The
Events That Occurred
During
the Rule of These Regional Princes
The Persians assert that sixty-five years after Alexander seized
Babylonia, and fifty-one years after Arsacid rule began, Mary
the daughter of 'Imran gave birth to Isa. But the Christians
assert that Isa was born to her 303 years after Alexander
conquered Babylonia, and that John the Baptist was born six
months before Isa. They report that Mary was pregnant with
Isa when she was thirteen years old. They also report that
Isa lived thirty-two years and a few days before his ascension,
and that Mary lived six more years after his ascension, altogether
over fifty years. They assert that John and Isa met in
the Jordan River when Isa was thirty years of age, and that
John was slain before the ascension of Isa. 2 86 Zechariah b.
Berechiah, the father of Yahya b. Zechariah, and 'Imran b.
Mathan, the father of Mary, were married to two sisters. One
was married to Zechariah” she was the mother of John; the
other was with 'Imran b. Mathan, and she was the mother of
Mary. 'Imran b. Mathan died when the mother of Mary was
286. See Qur’an 19, a surah which is entitled
"Mary" (Maryam). It contains
the story of Zechariah (Zakariyya) and the birth of his
son John the Baptist
(Yahya); also the immaculate conception, the birth of Isa
and his gift of
speech in the cradle. Note that Mary of Surat Maryam
(Miriam) is the sister of
Aaron, the brother of Moses.
The Rule of These Regional Princes 103
pregnant with her. When Mary was born, Zechariah provided
for her after her mother's death, because her aunt, the sister of
her mother, was with him. The name of Mary's mother was
Hanna bt. Faqud b. Qabil; the name of the sister of Mary's
mother, that is, the name of John's mother was Elizabeth bt.
Faqud. Zechariah provided for Mary, and she was engaged to
Joseph b. Jacob b. Mathan b. Eleazar b. Eliud b. Achim b. Zadok
b. Azor b. Eliakim b. Abiud b. Zerubabbel, b. Shealtiel b.
Jechonia b. Josiah b. Amon b. Manasseh, b. Hezekiah b.
Ahaziah b. Jotham b. Uzziah b. Joram b. Jehosaphat b. Asa b.
Abijah b. Rehoboam b. Solomon b. David.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: As far as I
could leam her lineage, Mary was the daughter of 'Imran b.
Josiah b. Amon b. Manasse b. Hezekiah b. Ahaziah b. Jotham b.
Azariah b. Amaziah b. Joash b. Ahaziah b. Joram b. Jehosaphat
b. Asa b. Abijah b. Rehoboam b. Solomon.
To Zechariah was born John, the son of the (great) aunt of
Jsus, the son of Mary. In his youth John became a prophet and
travelled. He came to Palestine, calling upon the people. John
the Baptist and Isa met, and then parted after John baptized
Isa. It is said that Isa sent John the Baptist with twelve
apostles to teach the people. Among their prohibitions was
marriage to a niece.
According to Abu al-Sa’ib” Mu'awiyah” A'mash” al-
Minhal” Said b. Jubayr ” Ibn 'Abbas: Isa, son of Mary, sent
the Baptist with twelve apostles to teach the people. Among
their prohibitions was marriage to a niece. Their king had a
niece who excited him, and he wanted to marry her. Every day
he carried out some wish of hers. When her mother learned of
this, she told her daughter, “If you come to the king, and he
asks you what your wish is, tell him, 'my wish is that you slay
the Baptist."' When she came to him, he asked what her wish
was. She said, “I wish you to slay the Baptist," whereupon
he
replied, “Ask me for something else." But she responded,
"I
shall ask you for nothing else." Thereupon he summoned the
Baptist and called for a bowl. 287 Then he slew the Baptist, and
287. The story of Salome. See Matth. 14:1-11; Mark
6:16-29; Josephus,
Ant., Book XVIII, Ch. V, 2, does not mention the romantic
aspect of the story.
104
The Ancient Kingdoms
a drop of the Baptist's blood fell upon the ground and kept boiling
until God sent Nebuchadnezzar against the Israelites. An
old woman of the Children of Israel came and showed
Nebuchadnezzar that blood. God thus planted in his mind the
thought to kill the Israelites over that spot until the blood
came to rest; so he killed seventy-thousand of them who were
of the same age, until the drop of blood came to rest.
According to Musa b. Harun al-Hamdani ” 'Amr b.
Hammad” Asbat” al-Suddi” Abu Malik and Abu Salih” Ibn
'Abbas and Murrah al-Hamdani” -Ibn Mas'ud and some
companions of the Prophet: An Israelite saw in a dream that the
destruction of the Temple and the Israelites was to come about
through the son of a widow in Babylon ” an orphaned youth
called Nebuchadnezzar. They believed the vision, and it
proved true. The man began to inquire about the youth (in his
dream) and then came to the boy's mother while her son was
gathering firewood. The youth arrived with a bundle of firewood
on his head, threw it down, and sat down near the house.
Then the Israelite spoke to him and gave him three dirhams,
saying, "Buy food and drink with these." For a dirham he
bought meat; for another, bread; and for the third, wine. They
ate and drank. The next day, the same (thing) happened, and
again on the third day. Then the Israelite said, "I should
like
you to write a guarantee of safe-conduct for me, in case you
should some day become king. The youth replied, "You are
poking fun at me," to which the Israelite said, "No, I am
not;
but it would not hurt you to shake hands over it." The mother
of the young man spoke, saying to her son, "What is it to you?
If it happens, so be it; if not, it won't hurt you." So he
wrote a
guarantee of safe-conduct for the man. The latter now said,
"Suppose you come, and people around you separate us; make
a sign by which you will recognize me." The youth said,
"Lift
your document on a pole, so that I may recognize you." Then
the man gave him clothes and gifts.
The king of the Israelites honored the Baptist. He favored
him and consulted him, never deciding on a matter without
him. But the king wanted to marry the daughter of one of his
wives. He asked the Baptist about it, and the latter forbade it,
saying, "I do not approve of your marrying her." Word of
this
The Rule of These Regional Princes
105
reached her mother and she hated the Baptist for forbidding the
king to marry her daughter. She betook herself to the maiden
when the king sat down for his wine, dressed her in fine red
clothes, with perfume and jewels; and over all (this finery), a
black garb. Sending her (daughter) to the king, she instructed
her to give him wine to drink and to serve him; and should he
desire her, she should refuse until he grants her wish. If he
grants her wish, she should ask that the Baptist's head be
brought to her on a platter. She acted thus, starting to serve
him drink, and offering more. When he was overcome with
wine, he desired her. She said, "I shall not comply until you
give me what I ask of you." He said, "What are you asking
of
me?" She replied, "I ask of you that you send for the
Baptist
and that his head be brought to me on this platter."
"Woe, ask
me for something else," he said; whereupon she stated, "I
do
not want to ask for anything else."
When she refused, he sent for the Baptist; his head was
brought, and the head kept talking until it was placed before
the king. It was saying, "She is forbidden unto you."
When the
king awoke, lo and behold, the Baptist's blood was boiling. The
king asked for dust to be thrown over it, but the blood rose
boiling above the dust. More dust was thrown upon it, but the
blood rose above it. He continued throwing dust upon it until
it reached the city wall, yet the blood kept boiling. This
reached Sayha’In 288 who appealed to the people. He wanted to
send an army there, and to appoint a man to lead it.
Nebuchadnezzar came to him and said, "The force you sent that
time
was too weak. But I entered the city and heard the people talk;
therefore, send me." So he sent him. Nebuchadnezzar set out
and reached that place (Palestine), where they fortified themselves
against him in their towns. He was thus unable to subdue them.
When his situation became grave, and his men were
hungry, he was on the verge of retreat.
Then an old Israelite woman came out and inquired, "Where
is the commander of the army?" Brought before him, she said,
"I have learned that you are about to retreat with your army,
288. The legendary Persian ruler under whom
Nebuchadnezzar is supposed
to have served.
106 The Ancient Kingdoms
without conquering this city." He said, "Yes. Our stay
has
been long, my men hunger, I cannot go on with the siege." She
then said, "Do you suppose that if I open the city to you, you
will grant my request, (that is,) kill whom I order you to kill,
and stop when I ask you to do so?" "Yes," he replied
to her. She
then said, "In the morning, divide your army into four parts;
place one part at each corner, raise your hand to heaven, and
call out, 'We ask victory of You, O God, for the blood of the
Baptist.' The city will surely collapse." They did accordingly
and the city did collapse. Then they entered it from all sides.
She now said to him, "Keep killing over this blood until it
subsides.
" She led him to the Baptist's blood which was rising over
a wall of dust. Over it he killed until the blood subsided. He
killed seventy thousand men and women. When the blood
calmed down, she said to him, "Stop." For if a prophet is
slain,
God will not be satisfied until the slayer is slain, and he who
approved the slaying. 289
Then the possessor of the guarantee of safe-conduct came before
him with his document. Nebuchadnezzar refrained from
killing him and his family, but he destroyed the Temple, and
upon his order it was strewn with corpses. He said, "Whoever
threw a corpse there, will be exempt from the annual
poll-tax."
The Romans helped him in the destruction because the Israelites
had slain the Baptist. When
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it,
he led into captivity the notables and chieftains of the Israelites,
among them Daniel, Eli, Azariah and Mishael, all of them
children of the prophets; he also took the exilarch with him.
When he arrived in Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar found that
Sayha’in had died. He thus came to rule in his stead, and he
held Daniel and his friends in the highest regard. But the Magians
were envious of them, and
denounced them to Nebuchad-
nezzar, "Daniel and his friends do not worship your God, and
they do not partake of your slaughtered animals." 290
Nebuchadnezzar now summoned the exiles and questioned them.
289. The story of the boiling blood caused by the murder
of the prophet
Zechariah occurs in Jewish midrashic sources, but without
the erotic aspect.
See Ginzberg, Legends, IV, 304; VI, 396ff.
290. Daniel 1:8; 3:12.
The Rule of These Regional Princes 107
They said, "Yes, we have a Lord whom we worship, and we do
not eat of your slaughtered animals." Upon his order a trench
was dug, and they were thrown into it, six of them; and a
ferocious lion was thrown in with them to devour them. The
captors said, "Let us go eat and drink." They did so and
then
returned, and found the captives sitting and the lion lying with
his paws stretched out. The lion did not so much as scratch or
wound any of them. But they discovered still another man
with them. They were counted and found to be seven. The
king exclaimed, "Who is this seventh man? There were only
six." Then the seventh man came forth. It was an angel, and he
slapped Nebuchadnezzar who turned into a wild beast for
seven years. 291
According to Abu Ja'far: This is related on the authority of
sources both mentioned and not mentioned in the present
work; namely, the report that it was Nebuchadnezzar who
waged war on the Israelites after they slew the Baptist, is
erroneous in the opinion of Muslim and non-Muslim experts in
pre-Islamic history and lore. For they are unanimous in saying
that Nebuchadnezzar waged war on the Israelites when they
slew their prophet Isaiah, in the age of Jeremiah b. Hilkiah; and
that according to the Jews and the Christians, 46 r years separate
the age of Jeremiah and the
destruction of the Temple by
Nebuchadnezzar from the birth of the Baptist. They state that
that is clearly established in their writings and scriptures, for
they count seventy years from the destruction of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar to its reconstruction in the age of Cyrus son
of Ahasuerus, the governor ( isbahbadh ) of Babylonia on behalf
of Ardashir Bahman b. Isfandiyar b. Bishstasb and then on behalf
of his daughter Khumani; then eighty-eight years after the
rebuilding of Jerusalem to the victory of Alexander over Khumanl,
and the annexation of her empire to his; then 303 years
from Alexander to the birth of the Baptist. This, they say,
makes 461 years.
The Zoroastrians agree with the Christians and Jews about
the period of the destruction of Jerusalem and about
Nebuchadnezzar. They also agree about the story of the Israelites
291. See Ginzberg, Legends, IV, 300, 334, 339; VI, 413,
428.
108 The Ancient Kingdoms
down to Alexander's victory over Jerusalem and Palestine, and
the death of Darius. But they contradict them about the duration
of the period between Alexander's reign and the birth of
the Baptist, as they maintain that it was fifty-one years.
Between the Zoroastrians and the Christians there is a
controversy, as I have mentioned, about the length of the
period between Alexander's reign and the birth of the Baptist.
The Christians assert that the Baptist was born six months
before Isa, and that it was an Israelite king named Herod who
put him to death on account of Herodias who was the wife of
Herod's brother Philip. Herod loved her, and she consented to
lie with him. She had a daughter, Salome. Herod wanted to live
with Herodias, his brother's wife, but the Baptist forbade it and
told him that it was not permissible. Herod admired the daughter
and one day she aroused him, and then asked for a favor; he
agreed, and instructed one of his men to carry out her request.
She then ordered the man to bring her the Baptist's head, and
he complied. When Herod learned about it, he was shocked and
thoroughly frightened. 292
I have quoted Hisham b. Muhammad al-Kalbi to present the
view of the experts on pre-Islamic history and lore.
As for Ibn Ishaq's version, we learned it from Ibn Humayd ”
Salamah ” Muhammad b. Ishaq: The Israelites flourished after
that, meaning, after their return from Babylonia to Jerusalem.
They transgressed, and God again sent messengers to them.
Some of them were rejected, some slain, until the last prophets
sent to them were Zechariah, John (the Baptist), the son of
Zechariah, and Isa, the son of Mary. They were descended
from David. John's lineage is: Zechariah b. Iddo b. Meshullam
b. Zadok b. Nachshon b. David b. Solomon b. Meshullam b.
Zedekiah b. Berechiah b. Shefatiah b. Fakhor b. Shallum b.
Jehoshaphat b. Asa b. Abiah b. Rehoboam b. Solomon b.
David. 293
When God took Isa from their midst to heaven, they
slew the Baptist. Some say when they killed the Baptist, God
292. See Mark 6:14-29; Matth. 14:1-12; Josephus, Wars,
II, 911.
293. The genealogical list is drawn from a composite of
Zechariah r:i> Ezra
8:16-17; Nehemiah 3:4; 7:59. See also Matth. 1.
The Rule of These Regional Princes
109
sent against them a Babylonian king called Khardus. 194 He
marched against them with a Babylonian host and entered
Palestine. When he defeated them, he summoned one of his
military chieftains, a man addressed as Nabuzaradhan the
executioner, to whom he said, "I have sworn by my deity that
if I
defeat the people of Jerusalem, I shall kill them until their
blood flows amidst my encampment, and until I find none to
kill." The king commanded Nabuzaradhan to slay them until
such was done.
Nabuzaradhan entered the Temple. He stood over the spot
where they used to offer their sacrifice, and he found blood
there that was boiling. He asked them, "O Children of Israel,
why is this blood boiling? Tell me about it and do not conceal
anything." They said, "It is the blood of a sacrifice
which we
had offered and which was not accepted from us ; and therefore
it is boiling, as you see. We have offered sacrifices for eight
hundred years, and the sacrifice has always been accepted,
except this one." He said, "You have not told me the
truth."
They replied, "If things were as they used to be, it would be
accepted; but we have been deprived of kingship, prophecy, and
inspiration, and that is why this sacrifice of ours was not
accepted." Nabuzaradhan slew seven hundred seventy of their
leaders on that spot, but the blood did not calm down. Upon
his order seven hundred of their young men were brought and
slaughtered over the blood, but it did not calm down. He
ordered that seven thousand of their sons and their spouses be
slain there, but the blood did not cool. When Nabuzaradhan
saw that the blood was not calming down, he said to them, "O
Children of Israel, woe unto you. Tell me the truth, and endure
for the sake of your Lord. For a long time you have been in
possession of the land, acting in it as you please. [Tell me],
before
the last of you is slain, male or female." When they saw the
gravity of the mayhem, they told him the truth, "This is the
blood of a prophet of ours who often sought to forewarn us of
divine wrath. Had we been obedient to him, he would have
guided us. He used to tell us about you, but we did not believe
him. We killed him, and this is his blood." Nabuzaradhan then
294. That is, Herod.
no
The Ancient Kingdoms
asked, "What was his name?" They answered, "John,
the son
of Zechariah." He exclaimed, "Now you have told me the
truth. That is why your Lord is taking revenge upon you."
When Nabuzaradhan perceived that they had told him the
truth, he prostrated himself and said to those around him,
"Lower the gates of the city, remove from it those who were
here of the host of Khardus." He remained with the Israelites.
Then he exclaimed, "O John, son of Zechariah, my Lord and
your Lord knows the affliction suffered by your people on your
account, and how many of them have been slain on your
account. Be calm now, by God's grace, before I exterminate your
people." Then the Baptist's blood subsided so that Nabuzaradhan
stopped the killing, saying, "I believe in the God of the
Children of Israel. I sincerely believe in Him; I know for sure
that He is the only God. No other deity can there be beside
Him. Had He any associate, heaven and earth would not hold
together. It would be wrong for Him to have a son. May He
be blessed, sanctified, praised, glorified, the King of Kings
who reigns the seven heavens with knowledge and wisdom,
strength and power; He who spread out the earth and set
therein firm mountains for eternity. Thus it befits my Lord to
be, and His realm to be. 295
It was revealed to a leader of the remnant of the prophets
that Nabuzaradhan was a sincere habur ” habur in Hebrew is a
new convert. 296 Nabuzaradhan told the Israelites, "Khardus,
the enemy of God, ordered me to slay so many of you that your
blood should flow amidst his encampment. I cannot disobey
him." They told him, "Do as you were ordered." Upon
his
command, they dug a trench. He ordered that horses, mules,
asses, cattle, sheep, and camels in their possession be placed
there and slaughtered, and that blood be made to flow
throughout the camp. Upon his order the corpses of the people who
had
been slain were thrown over the slaughtered animals, so that
Khardus was certain that the trench was filled with dead Israelites
is. See Qur’an 13:3; 15:19; 50:7. Note the Muslim view that
Isa is not
the son of God.
296. Presumably Hebrew haber, meaning "companion,
friend" or "scholar".
Note that Arabic habi means a Jewish scholar.
The Rule of These Regional Princes
ites. When the blood reached his camp, he sent to Nabuzaradhan
the message, "Stop, their blood has reached me; I have
been revenged for what they have done." Whereupon he left for
Babylonia after almost annihilating the Israelites . 297 It was
the last calamity that God brought upon them. God said to his
prophet Muhammad, "And we decreed for the Children of Israel
in the Book . . . And we have made Gehenna a prison for
the unbelievers ." 298 The divine "perchance" (found
in the
extended passage) has come true. The first calamity was at the
hand of Nebuchadnezzar and his hosts. Then God caused "the
turn," and the final calamity struck them” Khardus and his
hosts. It was the greater of the two calamities, the one in
which their land was destroyed, their men slain, and their
women and progeny taken prisoner. God says, "To destroy
utterly that which they ascended to."
297. See Ginzberg, Legends , IV, 304,- VI, 397ff.
298. Qur’an 17:4-8. The full text reads: "And We
decreed for the Children of
Israel in the Book: 'You shall do corruption in the earth
twice, and you shall ascend exceedingly high.' So when the promise of the first
of these came to pass,
We sent against you servants of Ours, men of great might,
and they went
through the habitations, and it was a promise performed.
Then We gave back
to you the turn to prevail over them, and We succoured
you with wealth and
children, and We made you a greater host. If you do evil,
it is to them likewise.
Then when the promise of the second came to pass, We sent
against you Our
servants to discountenance you, and to enter the temple,
as they entered it the
first time, and to destroy utterly that which they
ascended to. Perchance your
Lord will have mercy upon you; but if you return, We
shall return; and We
have made Gehenna a prison for the unbelievers."
The
Story of Isa Son of Mary
and
His Mother
Mary and her cousin Joseph, the son of Jacob, were attached
to the service of the sanctuary. It is said that when Mary's
water and Joseph's water ran out, each of them would take the
pitcher to go to the cave where they used to draw the water
they liked. They would fill the pitcher, and then return to the
sanctuary. When the day arrived on which the angel Gabriel
met her” it was the longest and hottest day of the year” the
water ran out. She said, "O Joseph, should we not go fetch
water?" He said, "I have more than enough for the day,
enough
to last until tomorrow." She then said, "By God, I have
no
water left." She took her pitcher and went alone. She entered
the cave, and found Gabriel there” God made him appear to
her as a shapely human” and he said to her, "O Mary, God has
sent me to you to give you a boy most pure." At this she exclaimed,
"I take refuge in the All Merciful from you, if you fear
God!" (She had thought that he was a man, a mortal.) But he
said, "I am but a messenger come from your Lord." She
then
said, "How shall I, whom no mortal has touched, have a son,-
neither have I been unchaste?" He replied, "Even so. The
Lord
has said, 'Easy is that for Me, and We may appoint him a sign
unto men and a mercy from Us ; it is a thing decreed. " /2W
299. Qur’an 19:17-21. Cf. Ef s.v. Tsa, Djibril, and 5
E/s.v. Maryam, Yahya.
The Story of Isa
113
That is, God has decreed that it is so. When the angel spoke
thus, she submitted to the divine decree, and he breathed into
her bosom. Then he left her, and she filled her pitcher.
According to Muhammad b. Sahl b. 'Askar al-Bukhari”
Isma'xl b. 'Abd al-Karim” 'Abd al-Samad b. Ma'qil, the son of
the brother of Wahb” Wahb: When God sent Gabriel to Mary,
he appeared to her as a shapely man. She then said, "I take
refuge
in the All Merciful from you, if you fear God!" Then he
breathed into the opening of her garment; the breath reached
her womb, and she conceived Isa. A relative of hers was with
her, Joseph the carpenter by name. Both were going to the
Temple which is near Mount Zion. At the time, that Temple
was one of their greatest sanctuaries, Mary and Joseph were
then serving at that Temple, and service there was a great
honor. They were both attending to the sanctuary, perfuming,
sweeping, cleaning, and whatever was necessary. They were
the most eager worshipers of the age.
Joseph was the first to censure Mary's pregnancy. He was
distressed by what he saw, horrified, and knew not what to
ascribe it to. When Joseph was ready to accuse her, he
remembered that she was pious and innocent, that she had never
absented herself from him. When he wanted to exonerate her, he
observed what had happened to her. When this began to oppress
him, he spoke to her. First he said to her, "A thought has
occurred to me about you, and I have tried hard to still and
conceal it; but it has overcome me, and I have decided to talk
about it to calm my heart." She said, "Say a pleasant
word;"
whereupon he replied, "That is all I wanted to say; tell me,
does a field grow without a seed?" She replied,
"Yes." He said,
"Does a tree grow without rain striking it?" She said,
"Yes."
"Can there be a child without intercourse?" he asked.
"Yes,"
she replied, "Do you not know that God made the field sprout
on the day of creation without any seed; rather, the seed was
from the field which God made sprout without seed. Do you
not know that God made the tree grow without the rain, and
that with the same power he produced the rain for the life of
the tree, after he had created each of the two separate? Or do
you think God could not make the tree grow without using
1 1 4. The Ancient Kingdoms
water upon it? Or, were it not for the water He could not make
the tree grow?"
Joseph said to her, "I do not say that. I know that it is
within
God's power to act as it pleases Him. He only has to say 'Be,
and it is" 300 Mary then said to him, "Do you not know
that
God created Adam and his wife without male or female?"
"Certainly," he replied. When she told him that, it
occurred to
him that what was happening to her was a divine thing, and
that he should not ask her about it since he felt she was
concealing it. Thereafter Joseph took care of the Temple service,
and spared Mary all the work she used to perform there. He did
so because he saw how delicate her body was, the yellowing of
her complexion, the dark hue of her face, the growth of her
abdomen, her weakness, the intent gaze. Previously, Mary was
different. When the time of her confinement was close, God
revealed to her, "Leave the land of your people, for if they
seize
you, they will revile you and kill your child."
She came to her sister who was then pregnant and to whom
the birth of the Baptist had been announced. When the two
met, the Baptist's mother felt that her child was bowing within
her in recognition of Isa. 301 Joseph then carried Mary to
Egypt on a donkey. During the entire trip there was nothing
between her and the saddle. 302 Joseph travelled with her, and
when they were close to Egypt, far from the land of her people,
birth-pangs seized Mary which forced her to lie on the haversack
of the donkey under a palm tree. It was winter, and Mary's
delivery was difficult. When in pain, she took refuge under the
palm tree. Angels embraced and surrounded her in ranks.
When she gave birth and was in sorrow, she was told, "No, do
not sorrow; see, your Lord has set below you a rivulet. Shake
also to yourself the palm trunk, and there shall come tumbling
upon you dates, fresh and ripe. Eat therefore, and drink, and be
comforted; and if you should see any mortal, say, 'I have vowed
to the All Merciful a fast, and today I will not speak to any
man.'" 305
300. A frequent locution in the Qur’an. See for example
2:111; 3:52.
301. Luke 1, especially verses 41-44-
302. Matth. 2:13-15.
303. Qur’an 19:24-27.
The Story of Isa
115
The dates came tumbling upon her, though it was wintertime.
Wherever idols were worshiped, the idols were toppled
and thrown upside down. Devils took fright but remained unaware
of the cause. They rushed to Iblis, 304 who was on his
throne in the deep green sea like the throne that had been upon
the water, and he veiled himself in imitation of the veils of
light before the All Merciful. The devils came to him while six
hours of daylight were remained. When Iblis saw their congregation
he was frightened, for since he had dispersed them he
had never seen all of them together. He had seen them in small
groups only. He questioned them, and they told him that
something had happened upon earth, and that the idols were
turned upside down. These idols were most conducive to human
perdition. "We used to enter their insides, address the humans,
and contrive to direct them, while the people thought
that the idols were speaking to them. When this event occurred,
however, it detracted from the stature of the idols, humbling
and humiliating them. We fear humans will not worship
them anymore. Know, that we did not come to you before
crossing land and sea, and doing whatever we could, but we are
still utterly ignorant about the cause of what happened."
Iblis told them, "Truly, this is a grave matter. I know it was
concealed from me. Stay here." He flew away and was absent
for three hours during which time he passed by the place where
Isa was bom. When he saw the angels surrounding the spot,
he realized that this was where the event had occurred. Iblis
wanted to approach it from above. But the angels' heads and
shoulders that reached up to heaven were over it. He then tried
to reach it from under the earth but the angels' feet were firmly
entrenched below” lower than Iblis expected. Thereupon he
tried to enter among them, but they shoved him away. Then he
returned to his associates, and said to them, "I come to you
after
crossing the whole earth, east and west, land and sea, the
four quarters of the world, and the upper sphere. I managed to
do that in three hours." Then informing them about the birth
of Christ, he said to them, "It was concealed from me. No -
304. That is, the Devil. See El 2 , s.v. Iblis.
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female womb has ever conceived without my knowledge, and
none has given birth without my presence. I am more apt to
mislead the newborn than he is to find right guidance. No
prophet was ever more calamitous to me and to you than this
one."
That night a group set out to go to Christ, urged by the rise of
an unknown star. They had been discussing that the rise of
that star was one of the signs of the birth of a child, as indicated
in the Book of Daniel. They set out on the road to reach
the newborn, and carried gold and frankincense and myrrh.
They passed by the king of Palestine. He asked them where
they were bound, and they told him. He then asked, "Why of
all things this gold, frankincense, and myrrh that you bring as a
gift for him?" They replied, "They befit him because gold
is the
noblest possession, and this prophet is the noblest of his age;
myrrh heals wound and fracture, and similarly, this prophet
will be raised by God to heaven, uniquely in his time." Upon
hearing this, the king resolved to kill the child. He told them,
"Go, and when you have found him, bring me word, and I shall
follow in your footsteps." They departed, and delivered the
gifts to Mary. They wanted to return to the king to bring him
word of the place of Isa, but an angel met them, saying, "Do
not return to him, and do not bring him word of the child's
place, for the king wanted to learn of it only to slay the
child."
Thus they departed by another road. 3 †5
Mary carried the child on the donkey, and Joseph was with
her. So they went down into Egypt. This is the "height"
in
the verse, "We gave them refuge upon a height, where was a
hollow and a spring." 306 Mary spent twelve years there, concealing
the child, and nobody saw him. She did not trust anybody to
be in contact with him, nor to provide for his sustenance.
She would collect the ears of grain as soon as she heard
of a harvest. While carrying the cradle on one shoulder, she
would carry the vessel containing the ears of corn on the other.
Then Isa turned twelve. The first miracle of his witnessed by
people occurred when his mother was staying at the home of
305. Matth. 2.
306. Qur’an 23:15.
The Story of Isa
117
an Egyptian dignitary [dihqan ]. 307 A treasure was stolen from
him while only poor people were living in his house, yet he did
not accuse them. Mary was saddened by that dignitary's
misfortune. When Isa noticed his mother's sadness at the
misfortune of their host, he asked her, "Oh mother, would you
like
me to guide him to his property?" She said, "Yes, my
son." He
then said, "Tell him to assemble the poor men of his
home;"
whereupon Mary told the dignitary, and he assembled them.
When they were assembled, Isa approached two of them, one
blind, the other crippled. He put the cripple on the shoulder of
the blind man and said to him, "Stand up with him." The
blind
man said, "I am too weak." Isa replied, "How then
were you
able to do that yesterday?" When they heard his words, they
forced the blind man to get up with the cripple. When he stood
up carrying the other, the cripple plunged to the window of the
treasury. Isa said, "This is how they cheated the landlord
yesterday; the blind man used his strength, and the cripple his
eyes." The cripple and the blind said, "He is
right." And they
returned the property to the dignitary. The dignitary replaced
it in his treasury, and said, "O Mary, take half of it."
But she
replied, "It is against my grain to do so." 308 He said,
"Give it
to your son." And she replied, "He is even more
scrupulous
than I." 309 Soon afterward one of the dignitary's sons gave a
wedding feast, and all the people of Egypt gathered there. When
the feast was over, people from Palestine (Sha’m) visited him.
The dignitary was not prepared for them. They came, and he
had no wine to offer them. When Isa saw him worry about it,
he entered one of the dignitary's houses in which there were
two rows of jars. As he walked by them, Isa touched the tops
of the jars and each jar, to the last of them, became filled with
wine. He was twelve years old. Upon seeing what he had done
the people were in awe of him and of the powers that God had
endowed him with.
God revealed to his mother Mary, "Go up with him to Palestine.
" She did as he commanded, and stayed in Palestine until
307. For this term, which is of Persian origin, see El 2
, s.v. Dihkan.
308. Text: innilam akhluq lidhalika.
309. Text: huwa a'zamu minni sha'nan.
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he was thirty years old. Then inspiration came upon him at the
age of thirty. His prophethood lasted three years, and then God
raised him unto Himself. When Iblls saw him on the day of the
temptation, he (Iblls) could achieve nothing. Iblis presented
himself as an old and respectable man, and with him were
two obstreperous devils just like himself in appearance; they
merged amid the company of men. 310
Wahb asserted that the sick often flocked to Isa, as many
as fifty thousand at a time. Those who could reach him did so.
But if one could not, Isa would walk up to him. He would
heal them by praying to God. Iblis came to him in a dazzling,
beautiful shape. When the people saw the devil, they were
attracted to him, and followed him. He began to tell them of
wondrous things, namely, that this man was wonderful, that
he spoke in the cradle, that he revived the dead, that he
prophesied concerning the hidden, and that he healed the sick.
"So
this is God." But one of his companions exclaimed, "You
are
all wrong, old man. Shame upon what you have said. It does
not befit God to reveal himself to humans. Nor does he dwell
in a womb, or in the cavities of women. But this is the son of
God." The third said, "How evil is what the two of you
have
said. Both of you are mistaken and wrong. It does not befit God
to have a child. But this one is god along with Him." After
they
completed their talk, they disappeared. This was the last time
they were seen. 311
According to Musa b. Harun ” 'Amr b. Hammad ” Asbat
” al-Suddl ” Abu Malik and Abu Salih ” Ibn 'Abbas and
Murrah al-Hamdani ” Ibn Mas'ud” some of the Prophet's
companions: Mary went out to the side of the prayer niche
(mihrab), as she was menstruating, and hid behind the walls to
separate herself from the people. This is indicated in the (following)
verses, "When she withdrew from her people to an
eastern place, and she took a veil apart from them" 312 -
310, See Matth. 4. Note that Iblls adopted similar garb
when he sought to assist the Quraysh in dealing with Muhammad shortly before
the Prophet's emigration from Mecca to al-Madlnah. See Ibn Hisham, Sir ah, I,
314.
311. Devils discuss the issues that gave rise to
dissension and heresy in the
early church.
312. This and the following quotes are from Qur’an
19:16-31.
The Story of Isa 1 19
meaning east of the prayer niche. When she was pure, lo and behold,
she encountered a man, as it says, "Then We sent unto her Our
Spirit (that is, the angel Gabriel) that presented himself to her a
man without fault." When she saw him, she was frightened,
and exclaimed, "I take refuge in the All Merciful from thee!
If
thou fearest God. . ." He said, "I am but a messenger
come
from thy Lord, to give thee a boy most pure." She said,
"How
shall I whom no mortal has touched have a son, neither have I
been unchaste [that is, a harlot)." He said, "Even so,
your Lord
has said, 'Easy is that for Me, and We may appoint him a sign
unto men and a mercy from Us ; it is a thing decreed.'"
She wore a gown. He held her sleeves and breathed into the
opening of her garment which was split in front. The breath entered
her breast, and she conceived. Her sister, the wife of
Zechariah, came to visit her at night. When Mary opened the
door for her, the sister clung to her. The wife of Zechariah said,
"Oh Mary, do you know I am with child? " Mary replied,
"Do
you know that I too am with child?" Zechariah's wife then
said, "I felt that the child in me was bowing to the child in
you," as it is written "confirming the Word of God."
The wife
of Zechariah gave birth to John (the Baptist). When the time
arrived for Mary to give birth, she went out to the eastern side of
the prayer niche. She reached the edge, "and the birthpangs
surprised her by the trunk of the palm tree." As she was
suffering the delivery, ashamed before the people, she exclaimed,
"Would that I had died before this, and become a thing forgotten
[that this, the memory of me should be forgotten, as well as
any trace of me, and no eye should see me]." But Gabriel
called
unto her from below, "No, do not sorrow; see, your Lord has
set below you a rivulet [that is, a watercourse). Shake also to
yourself the palm trunk [it was a broken-off trunk]." She
shook
it and, lo and behold, it was a palm tree; he produced for her a
stream in the prayer niche, and dates fresh and ripe came
tumbling down. He then said to her, "Eat, therefore, and
drink, and
be comforted; and if you should see any mortal say, 'I have
vowed to the All Merciful a fast, and today I will not speak to
any man.'" At that time, one fasting would not talk until
evening. She was told, "Say nothing further."
When she gave birth to the child, Iblls the devil sent to -
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inform the Israelites, "Mary gave birth to a child." They
came
angrily, and called out to her. "Then she brought the child to
her folk, carrying him, and they said, 'Mary, you have surely
committed a monstrous [that is, grave] thing! Sister of Aaron,
thy father was not a wicked man, nor was thy mother a woman
unchaste. What is it with you, sister of Aaron?'" She was
descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses, so that this
expression is the equivalent of saying, "Oh, brother of tribe
such and
such;" it indicates a family relationship. She then told them
what God had commanded her to say. When they wanted her
to talk further, "Mary pointed to the child [Isa] then."
But
they became angry, and exclaimed, "'Her mocking at us by
telling us to speak to this boy is more distressing to us than her
unchastity.' They said, 'How shall we speak to one who is still
in the cradle, a little child?'" But Isa spoke to them.
"He
said, 'Behold, I am God's servant; God has given me the Book
and made me a prophet. Blessed he has made me, wherever I
may be.'"
Then the Israelites said, "Only Zechariah made her
pregnant; he used to have relations with her." So they sought
him,
but he had fled from them. Iblis presented himself to him in
the shape of a shepherd, saying, "O Zechariah, they have
caught up with you ; pray to God that this tree might open up
for you, and that you might enter it." He prayed to God, the
tree opened up, and he entered it, but the fringe of his garment
remained outside. The Israelites passed by Iblis, and said, "O
shepherd, have you seen a man here?" He replied, "Yes. He
enchanted this tree; it opened up, and he entered it, and there is
the fringe of his garment." They proceeded to cut the tree
with
saws while the man was in it. And you will not find a Jew
without such a fringe on his garb. 313 When Isa was born,
every idol upon the earth fell on its face.
According to al-Muthanna” Ishaq b. al-Hajjaj” Isma'Il b.
'Abd al-Karim” 'Abd al-Samad b. Ma'qil” Wahb: When Isa
son of Mary was told by God that he was about to leave this
world, he became afraid of death and grieved. He summoned
the apostles and prepared food for them saying, "Come to me
313. See Num. 1 5 :38ff.
The Story of Isa
121
tonight. I have something to discuss with you/' When they
assembled at night, he served them supper. When they finished
the meal, he began to wash their hands, cleansing them with
his hands, and wiping their hands with his garment. But they
considered it a grievous act and were displeased, whereupon
Isa said, "Indeed, he who rejects anything I do tonight, is
not of
mine, and I am not of his." So they waited until he had finished.
Then he said, "What I have done with you tonight in
serving you the meal, washing your hands with minea” this is
to make you and me equal. You consider me the best of you, so
do not be arrogant towards one another. Sacrifice yourselves
for one another, just as I sacrifice myself for you. My request of
you is that you call out to God; call out fervently to postpone
my end." When they turned to pray and sought to be fervent,
they fell asleep and could not pray. He began to wake them,
saying, "Praised be God, could you not watch one night to help
me?" They said, "By God, we do not know what happened to
us> we were keeping vigil but were unable to keep awake tonight,
and as soon as we attempted to pray, we were prevented
from doing so." He said, "The shepherd is taken away, the
flock disperses." 314
He began to use such language announcing his death. Then
he said, "The truth is that one of you shall deny me thrice
before the cock-crow, and one of you shall sell me for a few coins,
and he shall eat my price." They walked out and dispersed. The
Jews were looking for him. They seized Simeon, one of the
apostles, and said, "This one is a companion of his. " But
he
denied it, and said, "I am not his companion." So they
left him.
Then another caught him, but he denied it again. Then he
heard the cock crow, and wept. When morning came, one of
the apostles came to the Jews, and said, "What will you give
me if I lead you to Christ?" And they set for him thirty
pieces
of silver. He took those, and led them to him. Before that they
were not sure of Christ. But now they seized him, chained him,
tied him with cord, and began to lead him, saying, "You revived
the dead, chased away the devil, and cured the possessed;
will you not set yourself free from this cord?" They spat upon
314. Mark 14; Matth. 26; Luke 22.
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him and threw thorns upon him, until they brought the
wooden board upon which they wanted to crucify him. But
God raised him up to Himself, and they crucified "only a likeness
of that shown to them." 315 A week passed. Then his
mother and the woman whom fesus healed and cured from
derangement came weeping at the place of crucifixion. But Isa
came to them and said, "Why are you weeping?" They said,
"Because of you;" whereupon he replied, "God raised
me up to
Himself, and nothing but good has happened to me. Only a
likeness was shown to them. Instruct the apostles to meet me
at place such and such." They met him at that place, eleven of
them, as the one who had betrayed him and led the Jews to him
was missing. Isa asked the apostles about him. They said,
"He rued what he had done, and strangled himself to
death."
Isa said, "Had he repented, God would have forgiven him."
He asked them about John, a youth who was following them,
and said, "He is with you. Go! Each of you will speak the
language of a people to warn and summon them." 316
According to Ibn Humayd ” Ibn Ishaq ” an impeccable
authority ” Wahb b. Munabbih al-Yamanl: God allowed Isa,
the son of Mary, to die at three o'clock in the day; then He took
him unto Himself.
According to Ibn Humayd ” Salamah ” Ibn Ishaq: The
Christians assert that God granted him death for seven hours
of the day, and then resurrected him saying, "Descend upon
Mary Magdalene on her mountain, for nobody wept for thee as
she did, nor did anybody grieve for thee as she did. Let her
assemble for thee the
apostles, and send them forth as preachers
for God, for you have not done that." God let him descend to
her; the mountain was aglow with light as he descended, and
she gathered the apostles. Isa sent them out and commanded
them to tell men in his name of the divine injunction. Then
God raised Isa unto Himself, gave him wings of an angel and
dressed him in radiance. No longer did Isa relish food or
drink; he was flying along with the angels, around the throne.
315. Qur’an 4:14s â–
316. Mark 14:18; 15:66-72; Matth. 26:14-15; 27:2-10;
28:16; 34; Acts
1:16-20.
The Story of Isa
123
He was (both) human and angelic, celestial and terrestrial. The
apostles then dispersed, as commanded. The night on which he
was sent down is celebrated by the Christians with frankincense.
Among the apostles, and the followers who came after them
were the apostle Peter and Paul who was a follower and not an
apostle ,- 317 they went to Rome. Andrew and Matthew were
sent to the country whose people are man-eaters, a land of
blacks, we think; Thomas was sent to Babylonia in the east,
Philip to Qayrawan (and) Carthage, that is, North Africa. John
went to Ephesus, the city of the youths of the cave, and James
to Jerusalem, that is, Aelia. Bartholomew was sent to Arabia,
namely, the Hijaz; Simeon to the land of the Berbers in Africa.
Judas was not then an apostle, so his place was taken by
Ariobus. He filled in for Judas Iscariot after the latter had perpetrated
his deed.
According to Ibn Humayd” Salamah ” Ibn Ishaq ” 'Umar b.
'Abdallah b. 'Urwah b. al-Zubayr ” Ibn Sulaym al-Ansari al-
Zuraql: One of our women was under a vow to appear on al-
Jamma’, a mountain in 'Aqlq near Madinah , 318 and I went
with her. We stood on the mountain and, lo and behold, there
was a huge grave with two huge stone slabs over it ” one at the
head, one at the feet. On them was an inscription in the ancient
script (musnad ) 319 which I could not decipher. I carried
the slabs with me halfway down the mountain; they proved
too heavy, however, so I threw one (down) and descended with
the other. I showed it to readers of Syriac (to determine)
whether they knew its script; but they did not. I showed it to
psalm ( zabur ) copyists from the Yaman and those versed in
reading the musnad script; but they did not recognize it,
either.
As I found nobody who recognized it, I threw it under a coffer
we had, and there it lay for years. Then people from Mah 310 in
317. In Islamic terms the messengers or apostles pave the
new path. Their
work is continued by the tabi'un, the followers, members
of the next generations, who lead the Faithful.
318. A network of mountains and valleys. See El 1 , s.v.
al-'Akik.
319. That is, the script of ancient South Arabia.
320. Mah is the late form of the name of ancient Media.
See above, n. 282, on
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Persia came to us looking for pearls, and I said to them, Do
you have a script?" Yes," they said. I brought out the
stone for
them and, lo and behold, they read it. It was in their script,
“This is the tomb of Isa, son of Mary, God's messenger to the
people of this land." They were its people at that time. Among
them he died, so they buried him on the mountaintop.
According to Ibn Humayd” Salamah” Ibn Ishaq: The rest
of the apostles were assaulted, viciously exposed to the sun,
tortured, and dishonorably paraded. The Roman king, who
ruled over them and who was an idol-worshiper, heard this. He
was told that a man among the Israelites, subject to his rule,
was assaulted and slain. The man had announced to them that
he was God's messenger. He performed miracles, revived the
dead and healed the sick. He created a bird of clay, breathed
into it, and it flew, by God's permission. He told of hidden
things. The king exclaimed, But why did you not mention
this to me, about him and them? By God, had I known, I would
not have let them have a free hand against him!" Then he sent
for the apostles and snatched them from the hands of the Isra-
elites. He asked the apostles about the faith of Isa and about
his fate. They told him, whereupon he embraced their faith.
The king released Sergius and concealed him. 21 He took the
wooden cross on which Isa had been crucified, and he honored
and preserved it because Isa had touched it. The king
thus became an enemy of the Israelites, and killed many of
them. From this arose Christianity in Rome.
Some historians mentioned that Isa was born forty-two
years after Augustus had become emperor. Augustus
continued to live on, and his reign lasted fifty-six years; some
add a
few days. The Jews assaulted Christ. The sovereign in Jerusalem
at the time was Caesar, and it was on his behalf that Herod
the Great reigned in Jerusalem. Messengers of the king of
Persia came to him. Sent to Christ, they came to Herod by -
Mahat. The Muslim view is that Isa escaped crucifixion.
Here it is intimated
that he lived on in Arabia under Iranian rule.
321. Saint Sergius, a Roman officer, was martyred ca.
A.D. 303. His shrine
was popular in Rusafat al-Sham and attracted Arab nomads.
See Trimingham,
Christianity among the Arabs in pre-lslamic times,
London-New York 1979,
23sff.
The Story of Isa
125
mistake. They informed Herod that the king of Persia had sent
them to offer Christ the gifts they carried, gifts of gold, myrrh
and frankincense. They told him that they had observed that
Christ's star had risen ” they had learned through computation.
They offered him the gifts at Bethlehem in Palestine.
When Herod learned about them, he plotted against Christ,
and looked for him in order to slay him. God commanded an
angel to tell Joseph, who was with Mary at the sanctuary, that
Herod intended to slay the child, and to instruct him to flee to
Egypt with the child and its mother.
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