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Al-Tawhid
Words of the
Word of God: Jesus Christ ('a) Speaks through Shi'i Narrations
Selected, edited and translated byMahdi Muntazir Qa'im and
Muhammad LegenhausenVol 13. No. 3.- 4Introduction:
In the Qur'an, in a passage describing the annunciation to the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Jesus ('a) is described as a Word from God: "O Mary!
Verily Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word from Him; his name is
the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, eminent in this world, and in the
Hereafter of those near [to God]" (3:44)
The context in which this ayah was revealed was one of inter-religious
encounter. It is said that the Christians of Najran sent a delegation to
the Prophet of Islam (s) at Makkah to question him about the teachings of
Islam concerning Jesus ('a), and God revealed the above and other
ayat of Surat Al 'Imran in response. The response is not only not a
denial of Christian teachings, although the divinity of Christ is clearly
rejected, but also an affirmation of much believed by Christians as well,
even the designation of Christ as logos: 'O People of the Book! Do not go
to extremes in your creed, and do not say of Allah but the Truth. Verily,
the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, is only an apostle of Allah and His
Word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a Spirit from Him (Qur'an 4:171) So
in addition to being called the Word of God, Jesus ('a) is also called a
Spirit of God and in some of the narrations reported in the Shi'i
tradition, this title is used.
Of course, the interpretation of the logos in Christian theology
differs markedly from the interpretation of the kalimah by Muslim
scholars. For the Christian, according to the Gospel of John, the Word was
God and the Word became flesh.' For the Muslim, on the other hand, the
Word is creature, even while it is the creative principle, for it is in
God's utterance of the word 'Be'. That creation takes place. To call
Christ the Word of Allah is not to deify him, but to verify his status as
prophet. Because of his high status as prophet, Jesus ('a) becomes a
complete manifestation of God, one who conveys the message of God, one who
can speak on behalf of God, the Word of God Jesus ('a) becomes the Word of
God not because of an incarnation whereby his flesh becomes divine, but
because his spirit is refined to such an extent that it becomes a mirror
whereby divinity comes to be known. The temple is holy not because of any
inherent sanctity in the structure, but because it is the place of the
worship of God.
The differences between Islamic and Christian thinking about Jesus ('a)
are as important as they are subtle. Both accept the virgin birth,
although it is ironic that a growing number of liberal Christians have
come to have doubts about this miracle while Muslims remain steadfast!
Among the other miracles attributed to Jesus ('a) in the Glorious Qur'an
are the revival of the dead and the creation of a bird from clay, but all
of the miracles performed by Jesus ('a) are expressly by the permission of
Allah. Just as in the miracle of his birth, Jesus ('a) came into the world
by a human mother and divine spirit, so too, his miracles are performed as
human actions with divine permission. In this regard the error of the
Christians is explained by Ibn 'Arabi as follows:
"This matter has led certain people to speak of incarnation and to say
that, in reviving the dead, he is God. Therefore, since they conceal God,
Who in reality revives the dead, in the human form of Jesus, He has said,
They are concealers [unbelievers] who say that God is the Messiah, son
of Mary. (5:72)" [1]
The point is that one can find God in Jesus ('a) without deifying him,
and furthermore that deifying Jesus ('a) is really an obstacle to finding
God in Jesus ('a), for in the deification one ceases to look in Jesus ('a)
for anything beyond him. It is as if one were to become distracted from a
message by focusing one's attention on the words through which it was
conveyed.
To the above point it may be added that not only does the doctrine of
the incarnation prevent one from finding God in Christ ('a), but it also
prevents one from seeing Christ ('a) the man, because his imagined
divinity gets in the way.
One of the central questions of Christian theology is: "Who was Jesus
Christ?" The formulation of answers to this question is called
Christology. In this area of theology, Christians have debated the
significance of the historical Jesus as opposed to the picture of Jesus
presented in the traditions of the Christian Churches and the Biblical
understanding of Jesus. The time has come for Muslims to begin work in
this area, as well. Through the development of an Islamic Christology we
can come to a better understanding of Islam as contrasted with
Christianity, and Islam in consonance with Christianity, too. Indeed, the
first steps in this direction are laid out for us in the Qur'an itself, in
the verses mentioned above and others. Contemporary work toward an Islamic
Christology is scarce. Christian authors have tended to stress the
salvific function of Jesus ('a) which seems to have no place in Islam, and
given this, the Christians ask one another whether Christ ('a) can be the
savior of Muslims and others who are not Christians. Christians should be
reminded that Muslims accept Jesus ('a) as savior, along with all the
other prophets, for the prophetic function is to save humanity from the
scourge of sin by conveying the message of guidance revealed by God. The
important difference between Islam and Christianity here is not over the
issue of whether Jesus ('a) saves, but how he saves. Islam denies that
salvation is through redemption resulting from the crucifixion, and
instead turns its attention to the instruction provided in the life of the
prophets ('a).
Muslims, on the other hand, have tended to produce polemical works
showing how much of what is in the Bible is consistent with the Islamic
view of Christ ('a) as prophet rather than as a person of the Trinity.
Some interesting work along these lines has been initiated by Ahmad Deedat
in South Africa. More profound insights into the differences between Islam
and other faiths, including Christianity, may be found in the writings of
Frithjof Schuon, Shaykh 'Isa Nur al-Din Ahmad, who presents the beginnings
of a genuine Christology from a sufi perspective in his Islam and the
Perennial Philosophy.[2]
There is also a valuable collection of stories about Jesus ('a) culled
from the writings of various Muslim mystics, Jesus in the Eyes of the
Sufis. [3] Some of the items reported in this work have their origins
in the narrations attributed to the Shi'i Imams ('a) presented below.
These days there is much discussion of dialogue between different faith
communities. Conferences have been held for this purpose in the Islamic
Republic of Iran as well as in Africa, Europe and the United States.
Perhaps one of the best ways Christians can find common ground for
discussion with Muslims is to become familiar with the portrait of Jesus
('a) presented in Islamic sources, the most important of which are the
Qur'an and hadith, and as for the latter, no matter what one's
religious orientation, it must be admitted that the narrations handed down
through the Household of the Prophet (s) deserve careful attention. For
those of us who have the honor of being counted among the Shi'ah, the
importance of what has been related by the Ahl al-Bayt weighs
especially heavily, as it should, according to the famous hadith
al-thaqalayn", in which the Prophet (s,), in the last year of his
life, is reported to have said:
"Verily, I am leaving with you two weighty things (thaqalayn):
the Book of Allah and my kindred, my household, for indeed, the two of
them will never separate until they return to me by the Pond [of Kawthar
on the Last Day]."
Perhaps some Christians will be dismissive of what is said of Jesus
('a) in the Islamic narrations because the main debate about contemporary
Christology among Christians is whether research about the historical
Jesus ('a) is relevant to religion, or whether knowledge of Jesus ('a)
requires attention to the role he plays in the Church and in theology. The
Islamic narrations, coming centuries after the life of Christ ('a) (and in
some cases more than a century after the life of Muhammad [s] will likely
be dismissed by liberal Christians in pursuit of a portrait of Jesus ('a)
based on the standards of historical research currently accepted in the
West. The neo-orthodox Christian claims that the Savior is not to be found
in history, but in the Church, so it will not be surprising if he displays
no interest in what Islam has to say about Christ ('a). However, the
Christian may find that the Islamic perspective illuminates a middle
ground between the historian's emphasis on the natural and the
ecclesiastical emphasis on the supernatural. The humanity of Jesus ('a) is
evident in the narrations of the Shi'ah, but it is a humanity transformed,
a perfected humanity, and as such there is no denying its supernatural
dimension.
The Muslim always seems to appear as a stranger to the Christian, but
perhaps it is from the stranger that the Christian can best come to know
his savior. The crucifix has hung in the Church for so long that it
becomes difficult for the Christian to find significance there. The
attraction of the quest for the historical Jesus is that it provides a
fresh look at the subject, even if that quest is marred by naturalistic
presumptions inimical to the religious outlook. By trying to see Jesus
('a) as the Muslim sees him, the Christian may find his savior come to
life, lifted up to God in his own inner life rather than crucified. [4]
If we have given reason for Christians to study the narrations of the
Shi'ah about Jesus ('a), the question of the value of such study for
Muslims remains. Some might wonder why, when we have the Qur'an and
Sunnah, we should be especially interested in Jesus ('a). To begin with,
Jesus ('a), along with the prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peace be with
them, and Muhammad (s) has a special status in Islam as one of the
greatest prophets, the ulu al- 'azm, the prophets who brought the
divine law. What was revealed to the last of them, (s), is a confirmation
of what was revealed to the others. The truth of the revelation is not to
be found in its particularity but in its universality, and we come to
understand this best when we understand the teachings of all the prophets
('a). Is this not why so much attention is given to the previous prophets
in the Qur'an?
All of the prophets ('a) have brought a gospel of love, love of God and
love of neighbor and love even for the meanest of His creatures. So, in
the reports narrated below we find Jesus ('a) giving some of his food to
the creatures of the sea. At the same time, however, this love is not to
be confused with a sentimentalism which would prevent the execution of the
divine law. Jesus ('a) found fault with the Pharisees not because of their
regard for the exterior forms of religion, but because of their disregard
for its interior forms, that is, because of their hypocrisy. [5]
The words of the Spirit of Allah reported in the selections that follow
are primarily concerned with morals. These are Christian morals and at the
same time Islamic morals. Today Christendom is in a state of moral
upheaval. Peculiarly modern ideas of what is right and wrong have found
their way into the theologians' understandings of ethics. Significant
areas of agreement are difficult to find. The simple morality taught by
Jesus ('a) and which continues to be emphasized in Islam resonates in the
narrations of the Shi'ah. While excessive asceticism is forbidden, we are
to turn, like Jesus ('a), away from the world to find refuge in God.
From the following narrations we not only become reacquainted with the
moral teachings of Jesus ('a) and with his character, but we also discover
what the dear friends of Allah, the Household of the Prophet (s) found it
important to transmit about him, and thereby we get a glimpse into their
moral teachings and characters, too.
Muhammad Legenhausen
The Words of Jesus ('a)
Divine Omnipotence:
1. It is said that Jesus the son of Mary ('a) was sitting and an old
man was working with a small shovel tilling the earth. Jesus ('a) said: "O
Allah! Extract his desire from him." The old man put down the small shovel
and slept for an hour. Then Jesus ('a) said: "O Allah! Return the desire
to him." Then he stood up and began to work. Jesus ('a) asked him about
it. He said: "When I was working my soul said to me: 'How long will you
work, being that you are an old man?' Then I put down the small shovel and
slept.' Then my soul said to me: 'By Allah! You have no alternative but to
live as long as you remain.' Then I stood up with my small shovel."
(Bihar al-anwar, xiv, 329)
2. It is reported that Abu 'Abd Allah [Imam Sadiq] ('a) said: "The
Devil [iblis, the devil who tempted Adam and Eve. Cf. Qur'an 2:34;
7:11; 15:31; 38:74] said to Jesus the son of Mary: 'Does your Lord have
the power to put the earth into an egg without reducing the size of the
earth or enlarging the egg?' Then Jesus ('a) said: 'Woe unto you, for
weakness is not attributed to Allah. Who is more powerful than He Who
makes the earth subtle and makes the egg great?' (Bihar al-anwar,
iv, 142)
3. It is reported that Imam Sadiq ('a) said: "Iblis came to
Jesus ('a), then he said: 'Do you not claim that you can revive the dead?'
Jesus said: 'Yes.' Iblis said: 'Then throw yourself down from the
top of the wall.' Then Jesus said: 'Woe unto you! Verily the servant does
not try his Lord.' And Iblis said: 'O Jesus! Can your Lord put the
earth in an egg while the egg remains in its form?' Then he said: 'Verily
impotence is not attributed to Allah, the Supreme, but what you said
cannot be.' " (Bihar al-anwar, xiv, 271)
Of Human Poverty:
4. One of the Imams is reported to have said: "It was said to Jesus the
son of Mary ('a): 'How did you begin the morning, O Spirit of Allah?' He
said: 'I began the morning with my Lord, the Blessed and Supreme, above me
and the fire (of hell) before me and death in pursuit of me. I do not
possess that which I hope for and I cannot avoid what I hate. So which of
the poor is poorer than me?' " (Bihar al-anwar, lxxvi, 17)
The World and the Hereafter:
5. Jesus ('a) said: "O assembly of disciples! I have thrown the world
prostrate before you, so do not lift it up after me, for one of the evils
of this world is that Allah was disobeyed in it, and one of the evils of
this world is that the next world is not attained except by abandoning
this one. So pass through this world without making it your home, and know
that the root of all wrong is the love of this world. Many a vain desire
leaves a legacy of lasting sorrow." (Bihar al-anwar, xiv, 327)
6. [Jesus ('a)] said: "Blessed is he who abandons the present desire
for the absent promise." (Bihar al-anwar, xiv, 327)
7. Jesus ('a) said: "Who would build a house on the waves of the sea?
This world is that house, so you should not take it as a dwelling.''
(Bihar al-anwar," xiv, 326)
8. Jesus ('a) said: "Woe to the companion of the world! How he dies and
leaves it and how he relies on it and it deceives him, and how he trusts
it and it forsakes him! Woe unto those who are deceived! How that which is
repugnant encompasses them and that which is beloved separates from them!
And that which is promised will come to them. And woe to those whose
endeavors are only for the world and error. How he will be disgraced
before Allah tomorrow!"
(Bihar al-anwar, xiv, 328)
9. Jesus, Peace be upon him, is reported to have said: "How can one be
of the people of knowledge if the next world is shown to him while he
remains involved in this world, and what harms him is more desirable to
him than what benefits him?'' (Majmu'at at warram, i, 83)
10. It was said to Jesus ('a): "Teach us a deed for which Allah will
love us." He said: "Detest the world and Allah will love you. (Tanbih
al-khawatir, i, 134)
11. It has been reported by Mujahid from Ibn 'Abbas from the Apostle of
Allah, may the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him and with his folk:
"Verily, Jesus. Peace be upon him, passed a city which had come to ruin
and whose foundations had collapsed. He said to some of his disciples: 'Do
you know what it is saying?' One said: 'No.' Jesus, Peace be upon him,
said: 'It says: "Verily, the true promise of my Lord has come. My rivers
have dried up, though once they were full; my trees have withered, though
once they were in bloom; my castles are in ruins and my residents have
died. Then, oh, these are their bones within me, and their property that
was gained lawfully along with their ill-gotten gains are in my belly, and
the inheritance of the heavens and the earth is only for Allah." '"
(Adab al-nafs, I, 122)
12. The Messiah, Peace he upon him, said to the Apostles: "Verily, the
eating of barley bread and the drinking of plain water today in this world
is for he who would enter heaven tomorrow." (Adab al-nafs, ii,
225)
13. It is reported that Abu 'Abd Allah [Imam Sadiq], Peace he upon him,
said: 'Jesus the son of Mary, may the blessings of Allah be upon him,
