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The Miraculous Birth of Jesus
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Concerning the birth of Jesus (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and concerning the pregnancy of his blessed
Mother Mary (peace and blessings of Allah be upon her) together with matters
connected therewith…
Allah (exalted be He) says: “And remember
Mary in the Book; when she went apart from her family towards a place in
the East.” (Holy Qur’an 19:16)
Those learned in the affairs of the Prophets
say that (this was) three days after Mary had conceived Jesus (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon both of them) and Mary (peace be upon her) was
at that time a girl of fifteen years, or some say of thirteen years. There
was with Mary (peace be upon her) in the temple (at that time), among the
devotees, her cousin on the paternal side, (a man) named Joseph the carpenter.
He was a sweet-tempered man, a carpenter (by trade), who distributed alms
from the labor of his hands. Now Joseph and Mary (peace be upon her) had
a charge of keeping the sanctuary clean, and (it was their custom) when
Mary (peace be upon her) had used up her water and Joseph his, each of
them would take his vessel and go to the cave in which water was, fill
up from it and return to the sanctuary.
Now when it was the day on which the angel
Gabriel (peace be upon him) met her, it was the longest and hottest day
of the year, she had used up her water, so she said, “Shall we not go together,
O Joseph, and fill up?” He said: “I indeed have water enough to last me
this day until tomorrow.” She said, “But I, by Allah, have not water.”
Then she took her water pot and went on by herself till she entered the
cave, and found by it Gabriel (peace be upon him). Now for her sake, Allah
had given him the appearance of a perfect man. (Holy Qur’an 19:17)
She said: “I beg you refuge of the Most
Affectionate from you if you are afraid of Allah.” (Holy Qur’an 19:18)
He said, “I am only a Messenger of your Rabb (Lord), that I may give you
a pure son.” She said, “From where shall I have a son, no man has touched
me, nor am I unchaste?” He said, “So it is, your Rabb (Lord) has said,
this is easy to me, and that We make it a sign for the people and a Mercy
from Us, and this sign for the people is already decreed.” (Holy Qur’an
19:18-21) When he said that to her she submitted to what Allah had decreed.
So he breathed into the neck of her chemise, and she conceived Jesus (peace
be upon him). Then she filled up her water pat and returned to the temple.
As-Suddi and Ikrima say that Mary (peace
be upon her) used to remain in the temple as long as she was (virtually)
pure. When her periods came upon her she would go to the house of her maternal
aunt (to stay) till she was pure again, when she would return to the temple.
The first one to notice her pregnancy was
her paternal uncle, her companion, Joseph, the carpenter. When he saw how
it was with her he was amazed at it and found it shocking, but he did not
know what to do about the matter. As often as he decided to suspect her
(of evil) he remembered her piety, her acts of worship and her purity,
and (the fact) she had not been absent from him a single hour. Yet whenever
he decided to declare her innocent, he would noticed the signs of pregnancy
that appeared in her. When this got to weigh to heavily upon him he spoke
to her, and the way he began it was this. He said to her, “There is a matter
concerning you (O Mary), that occupies my mind. I have striven to stifle
it, but it is too much for me, so I have come to see that to speak about
it would be easier for my breast.” She said, “Speak so long as it is kindly.”
He said to her: “Tell me, Mary does a plan grow without a seed (being planted)?”
“Yes,” said she. He said, “Then does a tree grow without (being watered
by) the rain?” “Yes,” said she. He said, “Can there be a child without
the participation of a male?” Said she, “Do you not know that Allah (Magnified
and Majestic is He) caused the plant to grow on the day he created it,
without any seed? So that the seed comes only the plant which He caused
to grow without a seed. And do you not know that Allah (May He be Exalted)
caused trees to grow without watering, and by decree made the watering
to be the life of trees—after that He had created each one of them separately?
Or do you say that Allah (Exalted be He) is not able to make the tree grow
till he has sought aid from the water, so that had it not been for that
(water), he would not have able to make it grow?” Said Joseph “I do not
say this, but I say that Allah (Exalted be he) is able to do what He pleases.
He says to a thing ‘Be!’ And it is.” (Holy Qur’an 2:117). So Mary (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon her) said to him, “Do you not know that
Allah created Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife without the (participation)
of male and female?” “Assuredly,” said he. And when she spoke thus to him
it entered his mind that maybe what (she was pregnant with) was from Allah,
so that it was not proper for him to question her about it. This was confirmed
by his noticing how reticent she was concerning it.
Concerning
the Birth of Jesus (peace be upon him)
They say that when Mary (peace be upon her)
drew heavy with child and her confinement grew near, Allah (Exalted be
He) spoke to her by revelation, (saying) “The temple at Jerusalem is one
of Allah’s houses, which He has purified and exalted, so that in it His
name must be remembered. Therefore, go forth to a place in which you may
take refuge.” So Mary (peace be upon her) went to the house of her maternal
aunt, the mother of John the Baptist (peace be upon him). When she entered
John’s mother stood up welcoming her and embracing her. The wife of Zachariah
(peace be upon him) said, “O Mary (peace be upon her) do you notice that
I am pregnant?” Mary (peace be upon her) answered, “And you also, do you
notice that I am pregnant?” Said the wife of Zachariah (peace be upon him)
“Verily I feel what is in my womb doing obeisance to what is in they womb.”
This is what (is meant by) Allah’s saying: “Confirming a word from Allah.”
(Holy Qur’an 3:39) While she was staying in the house of her aunt, Allah
spoke to her by revelation (saying), “If you give birth among your people,
they will reproach you and stone you, killing both you and your child,
so depart from them.” (i.e., go away)
Al-Kalbi said that people (the Jews) said
to her cousin Joseph, “Verily Mary (peace be upon her) has conceived a
child by adultery, and the king is about to kill her, for her name has
been given to him.” So Joseph fled with her carrying her on a donkey that
he had, and there was nothing between her and the saddle of the donkey.
Thus id Joseph journey with her until when he was nigh to the land of Egypt,
far removed from the land of her people, the birth pangs overtook Mary
(peace be upon her), causing her to repair quickly to the trunk of a dried
up palm (Holy Qur’an 19:23). Now, that was in the wintertime.
Al-Kalbi says that while Joseph was in
the way he desired to kill her, but Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to
him and said to him, “It is of the Holy Spirit, so do not kill her.” The
learned differ as to the length of the pregnancy of Mary (peace be upon
her) and the time of her delivery of Jesus (peace be upon him). Some say
that the time of her pregnancy was nine months like the rest of women.
Some say eight months, others say six months, some, three hours, and others
say just one single hour. Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) says
that the fact is that she became pregnant and was delivered, and the departing
(to an Eastern place) there was only a single hour, (and this we know)
because Allah (exalted is He) says, “So she became pregnant with him
and went apart with him to a remote place.” (Holy Qur’an 19:22) (i.e.,
far from people) Muqatil says that his mother conceived him in an hour,
while the sun continued its daily course, she being (at the time) a girl
of twenty years who had menstruated twice before she became pregnant with
Jesus (on him be peace).
Some say that when the pangs came upon
her she repaired to a palm tree, and it was a dried up palm tree without
leaves or stumps of leaves or branches, and the angels surrounded her,
encompassing her in ranks, i.e., encircling her. That palm tree was in
a place called Bethlehem. When the travail began she cried, “Would that
I had died ere this, and became forgotten, quite forgotten.” (Holy Qur’an
19:23), i.e., a corpse cast out. Then she was called: “Do not grieve! Thy
Rabb (Lord) has sent beneath thee a rivulet. So shake towards thyself the
trunk of the palm tree, it will let fall on thee fresh ripe dates.” (Holy
Qur’an 19:24,25) That is in accordance with what He (exalted be He) said.
Some say it was Gabriel (peace be upon
him) who called to her from the foot of the mountain, while some say it
was Jesus (peace be upon him) who, when he came forth from his mother’s
womb, called to her, and by the permission of Allah (exalted is He), spoke
to her. It is said that when she bore Jesus (peace be upon him), caused
a rivulet of water to flow for her which was cool when she drank of it,
but lukewarm when she used it (for washing).
‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased
with him) says that Jesus (peace be upon him)—and some say it was Gabriel—beat
the earth with his foot, whereat the water appeared and made the palm tree
revive after it had been withered, so that it put form branches, became
leaf, bore fruit and matured.
Mujahid (may Allah be pleased with him)
says that Mary (peace be upon her) said, “When I was alone with Jesus (peace
be upon him) I used to talk with him and he with me, and when anyone took
my attention from it he would say prayers in my womb and I could hear him.”
Concerning
the Return of Mary with her son Jesus to her people, after delivery.
Then, indeed, a party from among her people
(made trouble for her) after Allah (exalted be He) had settled the affair
of his handmaiden, and had made easy for her the means of delivery (the
Jews always made trouble for the Prophets of Allah). Allah said (to her):
“Eat, O Mary, of the ripe dates and drink of the cool water, cool your
eyes and compose your spirit, and should you see any man who might question
you about your child, or censure you on his account, then say: ‘I have
vowed to the Merciful a fast, a vow of silence.’” (Holy Qur’an 19:26,27)
Al-Kalbi says that Joseph the carpenter
took Mary and Jesus (peace be upon them) to a cave where he made them remain
for forty days until she rose from her confinement. Then he brought her
(home), and Mary (peace be upon her) came carrying him, after the forty
days, and Jesus (peace be upon him) talked with her on the way saying:
“O Mother, rejoice, for I am a servant of Allah and His Messiah.”
Now when she came to her parents with the
child they wept and grieved, for they were pious people. They said, “O
Mary thou hast come with a strange thing” (Holy Qur’an 19:27) i.e., a great
abomination. “O sister of Aaron” (Holy Qur’an 19:28). Qata said that this
Aaron (peace be upon him) was a pious man of the God-fearing among the
Children of Israel, and is not the Aaron (peace be upon him) the brother
of Moses (peace be upon him). They relate that there followed this bier
on the day of his death forty thousand Israelites all of them named Aaron.
Wahb says that this Aaron was one of the most debauched of the Israelites
and the most renowned for evil ways, so they likened her to him: “Thy father
Imran was no man of wickedness, nor was thy mother unchaste,” i.e., a harlot,
“So from whence have you this child?” (Holy Qur’an 19:28) Then Mary made
a sign, pointing them to Jesus (peace be upon him), that they should speak
with him. But they got angry and said, “How shall we speak with one who
is in the cradle a babe?” (Holy Qur’an 19:29)
Wahb says that Zacharia (peace be
upon him) came to her as she was disputing with the Jews, and said to Jesus
(peace be upon him), “Speak in defense of yourself, if you are authorized
to do so,” whereupon Jesus (peace be upon him) though he was only forty
days old, (spoke up) and said: “Truly I am a servant of Allah, He has
given me the Book…” (Holy Qur’an 19:30). He thus confessed to the fact
that he was but a servant the first time he spoke thus giving proof that
he was neither a god nor the son of Allah.
Amr bin Maimun says that when Mary came
to her people with Jesus (peace be upon her) they took up stones desiring
to stone her, (in accordance with the law), but when Jesus (peace be upon
him) spoke up they left her. It is said that he did not speak again after
that until he was the age of other children. But Allah knows best.
Concerning
the departure of Mary (peace be upon her) and Jesus (peace be upon him)
to Egypt.
Allah (exalted be He) has said: “We made the
son of Mary and his mother a sign, and sent them for refuge to a lofty
place, where there was a secure spot and a spring.” Now when Herod, King
of the Israelites, heard news of the Messiah he determined to kill him.
(How the court got this news) was because they noticed a certain star that
had appeared, and they know by calculations they had in a book of theirs.
Consequently Allah sent an angel to Joseph the carpenter; informing him
of what Herod was resolved upon and bidding him flee with the child and
his mother to Egypt. Allah also spoke by revelation to Mary (peace be upon
her) saying: “Run away to Egypt, for verily if Herod gets his hands on
your son he will kill him. Then when Herod is dead, return to your land.”
So Joseph carried Mary (peace be upon her) and her son upon his donkey
until they reached the land of Egypt, for it was the lofty place which
Allah had meant when He said: “We have sent them for refuge to a lofty
place, where there was a secure spot and a spring.” (Holy Qur’an 23:50)
Abu Is’haq al-Thalabi mentions that in
interpreting “A secure spot and a spring,” Abdallah ibn Salam said that
it was Damascus; and Abu Huraira said that it was Ramleh; Qatada and Ka’ba
said that it was Jerusalem, though Ka’b (also recorded the opinion that)
it was that piece of land on earth nearest to heaven; Abu Zaid said that
it was Egypt; Ad-Dahhak said that it was a place in Damascus; and Abu-e-Aliya
said that it was Aelia; Saying that garar meant “level ground,” and Ma’in
meant “pure water.”
Mary remained in Egypt twelve years spinning
flax and gathering the grain after the harvesters. She used to gather the
grain with the (babe’s) cradle attached to one shoulder, and the vessel
in which the grain was to the other shoulder. This life in Egypt continued
till Jesus (peace be upon him) reached the age of twelve years.
Concerning
the Appearance and Exterior Qualities of Jesus
Ka’b al-Ahbar said that Jesus, son of Mary
(peace be upon him and his mother) was a man of reddish brown complexion.
His hair was lank (down), nor did he ever anoint his head. Jesus (peace
be upon him) used to walk barefooted and possessed neither house, ornament,
merchandise, fine clothes, nor possessions save his daily food. When the
sun would set, he would draw up his feet and say prayers until dawn broke.
He used to heal the born blind, and the lepers, raise the dead to life
by permission of Almighty Allah, and tell his people that they were storing
up for the morrow (Holy Qur’an 3:49). He used to walk on the water in the
sea. His hear was disheveled, his face thin (since he was) an ascetic in
this world, desirous of the next, and diligent in the service of Allah.
He used to wander on the earth until the Jews sought him, desiring to kill
him, whereas Allah raised him to heaven. And Allah knows best.
Mary
and Jesus Return to Their Own Country After the Death of Herod
Wahb says that when Herod the King died in
the twelfth year after the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) Allah, by
revelation, gave Mary (peace be upon her) the news of Herod’s death and
bade her return to Syria with her cousin Joseph the carpenter. So Jesus
and his mother (on both of them be peace) returned and dwelt in Jebel Al-Jalil
a village called Nasira, from whence comes the name Nasara (Qur’anic name
for Christians). Now Jesus used to master in an hour the learning of a
day, and in day that of a month, and in a month, that of a year. When he
was thirty years of age, Allah spoke to him by revelation, telling him
that he should come forth to the people and summon them to Allah, speaking
to them in parables, curing the sick and the infirm, the bland and the
mad, taming the devils, rebuking them and humbling them, so that they used
to die for fear of Him.
Jesus (peace be upon him) did what Allah
commanded him, so the people loved him and inclined towards him as they
got accustomed to him, so that his followers increased and his fame grew
immensely. At times the people would assemble before him the sick and the
infirm, as many as fifty thousand in one hour. As many of them as were
able to come to him, came to him, and those who were not able to come to
him, Jesus (peace be upon him) visited. He used to heal them by prayer
alone, on the condition of faith.
His prayer by which he used to heal the
sick and raise the dead was: “Allahumma! Thou art Allah of whosoever
is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth. There is no God in them save
Thee. Thou art the Omnipotent One among those in the heavens and those
on earth, and there is no Omnipotent one in them save Thee. Thou are the
King of whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on earth and there
is no King in them save Thee. Thou are the Ruler of whosoever is in the
heavens and whosoever is on the earth, and there is no Ruler in them save
Thee. Thy power on earth is as Thy power in heaven, and Thy authority on
earth is as Thy authority in heaven. I pray Thee by Thy Honorable names,
for Thou has power over all things.”
Wahb says that when Allah informed him
that he was to depart from the world, Jesus (peace be upon him) became
distressed, so he summoned the Hawariyun (“the disciples” in Ethiopian
language—“to glisten white” or “to whiten cloth” in Arabic) and made a
feast for them, saying, “Come to me tonight, for I have something for you.”
When they came to him that night he fed them, raising up and serving them.
When they had finished eating he began to wash their hands and exhort them
and wipe their hands on his garment. At this they were (somewhat) astonished
and displeased with him, but he said: “Whosoever rejects anything that
I am doing is not of me, nor I of him.” So they consented to it until he
finished. Then he said to them, “Verily what I have to you this night in
serving you food and washing your hands with mine, is so that you might
have an example from me, though you see that I am better than you are.
So let not any one of you consider himself greater than another, but sacrifice
yourselves for one another as you have seen me sacrifice myself for you.
Now this thing that I have to request of you is that you pray to Allah
for me, and be insistent in praying that my time be delayed in coming.”
But when they betook themselves to prayer, and were desirous of being diligent
(therein), Allah sent on them sleep, so that they were unable to pray.
He begun to awaken them and say: “Glory be to Allah; could Ye not endure
for one night to help me therein?” They said: “By Allah, we do not know
what is the matter with us. We used to stay up late and sit up much but
this night we were not able to keep awake, for whenever we desired to pray
some barrier came between us and it.” Then he said: “The Shepherd goes
and the sheep are left behind, and he went on saying such things as that,
meaning (by them) himself. Presently he said “One of you will surely disbelieve
in me ere the cock crows three times, and one of you sell me for a few
dirhams and will eat the price of me.” Then they all went out and dispersed.
Now the Jews were seeking him, so they
seized Simon, one of the Hawariyun, saying “This is one of the companions
of Jesus,” but he denied it, saying: “I am not his companion,” so they
left him. Then others seized him, and he denied it likewise. Thereupon
he heard the cock’s voice, and wept for that grieved him. When it was morning,
one of the Hawariyun went to the Jews and said to them: “What will you
give me if I guide you to him?” They gave him thirty dirhams, which he
took and led them to him. But before that, he (the betrayer) was made to
have his semblance for them so they took him and made him secure by blinding
him with a rope. Then they started to lead him away, saying: “You used
to raise the dead to life, and cure the born blind and the leper, are you
not able to free yourself from this rope?” Also they spat on him and put
thorns on him, and when they went to crucify him, Allah sent angels who
came between them and Jesus (peace be upon him). Then He (Allah) cast the
appearance of Jesus upon the betrayer, whose name was Judas, so
they crucified him in his place, thinking that he was Jesus. Then Allah
raised Jesus (peace be upon him) to heaven, according to His saying, “I
am raising thee to Myself, and purifying thee from those who disbelieve.”
(Holy Qur’an 3:55)
When they had crucified him who had taken
on the appearance of Jesus, Mary (peace be upon her), the mother of Jesus
came with a woman over whom Jesus had prayed so that she was free from
a certain madness, that they might weep over the crucified. Jesus came
to them and said: “For whom are you weeping?” “For you,” they said. “But
Allah took me up,” said he, “So that nothing has befallen me save good.
This (one whom you see crucified) is but another person who has been made
to resemble me.” Muqatil says that the Jews put Jesus (peace be upon him)
in charge of a man who was to be his jailer and go around with him wherever
he went. When Jesus ascended the mount where an angel came and took him
up to heaven, Allah threw the likeness of Jesus on the jailer so that the
Jews thought that he was Jesus and seized him. He said to them: “I am not
Jesus. I am so and so, the son of so and so,” but they believed him not,
and so they put him to death by crucifying him. Qatada said, “It has been
related to us that Jesus (peace be upon him), the Nabi of Allah, said to
his friends: “Which of you will take upon himself my likeness so that he
may be put to death (instead of me)?” One of the group said: ‘(Let it be
cast) on me, O Nabi of Allah.’ So that man was killed, and Allah saved
Jesus (peace be upon him) by raising him to Himself. It is said that the
one who took the likeness of Jesus (peace be upon him) and was crucified
in his place was an Israelite named Ashya bin Qandira. And Allah knows
best.
Concerning
Jesus’s Descent From Heaven Seven Days After He Had Been Raised Up
Wahb and others among the people of the Book
say that when Allah raised Jesus (peace be upon him) to Himself he remained
in heaven seven days. Then Allah said to him: “Lo! Your enemies, the Jews,
have precluded you from (keeping your) promise to your companions, so descend
to them and give them your testament. Go down also to Mary Magdalene for
there is no one who has wept for you or grieved for you as she has. Go
down therefore, to her and announce (yourself) to her, that she may be
the first one that you may send them out into the world as preachers summoning
(men) to Allah, Most High.”
The story of Mary Magdalene was that she
was an Israelite from one of the villages of Antiach named Magdalene. She
was a pious woman but used to menstruate without ceasing. Many of the nobility
of the Israelites had sought her hand in marriage but she had refused them.
They sought that she considered herself above them, but that was not the
case, she only wanted to hide from them her infirmity. When she heard about
the coming of Jesus (peace be upon him) and what diseases and infirmities
Allah was curing by his hands, she went to him hoping to be cured. But
when she saw Jesus (peace be upon him) she felt ashamed. Therefore she
went around behind him and put her hand on his back. Jesus said, “Some
diseased person has, with good intention, touched me. May Allah give him
what he desires and purify him with my purity.” So Allah removed her trouble
from her so that she was cleansed and purified.
When Allah bade Jesus to descend to her
seven days after his ascension, he went down to her, and the mountain ablazed
with light as he came down. Then she gathered unto him the Hawariyun, whom
he sent out into the world as summoners to Allah. After this, Allah took
him up, clothed in light.
Every Muslim believes in Hazrat Jesus the
son of Mary (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and is devoted to
him. To believe in the Holy Qur’an is showing devotion to Jesus (peace
be upon him) as he, the Muslim, is commanded to believe in the Holy Qur’an.
A Muslim is the follower of every Nabi (Prophet) of Allah.
One of the popular forms of devotional
literature throughout the Islamic world is known as Qisas al-Ambiya,
or stories of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of
them). The Holy Qur’an mentions by name quite a number of Ambiya (Prophets)
who preceded Muhammad (may Allah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) in the
exercise of Nubuwat (Prophet’s office). There are well-known collections
in Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, and Malay, but the substance of the collections
is much the same. The preceding translation is a chronicle about Jesus
(peace be upon him) from one of the best known of all these collections.
The Qisas al-Ambiya of Abu Ishaq Ahmad Al-Thalabi (d. 1036 AD),
popularly known as Al-Ara’is or Kitab Ara’is al-Majalis,
from the edition printed at Cairo in 1921. It is interesting because it
shows the figure of Jesus the son of Mary (peace be upon him) as the Muslims
know him and think of him. Perhaps even more valuable is the fact that
such collections throw light on what pious Christians who read this type
of devotional literature may find religiously satisfying and stimulating.
This work is taken from A Reader on Islam
by Arthur Jeffrey… and is published by the American Coalition of Muslims
and Christians for the Salvation of America from the Anti-Christ.
Are you a follower of Jesus (peace be upon
him)?
Now that you know more of the Muslims’
belief concerning Jesus (peace be upon him), will you give more consideration
to your personal beliefs?
The Muslims of the Americas
Da’wah Center
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