How
Jesus Christ described the Glory of the Prophet Muhammad
by Dr.
Ahmad Shafaat (1983)
We
present here some traditions attributed to prophet Jesus
(may peace be upon him), in which that great prophet talks
about the Chief of all Prophets, Hazarat Muhammad (may God
bless him ever more). The traditions are naturally in the
form of prophecies, since the Prophet Jesus lived before
the time of our Prophet Muhammad. But they have value not
merely as prophecies: they also provide one of the most
beautiful tributes to the glory of the Prophet of Islam
ever written. The traditions are from a version of the
Gospel of Barnabas compiled by a thirteenth century
Italian on the basis of early Christian sources.
"Jesus
said, Philip! God is a Good without which there is nothing
good: God is a Being without which there is nothing that
has existence; God is a Life without which there is
nothing that lives. He has no equal. He had no beginning,
nor will He have an end, but to everything has He given a
beginning and to everything shall He give an end. He has
no father nor mother; He has no sons, nor brethren nor
companions."
Philip
answered:
"Master,
what sayest thou? It is surely written in Isaiah that God
is our father: how, then, hath He no sons?"
Jesus
answered:
"There
are written by the prophets many parables, wherefore one
ought not attend to the letter, but to the sense. For all
the prophets, that are one hundred and forty-four
thousand, have spoken ambiguously. But after me shall come
the Splendor of all the prophets who shall shed light upon
the ambiguities of all that the prophets have said,
because he is the Messenger of God."
"Verily,
I say unto you that every prophet when he is come has
borne the mark of the mercy of God to one nation only. And
so their words were not extended save to the people to
which they were sent. But the Messenger of God, when he
shall come, will be given as it were the seal of the hand
of God, insomuch as he shall carry salvation and mercy to
all the nations of the world that shall receive his
doctrine. He shall come with power upon the ungodly, and
shall destroy idolatry for, so promised God to Abraham,
saying: "Behold, in thy seed I will bless all the
tribes of the earth; and as thou hast broken in pieces the
idols, O Abraham, even so shall thy seed do."
"I
there fore say unto you, that the Messenger of God is a
splendor that shall give gladness to nearly all that God
has made, for he is adorned with the spirit of
understanding and counsel, the spirit of wisdom and might,
of fear and love, prudence and temperance; he is adorned
with the spirit of charity and mercy, of justice and piety
and gentleness and patience, which he has received from
God three times more than He has given to all His
creatures combined. Blessed will be the time when he shall
come to the world! Believe me that I have seen him and
have done him reverence, even as every prophet has seen
him. And when I saw him my soul was filled with
consolation, saying, O Admirable One! God be with thee,
and may he make me worthy to untie thy shoe-latchet for
obtaining this I shall be a great prophet and holy one of
God."
"As
for me, I am now come to the world to prepare the way for
the Messenger of God, who shall bring salvation to the
world. By the living God, in whose presence my soul
stands, I am not the Savior whom all the tribes of the
earth expect."
Then said
the Priest:
"How
shall the Savior be called, and what sign shall reveal his
coming?"
Jesus
answered:
"The
name of the Savior shall be the Admirable One, for, God
himself gave him the name when he had created his soul,
and placed it in celestial splendor. God said, "Wait
O Admirable One (=Muhammad), for thy sake I will create
paradise, the world, and a great multitude of creatures,
whereas I make thee a present, insomuch that whosoever
shall curse the shall be cursed. When I send thee into the
world, I shall send thee as My Messenger of Salvation, and
thy world shall be true insomuch that heaven and earth
shall fail but thy faith shall never fail. Admirable One
is his blessed name."
Then the
crowd lifted up their voices, saying:
"O
God send Thy Messenger. O Admirable One come quickly for
the salvation of the world."
|
