

In the Bostan

Christian neighbours.

parable of the

the poets of Syria and

teaching

the

shall be

of

Sa'di

the

Publican and the Pharisee takes the

following curious shape

In Jesus' time there hved a youth so black and dissolute,

That Satan from him shrank appalled in every attribute

* Christ in Mohammedan Tradition," C. H. A. Field, C.M.S.

January 1911.

Intelligencer,

HIS TEACHING

147

He ill a sea of pleasures foul uninterrupted swam

And gluttonised on dainty vices, sipping many a dram.
Whoever met him on the highway turned

from a

as

pest,

Or, pointing lifted finger at him, cracked some horrid jest.

have been told that Jesus once was passing by the cave
a monk who asked Him in,
When suddenly that slave of sin appeared across the way,
Far off he paused, fell down and sobbingly began to pray
And like a storm of rain the tears pour gushing from his eyes.
I

Where dwelt

" Alas,

The

and woe

pride-puffed

me for thirty squandered years," he cries

monk self-righteous lifts his eyebrows with

is

a sneer

And

haughtily exclaims, " Vile wretch

come

in

vain hast thou

here.

Art thou not plunged in sin, and tossed in lust's devouring sea ?
will thy filthy rags avail with Jesus and with me?
God the granting of a single wish is all I pray.
Grant me to stand far distant from this man at Judgment

What

Day."

From Heaven's throne a revelation instantaneous broke,

And God's own thunder-words through the mouth of
spoke
" The two

They pray

Jesus

whom

praying there I

diverse,

see, shall

equally be heard

I give to each according to his

That poor one thirty years has rolled in

sin's

word.

most slimy

deeps.

But now with stricken heart and streaming eyes

for

pardon

weeps.

Upon the threshold

And faintly hoping

of

My

grace he throws

him

in desj)air,

pity pours his supplications there.

Therefore forgiven and freed from

all

the guilt in which he

lies

My

mercy chooses him a citizen of paradise

monk desires that he may not that sinner stand beside,
Therefore he goes to hell and so his wish is gratified." ^
;

This

Quoted by C. H. A. Field.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

148

And
of the

the poet Nizami gives this curious illustration

compassion and gentleness of Jesus

One evening

Jesus lingered in the market-place

Teaching the people parables of truth and grace,

When in the square remote a crowd was seen to rise
And stop with loathing gestures and abhorring cries.

The Master and His meek

disciples

went

to see

What cause for this commotion and disgust could be,

And found a poor dead dog beside the gutter laid
:

Revolting sight

which each

at

face its hate betrayed.

One held his nose, one shut his eyes, one turned away.
And all among themselves began aloud to say,
" Detested creature he pollutes the earth and air
" His eyes are blear "
" His ears are foul " " His
!

are bare

ribs

" In his torn hide there's not a decent shoe-string

" No doubt the execrable cur was hung for theft

left
"

Then Jesus spake and dropped on him this saving wreath:

" Even pearls are dark before the whiteness of his teeth " ^
!

It

is

easy to understand

how

close contact with

Christians and Christian teaching gave rise to this kind

of poetry, but it

explain

how

not so easy to understand or to

is

after

Mohammed's death

distinctively

Christian teaching, nay, the very words of Christ, His

parables and His

deepest lessons, are by tradition-

mongers put into the mouth

were the originator of

of

them

of

Mohammed,

as

if

he

When we remember, however, that the biographies

Mohammed by Moslem authors, beginning with the

earliest,

but especially the later biographies, attribute

1

Quoted by C. H. A. Field.

HIS TEACHING
to

their prophet

iority to the

an equality with, or even a super-

Prophet of Nazareth, so that

himself becomes a parody

strange

149

that they

of

Mohammed

Jesus Christ,

it

is

not

imputed Christ's teaching also

to

Koelle devotes the second portion of his critical

him.

Mohammed

treatise,

comparison between

which he shows by
biographical works
of Christ

Mohammedanism

and

Mohammed and
literal

Moslem

translation from

how almost every

to

Jesus Christ, in

detail of the life

was duplicated by the glowing imagination

and devout admiration

of

Moslems, who did not scruple

to invent stories as long as

they glorified the prophet.^

In a special study on the Hadith (traditions) and the

New

Testament, Ignaz Goldziher points out several

instances where the very words of Christ are attributed

Mohammed.^ Among those, said Mohammed, whom

God will cover with His shadow in the day when there
is no shadow, is " the man who does alms and keeps it
secret, so that his left hand does not know what his
to

right

hand doeth." ^ Abdullah bin Mas'ud

Prophet

of

said " I
:

saw the

God, when the people struck him and abused

him, that he brushed the blood

my

off his face

and

said,

'

know not what they

do.' "
The commentators ignorantly add that Mohammed here quoted a saying of Noah the prophet
The
God

forgive

people, for they

companions
^
'^

Koelle,

of

the

Prophet are quoted as

Mohammed and Mohammedanism,

Go\diZ\\\QV, Muhammedanische

Al Muwatta,

vol. iv. p. 171.

saying,

pp. 242-446.
Studien, vol. 11, pp. 381-404.

150

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

"

as doves "

Be harmless

and the greater number

the inhabitants of paradise,

have

said, are " the

The
gives,

Darda'i
said, "

is

example which Goldziher

attributed

also

is

one

Abu

Mohammed.

to

al

have said that the prophet

reported to

When any

reported to

Lord's Prayer, which in the

the use of the

is

Mohammed

of

spirit."

remarkable

most

Hadith

poor in

is

is

in suffering, or his brother

Our Lord
God who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy
kingdom is in heaven and on earth, and even as Thy
mercy is in heaven, so may Thy mercy also be upon
Forgive us our debts and our sins, for Thou
earth.
Send down mercy from
art the Lord of the good.
Thy mercy and healing from Thy healing for those
suffers,

then

let

him pray

suffering, that they

may

this

prayer

begin to heal.

Groldziher gives other instances,

ively that even as in the case of
in the case of
of the life

Mohammed's

and teaching

'

"^

and shows conclus-

Mohammed's

teaching,

of Christ

'

life,

so

any fragments

which could add

to

the glory of the prophet, were without scruple incor-

porated in later tradition.

a

Mohammed, transformed

character

if

One

no wonder that

if

such

measure into the

not into the image of Christ,

in the hearts of
^

It is

at least in

is

enthroned

Mohammedans, they should be hard

of the younger contemporaries of

Mohammed,

to

wlio was a late

convert to Islam, but afterwards became one of the greatest Koran

scholars. Under Othman he was the public prayer-reader in Damascus,

where he died a.h. 652. Hoittsma, Encyclopedia of Islam,

- Ahu Daood^ vol. i.
p. 101.

p. 82.

win.^

HIS TEACHING

151

What

a mass of rubbish

As Koelle remarks,

"

has to be swept away from the path of the pious

before his

enough

and

to perceive the all-surpassing spiritual

Him who

of

become unimpeded

can

vision

could say,

seen the Father."

Except

He who

hath seen

Moslem
free

majesty

Me

hath

for the opinion that Jesus Christ

is

a true

prophet and one of the greatest of the prophets before

Mohammed, the masses of the people in the

Moslem world have no conception of the message which
Jesus Christ came to bring, nor of the character of His
the time of

teaching as distinguished from that of Moses and the

Old Testament prophets.

And we must add

to this that

if

the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are the

cardinal truths of the Gospel, these truths are not only

obscured, but contradicted by the

so that in the teaching of

Koran and

tradition,

Jesus Christ, as understood

by Mohammedans, we must leave out everything that

relates to the Incarnation, the Atonement, and salvation
from sin by

faith in

or in tradition

is

His name.

there any

Nowhere

in the

Koran

trace of the great Christian

doctrine of justification by faith.

As

in regard to the

person of Christ, so in regard to His teaching, Islam

is

anti-Christian.

The great truths of Christianity centre in the person of its Founder.

In a different way Islam is bound up with the personality, even in the
minutest details, of its prophet '*inall matters small and great he is their
No Moslem is apt, therefore,
perfect example," says Rev. W. A. Rice.
to have a higher opinion of our Saviour than Mohammed himself had.
^

Koelle, Moh((,mmed

and Mohammedanism,

preface, p. vii.

VII

JESUS CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY

MOHAMMED

153

"As

there

is

only one God, so there can be only one

God has

really done something in Christ on

which the salvation of the world depends, and if He has

gospel.

made

it

If

known, then

it is

a Christian

duty

to be intoler-

ant of everything Avhich ignores, denies, or explains

it

The man who perverts it is the worst enemy of

God and men and it is not bad temper or narrow-

away.

nnndedness in St. Paul which explains this vehement

language (Galatians 1:9); it is the jealousy of God which
has kindled in a soul redeemed by the death of Christ a
corresponding jealousy for the Saviour."
in

The Death of Christ,

p. 110.

X54

James Denney

VII

JESUS CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY

MOHAMMED

AS beauty

and the

in a total eclipse of the sun the glory

of the

heavenly orb are hidden, and only

corona appears on

the

thought

the edge, so in the

Mohammedans

of

their

almost eclipsed Jesus Christ.

life,
is,

as

we have gathered

after

all,

it

The general idea

from many Moslem sources,

mind

of

Moslems.

An Arab

expressed this truth a few days ago

:

"

has

His

of

vague, shadowy, and not at all clearly out-

lined in the

me

and

life

own prophet

Until

my

wife

became

from Hassa

when he

Christian

said to
I

knew

nothing of Jesus whatever, only His name, and that

occupy in

He

Whatever place Jesus Christ may

the Koran and the portrait there given is

was a Prophet

"

a sad caricature

whatever favourable

critics

may

say

about Christ's honourable place among the Moslem

prophets,

it is

nevertheless true that the large bulk of

Mohammedans know extremely

less, of

Jesus Christ.

He

little,

and think

still

has no place in their hearts

155

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

156
nor in their

All the prophets have not only been

lives.

Mohammed;

succeeded, but supplanted by

once the sealer and concealer of

Mohammed
given

There

Him

at

is

former revelations.

all

always in the foreground, and Jesus

is

of

His lofty

the

Koran,

spite

in

Christ,

he

in

titles

in

is

and the honour

background.

the

not a single biography of Jesus Christ stand-

is

ing by Himself, alone and unique, as a great prophet

God,

of

Christ

found

be

to

grouped

is

in

with

the
the

literature

other

Islam.

of

with

prophets;

Abraham,

Lot, Alexander the Great, Ishmael, Moses,

Adam.

We

cannot forget this fact when we try to form a

conception of the

Moslem

that Islam presents

religion in the
like

" it baffles

to

work

any other

It is because of this

Christ.

difficulties

of missions.

" It

religion," says Eev.

more than any other,

concede to

it

what

is

by no other

offered

cannot be treated

W. H.

Gairdner

T.

more

for it is

difficult

gladly conceded to

other

some

religions that appeared before Christ, that they in

part prepared and prepare the

way

for

How

Him.

can that which denies the whole essential and particular

content of the message be said to prepare for Him, or
to be a half-way house to

what Islam
Christianity

speak of

it

does.
;

one and
neither

theory of Islam
does not so

is

much

His kingdom

For that

Other religions know nothing

all

they came before

good nor

that

it,

evil.

it,

is

of

and

But the whole

the latest sent of

all religions,

abrogate Christianity with

its

Book,

Translation of Page fkom the Book entitled

"Dala'il el Kheieat."
"

God

pray for

God!

pray for the

the

Light

Moon

that

pray for the

Key

God

of Perfection.

shines
to

in

the

the door

darkness.
of

peace.

God pray for the Intercessor of all humanity

Thou Mercy of God (Mohammed) I am afraid
Thou Grace of God I am bankrupt
and terrified.
help Thou me. I have no good work in which I can
put my trust, save Thy great love and my faith in Thee.
Be Thou my safety from the evil of this life, and in the
'

hour

of death,

and deliver

my

body from the

fire."

Facsimile Page from the Book entitled

"Dala'il el Kheikat,"
in

which

Mohammed

is

considered the sole intercessor and the channel

of communication between the believer

and God.

MOHAMMED

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
as

specifically

corruption and

The

and categorically deny both

lies."

and the

sin

The

Christ.

Mohammedan

guilt of the

purposes

Mohammed

and character

life

of

his faithful followers

titles

he was thoroughly

and almost

divine.

honour

given

of

apotheosis.

books

Morocco

to

Mohammed

as por-

all this,

by heart in Moslem

to

liable

titles

"

sin-

proclaim his

among Moslems, from

The

schools.

to Christ,

list

which follows

names that Christians

of them are by

and many

God

as well as

namely

Mohammed, Ahmed, Hamid, Mahmood,

Avenger,

error.

are current in all

themselves applied to

to their prophet,

The Only, The

to

and made him

Mohammed

contains at least two score of

Mohammedans

all

are separately printed and learned

would apply only

who were

The two hundred and one

devotion

of

China

that for

Moslem

human and

These names and

popular

and

is

and admirers, leaves no doubt

Later tradition has changed

less

world

is the

himself

trayed for us by his earliest biographers,

that

wilful

as

that they give Christ's glory to another,

all practical

157

the Unique,

Forgiver, the Eaiser of the Dead,

Ta Ha,"

"

Ya

Seen,"

The Pure, The

The

Purified,

The Good, The Lord, The Apostle, The Prophet,^ The

Apostle of Mercy, The Manager, The Gatherer, The
Follower, The Leader, The Apostle of War, The Apostle
1

W. H.

Titles of

On Mohammed

T. Gairdner, The Reproach of Islam, p. 141.

two chapters in the Koran.

Idhar-iU-ffak, vol.

as
ii.

the foreteller of future events, see Carletti,

pp. 145-154.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

158
of Rest,

The

Perfect,

The Crown, The Wrapped One,

The Covered One, Servant of God, Beloved of God,

Chosen of God, Companion of God, Mouthpiece of God,
Seal of Prophets, Seal of Apostles, The QuicJcener, The
Deliverer,

The Reminder, The Victorious, The

Prophet

Mercy, Prophet

The

of

Well-known, The

of

Victor,

Repentance, The Watcher,

Famous, The

Witness, The

Martyr, The Witnessed, Bringer of Good Tidings, The

One under Vows, The Warner, The Light,

The Lamp, The Candle, The Guidance, The Guide, The
Mahdi, The Enlightener, The Summoner, The Called
One, The Ansiverer of Prayer, The Interceder, The
Preacher, The

Hidden, The Pardoner, The Saint, The Truth, The Strong,

The Faithful, The Entrusted One, The Gracious, The

Honoured, The Valiant, The Mighty, The Evident, The
Mediator, The Bestower, The Able, The Honourable,
The Exalted, The Possessor of Might, The Possessor of
Grace, The Obedient, The Subjector, The Benevolent,
The Merciful, The Good Tidings, The Assister, The
Provider, The Benefactor, The Mercy of God, The Gift
of God, The Strong Refuge, The Way of God, The
Straight

Way, The Memorial

God, The Portion

of

of

God, The Sword of

God, The Shining Star, The Exalted,

The Corrector of Evil, The Bearer of Faults, The

Illiterate, The Chosen One, The Rewarded, The Mighty
One,

Abu Kasim, Abu Tahir, Abu

Tayyib,

Abu

Ibrahim,

The Interceder, The Pious, The Peace

Maker, The Guarder, The Truthful, The Upright, Verity,
The

Lord

Intercessor,

of Apostles,

Leader of the Pious, Leader

of

Pure

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
Women, Friend
Justifier,

The

of

the

Merciful,

Illustrious,

MOHAMMED

159

Righteousness,

The

The Adviser, The Man of

The Surety,

Counsel, The Undertaker, The Entrusted,

The Compassionate, The Founder

One,

Holy

Spirit,

of the

Law, The Holy

The Spirit of Truth, The Spirit

of

The All-Sufficient, The Sufficer, The Perfect

One, The One who Attained, The Healer, The Giver,
The Gift, The Fore-runner, The Rear Guard, The Rightly
Guided, The Right Guidance, The Beginner, ThQ Precious,
The Honoured, The Honour-laden, The Opener, The Key,
The Key of Mercy, The Key of Paradise, The Source of
Faith, The Source of Truth, The Guide to Plenty, The
Selected One, The Purifier of Good Works, The Pardoner
of Sins, The Lord of Intercession, The Highly Exalted,
The Most Noble, The Essence of Power, The Essence of
Glory, The Essence of Honour, The One who Helps, The
One who has a Sword, The One who has Praise, The One
who has a Covering, The Argument, The Sultan, The
Possessor of the Cloak, The Possessor of High Degree,

Kectitude,

The Possessor

of

the Crown, The Possessor of the

Helmet, The Possessor of the Banner, One who ascended

Heaven, The Possessor

to

of the Sceptre,

The Possessor

of the Seal, The Possessor of Boraak,i The Possessor

of the Sign,
of the

The Possessor

of the Proof,

The Possessor

Argument, The Eloquent, The Pure

of Heart,

The Gracious One, The Pitiful, The Ear of Goodness,

The Perfection
^

of Islam,

Lord of Two Worlds, The Eye

The famous animal on which Mohammed made

to heaven.

his night journey

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

160

The Eye

of Kindness,

The Helper

of Brilliancy,

God,

of

The Helper

of

Men, The Pleader

Knowledge

of

Truth, The Discloser of Secrets, The

for the Nations,

The

Elevator of the Lowly, The Glory of the Arabs, The

One who has Victory.

Some of these titles, as we have
them in italics, are similar to

Mohammed

Himself.

indicated by printing

those given to

God

also called the Light of God,

is

the Peace of the World, the Glory of the Ages, the First
of all Creatures,

One

and other names

of yet greater import.

tradition goes so far as to say, "

soever condition he

thou

dost.

God

as

But

He

is, it

No Moslem
prays for

him

statements in

if

can resemble

is

No man in
God

so

much

as

there could be an image to represent

^

could be no other than thyself."

prays to

Mohammed, but every Moslem

in endless repetition daily.

the-

what-

Koran

to the contrary,

In spite of

most Moslems

believe that he will be the only intercessor on the day

The books

judgment.

of

of devotion used

are proof of this statement.

all

creatures

several

God favoured him above

he dwells in the highest heaven, and

degrees above Jesus

Mohammed

holds

the

Moslem, however bad

only

honour and

station.

keys of heaven and hell: no

no unbeliever, however good his

Mediator,

in

is

his character, will perish finally

through Mohammed.
as

everywhere

life,

can be saved except

Islam denies the need of Christ

to

substitute

Mohammed

as

mediator, without an incarnation, without an atonement,

^

Quoted in

W.

A. Rice, Crusaders of

the

Twentieth Century, p. 15.

.3

J^

\-

1
vi

I'
^

J.

,-1-

^m

?3'

^y

Sit

^i ^'B ^i^i'i I ^ ^ ^ |i^ n- ^ 1 ^

m'k^i i^'^mi

MOHAMMED

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
and without demand

161

One

change of character.

for a

has only to question the Moslem masses, or to read

tradition in proof of these statements.^

Every
been

life

Jesus

of

Christ

and parodied by Mohammed's

biographers and
theologie

the

of

detail

imitated

"En

admirers.

has
later

developpant, la

se

musulmane," says Rene Basset, "plus au

courant du christianisme, tendit a en rapprocher de

plus en plus le fondateur de I'islam et k attribuer k
celui-ci les miracles qui devaient

r^gal de Jesus.

rendre au moins

Cette deviation de I'idee reelle qu'on

du Prophete, commen^a de bonne heure

avait

que

le

s'accroitre avec

le

De

temps.

la,

les

et

ne

fit

prodiges

caiques sur ceux que rapportaient les Evangiles et qui

sont en opposition complete avec les sentiments reels

de

Mohammed." ^

praise of

In the commentary on the poem in

Mohammed

(from the introduction to which

these words are taken) the author shows scriptural

hymn

parallels in this Coronation

exaggerated word

of

detail

Islam to every

of

there attributed to the

Dr. Koelle has shown in great

Arabian prophet.

how Moslem

praise

authors attribute to their prophet

an equality with, and even a superiority

of Nazareth, by ascribing to

centres

around the Christ

Pre-existence

is

ascribed

him
in

to

all

the

to,

the Prophet

the glory which

New

Testament.

Mohammed, and

Cf. Islam : A Challenge to Faith, pp. 48, 49.

Rene Basset, La Bordah du Cheikh el Bousiri, Poeme en
de Mohammed traduit et commented. Paris, 1894, p. xi.
^ Koelle, Mohammed and Mohammedanism
pp. 242-372.

his

II

I'lionueur

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

162
genealogy
in

the

is

case

through Abraham to Adam, as

traced
of

An

Jesus Christ.

angel announced

Mohammed's conception and birth and the name which

he was to bear. Mohammed, like Jesus, was lost in
his

childhood and found again, and at the age of

After the commence-

twelve he took a special journey.

ment

of his

ministry

public

Mohammed,

like

Jesus,

passed through a remarkable ordeal of Satanic tempta-

He, like Jesus Christ, chose twelve apostles.

His enemies were those of his own household, and he
was recognised by spirits from the unseen world more

tion.

readily than by those

demons knew Jesus

hands

of

Christ

is

to

whom

he was

sent.

The

the jinn accepted Islam at the

Mohammed.

The Transfiguration

surpassed by the story of

of Jesus

Mohammed's

ascent

had personal communion with

all the previous prophets, and leaving Jesus far below
in the second heaven, himself mounted to the seventh,

into heaven, where he

where, according to

Moslem

tradition,

he ate and

drank with God.^

1 The following account of this journey is given in MisTcat-ul-Misahih
"Whilst I was sleeping upon my side, he (Gabriel) came to me,
and cut me open from my breast to below my navel, and took out
my heart, and washed the cavity with Zam-zam water, and then
:

filled

my

heart with Faith and Science. After this a white animal

Its size was between that of a
for me to ride upon.
The
ass, and it stretched as far as the eye could see.

was brought
mule and an

Then I mounted the animal,

of the animal was Buraq.
and ascended until we arrived at the lowest heaven, and Gabriel
demanded that the door should be opened. And it was asked, Who
And they then said, 'Who is
is it?' and he said, 'I am Gabriel.'
with you?' and he answered, 'It is Muhammad.' They said, 'Has

name

'

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY

show

Koelle quotes traditions to

Christ to us,

other

men

and

best

in

MOHAMMED

163

Jesus

as

that,

so to Moslems, Mohammed is above all

worth and dignity. He was the greatest

of

all

true temple

which

in

messengers;

God's

the

body the

his

Presence dwelt.

Divine

bore the divine seal of prophecy, and imparted divine benefits by laying on his hands. As a
parody of the mystery of the Lord's Supper, Mohammed

Mohammed

Muhammad

been called to the

office of

a prophet

He

?
'

said,

Yes.'

'

'Welcome, Muhammad; his coming is well.' Then the

I
door was opened and when I arrived in the first heaven, behold,
saw Adam. And Gabriel said to me, This is your father Adam,
Then I saluted Adam, and he answered it, and said,
salute him.'
After that
good son, and good Prophet
You are welcome,
and he
Gabriel took me above, and we reached the second heaven

They

said,

'

'

'

asked the door to be opened, and

'I

am

Gabriel.'

It

was

said,

it

was

'Who

.said,

'

Who

is it

'

with you?'

is

He
He

said,
said,

was
Welcome, Muhammad his coming is well.' Then the door was
saw
opened and when I arrived in the second region, behold, I
John and Jesus (sisters' sons). And Gabriel said, This is John, and
Then I saluted them, and they
salute both of them.'
this is Jesus
and
returned it. After that they said, 'Welcome, good brother
Then I entered the seventh heaven, and behold, I saw
Prophet.'
Abraham. And Gabriel said, This is Abraham, your father, salute
him ; which I did, and he returned it, and said, Welcome, good
called
son and good Prophet.' After that I was taken up to the tree
water-pots, and
Sidratu' 1-Muntaha and behold, its fruits were like
*

Muhammad.

It

'

was

'

said,

said,

'

Was he

called

He said,

'

Yes.

'

It

'

'

'

'

And Gabriel said, This is Sidratu'

leaves like elephant's ears.
l-Muntaha.' And I saw four rivers there ; two of them hidden, and
He said,
I said to Gabriel, 'What are these?'
manifest.
*

its

two
'

These two concealed rivers are in Paradise

are the Nile

After that

and the Euphrates.'

and the two manifest

was shown the Baitu'

1-M'amur. After that, a vessel full of wine, another fall of milk,

and another of honey were brought to me, and I took the milk and
you and your
And Gabriel said, Milk is religion
drank it.
people will be of it." Cf. the commentators on Surah 7 1.
'

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

164
said

is

have sanctioned the drinking

to

When

blood.

of

Malik bin Sinan sucked

his

his

"Any

swallowing the blood, the prophet exclaimed,

one whose blood touches mine, him the

own

wounds,

fire of hell shall

not destroy."

The miracles

Jesus Christ, even the fantastic

of

Moslem

miracles given by

tradition, shrink into in-

compared with the miracles ascribed

significance

Mohammed by

tradition.

to

Feeding a hungry multitude

with a handful of dates, opening the eyes of the blind,

healing the
fields,

sick,

turning barren lands into fruitful

and raising the dead,

things are attributed to

all

these and

many

other

Mohammed.^

In his death as well as in his

life

Mohammed

His death was

is

made

to resemble Jesus

told;

it

him

he died a martyr's death, and his sufferings were

Christ.

was not unavoidable, but

meritorious, taking
believe in

him

away

fore-

freely accepted

by

and helping those who

sin

to enter paradise.

"It

is

recorded

on the testimony of Ali that three days after his

Excellency's funeral there came an Arab, who threw
himself

down upon

handful of earth from

the
it,

prince's

casting

it

and took a

grave,

on his own head,

Apostle of God, thou hast

and then called out,
spoken it, from thee we have heard it, thou hast
'

received

it

from God, and we have received

it

from

he gives forty
pp. 154-190
Also, Two Hundred and Fifty -two Authentic Miracles of
miracles.
Mohammed, by Maulvi Mohammad Inayat Ahmad. Translated and
Lahore, 1894.
published by the Mohammedan Tract and Book Depot.
1

Cf. Carletti,

Idhar-ul-Hak,

vol.

ii.

MOHAMMED

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
thee,

and

derived from those

is

it

thee, that noble verse, "

if

my

soul

who came down

!

have brought

"

am come

but I

to

they have darkened

them come unto thee

their souls, let

darkness on

And

165

to

thee as a

confounded, bewildered sinner, that thou mayest ask

me

pardon for
forth

three times,

Then there came

High.'

tomb, saying

from that Excellency's

voice

Most

of the

Thou hast been pardoned, thou hast been

'

pardoned.' "

superhuman

are all these

Not only

characteristics

Mohammed in
whom all former

and divine glories ascribed to

but he
bore

the Prophet to

is

and

witness,

"Wahab

testified.2

Minbeh

bin

coming

they

Most

High sent the following revelation

Isaiah:

and by

I will

'

his

who

send a prophet

name

I will

prophets

said that the

whose

concerning

tradition,

is

to

the

prophet

to be unlettered,

and

the ears of the deaf,

open

with
the minds of the listless and I will clothe him
mark,
gravity, and I will make goodness his outward
and
mind:
inward
and godliness and temperance his
;

his understanding

wisdom

and truth and purity

his

his
nature, and propriety his disposition; and equity

practice

and truth

his

law

and right guidance

his

Ahmed.
leader; and Islam his people; and his name
right
the
people
his
to
And through him I will show

way out

of

error,

ignorance; and

and the way

by his name

of

I will

knowledge

make

MoJiammed and Mohammedanism,

Koelle,

Cf. Sayous, Jtsus Christ,

etc.,

pp. 82-85.

the

p. 373.

after

few

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

166

many and

the divided united

and

will bring

amongst

antagonistic

nations

the separated hearts and

the

harmony and intimacy

his people shall be superior

to every other
of the sun,

and they

gave the following

On

know

wrote upon

Mohammed

it

thou, that

There

the

is

the

God

Declare

and

tell

his time

thou son of the Virgin,

it

if

is

had not been

is,

that

no God

Adam

when

but

supplanted by

i.e.

for

and

made
till

Allah, and

Apostle of Allah,' whereupon

steadied itself and became quiet."

Jesus Christ

"

them who reach

and the truth

know

shook and would not stand firm

it,

is

Jesus

should not have created

Paradise and Hell

the Throne,

to

be true, and believe in him

to

should believe in him.

Mohammed,

to the light

the same authority,

revelation

also thy people that those of

thou Jesus,

pay respect

shall

they shall look to the sun to

i.e.

right time for prayer.' "

Mohammed

and

it

Mohammed

not only

Moslem tradition and in the hearts of the common

people who are ignorant and illiterate.
He is supplanted in the hearts of all Moslems by Mohammed.
They are jealous for his glory and resist any attempt

in

to

magnify the glory

of

Mohammed.

of Jesus Christ at the

When,

e.g.,

expense

a Christmas vacation was

granted in certain government schools of Egypt, the

Moslem paper El
^

Koelle,

'Alain entered a vigorous protest,

Mohammed and

Moha7)imcdanisin,

p.

430.

There are numerous traditions of this character

in all the later biographies of Mohammed. See, for example, Insanul-Ayim, Dakaik-id-Aklihar, or Kasus-id-Anhiya.
^

Ibid., p. 431.

MOHAMMED

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
calliug

it

167

dangerous innovation, and stating that

Egypt was a Moslem country, and that Moslems

as

such had nothing to do with the birthday of Jesus.

"

Keep your

with

it."

day

feast

we

will

have nothing to do

You will be interested to know," writes a missionary

from Turkey under the new regime, " that the birthday
"

Mohammed

of

and

the

all

is

now

schools

kept, beginning with last year,

are closed for

the

day.

It is

reckoned the most important holiday in the year, and

we must

give

our

In
Moslem boys the day off.
Government and Custom depart-

Smyrna, where all

ments observed Sunday instead
because this city

is

of

Friday as a holiday,

we hear

so largely Christian,

the

custom will now be reversed, and Friday established

as the

weekly holiday."

The new Islam does not

name

of

hesitate to apply the very

The Messiah to Mohammed, as the old Islam

does His office as Mediator.^

In a

series of articles

El Alam. Cairo, 26tli December 1910.

The Moslem press in Egypt is also resisting every attempt on
the part of the Copts to secure Sunday as a day of rest from
Government service. El Mueyyed (18th March 1911) in a leading
1
"

columns quoted largely from the New Testament to prove

any day ought to be observed it was Saturday, and that the
Copts had no right to claim Sunday, because Jesus and His apostles

article of ten

that

if

did not observe the day.

" Les passages

^ Sayous, Jesics- Christ cVapres Mahomet, chap, vi
de I'ancient Testament sont derob6s a la gloire de Jesus-Christ pour
enrichir celle du prophete pillard et d'ailleurs I'idee meme d'une
prophetic Messianique est un emprunt evident a la theologie
:

chretienne."

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

168

on Islam and Socialism in a leading review

Mushir Hosain Kidwai speaks thus

"

The

time was

and

religious,

had

reached

sacrifice

to

idols,

of

of

because

state of

depth

the

appropriation

money

ripe

political

the

moral,

Human

degradation.

of

and

social,

the whole peninsula

the burying alive

property

of India,

Mohammed:

of

of

infants, mis-

exploitation

of

the

helpless orphans, forced marriages of girls

and minors, cruel treatment

of

unrestricted

slaves,

polygamy and concubinage, wild despotism, vengeful

individualistic

blood-feuds,

arrogance, and other vices,

egotism, class and

birth

demanded from a merciful

Providence the commission of a real Messiah, to clear

the putrid atmosphere of Arabian society, and to save

humanity, which was then in a state most susceptible

to infection,

from a dangerous calamity.

"Fortunately for the progress of

He came

Messiah did come.

the world, the

and miraculously meta-

morphosed the whole Arabian

society

by masterly

introducing the principles of true Socialism in almost

every phase of

human

the gloomy aspect of

life.

He came and

the whole world by inspiring

humanity through a universal

faith,

with the

loftiest

Divinity and purest ethics of duty.

conceptions of

glory to Socialism, the world owes

If

Arabia owes

its

it

to

Islam.

And

Socialism and Islam

perfected by the Messiah,

life

both were

who cured not a leper or

who gave a new

two, but the whole leprous society

and vigorous

brightened

not to a few dead persons, but to

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
a whole nation

MOHAMMED

169

who performed not only supernatural

miracles of but superstitious

value in our sceptical

age,

but material and everlasting wonders, whose signs

are

manifest to this day;

who

ruled not only over

the shifting sands that form a mirage of temporary

domains, but also over an ever-increasing

territorial

number of living human

now the same song that he
in one chord
socialism."

the Chord

hearts,
set,

of

which sing even

binding them together

the truest

God

and best

In the Gospel of Barnahas, a spurious document

dating about the middle of the sixteenth century,

and not referred

by Moslems

to

had called attention

Koran,

Mohammed

to

is

it

in

until

to

foist

upon

the

forgery

wliich

Mohammed and

the

Koran knows that Jesus Christ

consistently in that book as

to say, this Gospel of

tlie

would

prove that

Every reader

Jesus Christ had foretold his coming.

of

its special

of Islam, the author desiring

world

strengthen the claims of

The

by a Christian

renegade in the Middle Ages, and has for

advancement

Sale

his translation of the

also called the Messiah.

Gospel of Barnahas was evidently written

object the

after

is

spoken of

Messiah, yet, strange

Barnahas again and again gives

Mohammed

that title, while Jesus is made his foreJohn the Baptist was to Christ in the
canonical Gospels.
Thus in Chapter LXXXIII, where

runner, as

Jesus
1

is

speaking to the Samaritan women, he says,

The Hindustan Review, March-April 1911,

p.

300 (Allahabad.)

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

170
" I

am

indeed sent to the house of Israel as a prophet

of salvation,

of

God

but after

the world."

me,

how

whom

the messenger of
gladness

the

him Lord?

Believe

unto you that the promise was

And

again in the

"I therefore say unto you that

God

nearly

to

" If

ye call Messiah were son of

in Ishmael, not in Isaac."

following chapter:

is

whom God

should David call

for verily I say

made

come the Messiah, sent

hath made

shall

In Chapter XLIII Jesus says,

messenger of God
David,

me

to all the world; for

adorned with the

a splendour that shall give

is

all

God hath made,

that

for

he

understanding and of

spirit of

wisdom and might, the spirit of

spirit
of prudence and temperance
fear and love, the
he is adorned with the spirit of charity and mercy,
counsel, the spirit of

the spirit of justice and piety, the spirit of gentleness

and patience, which he hath received from God three

times more than he hath given to
blessed time,

Believe

me

when he

that I have seen

even

reverence,

tion,

'
:

God

my

saw him

saying

his

all

come

to

creatures.

the world!

him and have done him

hath seen him

every prophet

as

seeing that of his spirit

And when

shall

giveth to them prophecy.

soul

was

Mohammed God
!

may He make me worthy

filled

with consola-

be with thee, and

to untie thy shoe-latchet, for

obtaining this I shall be a great prophet and

one of God.'
his

And

having said

this,

thanks to God."^
1

The

Gospel of Barnabas,

\).

191.

holy

Jesus rendered

^ /ji^^.^

p. 105.

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY

Now
a late

171

evidently
although this Gospel of Barnabas is
used by
being
more
and
forgery, it is more

Moslems

the

taken

literature,

this

an argument against Christianity;

as

shows how, with the centuries,

ally

MOHAMMED

place

Mohammed

of

has gradu-

Moslem

Christ in

Jesus

and how even His supreme

of

title

the

Messiah has, both in the Middle Ages

given to the
and in current periodical literature, been
of Messiah is
prophet of Arabia.1 Whether the title
Christ, or the

given him or

not,

Mohammed

for

is

practical

all

purposes the Moslem Christ.

Christian religion.
Islam is indeed the only antieverything that is
This world faith joins issue with
because it joins issue
vital in the Christian religion,

By

in its attitude toward the Christ.

stand or

fall.

thought

are

and

ritual

narrow;

in

In this respect
practically

tradition;

the

in

going back

all

same.

They

interpretations,
to

the

old

must
Moslem

this it

schools of

differ

in

broad

or

Koran

or

in

new Islam; but whether Shiahs or

Ali,
Wahabis or followers of Seyyid Ameer

advocating the
Sunnis,
their

position

as

regards the

Christ

is

practically

the same.^
especially Ahmed Ali El
Recent Moslem literature in Egypt,
Malyee's Jmvab 'an Su'al hadh Ahl-cl-Utah,
has superseded Jesus
2
The Shiah sect also believe that Mahommed
but they add
dignity
and
station
in
Him
Christ, and is superior to
Chnst
Jesus
of
equal_
the
only
that Ali also is in every respect not
the book entitled Mnnakih al
example,
for
See,
him.
to
but superior
Ashub (Bombay), in which we
Abtal, hy Mohammed bin Ali bin Shar
birth,
as Jesus Christ's miraculous
are told (vol. i. p. Ul) that even
1

Cf.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

172
"

Islam," says Kev. G. Simon of Sumatra, "

preparation for Christianity

a strange soil than

first of

is

not a

easier to build

it is

all to tear

down

on

old build-

ings which are so firmly set together that they offer

an unsurmountable obstacle

to

demolition."

by the Lucknow Conference, 1911,

resolution passed

expressed this sentiment even more forcibly

"

This

Conference

stem the tide

strengthen

is

persuaded that, in order to

Moslem advance,

of

it

is

work among animistic

the

The

important to

pagan

tribes,

communities, and depressed classes affected by this

advance; for we are clearly

of the faith of

of opinion that

Islam by the pagan people

is

in

adoption

no sense

whatever a stepping-stone towards, or a preparation

but exactly the reverse."

for, Christianity,

Christianity gladly admits the strength of theism as

a basis of unity between Islam and Christianity.

We

was that of Ali, only in more noble degree

even as He spoke
before His birth to His mother, so did Ali
even as He mastered
learning in His childhood, so did Ali
even as Jesus Christ prophesied
of the coming of Mohammed, so also He prophesied concerning Ali
even as He raised the dead, so did Ali even as He opened the eyes
even as men disagree in
of the blind and cured the lepers, so did Ali
regard to the character of Jesus, so have they disagreed in regard to
so

the character of Ali

highest station.
Cf. the

so those

who

believe

in

Him

give

him the

extravagant statements regarding the intercession of Husain

Play of Hasan and Husain, Col. Sir Lewis Polly

in the Miracle

(London, 1879),
tidings,

vol.

Husain

pp. 343-347, where Mohammed says: "Good

Behold the
act thou according to thy will.

ii.

fulfilment of God's promise.

Permission has proceeded from the
Judge, the gracious Creator, that I should give to thy hand this key
of intercession," etc. etc.
^

Edinburgh Conference Report,

vol. iv. p. 147.

MOHAMMED

CHRIST SUPPLANTED BY
assert as strongly as do all

one God, hut hecausc there

only one

Christ.

from Dr. James Denney at the head

are

in

significant

Father

"

dwell "

that
not

"

not

"

Godhead bodily
all

" all

pleased the

fulness

should

In

Him

dwelleth

"

not in

Mohammed.

treasures of

all

wisdom and know-

Mohammed. " He is the Way,

Life"; not Mohammed.
This is

in

Truth, and the

issue

Christ

Mohammed.

In ffim are hid

ledge

only

of this chapter
" It

connection.

Jesus

in

in

the fulness of the

"

this

is

God there can he

The words quoted

only one

is

and one

Gospel

Moslems that there

173

the
the

which cannot be avoided.

The only Christianity that has a missionary message

Moslem world

for the

is

this vital Christianity.

It

is

the only Christianity that can meet the deepest need

Moslem

of our

Our love

brethren.

for

them

is

only

increased by our intolerance of their rejection of the

we cannot bear it, it pains us and the day is

coming when many will confess Him in the words of
a Moslem convert to a Bible-woman who was visiting
her " / see now that the very centre of your religion is
Christ

and I want

Christ,

to love

and

The main question even

is

not

ethics

how much

and Christian

What

new Islam

nearer they have come to Christian

civilisation in their

reform the old system, but

"

serve Hinfi!'

as regards the

it

think ye of the Christ ?"

is

attempts to

the old question,

VIII

HOW

TO PREACH CHRIST TO MOSLEMS

WHO KNOW JESUS

" Without doubt,

it is

no light thing to ask a

man

to

reconsider his religious position, and see where in the

light of historical fact

and human reason he stands

and

demand that we make on our Muhammadan

brethren.
We do not come to them to try to jn'ove that
their theological dogmas are wrong, and that ours are
it is

just this

better

that their religious practices are tainted with

the formalism against which Jesus threatened His most

We

grievous woes.

come not

to destroy,

ask the educated

Muhammadan

he has

by a

for passing

what ground
which Muhammad
For we maintain that

religious faith

himself declared to be the truth.

what we hold, and try

in poor
as

human

in spite of all the failings inherent

nature to practice,

Jesus taught

it

but simply to

to tell us

in

fact,

is

the

simply Christianity
true

Islam, which

Muhammad and

the Qur'an both witnessed to as being

the Religion of

God." Rev. W.

Christianity

and Muhammadanism.

176

R.

W. Gaedner,

VIII

HOW

TO PKEACH CHRIST TO MOSLEMS

WHO KNOW JESUS

KNOWLEDGE

Moslem Christ as portrayed

must awaken in every
to lead our Moslem brethren

of the

in the previous chapters

Christian heart a desire

from

their partial, eccentric,

Saviour to
is

Him

the whole truth

shadows

and distorted view

dwelleth

to guide

plea for missions

There

is

them from the

Moslems than

to

the place of our Saviour in so

twilight

words of Christ Himself,

Thy

Son, that

Sun

their

conception

Mohammed

has usurped

many

also

Moslems

in the

hour has come

" Father, the

Thy Son

We may

hearts.

well voice our petitions for missions to

Who

no stronger argument or

our Christ, and the fact that

glorify

of our

fulness and

all

of tradition to a full-orbed vision of the

of Kighteousness.

of

whom

in

may

passion for the glory of God, which

glorify Thee."
is

among

the

highest missionary motives, will inspire us to preach

the Christ in

all

His fulness

following

Mohammed.

Isaiah, "

Jehovah, that

12

to those

who

are

now

We think of the words of

is My name
and My glory
;

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

178

My

will I not give to another, nor

praise to graven

images."

In considering the practical outcome of our study of

Moslem

the

Christ,

is first

it

of all evident that the

one message for the Moslem world

individual Moslem,
of

Him

and

and

each

for

Their knowledge

Jesus Christ.

is

so inadequate, so distorted, so insufficient,

is

by the glory

so utterly obscured

we can only

prophet, that

to

plain," says Dr.

James

S.

their

Dennis

"

Go ye

'

into all the

The

world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'

Mohammed

gospel of Christ, not of

because
of a
it

all

need the gospel.

human

own

"The duty seems

higher things.

stepping-stone

of

use this knowledge as a

to every creature,

were a possibility

If there

we might

substitute for the gospel,

an open question whether salvation

is

of

consider

Mohammed

but Christ has taught us one way of salvation for

men, and that way

merits of His

is

through

would not be understood as

implying here that every Moslem

If

he despises and

trust in

because that mercy

Christ,

rejects

Mohammed,
is

all

the

and not through works or

sacrifice,

worthiness in man.

Him through

is

necessarily lost.

and puts

his sole

or even trusts in divine

his

mercy

due as a Moslem, I should

not feel that there was a substantial basis of hope for

him.

He

is

looking to a

human saviour,

or he

claiming the divine mercy as a subsidy to the

religion.

a Christian.

The Christian
The Moslem,

is

is

simply

Moslem

not saved because he

of course,

is

cannot be saved

HOW
because he

is

side of formal

TO PREACH CHRIST

a Moslem.

and

All

They

with Christ.

who may be saved

visible connection

and

will be saved because of a real

179
out-

with Christianity,

invisible connection

have obtained consciously, or

will

unconsciously, by the aid of God's Spirit that attitude

and trust toward God which

of humility

His wisdom and goodness

them

make

it

to

impart to their souls the

pardon through Christ's merits, and apply

free gift of

to

will

with His character and in harmony with

consistent

in the gladness of

Christ's death.

It

is

in

His love the benefits

any case salvation by

of

gift,

God's mercy, and based upon Christ's

received from

human
Mohammedan,

atonement, and not by works or by reason of

merit.

We

claim, therefore, that the

as such, needs the

knowledge

of Christ,

He

through Christ.

be saved

and can only

needs to be taught

Christianity and brought into the light of Bible truth.

He

needs to recognise the dangerous errors of his

religion

and turn

heaven.

He

essentially

needs to take a radically different and

new

attitude

spiritual regeneration

towards Christ.

all its help,

and

gospel, to

them

it

He

needs

all its inspiration.

the question of duty.

He

and moral reformation.

word, he needs the Gospel.

and

from

to Christianity as the true light

If

any

class of

should be given, and

in the world as Christians to do this."

^Dennis, "Islam and Christian Missions"
Review of the World, August 1889.

all

its

needs
In one

lessons,

Here we

rest

men need

the

it is

our mission

in

The Missionary

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

180

We

have quoted these words at length because even

to-day there are those

who doubt

the expediency or

even the possibility of missions to Moslems.

the difficulties in the

Moslem lands may,

way

of missionary

work

While
in

some

and other reasons,

seem most formidable, and while the access to the
individual

Moslem

for

political

heart

is

also

The Church

or our privilege.

use of

all its

beset with baffling

away our

obstacles, this does not turn

responsibility

of Christ should

make

opportunities to deliver the gospel message

to Moslems in full expectation that the power of the

Holy Spirit, whose special work it is to reveal the

own time lead to the triumph

Moslem lands and Moslem hearts.

Christ, will in God's

of

Christianity in

It has

been remarked with truth that Islam comes

into conflict with the doctrinal teachings of Christianity

where reason has the best vantage-

just at those points

ground in opposition

The great problems

to faith.

of

the Incarnation, the deity of Christ, and the Trinity

are stumbling-blocks not only to the Moslem, but they

are the very problems over which Christianity herself

has pondered with

amazement and awe, and with

reference to which there have been divisions in the

Church

itself;

but these unfathomable mysteries are

the very heart of our religion.

tianity

is

not

differentiated

Without them Chrisfrom

other faiths and

philosophies.

The very

fact

that

Islam,

beginning without

mediator and with a prophet who was thoroughly

HOW
human, should

TO PREACH CHRIST

in the course of centuries

181

have ascribed

and the character of a mediator and

a Messiah, can be used as an argument to prove that
they need the Christ. In this also imitation is the
sincerest flattery, and when we preach Christ to
to

him the

offices

Moslems who know

we

Jesus,

of

them the one thing lacking

in

are

their faith

one unfulfilled desire in their lives.

Christ

the

is

presenting to

and the

If the Cross of

missing link in their creed, then the

preaching of the Cross, although

foolishness, will yet prove

may seem

it

among Moslems
"

the power of God.

the

to

them

wisdom

Just because Islam

of

God and

is

the antithesis to the thesis of Christianity, a syn-

by a compromise between
Islam and Christianity, but by bringing to clear
expression the many common features which still

thesis

possible,

is

not

remain, and by showing

are

how

these

common

features

found in a truer form in Christianity than in

Islam."

Of

all

the

common

features on which

as a point of vital contact with

we can

seize

Moslems there is none

Islam, as we have

superior to the fact of the Christ.

His coming, His supernatural birth, His

as the Bringer of a special revelation from

seen, admits

high

office

God, His sinlessness. His compassion, and His power

His very names afford so many
to work miracles.
points

of

departure

to

tradition to the Gospels.

I

lead from

the

Koran and

The contradictory accounts

Edinburgh Conference Report,

vol. iv. p. 141.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

182

His death, by

of

very contradictions and subter-

tlieir

and His death

fuges, point to the Cross of Christ

sinners

peace

as

the only solution.

He was

the day

the day

He was

Jesus Christ

raised again (Surah 19

three great days to which the

days in the calendar of the Church

By

Friday, and Easter.

hold in

shadows

man

34),

our

and

and these

calls attention

Christmas, Good

admitting the truths which

common with Moslems, by

away from

look

Koran

is

died,

Jesus Christ are the three great holy

in the life of

we

He

born, the day

for

bidding them

broken lights and flickering

their

to the " true Light

which enlighteneth every

that cometh into the world,"

we can

best of all

help Moslems.

Just as the

"Moslem conception

of

God

is

unholy, and to the Christian utterly repugnant,"

Mohammedan

theism

is

a foundation on which

base,
^

yet

we can

build a fuller knowledge of the Godhead, of His holiness,

justice,

mere
larger

the

and love

knowledge

Koran

Moslems who know Jesus

so

j)ropliet will

for

of

this

as a

very reason welcome a

His character, and be led from

caricature

to

Our
way it
can break down
Moslem theology

the Gospel portrait.

preaching should be constructive, and in this

will

We

most surely be destructive.

false ideas of

God and

of Christ in

most surely and most speedily by

of

those very truths

denying the fact

^

that

full

which Islam
Islam

is

Edinhurgh Conference Report^

in

proclamation

lacks.
its

Without

spirit

vol. iv. p. 141.

anti-

HOW
that

Christian,

harmful in

TO PREACH CHRIST
much

contains

it

ethics,

and that

that

is

those doctrines which are the very heart

we

tianity,

that

of

Chris-

the acceptance

Old Testament prophets, the peculiar honours

of the

paid

nevertheless admit

positively

wholly deficient in

is

it

183

our Lord, and the testimony to the sacred

to

scriptures found in the Koran, are important prepara-

tory elements

spite

in

many

of

qualifications

and

We must become Moslems to the Moslem

we would gain them for Christ. We must do this

denials.
if

compromise, but with

in the Pauline sense, without

sympathy

self-sacrificing

and

Christian missionary should

know

the

labours
life of

religion

people

the

of

unselfish

first

of

all

love.

The

thoroughly

among whom he

ignorance of the Koran, the traditions, the

Mohammed,

social beliefs

Moslem conception of Christ,

and prejudices of Mohammedans, which
the

are the result of their religion,

ignorance

of these is

the chief difficulty in work for Moslems.

The nearest way

to the

Moslem heart can

often be

found better by subjective than by objective study.

The

barrier

may

be in the heart of the missionary

as well as in the heart of

cultivate

sympathy

appreciation

of

all

to

the

the

the

Moslem.

highest

great

He

should

degree and an

fundamental

truths

He

should

which we hold in common with Moslem.

show the superiority of Christianity both in doctrine

and life by admitting the excellences of doctrine and
life

in

Mohammedanism, but showing immediately

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

184

how

are at heart dissatisfied with

of

Many Moslems
Mohammed as an ideal

Christianity far surpasses them.

In spite

character.

of

later

the

tradition,

and character

bold

shown in the
Koran stands out and perplexes them. The inconsistencies of his conduct are not taken away by the
outline

his

of

whitewash

life

His

tradition.

of

as

especially present a moral difficulty to

medans who are beginning

to

to think in higher

terms

Therefore, while the missionary should be

of ethics.

careful

women
many Moham-

relations

not

to

offend

he should boldly

needlessly,

challenge a comparison between the

life of

Mohammed

and the

known

to

life of

Jesus Christ, even as

from their own books.

Compromise

They

not win the respect of Moslems.

prophet,

why

should

we not

and yet bold presentation

Moslems

in this regard will

glorify ours

glorify their
?

loving

of the distinctive truths of

our religion and of the surpassing grandeur and beauty

of the character of Jesus Christ will

Moslem
J

never alienate a

heart.

The heart

of

the Gospel and that which possesses

the greatest power of appeal to

every sinner,

is

Mohammedans,

When

God's justice manifested in the Cross of Christ.

properly presented, this doctrine
novel but compelling to any
sense of sin.

as to

the union between God's mercy and

is

not only absolutely

Mohammedan who

In order to awaken a sense of

sin,

feels a

which

is

essential in all missionary effort, the ethical standards of

the Sermon on the

Mount and

the spotless purity of the

HOW
of

life

we

present the Christ as

trast

is

so evident that the

Mohammedan
Moslem

comparison

We

himself.

always

Mohammed and Christ. If

He is in the Gospel, the con-

compare

first to

185

It is not

must be presented.

Christ

wise at

TO PREACH CHRIST

is

made by the

should ask every sincere

inquirer to study the Gospel story and try for

himself to reach a true estimate of Jesus

whom Mohammed

spoke in such high terms of honour

as a Prophet and an Apostle

historical foundations

examine them as

Christ, of

of

God;

of

Christian

the

to take the

religion

and

he pleases, and to see

critically as

for himself what Jesus claimed to be, and

how His

understood by His disciples and by the

claims were
early Church.

We

should ask Moslems to study the

Gospel in any way they

like,

but with only one object

in view, "namely, that

they

may come face to face

may learn to know

with Jesus Himself; that they

Him, and

see

position in

toward

how He claimed

the matter

of

hold a supreme

to

claimed."^

all

men

other has

ever

the attitude of

God, a position which none

In other words, we should press home the

question Jesus Himself put to His disciples and to the

world, "

Are

What

think ye of the Christ

we not sometimes

mating the inward strength

that

it

is

of cleavage

in
of

danger

Islam

of
?

over-esti-

The

fact is

seamed through and through with lines

and

of disintegration,

which have grown

wider and deeper with the centuries.

^

Gardner, Christianity and

Even the masses

Mohammedanism Compared,

p. 62.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

186

are beginning to compare and to think.

An

show

of

dogma

of fanatic devotion to the

When

teaching.

his

Saul redoubled his energies in

heart was already under conviction

his

from the preaching

of Stephen.

common than

more

to-day

is

Mohammed and

not always a proof of real faith in

persecution,

outward
Islam

Unsatisfied 'doubt

blind

'

is

among

devotion

educated Moslems, and one has only to read recent

Moslem literature to
made to save the ship

what

see

frantic .attempts

that which was once considered good cargo.

connection
in

the

as regards Islam
religions,

so

far

"

We may

missionary

should

have their lesson also

"

well believe that heathen

from having arisen as some have

vainly imagined out of the

after

In this

"How

the question,

the Heathen

to

by

words

following

Burma who answers

we preach

are

Islam by throwing overboard

of

God unknown,

soil

are

lofty aspiration

of

more

devices

elaborate for shutting the thought of

out of the minds and hearts of men.

God

or

as

less

He

is

If these various

systems were the result of sincere attempts to find

out God, then the farther the system
the more complete in
to the truth

ought

its

precisely the contrary

and

complete

the

all

devout adherents to
is

true.

system,

the

its

greatest

have the most

be.

less

ready are

but

among

its

The Gospel

triumphs not among those

finished,

But

The more elaborate

followers to yield themselves to Christ.

meets

developed,

is

the more open

parts,

its

those

who
who have

HOW

TO PREACH CHRIST

Elaborateness, com-

the crudest systems of religion.

pleteness, finish, here

pleteness,

finish

We must
with us
in

the

of

com-

to be elaborateness,

seem

from

escape

the

consciousness

God."

of

187

compel Moslems

to go

back to

Mohammed

to dig beneath the rubbish of tradition and

foundations

original

Islam

of

to

what

see

Christ,

and

what he himself was, on the testimony of his

own

Mohammed

taught

regard to Jesus

in

The Moslem world is plastic and restless as

There are critical tendencies
it never was before.
and influences at work which before were dormant.
book.

Islam, as well as the other Oriental faiths

is

recog-

nising its own inadequacy and attempting to adapt

In the words of Dr. Mott,
itself to new conditions.
"

Islam

of

is

linking itself with the atheism and theism

Western

and

also

lands,

and

is

securing

added prestige by

receives at the hands

have broken with Christianity.

to the

and

Moslem camp

atheistic schools."

the

of officials

all

much
support

protection

which

it

from the West who

These

men

carry over

the armoury of the theistic

This revival of Islam

is

accompanied also by a rising

a spirit- of .inquiry and an

shown in
unprecedented demand for the Scriptures, and the
weakening hold of Moslem faith and ethics on the

spiritual

tide,

1
Rev. E. N. Harris in The Missionary Review of the
April 1902, pp. 266-268.
2 Decisive Hour of Christian Missions, p. 57.

World,

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

188
educated

classes,

conversions.

although not yet evident in numerous

The

investigations

ference and the reports of the

have proved beyond the shadow

hour

is

the

of

Con-

Cairo

Lucknow Conference
of a

doubt that the

Moslem world.
we may well ask what Christianity

ripe for evangelising the

Finally,
will gain

by preaching Christ

to

Moslems.

itself

What

will

be the reflex-influence of a campaign for the evangelisation of the

Moslem

w^orld

What

are the moraLissues

involved. in the coming conflict between Christian and

Islamic theism

That such a

conflict

is

inevitable

the preceding chapters have abundantly proved,

in

for,

the words of Dr. Kobert E. Speer,^ "Missions do

not rest upon a maudlin erasure of

all lines of distinct

opinion of truth, and the purchase

by the surrender -of principle

liness.

They involve the

First of

all,

of

good feeling
.

to sentimental

fierce* clash of

sloven-

truth and error."

the Church will gain a stronger grip

ion the great fundamentals of the Christian faith.

The

doctrines of the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the

Trinity will become

special study as

more and more the subject

we meet Moslems
it

to

of

face in

In reading the Gospel with

the battle for the truth.

and to Moslems,

face

will

become evident more and

more

to

every Christian that the death of Christ,

which

is

denied in Islam, occupies the supreme place

in the Gospels
of

and in the Epistles

God's revelation
^

Cf. Speer,

to

man.

as the very heart

The same

is

true

Missionary Principles and Practice, pp. 109-129.

in

HOW

TO PREACH CHRIST

189

regard to the nature and evidences of the resurrection

of Jesus Christ,

Godhead

and our

faith in the character of the

compared with the barren monotheism

as

of Islam.
^

In the second place, the Christian Church will be

forced to

work out her theology experientially when

and

in contact
j

conflict

be as

with unitarian, deistic Islam.

Mohammedan problem may possibly

In this respect the

from the dead

life

when they

face

real

its

become conscious

of

to
-

Oriental

the

and

spiritual

the duty of

Churches

and

issues,

The

evangelism.

doctrine of the Incarnation and of the

not pieces of polished armoury to

are

Holy

Spirit

kept on

be

exhibition in proof of our orthodoxy, but are vital,

very

the

to

of

life

the

The

Christian.

orthodox

Eastern Church will be impotent over against Islam

as long as it

is

merely orthodox in

doctrine of the Trinity

must be

over

Moslem

effective

W.
"

H.

against

its

The

creed.

vitalised to

become
Rev.

unitarianism.

Gairdner has pointed out some of these

T.

important

moral

issues

involved

in

this

conflict

He

between trinitarian and Islamic monotheism."^

says,

"

hearts,

heart

Islam forces us to find the

Trinity

in

our

and

Trinity

in

the

of

scrutable,

it

God."

forces us to find the

After considering

and characterless Sultan

the
of

solitary,

See his paper on this subject at the

reprinted in Blessed he Egypt.

whom

heaven

the Moslems call Allah, he asks this question

in-

"

Are

Pan -Anglican Conference

Cairo, 1909.

THE MOSLEM CHRIST

190

Moslem deism and Christian trinitarian theism

between them forcing the Church to consider this
not

problem yet once again, and in relation

of the

Atonement

great verse,

'

to read a richer

God was

to the

mystery

meaning into the

in Christ reconciling the

world

to Himself.'

Even

as a study of

the

Moslem

doctrine of

God

again and again forces from our hearts an overflow

of

thanksgiving and praise for the knowledge of the

God

only true

as

He

revealed in the Scriptures,

is

Moslem

so a study of the

Christ and of

Mohammedan
God and

substitutes for the only Mediator between

men

will lead us

more than ever

to a deeper

knowledge

and a stronger, more passionate devotion

"in

Whom

dwelleth

all

and Who, because

bodily,"

for sinners,

is

worthy

of

His

to receive

In the third place,

Moslem
of

and death

sacrifice

it

will

be clearly seen that

when we study the

God and the Moslem doctrine

of

Modern Unitarianism,
to

do

blessing."

not Christianity,

doctrine

Christ.

by trying

is

Him

power and riches and

'''

wisdom and might and honour and glory and

Unitarianism

to

Godhead

the fulness of the

full justice to the

like

Islam, begins

humanity

of Jesus,

but the logical outcome of this position has been well

able address on "

Duncan B. MacDonald in a remarkOne phase of the doctrine of the

Unity

He

pointed out by Dr.

of

of

God."

refers especially

God according to Moslem

" The new Unitarianism

to

the

Unity

Theology.
seeks

to

carry

over the

HOW

TO PREACH CHRIST

191

emotional content of Christianity, after abandoning

make

the metaphysical realities which

The incarnate Word

abidingly possible.

mythologised and misinterpreted, but

that emotion

a metaphor,

is
it

is

to

still

declare to us the Father and to be the Light of the

The Holy Ghost

world.

but

is

it

Lord and Giver

and yet we are

by

of

But

God,

if

is

we

all

We

life.

to be

are to be strict monists,

branches of the Vine, nourished

the mystical Vision.

"

figurative expression,

is

be the abiding Comforter and the

to

still

."
.

are to be Unitarians as to the person of

this

That

possible?

if

is,

God

is

be

to

conceived as an internal as well as an external unity,

how

affect our

of

Him ?

feeling

Our

historical Unitarianism, as I

could take the

out,

towards Him, affect our doctrine

never faced that problem

it

working

will that conception, in the ultimate

or, rather, it

have

said,

thought that

Christian conception

of

God, cut

away from that conception the elements to which it

But you cannot take
objected and retain the rest.
parallel, cut away
the
allowed
a man, if I may be
from him the organs
think that he will

working man.

may
with

of
still

which you disapprove, and

remain a good-going and

The excision

of

a very

And

upset the whole organism.

it is

small organ

an organism

which we are dealing, and not a mechanical

combination."

Later in his paper,

Moslem doctrine of God

Moslem literature, he exclaims

the

as

when speaking
current

in

of

early

'

THE MOSLEIM CHRIST

192
"

And when

the thunder of the hoofs of these warriors for the

greater glory of
left for

two

God has echoed

the Muslims

What

past,

is left

what

is left ?

for us

As

What was

I see

it,

only

Either such a conception as the Christian

possibilities.

Trinity, which breaks the awful inpassibility of the logically

which renders possible sympathy, affection,

which makes God knowable that is how the Sori
reveals the Father to us which makes us the Sons of God,
partakers of the divine nature, and not simply the creatures
of His hand
which finds within the Christian Church the
Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Lord and Giver of Life and
which yet preserves God Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as a
Either that or
conscious, knowing, feeling, willing individual.
Pantheism, in which the many vanish in the one, and the one
vanishes in the many.
unified absolute,

love, trust

" All attempts to simplify the metaphysical basis of our faith

have, under the test of time and

life, failed.

Deists and theists

have come and gone. Ethics and natural theology have claimed
their own and more, have had, for a time, their claims
allowed and then have vanished.

Church has moved

it.

many

Its faith has seen

many

garments.

In many ways the Christian

the guidance of the Spirit has not failed

But

hypotheses, has been enfolded in

to the seeker in the great space that lies

between materialism and Pantheism the presentation that still

expresses most adequately the mystery behind our lives is that
in the Christian Trinity, and the words that come the nearest
are those of the Nicene Creed." ^

Let a Moslem once

turn away from
to the

feel

the burden of his

Mohammed and

the

sins,

Moslem

and

Christ

Living Saviour, the Son of God revealed in the

Gospel, the

Lamb

the world, and

of

God who taketh away

all his intellectual difficulties

* Annual
Address, Hartford Seminary, September
Hartford Seminary Record.

the sin of

vanish like
1909.

See

HOW

TO PREACH CHRIST

morning mist before the

the

Moslem

sun.

rising

They

converts are no longer Unitarians.

193

confess with

heart and mouth, with the whole Church Catholic

5 Mitbz

'*

in one

ffioti

tfte

Jatjet ^Imigljtg, JEaker of

Ijeaben anti eartlj, anli of all tfjings

bmblz

antJ inbi'giftBe.

^nti in one Hotti Jesus \}xiQi, tte onXgr^begotten

**

of

ffiotr,

of

ffioti,

Ijecfotten

of

father before

tfje

substance

all

things toere ntatte

our salbation, came

tioixin

bg

of

ttje

man;

f^olg

ffiljast

anti ijjas

accortiing

to

f)eaben, antJ sittet!)

also for us untier

ant

antr tje ticatj

^nti in

spake bg

13

init!)

bg

iFat!)er;

men

anti for

rigl^t

antu

ascentietJ

no

into

Jatfjer;

tfje

to jutige botlj tlje

sljall jjabe

matic

tiag f^e rose

tl)irti

\)mti of

glorg

antJ inas

Pontius Pilate;

antJ

quick

enti.

f^olg OSfjost, tje 3Lortr antr (Kiber of Hife

tobo proceetretb from

iFatb^r anti tbe
ij3b3

tl)e

TOi^ose kingtiom

tl}e

tlje

Scriptures;

t{)e

on

f^E sball come again

**

Son
ffiotj

Ijeaben, nntj toas incarnate

Uirgin i^arg,

tlje

crucifieti

tlje

tniti^

TOfto, for us

from

l^e sufferetJ anlf iuas burieti;

again,

tootltjs,

ILisbt of Higljt, iierg ffiob of berg CKoti, begotten,

not matie, beintj of one

TO^om

all

Son

tl)e

tlje

jFatber anti

tl)e

Son,

baljo tuit]^

tje

together is inorsjippetr anti glorifietJ,

prophets*

."

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