Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Table Of Viands

Allah Almighty has said,

The disciples said: O Jesus son of Mary! Will your Lord consent to send down to us food from heavens? He said: Be careful of (your duty to) Allah if you are believers. (5:112)

What was that table all about? How was it sent down and what did it contain? These questions are answered differently by different people, each according to the extent of his knowledge or depth of his imagination! Qatadah has quoted Jabir quoting `Ammar ibn Yasir citing the Messenger of Allah saying, “The table was sent down with bread and meat on it because they had asked Jesus for food to eat, and that it would not be exhausted. He said to them, `I shall do so, and it shall always come to you as long as you do not become malicious or betray (me), for in the latter case, you will be tormented.' It was only one day after its descent upon them that they became malicious, and they betrayed (Jesus).”

Ata ibn Abu Rabah[40] is quoted as citing Salman al-Farisi (the Persian) saying that Jesus never committed any wrong deed, nor did he rebuke an orphan, nor did he burst laughing, nor did he drive flies away from his face[41] ... When the disciples asked him to bring them tables of viands, he said, “Lord! Do send down to us food from heavens to be for us an ever-recurring happiness, to the first of us and to the last, and a sign from You, and grant us means of subsistence, and You are the best of Providers” (Qur'an, 5:114). A red table between two clouds, one above it and one underneath it, came descending upon them as they looked at it till it settled on the ground before them. Jesus wept and said, “Lord! I implore You to count me among those who are grateful to You! Lord! Make it a sign of mercy from You rather than one of penalty!” When they saw it, they found it something which they had never seen before, and similar to its fragrance they had never inhaled. Jesus said to them, “Whoever is most righteous in deeds among you should uncover it and mention the Name of Allah over it then eat of it.”

Shemon (Simon) al-Safa said, “You are more fit to do so than any of us.” Jesus stood up, made his ablution, offered lengthy prayers and kept weeping for quite some time. Then he removed the sheet that had covered it saying, Bismillah (in the Name of Allah), the best of sustainers.” It was a roasted fish the scales and the bones of which had already been removed. So fat it was that it seemed as if it was floating over oil. At its head there was salt, and at its tail there was vinegar, and it was surrounded by many types of vegetables with the exception of leek. There were five loaves of bread on it. On the first of them there were olives. On the second there was honey. On the third there was oil, and on the fourth there was jerked meat. On the fifth there was cheese.

Simon said, “O Ruhullah! Is this earthly, or is it from the food of the afterlife?” Jesus said, “What you see is neither the food of the life of this world nor of that of the Hereafter. Rater, it is something which Allah has innovated through His overwhelming Might; so, eat of what you have asked for, and He will provide you with an increase of His favors.” They said, “O Ruhullah! Could you please show us a miracle derived from this one?” Jesus said, “O fish!

Come back to life by the permission of Allah!” The fish shook and its scales and bones came back to it, whereupon the disciples were frightened of it. Jesus asked them, “What is the matter with you that you ask for things which, when granted, you dislike?” Then he added, “How worried I am about you that you should ever be chastised! O fish! Go back to your former state by the permission of Allah!” The fish resumed its former state, a roasted fish, just as they had seen it before. They said, “O Ruhullah! Be the first to eat of it, then we will eat after you.” Jesus said, “God forbid that I should eat of it; rather, those who asked for it shall eat of it.” But they were apprehensive of eating of it; so, Jesus invited the indigent, the sick, the leprous, and those afflicted with other ailments to come and eat of it. He said to them, “Eat of the sustenance of your Lord! Yours shall be the joy, and affliction shall be others' lot!” So they ate of it. As many as one thousand and three hundred men and women from among the poor, the sick, the handicapped, and those afflicted with ailments ate of it to their fill. Then Jesus looked at the fish, and it appeared just as it had come the first time from the heavens.

The table after that ascended as they looked on and disappeared. All those who were sick and ate of it were healed, and so were all those with permanent handicaps, and Allah enriched of His favor the poor who partook of it till their death. The disciples regretted having missed the opportunity to eat of it, and so did those who could not. Whenever it descended, the young and the old, the men and the women, would crowd around it. It kept coming to them for forty days in the late morning and before noon.

It would remain with them till they all had enough, then it would fly away before their very eyes. It used to come one day and skip another, just as the she-camel of the people of Thamu-d. Allah Almighty inspired Jesus to “Make My table and sustenance for the benefit of the poor rather than the rich,” so the rich were very displeased about that, so much so that they complained about it and they started casting doubt about the table, saying, “Do you believe that a table can really come down from the heavens?!” Jesus said to them, “Prepare yourselves, then, to receive the penalty of Allah.”

Allah Almighty inspired Jesus: “I have made two provisions regarding those who belie it. Those who disbelieve after I have sent it down will be tormented a torment with which I will not torment anyone else from among the people of the world.” Jesus, thereupon, said, as the Holy Qur'an tells us, “If You chastise them, surely they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, surely You are the Mighty, the Wise” (Qur'an, 5:118). He, therefore, turned three hundred men from among them, who had spent their night in bed with their wives, into pigs running in the alleys and frequenting the places where garbage is collected, eating filth. When people saw that, they were alarmed, and they came to Jesus son of Mary horrified. They wept over those of their families who were turned into pigs. When the pigs saw Jesus, they wept and kept turning around him. Jesus called them by their names, and they came, one by one, crying and nodding with their heads as he called out their names, unable to speak. They lived for three days, then they perished.

The Almighty Admonishes Jesus

Abu Busayr quotes Abu Abdullah, Imam Ja`fer al-Sadiq, saying that the Almighty, Glory and Exaltation are His, admonished Jesus son of Mary thus:

O Jesus! You are the Messiah by My command; you bring the dead back to life by My Word, so let your desire be My Pleasure, and be fearful of Me, for you shall find no refuge from Me except with Me. O Jesus! I admonish you as one Who is Compassionate to you: Seek My mercy though I granted you authority, and seek whatever pleases Me, for blessed you are as a grown-up, and blessed you are as a child, wherever you may be. I testify that you are My servant and the son of My bondmaid. O Jesus! Let My status with you be your ultimate concern, and remember Me so that such remembrance will be treasured when you return to Me. Seek nearness to Me through optional (nafl) acts of worship; rely upon Me so that I may make you independent of others; do not rely on others else My Wrath should overtake you.

O Jesus! Be patient when tried, and be contented with your lot. Be as I would like you to be, and I would like to be pleased with you, for My pleasure is that I am obeyed and never disobeyed. O Jesus! Let your tongue ever mention My Name, and let your heart ever be filled with love for Me. O Jesus! Be aware in the times of heedlessness, and judge with beautiful wisdom seeking My Pleasure. O Jesus! Desire My Pleasure, fear My wrath, and kill your heart with fear of Me. O Jesus!

Observe the night as means to seeking My Pleasure, and deprive yourself of water during your day seeking to treasure it for the Day when you will very much be in need of Me. O Jesus! Compete with others in the paths of goodness as much as you can so that you will be identified with goodness wherever you go. O Jesus! Judge among My servants as I have advised you, and effect My justice among them, for I have revealed to you that which heals the hearts from Satan's ailments.

O Jesus! Do not sit with one who is tried with tribulations. O Jesus! What I say is the truth: No creature truly believes in Me except that he humbles himself to Me, and no creature feels awe of Me except that he is hopeful of My rewards. I, therefore, testify to you that such a person is secure against My punishment so long as you do not alter My way. O Jesus son of the righteous Virgin! Weep over your soul like one who bids his family farewell, who has no desire for this life, who leaves life for those who seek it, desiring only what is with Allah.

O Jesus! Be, moreover, kind in speech, disseminating the greeting, awake when the eyes of the doers of good are asleep, being apprehensive of the Hereafter, of the tremendous quakes, of the horrors of the Day of Judgment when no family nor offspring nor wealth will be of any avail. O Jesus! Decorate your eyes with grief when the idle ones laugh.

O Jesus! Be submissive and persevering, for congratulations to you when you obtain what those who persevere shall receive. O Jesus! Live your life day by day, and taste what lost its taste, for the truth is what I say: You have only your hour and your moment, so derive lessons from the passage of time, and let what is coarse (of clothes) and what is most simple (of food) suffice you, for you have seen what your final destiny shall be, and that whatever you take and whatever you consume is already preordained. O Jesus! You shall be questioned, so have mercy on the weak just as I have been Merciful unto you, and do not cause any grief to the orphan.

O Jesus! Mourn your own soul when you perform your prayers, and let your feet take you to the places where prayers are held, and let Me hear the sweetness of your mentioning My Name, for I have treated you beautifully. O Jesus! How many nation have I caused to perish on account of a sin from which I protected you? O Jesus! Be kind to the weak, and raise your exhausted eyes to the sky and supplicate to Me, for I am near to you, and do not supplicate to Me except when you are pleading to Me, having one and only concern, for whenever you thus call upon Me, so shall I answer your call. O Jesus! I never wanted the life in this world to be the reward of those who preceded you nor a penalty to those against whom I sought revenge.

O Jesus! You shall perish, whereas I shall always remain; from Me comes your sustenance, and with Me is the time of your death, and to Me is your return, and upon Me is your judgment; so, plead to Me and to none else so that your plea may be good, and so that I will be the One to answer it.

O Jesus! How numerous are people, yet how few are those who persevere! Trees are many, yet those that bear tasty fruit from among them are few; so do not let the beauty of a tree allure you till you taste of its fruit. O Jesus! Do not be allured by one who is rebellious against My wish; he eats My sustenance while worshipping someone else other than Me, then he calls upon Me at the moment of affliction, and I still respond to his call, then he goes back to what he used to do!

Is it against Me that he rebels, or is he challenging My wrath? By My own Self do I swear that I shall take him in a way from which he shall have no recourse, nor shall he have any refuge. Where shall he flee? From My sky, or from My earth?! O Jesus! Tell the unjust ones from among the Children of Israel: Do not supplicate to Me as long as you harbour usury and the idols are at your homes, for I have sworn never to answer the prayer of anyone who thus prays to Me, and that I shall make My answer to their prayers a curse upon them till they disperse. O Jesus! How beautiful is My patience and how beautiful is what I seek, yet people are heedless, returning not to Me! Words come out of their mouths without their hearts comprehending them till they become the object of My contempt, and till they try to please the believers seeking My pleasure.

O Jesus! Be merciful seeking mercy for others, and treat the servants as you wish them to treat you, and quite often remember death and separation from the family. Do not be distracted, for distraction corrupts, and do not be heedless, for the heedless are distant from Me, and remember Me with good deeds so that I may likewise remember you.

O Jesus! Seek My forgiveness after you commit any sin, and remind those who often return to Me of Me. Believe in Me, and seek nearness to Me by being near to those who believe in Me. Enjoin them to join you in supplicating to Me, and beware of the supplication of the oppressed one, for I took upon Myself to open for it a gate in the heavens, and that I shall answer his call even if it may be after a while. O Jesus! Be informed that the wrongdoer entices others, and that befriending the evildoer hurls one into the pit; so, know who your friend is before you befriend him, and choose for your own company brethren from among the believers. O Jesus! Repent to Me, for there is no sin too great for My forgiveness, and I am the most Merciful of those who have mercy.

O Jesus! Perform acts of righteousness for your soul as long as you live and before time comes when none else can do so on your behalf, and worship Me for the sake of a Day as lengthy as a thousand years of your own reckoning, for I reward a good deed with ten-fold, and the sin stains the sinner. Compete with others in the doing of good deeds, for how many meeting adjourned with a safeguard from the fire!

O Jesus! Keep away from that which shall perish and cease to be, and visit the ruins of those who were before you: call upon them and ask them to respond to you; can you feel the presence of any of them at all? So seek wisdom from them, and be informed that you shall soon join their company together with those who soon will.

O Jesus! Tell whoever rebels and revolts and deceives to await My punishment and to expect My annihilation; he shall be burnt among those who shall perish. Congratulations to you, O son of Mary, and many congratulations if you emulate the manners of your Lord Who, out of His Mercy, is Compassionate unto you, Who starts the giving out of His generosity, Who is always there for you during your each and every calamity. Do not disobey Him, O Jesus, for it is not lawful for you to disobey Him. I have taken a covenant from you just as I had taken it from those before you, and I am for that a Witness.

O Jesus! I have never granted My creation anything better than My religion, nor have I blessed them with anything better than My Mercy! O Jesus! Wash with water that which appears of your parts, and heal with good deeds those that do not, for to Me you shall surely return. O Jesus! I have granted you of My blessings an abundance without dreariness, and I have sought of you a loan for the goodness of your own soul, but you were too miser to do so, hence you may be one of those who perish. O Jesus! Decorate yourself with the decoration of faith, with love for the needy, and walk on earth gently, and perform your prayers on all the tracts of the earth, for they are all clean.

O Jesus! Be prepared, for whatever comes is near, and recite My Book when you are pure, and let Me hear you reciting it in a somber voice. O Jesus! There is no good in a pleasure which does not last, nor in life that will depart. O son of Mary! Had your eyes only seen what I have prepared for My good friends, your heart would have dissolved and your soul would have come out of your body in anxiety for it, for there is no home like the Hereafter where the righteous are neighbours of one another; angels near to Me visit them, and they are secure from the horrors of the Day of Judgment, a home wherein happiness never changes, nor does it ever depart from its people. O son of Mary! Compete for its sake with those who compete, for it is the desire of those who have a desire; it pleases those who see it. Congratulation to you, O son of Mary, if you are among those who work for it from among those who do so in the company of your fathers: Adam and Abraham, in the Gardens and felicity with which you do not wish to trade anything else at all and from which you never desire to be diverted; thus do I deal with the pious. O Jesus! Flee to Me with those who flee from a fire with flames, a fire with chains and torment; no rest shall there ever enter it, nor any of its torments shall be diminished; it is as though it were pieces of pitched darkness. Whoever is saved from it is a winner, and none will be spared from it if he is written down among those who shall perish; it is the abode of the tyrants and oppressors and everyone who is rude and haughty, conceited and arrogant. O Jesus! Evil is the abode of those who feel comfortable with it, and evil, indeed, is the abode of the wrongdoers. I warn you against your own soul; so, take admonishment from Me.

O Jesus! Wherever you may be, you should be on your guard concerning Me, and testify that I created you, and you are My servant; I shaped you and to the earth sent you. O Jesus! No mouth can have two tongues, nor one chest can have two hearts, and such are the minds, too. O Jesus! Do not wake up in disobedience, and do not come to your senses finding yourself heedless, and wean yourself from desires that cause you to sin. Any desire that distances you from Me you should abandon, and be informed that you are to Me as a trusted messenger; so, be forewarned of Me, and be informed that your life shall in the end bring you back to Me, and that I shall take you with My knowledge. Be humble whenever My Name is mentioned, submissive of heart whenever you yourself mention Me, awake when the heedless sleep. O Jesus! This is My advice to you and My admonishment; so, take it from Me, for I am the Lord of the Worlds.[42]

If you discern these exhortations, and if you compare them with what the Almighty admonished His prophet and messenger Moses or His Prophet and Messenger Muhammed, or any of His prophets and messengers, you will find a great deal of similarity between them. The Almighty is One and the same, and so is His Wisdom and Creed. His speech, too, is one and the same, praise be to Him. Very few, however, realize this simple and pristine fact.

Invocations By Jesus

Muhammed, the Messenger of Allah, is quoted as saying that Jesus son of Mary was the first person to speak as an infant. He glorified Allah a good deal in a way no ear had ever heard before, leaving no sun, nor moon, nor mountain, nor spring, without including it in his glorification. He said, You are the One Who is near despite Your Sublimity, High in nearness, Above everything You have created. You are the One Who created seven [heavens] in the space by Your Words in complete level formations; in awe of You did they respond to Your call even when they were mere smoke, so they came in obedience to Your Command. In them are angels glorifying Your Holiness. And You made in them a light despite the blackness of the dark, and a light from the light of the sun during daytime.

You made in them the thunder that glorifies Your praise; so, it is through Your Might that it came to shatter the darkness which You created. You made in them [stars as] lanterns whereby one seeks guidance when puzzled and lost. So Blessed be You, Lord, in the way You have raised the heavens, in the way You spread the earth, causing it to float above the water, holding it against the torrent of overwhelming sea waves, bringing all things to submit to You as they appeared. Their stiffness became softened through submission to You; their affairs submitted to Your Command; their waves surrendered to Your Greatness. You caused rivers following seas to gush forth, then You made small rivulets succeeded by brimful springs, then You brought out of the rivers and trees fruits, then You placed on the surface of the earth the mountains as pegs even above the water, and their stones and rocks submitted to You. So blessed be You, Lord! Who can ever be called as You are called, or who can ever reach Your status? You spread the clouds, free those in bondage, and affect equity, and You are the best of those who judge.

There is no god but You; You ordered us to seek Your forgiveness for each and every sin of ours; there is no god but You; You have veiled the heavens from the (vision of the) people; there is no god but You; the wise among Your servants are the ones who fear You; we bear witness that You are not a god whom we invented, nor one whose worship comes to an end, nor is there any partner with You to call upon while forsaking You, nor to help You in creating anyone so that we might suspect Your having created us. We testify that You are the One and Only One, on Whom all depend, the One Who does not beget, nor is He begotten, and none at all is like Him.

Supplication By Jesus Whereby He Brought The Dead Back To Life

As regarding his supplication whereby he used to cure the sick and bring the dead back to life, it was as follows:

Lord! You are the Lord of those in the heavens and those on earth; there is no god in them except You. You are the Omnipotent in the heavens and the Omnipotent on earth; there is no Omnipotent in them except You. You are the King of those in the heavens and the King of those on earth; there is no king in them except You. You are the Judge of those in the heavens and the Judge of those on earth; there is no judge in them except You. Your Might on earth is the same as it is in the heavens; Your Authority on earth is the same as it is in the heavens; I plead to You by Your Glorious Attributes, for You can do anything at all.

And here is another supplication of his for the kind reader:

Lord! I have dawned unable to avoid what I hate to face; I do not have the benefit of what I wish to have, and the decision is out of my hands. I have become pawned by my deeds, so none is more in need than I am. Lord! I invoke You not to make my foe feel pleased at my own expense, nor a friend of mine to think ill of me, and do not cause me to undergo a catastrophe related to my creed, and do not make the life of this world the greatest of my concerns, and do not place me at the mercy of one who will have no mercy on me, O ever-Living One, O self-Sustaining!

Was Jesus Crucified?

Sa`eed ibn Jubayr is quoted as having cited Ibn `Abbas as saying that when Allah wanted to raise Jesus to heaven, Jesus went out to meet his followers at a house where all his twelve disciples assembled. He went out to them from a well in the house and his hair was dripping with water. He said, “Among you are those who will disbelieve in me twelve times even after having believed in me.”

Then he added, “Which one of you agrees to look like me and be killed in my place and enjoy the status reserved for me with my Lord?” Their youngest stood up, but Jesus told him to sit down. He repeated the question to them, and the same young man stood up again, whereupon Jesus said, “Then you shall be the one.” He immediately was made to look just like Jesus, then Jesus was raised to heaven. The Jews[43] came and took the disciple who looked just like Jesus, killed him, then crucified him; thus, some of them disbelieved in him twelve times after having believed in him, and they were divided into three sects: One of the sects said that God was among them, then He ascended to heaven.

These are the Jacobites[44] . The other sect said that “the son of God” stayed with them as long as God willed, then God raised him up to Him, and they are called the Nestorians[45] . The third sect said that “the servant of Allah[46] and His messenger” remained among them for as long as Allah willed, then Allah raised him up to Him, and these are the Muslims. Both previous sects collaborated against the Muslim one, wiping the latter out. Islam, hence, remained hidden, obscure, forgotten, till Allah sent Prophet Muhammed to revive it.

Allah Almighty has said,

“Such is Jesus son of Mary; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute[47] . It does not befit Allah to take to Himself a son; Glory to Him; when He decrees a matter, He only says to it: `Be!' and it is. And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord; therefore; worship Him; this is the right path. But parties from among them disagreed with one another, so woe unto those who disbelieve because of their presence on a great Day” (Qur'an, 19:34-37).

Abu Salih, Shu`ayb ibn Muhammed al-Bayhaqi, through his chain of narrators, has informed us that the Messenger of Allah had said, “Prophets are brothers of one another: their mothers may be different, but their creed is one (and the same). I am the most worthy of Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon them, because there is no prophet separating me from him (chronologically). The son of Mary is about to be sent to you as a just judge, and he shall come to my nation and be my khalifa over them; so, if you see him, you will find him square of face, his complexion is reddish white, his hair is straight as though it drips although it is not wet.

He shall come down between two scepters to smash the cross, kill the pig, enforce the jizya (protection tax), receive the funds (religious taxes) and make the pilgrimage or the `umra or both, and he will fight people in the defense of Islam, so much so that all creeds will be vanquished except Islam, and everyone will prostrate to Allah, the Lord of the World, and Allah will annihilate during his time the lying anti-Christ. Security shall prevail over the earth to the extent that lambs will graze side by side with lions, tigers with cattle, and wolves with sheep. Children will play with snakes, and neither will harm the other. After that, he shall remain on earth for forty years. He shall marry and have children, then he shall die and the Muslims shall perform the funeral prayers for him and bury him in Medina.”

Al-Husain ibn Ah,.med ibn Muh,.ammed ibn `Ali, through his chain of narrators, quotes Ibn `Abbas citing the Messenger of Allah saying, “How shall Allah annihilate a nation in whose vanguard is myself, and among whose last generation is Jesus, while al-Mehdi is in its midst?”

After Jesus: The “Son Of God” And “The Trinity”

Jesus Christ never claimed to be the “son of God,” nor did he ever say that he was God. The concept of the Trinity (God the father, God the son, and the Holy Spirit) was foreign to Christianity for about three hundred years. Anyone who conducts a research to find out how this concept crept into the Christian faith will conclude that it is one of several Pagan concepts that somehow found their way to Christianity, the faith not of Christ but of his disciples barring St. Barnabas. A small number of Biblical scholars testify to this fact. Let us read what one of them says:

There is ample evidence in the Bible that the Israelites had always regarded Yahweh (Jahovah) as the Creator of all. Another original characteristic of the Israelite God was that He stood alone, without any family connections, whether consort, son or daughter.[48]

Such “Israelites” include the apostles of Jesus. Another scholar, Col. J. Garnier, clearly points out to the fact that Pagan gods have incorporated three deities in one god. So is the concept of the Trinity.

It is of importance to notice first that all the various gods and goddesses of the ancients, though known by many names and different characteristics, can yet all be resolved into one of the persons of a Trinity composed of a father, mother and son; and that this fact was well known to the initiated. It should also be observed that the father and the son constantly melt into one; the reason being that there was also a fabled incarnation of the son who, although identified with him, was yet to be his own son by the goddess.[49]

We will not discuss the Trinity here but will instead concentrate on the concept of Jesus as the “son of God,” a concept more emphasized by St. John than any other disciple, that is to say, if we regard these authors of the Gospels as disciples of Jesus Christ. St. John's Gospel has since the dawn of Christianity been the subject of controversy, debate, and discussion, and it still stands out as quite different from all other Gospels. The credibility of what St. John wrote in his Gospel is doubted by numerous scholars of the Bible in the past and in the present:

I do not think the writer [St. John] distinguished in his own consciousness between what he remembered (or had derived from the reminiscences of others) and what he felt must have been true, and I greatly doubt whether we can distinguish often in that Gospel what is derived from tradition and what is derived from imagination.

In the Pagan theology of the fertility cult, that is, of agricultural propagation, the god is said to be incarnated as his own son to walk upon the earth in human form and be slain and resurrected as the personification of the harvest and plant life. This same Pagan theme occurs in John 1:14 where we read the following: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father), full of grace and truth.”

This clearly reflects the fact that St. John was fully knowledgeable of Pagan doctrines to the extent that he sometimes borrowed his themes from them. We can go on and on highlighting the sharp differences between the Gospel of St. John and those of the other Saints, but this will be an undertaking that will surely be laborious and exhaustive. Let us, instead, read the following from the only true though “unofficial” Gospel:

Jesus departed from Jerusalem after the Passover, and entered into the borders of Caesarea Philippi[51] . There the angel Gabriel having told him of the sedition which was beginning among the common people, he asked his disciples, saying, “What do men say of me?” They said, “Some say you are Elijah, others Jeremiah, and others one of the old prophets.”

Jesus asked, “And you, what do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are Messiah, Son of God.” Then Jesus was angry and rebuked him, saying, “Begone and depart from me, because you are the Devil and seek to cause me offence!” And he threatened the eleven, saying, “Woe to you if you believe this, for I have won from God a great curse against those who believe this.” And he was ready to cast away Peter, but the eleven besought Jesus for him, who did not cast him away, but again rebuked him, saying, Beware that you never again say such words, because God would reprobate you.”

Peter wept and said, “Sir, I have spoken foolishly. Beseech God that He pardons me.”

Then said Jesus, “If our God willed not to show himself to Moses His servant, nor to Elijah whom he also loved, nor to any prophet, do you think that God should show Himself to this faithless generation? But know you not that God has created all things of nothing with one single word, and all men have had their origin out of a piece of clay? Now, how shall God have a likeness to man? Woe to those who suffer themselves to be deceived of Satan!”

And having said this, Jesus besought God for Peter, the eleven and Peter weeping, and saying, “So be it. O blessed Lord our God.”

Afterward Jesus departed and went into Galilee in order that this vain opinion which the common folk began to hold concerning him might be extinguished. (The Gospel of Barnabas 70)

This agrees with what we, Muslims, have in our Holy Qur'an where Christ will on the Day of Judgment deny having required people to worship him and his mother besides the One and Only God:

Allah will say (on the Day of Judgment): O Jesus son of Mary! Did you say to men: Take me and my mother for two gods besides God? He will say: Glory to You! It did not befit me to say what I had no right to say; had I said it, You would indeed have known it; You know what is in my mind, and I do not know what is in Your mind; surely You are the great One Who knows the unseen. (5:116)

In fact, the Holy Qur'an strongly condemns those who attribute godhead to Jesus or call him “the son of God,” labelling them as apostates, disbelievers in Him:

Certainly they disbelieve those who say: Surely God is the Messiah son of Mary, and the Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel! I worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Surely whoever associates (others) with God, then God has forbidden him from (entering) the garden, and his abode is the fire, and there shall be no helpers for the unjust. Certainly they disbelieve those who say: Surely God is the third (person) of the three[52] ; and there is no god but the One God, and if they do not desist from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve. Will they not then turn to God and His forgiveness? And God is Forgiving, Merciful. The Messiah son of Mary is but a prophet; prophets before him have indeed passed away, and his mother was a truthful woman; they both used to eat food. See how We make the Signs clear to them, then behold how they are turned away (from the right track)! (5:72-75)

Allah Almighty has also said the following Qur'anic verses in this regard:

The Jews say: Uzair[53] is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away! (9:30)

O People of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allah, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah son of Mary is only a prophet of Allah and His Word which He communicated to Mary and a spirit from Him; believe, therefore, in Allah and in His prophets, and do not say Three. Desist, it is better for you; Allah is only One God: far be it from His Glory that He should have a son; whatever in the heavens and in the earth is His, and Allah is sufficient for a Protector. The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant of Allah, nor do the angels who are near to Him, and whoever disdains His service and is proud, He will gather them all together to Him.

As for those who believe and do good deeds, He will pay them fully their rewards and give them more out of His Grace; as for those who disdain and are proud, He will chastise them with a painful chastisement. And they shall not find for themselves besides Allah a guardian or a helper. (4:171-173)

Surely the likeness of Jesus is with Allah as the likeness of Adam: He created him from dust then said to him: Be! and he was. (3:59)

All praise is due to Allah Who revealed the Book to His servant (Muh,.ammed) and did not make in it any crookedness, rightly directing, so that he might give warning of a severe punishment from Him and give glad tidings to the believers who do good deeds that they shall have a goodly reward (Paradise), staying in it forever. And warn those who say: Allah has taken a son. They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers; a grievous word it is that comes out of their mouths; they speak nothing but a lie. (18:1-5)

They say: Allah has taken a son! Glory to Him; He is the self-Sufficient; His is whatever in the heavens and in the earth; you have no authority for this; do you say against Allah what you do not know? Say: Those who forge a lie against Allah shall not be successful. (It is only) a provision in this world, then to Us shall be their return, then shall We make them taste a severe punishment because they disbelieved. (10:68-70)

And they planned and Allah (also) planned, and Allah is surely the best of planners. And Allah said: O Jesus! I am going to terminate the period of your stay (on earth) and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you of (the charges of) those who disbelieve and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, so I shall decide between you concerning that in which you differed. (3:54-55)

In the following verses, the Almighty starts by chastising the Jews then the Christians:

Therefore, for the breaking of their covenant and their disbelief in the Signs of Allah and their killing the prophets wrongfully and their saying: Our hearts are covered. Nay! Allah set a seal upon them because of their disbelief, so they shall not believe except a few. And for their disbelief, and for their having uttered against Mary a grievous calumny. And (for) their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, the prophet of Allah, and they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so, and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge in its regard but only follow conjecture, and surely they did not kill him at all. Nay! Allah took him up to Him, and Allah is Mighty, Wise. And there is not one of the People of the Book but most certainly believes in this before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he (Jesus) shall be a witness against them. (4:155-159)

When Qur'anic texts such as these agree with what St. Barnabas had written in his Gospel, the truth will shine, but how many sincere seekers of the truth are there in our world?

Finally, Is It Christianity Or Paganism?

Is Today's form of Christianity really the creed revealed by the Almighty to Jesus son of Mary, or is it a revival of ancient Paganism? This question may raise some eyebrows, and it may wake up a drowsy reader, but it is a question quite valid and relevant. If one traces pagan doctrines, he will be struck with similarities between what the pagans used to practice (and some still do) and what today's Christians practice at their churches.

The traces of paganism in Christianity can be seen in: 1) the concept of Christ as the “son of God,” 2) the Trinity, 3) the Incarnate Saviour, 4) the Second Advent, 4) the Virgin Birth, 5) the Sacraments, and 6) the Communion of Saints. You can also add to this list the organized order of saints, the choir (an offspring of the pagan chorus), the singing and dancing..., etc. All these are very well known practices of paganism in various parts of the world and by various cultures. Were we to discuss each one of them, we would need not one but many volumes; so, let us be contented with discussing the most important of all of them: the concept of Jesus Christ as the “son of God.”

This concept is directly linked to the pagan “sun god,” or god of the sun, hence Sunday[54] , the day when the sun god, in his various names and attributes, is worshipped. If we study these sun gods, we will see the link between their worship and the concept of Jesus Christ as the “son of God.”[55]

When Jesus Christ came to this world, sun worship was a religion that prevailed throughout the world. Well known sun gods whose worship had been popular throughout the Mediterranean countries at one time or another are: Attis of Phrygia (central Asia Minor), Adonis of Syria, Dionysius or Bacchus of Greece, Bel (or Baal) of Babylon, Osiris and Horus of Egypt, and Ithras or Mithra of Persia. Here is a brief account of these sun gods, one from which the reader can see the link between these “sun gods” and the “son of God” concept introduced into the Christian faith and officially endorsed at the Nicaea Conference referred to above:

Attis

He was born of a virgin named Nana and was regarded as the “only begotten son” and “saviour”. He was bled to death on March 24th at the foot of a pine tree and his votaries believed that his blood had renewed the fertility of the earth and thus brought a new life to humanity. He, however, rose from the dead, and his resurrection along with his death was celebrated by his votaries. Every year on the 24th day of March, they would first fasten his image to a pine tree and then lay it in a tomb with wailing mourning. On the next day, they would find the tomb empty and celebrate the resurrection with great rejoicing. Sacramental meal and baptism of blood were special features of his “church.”

Adonis or Tammuz

Adonis was a young man loved by the goddess Aphrodite. When he was killed by a wild boar, goes on the legend, Aphrodite persuaded the gods to let him live for six months of each year. His death and resurrection, hence, were celebrated in midsummer festival in Adonia, Saturday was “Saturn's day,” the day when Saturn, god of the harvest, was to be worshipped. Greece, symbolizing yearly growth and decay. He was the virgin-born “saviour” of Syria. He suffered death for the redemption of mankind but rose again in the Spring. His resurrection was commemorated by a great annual festival. The Old Testament, in Izekiel, viii:14, refers to the weeping and wailing of women over his idol. On p. 113, Vol. 2, of Mythology of the Aryan Nations, Rev. Sir G.W. Cox calls him the crucified Tao (that is, divine love personified). In his Hebrew Lexicon, Dr. Parkhust remarks: “I find myself obliged to refer Tammuz to that class of idols which were originally designed to represent the promised Saviour [meaning Jesus], the desire of all nations.”

Dionysius or Bacchus

God of wine, he was the “only begotten son” of Jupiter and was born of a virgin named Demeter (or Semele) on December 25th... Christians celebrate Christmas, the supposed birth of Christ, on December 25th. He was a “redeemer, liberator and saviour.” “It is I,” says Bacchus to mankind, “who guide you; it is I who protect you and who save you; I am Alpha and Omega.”[56] Wine had an important place in the festivals of his cult. It is today in the Christian theology, representing “the blood of Jesus.” Imagine one drinking the blood of...! He was slain for redeeming humanity and was called “the slain one,” “the sin-bearer,” “the redeemer.” Notice the striking similarity between these words and what Christians preach.

Is it a coincident? We do not think so. Bacchus's passion play was celebrated every year representing his death, descent into hell and resurrection. Passion plays used to be part of the Christian festivals during the Middle Ages. The main surviving Passion Play is that of Oberammergau, Bavaria.

Osiris

God of the underworld, he was born on December 29th of a virgin called by the Egyptians the “virgin of the world.” He preached the gospel of gentleness and peace. Wine and corn were regarded as his celebrated discoveries. He was betrayed by Typhen, slain and dismembered. He was interred but came again to life after remaining in hell for two or three days and three nights. After his death, it was the custom of his votaries to keep his image in a box and bring out the image at the time of worship with the cries of “Osiris is risen!”

“The sufferings and death of Osiris,” says Rawlingson in a footnote on p. 260, Vol. 3, of Herodotus, “were the great mystery of the Egyptian religion. His being the divine goodness, and the abstract idea of `good', his manifestation upon earth (like an Indian god), his death and resurrection, and his office as judge of the dead in a future life, look like the early revelation of a future manifestation of the deity converted into a mythological fable.” Needless to say, “the early revelation of a future manifestation of the deity” in this quotation is a reference to the alleged incarnation of God in Jesus.

“Belief in the god-man in the form of Osiris,” says Sir Richard Gregory on p. 54 of his book Religion in Science and Civilisation, “became the chief element in Egyptian religion, and remained for thousands of years the faith of the people through the tangled skein of religious life in Egypt until Osiris passed into the form of the god-man Jesus Christ.”

Mithras or Mithra

His name in ancient Persian means “friend,” and he was an ancient cultic god of Persia and India who became in the 5th century B.C. the chief Persian god. His cult extended into Mesopotamia and Armenia, thus becoming a world-wide religion. He was the virgin-born sun god of the Persians, the perfect prototype of Jesus Christ and the founder of an international Church, Mithraism, in which Christmas and Easter the most important festivals. “This divine saviour came into the world as an infant.

His first worshippers were shepherds; and the day of his nativity was December 25th. His followers preached a severe and rigid morality, chief among their virtues being temperance, chastity, renunciation and self-control. They kept the seventh day holy, and the middle day of each month was a special feast of Mithra, which symbolised this function of Mediator. They had seven sacraments of which the most important were baptism, confirmation, and Eucharistic supper, at which the communicants partook of the divine nature of Mithra under the species of bread and wine.”[57]