Essentials of Christianity — The Harrowing of Hell

And Joseph rose and said to Annas and Caiaphas: You are indeed right to marvel since you have heard that Jesus has been seen alive after death, and that he has ascended into heaven. However, even more marvelous, he did not rise from the dead alone; but many other dead he raised from their graves to life, and many people have seen them in Jerusalem.

And now hear me! For we all know the blessed Simeon, the high priest who received the child Jesus in his hands in the temple. And this Simeon had two sons, brothers in blood, and we were all present at their death and burial. Go therefore and look at their graves, for they are open, because they have risen! And behold they are in the city of Arimathea living together in prayer. And indeed men hear them crying out, yet they speak with no one, but are silent as dead men. But come, let us go to them and with all honor and gentleness bring them to us. And if we command them, perhaps they will inform us about the mystery of their rising again.

When they heard these things, they all rejoiced. And Annas and Caiaphas, Nicodemus and Joseph and Gamaliel went and did not find them in their grave; but they went to the city of Arimathea, and found them there, kneeling on their knees and giving themselves to prayer. And they kissed them, and with all reverence and in the fear of God they brought them to Jerusalem into the synagogue. And they shut the doors and took the Law of the Lord and put it into their hands, and adjured them by God, Adonai, the God of Israel who spoke to our fathers through the prophets, saying, “Do you believe that it is Jesus who raised you from the dead? Tell us how you have arisen from the dead!”

And when Karinus and Leucius heard this adjuration, they trembled physically and groaned, being troubled at heart. And looking up together to heaven they made the seal of the cross with their fingers upon their tongues, and forthwith they spoke, both of them, saying: “Give us each a volume of paper, and let us write that which we have seen and heard.” And they gave them to them, and each sat down and wrote the following:

O Lord Jesus Christ, Resurrection of the dead and Life of the living, permit us to speak of the glorious secrets of Your Majesty which You accomplished after Your death on the Cross, for we have been commanded in Your Name. For You commanded Your servants to tell no one the secrets of your Divine Majesty which You wrought in Hades.

Now when we were placed with all our fathers in the deep, in shadowy darkness, suddenly the sun’s golden heat was there, and royal, purple light shone on us. And immediately the father of the whole human race, together with all the patriarchs and prophets rejoiced, saying, “This Light is the Author of everlasting light Who promised to send to us His co-eternal Light.” And Isaiah cried out, “This is the Light of the Father, the Son of God, just as I prophesied when I was alive on the Earth: ‘The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali beyond Jordan, of Galilee of the Gentiles; the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light, and those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shone.’ And now it has come and shone upon us that sit in death!”

And as we were all rejoicing in the light which shone upon us, our father Simeon came joyfully to us pronouncing: “Glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God! For I received Him in my hands in the temple when He was born a Child, and being moved by the Holy Spirit I confessed Him, saying to Him; ‘Now my eyes have seen Your salvation which You prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.’” And when they heard these things, the whole multitude of the saints rejoiced yet more.

And after that there came someone looking like a desert dweller, and everyone asked him, “Who are you?” And he answered: “I am John, the voice and the prophet of the Most High, who preceded His coming to prepare His Path, to give knowledge of salvation to His people, so that their sins might be forgiven. And when I saw Him coming to me, I was moved by the Holy Spirit and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God! Behold Him Who takes away the world’s sins!

And I baptized Him in the river Jordan, and I saw the Holy Spirit coming down on Him with the appearance of a dove, and I heard a voice from the sky saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’ And now I have come before His face, and have come down to proclaim to you that He is at hand to visit us: He, the Beatific Dawn, the Son of God, is coming from on high to us that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

And when father Adam the first-created heard this, that Jesus had been baptized in the Jordan, he cried out to his son Seth, saying, “Tell your sons the patriarchs and the prophets all you heard from Michael the Archangel, when I sent you to the Gates of Paradise to beg God to send his angel to give you oil from the tree of mercy to anoint my body when I was sick.”

Then Seth approached the holy patriarchs and prophets, and said, “When I was praying at the Gates of Paradise, behold Michael the Angel of the Lord appeared to me, saying, ‘I am sent to you from the Lord: it is I that am set over the body of man. And I say to you, Seth, do not upset yourself with weeping, praying and begging for the oil of the Tree of Mercy to anoint your father Adam because he is in physical pain; for you will not be able to receive it until the Last Days and Times, until five thousand five hundred years are accomplished. Then the Most Beloved Son of God will come upon the Earth to raise up the body of Adam and the bodies of the dead, and He shall come to be baptized in the Jordan. And when He emerges from Jordan’s water, He will anoint all those who have believed in Him with the Oil of Mercy. And for all generations that are born of water and that are born of the Holy Spirit, that Oil of Mercy will be for Eternal Life. Then the most beloved Son of God, Jesus the Anointed, will descend to Earth and bring our father Adam into Paradise to the Tree of Mercy.”

And when they heard all these things from Seth, all the patriarchs and prophets rejoiced with great joy.

And while all the saints were rejoicing, behold Satan the Prince and Chief of Death said to Hades: “Prepare yourself to receive Jesus who boasts He is God’s Son, though He is a human being, afraid of death, and says, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death.’ And He has been my great enemy, harming me greatly. With a word He has healed who I had made blind, lame, dumb, leprous, and possessed: and some that I have brought to you dead, He has taken.”

Hades answered and said to Prince Satan, “Who is this Mighty One, if He is a human being Who fears death? For all the mighty ones of the Earth are subject to my power, even those that you have brought me subdued by your power. If, then, you are mighty, what manner of man is this Jesus Who can withstand your power, even though He is afraid of death? If He is so mighty in His humanity, I tell you truly He is Almighty in His Godhead, and no man can withstand His Power. And when He says that He fears death, He wishes to trap you; and woe shall be to you for Everlasting Ages.”

But Satan the Prince of Tartarus said, “Why do you doubt and fear to receive this Jesus Who is your adversary and mine? For I tempted Him, and have stirred up my ancient people with envy and wrath against Him. I have sharpened a spear to thrust Him through, gall and vinegar have I mixed to give Him to drink, and I have prepared a cross to crucify Him and nails to pierce Him. And His death is near at hand, so I can bring Him to you to be subject to us.”

Hades answered and said, “You told me it is He who has taken dead men from me. For there are many who when they were alive on Earth have taken dead men from me — not by their own power but by praying to God, and their Almighty God has taken them from me. Who is this Christ Jesus that has drawn dead men away from my grasp by His Own Word and without prayer? Perhaps it is He who by simply speaking a single command restored to life Lazarus, four days dead, stinking and decomposing, whom I held here demised.”

Satan the Prince of Death answered and said: “It is that same Jesus.”

When Hades heard this, he said to him: “I adjure you by your strength and my own, not to bring Him to me! For at that time when I heard him speak a command I shook and I was overwhelmed with fear, and all my servants were troubled with me. And we could not keep Lazarus — like an eagle shaking himself, he sprang forth with all agility and swiftness and departed from us, and the Earth which held Lazarus’s corpse at once yielded him up alive. And so it is I know now that the Man who was able to do these things is a God strong in command and mighty in manhood, and that He is the Savior of mankind. And if you bring Him to me He will set free all that are shut up here in this prison and bound in the chains of their sins, and He will bring them to the life of His Godhead forever.”

And as Prince Satan and Hades said these things to each other, suddenly there came a voice like thunder and a spiritual shout:

Lift up, your Gates, O Princes,
and be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of Glory shall come in.

When Hades heard this, he said to Prince Satan, “Leave me, leave my dwelling. If you are a mighty warrior then fight against the King of Glory. But what is He to you?” And Hades cast Satan out of his dwelling. Then Hades said to his wicked servants, “Shut fast the strong gates of brass and put on them the iron bars and resist bravely! Make sure we who hold the captives do not become captives ourselves!”

But when the multitude of saints all heard it, they rebuked Hades, “Open your gates, that the King of Glory may come in!” And David cried out, “When I was alive on Earth, did I not tell you beforehand, ‘Let them give thanks to the Lord, for His mercies and His wonders to the children of men; Who has broken the gates of brass and smitten the iron bars asunder? He has taken them from their wicked ways.’”

And then Isaiah likewise said, “When I was alive on Earth, did not I tell you, ‘The dead shall arise, and they that are in the tombs shall rise again, and they that are in the Earth shall rejoice, for the dew which comes from the Lord is their healing?’ And again I said, ‘O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’”

When they heard what Isaiah said, all the saints said to Hades, “Open your gates! Now you will be overcome and weak and devoid of strength.” And there came a great voice like thunder, saying, “Lift up your gates, O Princes, and be lifted up you portals of Hades, and the King of Glory shall come in!”

And when Hades saw that they cried out twice like this, he said, as if he did not know the answer already, “Who is this King of Glory?”

And David answered Hades and said, “I know the words being shouted, since by His Spirit I prophesied the same; and now I say to you what I said before: ‘The Lord strong, the Lord mighty in battle: He is the King of Glory.’” And, ‘The Lord looked down from Heaven that He might hear the groans of those in fetters and deliver the children of the slain.’ And now, most foul and stinking Hades, open your gates, that the King of Glory may come in.”

And as David spoke in this way to Hades, the Lord of Majesty appeared in the form of a man and lightened the eternal darkness and broke the unbreakable bonds. And His everlasting might brought relief to us that sat in the deep darkness of our transgressions and in the shadow of death of our sins.

When Hades and Death and their wicked servants saw this, they were stricken with fear, they and their cruel officers, at the sight of the radiance of such a great Light in their own realm, seeing Christ suddenly in their dwelling. And they cried out, saying, “We are overcome by You. Who are You, sent by the Lord for our confusion? Who are You, undamaged by corruption, and with Your Majesty’s signs unblemished, in Your Wrath condemning our mighty power? Who are You so great and so small, both humble and exalted, both soldier and commander, a marvelous warrior in the form of a bondsman, and King of Glory, both dead and living, whom the Cross carried killed upon it? You that lay dead in the grave have come down to us living, and at Your death all creation shuddered and all the stars were shaken. You have become become free among the dead and You rout our legions. Who are You that free prisoners held bound by the Original Sin and restore them into their former freedom, dignity and liberty? Who are You that shed Your Divine and Blazing Light on those who were blinded with the darkness of their sins?”

Likewise all the legions of devils were stricken with the same fear and cried out all together, terrified and in confusion, saying, “Where are You from, Jesus, a man so mighty and radiant in majesty, so excellent, spotless, clean of sin? For that world, the Earth, which hitherto was always subject to us, paying tribute from which we profited, has never sent us a dead man like You, nor ever dispatched such a gift to Hades! Who then are You that enter our borders so fearlessly, not fearing our torments, but even trying to carry everyone off out of our bondage? Perhaps You are that Jesus of whom Satan our prince said that by Your death on the cross You should receive the Dominion of the world.

Then the King of Glory in his majesty trampled on Death, and laid hold of Prince Satan and delivered him to the Power of Hades, and drew Adam to Him, to His Own Brightness.

Then Hades, receiving Prince Satan, reproached him, saying, “O Prince of Perdition and Chief of Destruction, Beelzebub, the scorn of the angels and spitting of the righteous, why did you do this? You crucify the King of Glory and at His death you promise us great plunder from His death. Like a fool you did not know what you were doing! See! by the brightness of His majesty this Jesus puts to flight all the darkness of death. He has broken the strong depths of the prisons, and let out the prisoners and loosed the bound. And all those who were groaning in our torments rejoice against us, and at their prayers our dominions are vanquished and our realms conquered. And now no nation of men fears us any more. And beside this, the dead, who never used to be proud, triumph over us, and the captives who never could be joyful threaten us. O Prince Satan, father of all the wicked and ungodly and renegades, why did you do this? Of all those who from the beginning until now have despaired of life and salvation, now none of their howls can be heard nor a groan from them sounds in our ears, nor is there any sign of tears on the face of them!

“O Prince Satan, Holder of the Keys of Hades, those riches you once won by the Tree of Transgression and the loss of Paradise, you have lost by the Tree of the Cross, and all your gloating is over! When you hung up Christ Jesus the King of Glory you worked against yourself and against me. Henceforth you shall know what eternal torments and infinite pains you are to suffer in my keeping for ever. O Prince Satan, Author of Death and head of all pride, you ought first to have sought out some wrongdoing to accuse this Jesus of: why did you dare to crucify Him unjustly, without any cause, when you found no blame against Him, and to bring into our realm the Innocent Righteous One, and to lose the guilty, the ungodly and the unrighteous of the entire world?”

And when Hades had spoken like this to Prince Satan, the King of Glory said to Hades: “Satan the Prince shall be in your power to all ages in the stead of Adam, and his children My righteous ones.”

And the Lord stretching out His Hand, said, “Come to Me, all My holy ones who bear My Image and My Likeness. You that by the Tree and the Devil and Death were condemned, behold now the Devil and Death condemned by the Tree!” And immediately all the saints were gathered together under the Hand of the Lord. And the Lord holding the right hand of Adam, said to him, “Peace be to you with all your children, my righteous ones.”

But Adam, casting himself at the knees of the Lord, entreated him with tears and beseechings, and said with a loud voice, “I will magnify You, O Lord, for You have set me upright and not let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God I cried to You and You have healed me; Lord, You have brought my soul out of Hades, You have delivered me from those who go down into the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, all you His saints, and give thanks to Him, remembering His Holiness! For there is Wrath in His indignation and Life is in His good pleasure.” In the same way all the saints of God knelt and cast themselves at the feet of the Lord, saying with one accord: “You are come, Redeemer of the World! What You foretold by the Law and Your prophets, You have accomplished in deed.

“You have redeemed the living by Your Cross, and by the death of the Cross You have come down to us, to save us out of Hades and Death through Your majesty. O Lord, as You have set the Name of Your Glory in the Heavens and set up Your Cross as a token of redemption upon the Earth, even so, O Lord, set up the sign of Your Cross’s victory in Hades, that death may have no more dominion.”

And the Lord stretched out His Hand and made the Sign of the Cross over Adam and over all His saints, and He took the right hand of Adam and went up out of Hades, and all the saints followed Him. Then Holy David cried aloud, “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things. His Right Hand has wrought Salvation for Him and His Holy Arm. The Lord has made known His saving; before the face of all nations He has revealed His Justice.” And the whole multitude of the saints answered, saying: “Such honor have all His saints. Amen, Alleluia.”

And then Habakkuk the prophet cried out, “You went forth for the Salvation of Your people to set Your chosen free.” And all the saints answered, “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord. The Lord is God and has appeared to us. Amen, Alleluia.”

Likewise after that the prophet Micah too shouted, “What God is like You, O Lord, taking away iniquity and removing sins? And now You withhold Your wrath as evidence that You are freely Merciful, and You turn and have mercy on us. You forgive all our iniquities and have sunk all our sins in the depths of the sea, as You swore to our fathers in the days of old.” And all the saints answered, saying, “This is our God for ever and ever! He shall be our guide, to ages of ages. Amen, Alleluia.” And so spoke all the prophets, quoting sacred words from their praises, and all the saints followed the Lord, crying “Amen, Alleluia!”

But the Lord holding the hand of Adam delivered him to Michael the Archangel, and all the saints followed Michael the Archangel. And he brought them all into the Glory and Grace of Paradise. And there two old men met them, and when they were asked by the saints: “Who are you that have never been dead in Hades with us, and are placed in Paradise in the body?” Then one of them answered, “I am Enoch, who was brought here by the Word of the Lord, and this that is with me is Elijah the Tishbite, who was taken up in a Chariot of Fire. Up to this day we have not tasted death, but we are kept until the Coming of the Antichrist to fight against him with Signs and Wonders of God, and to be slain by him in Jerusalem, and after three days and a half to be taken up again alive on the clouds.”

And as Enoch and Elijah were speaking like this with the saints, there came another man miserably dressed, carrying on his shoulders the Sign of the Cross. When they saw him, all the saints asked him, “Who are you? You look like a brigand! And how is it you bear a Sign on your shoulders?” And he answered them, “You are right: I was a brigand, doing all manner of evil upon the Earth. And the Jews crucified me with Jesus, and I beheld the Wonders in Creation which occurred through the Cross of Jesus when He was crucified. And I believed that He was the Maker of all creatures and the Almighty King, and I begged him. ‘Remember me, Lord, when You come in your Kingdom!’ And immediately He received my prayer, and said to me, ‘Truly I tell you, this day you will be with Me in Paradise.’ And He gave me the Sign of the Cross, saying, ‘Carry this and go to Paradise, and if the Angel that guards Paradise will not let you enter, show him the sign of the Cross; and say to him: Jesus Christ the Son of God, now the Crucified, has sent me.’ And when I had done this, I said all these things to the angel who guards Paradise; and when he heard this from me he immediately opened the door and brought me in, and set me at the right hand of Paradise, saying, ‘Wait just a little while and Adam, the father of all mankind, will enter in with all his children that are holy and righteous, after the triumph and glory of the Ascension of Christ the Lord, the Crucified.” When they heard all these words of the brigand, all the holy patriarchs and prophets said with one voice:

Blessed be the Lord Almighty,
the Father of eternal good things,
the Father of mercies!
You that have given such grace to Your sinners
and brought them again into the beauty of Paradise
And into Your good pastures:
for this is the most holy life of the spirit!
Amen, Amen.

— Gospel of Nicodemus, Chapter 17 to 26

Essentials of Christianity — Salvation by the Cross

The following is an essay I penned for my Religions of the Western World class taken under Rutgers University conducted by Professor James Pavlin. I'd like to present this forth as my Easter present to the world. Peace!

The Christian view of Atonement and Salvation is strongly linked to the concept of Original Sin and Sacrifice. Christians believe every sin is equal in the eyes of God. And God is Pure and Divine. So in order to reconcile oneself with God, he or she must cleanse himself or herself of all sins for any sin, even something as minute as a lie taints the soul and the soul then becomes turned away from God and His Grace.

This is where the earlier Jewish view of repentance through sacrifice comes in. The early Jews used to sacrifice cattle at the Temple of God in order to be forgiven by God and saved. But Christians believe that human beings are inherently tainted by sin from birth due to the actions of Adam and Eve. The act of disobedience performed by them in the Garden of Eden was so profound and deep that it cut into the souls of all their children. We are all tainted, as the Book of Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10 tells us:

"As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one."

And the Stature of God is indeed much too great to tolerate this, as the Book of Romans also tells us, this time in Chapter 3, Verse 23:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God.

Due to the stain of the Original Sin imprinted upon the souls of all mankind as per the consequences of the action of Adam and Eve, no amount of good deeds such as prayer, fasting or charity can save mankind nor will the meticulous following of the Law because Christians believe that the Law is beyond human limitations to fulfill, for the Law demands that which we as humans cannot do.

"You shall be holy, as I the Lord your God am holy" is the impossible demand of the Law. In other words, humans cannot attain salvation by themselves. Verse 6 from Chapter 64 of the Book of Isaiah is used to explain this:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags."

Therefore, in order to pay the wager for the Original Sin, a perfect sacrifice was required to attain God's Grace for us. The idea of the sacrifice to be forgiven of sin comes from the Jewish tradition of sacrificing cattle, in most cases, a lamb, for repentance. So God, in His Infinite Mercy and Love, chose to become the sacrifice in flesh descending in the form of the Holy Son to die on the cross and atone for us all. This is why, Jesus, believed to be the Holy Son, is entitled the Lamb of God.

The Sacrifice of Jesus was required to cleanse humanity of the sin of Adam so that mankind may be saved and become pure again so their good deeds can be accepted by God as way to earn His Blessings. No excerpt of the Bible propounds this clearer than Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 12 through 21:

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned — for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the Grace of God and the free gift by the Grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the Abundance of Grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

But unless one accepts this sacrifice of God the Son to God the Father after he knows of it, he is not presented with God's Grace and he is denied the gift of eternal life because, as the Book of Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23 tells us, Jesus Christ is the only way to Salvation and eternal life:

"...but the gift of God is eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord."

This, Christians justify, through the own words of Jesus as narrated in the Book of John, Chapter 14, Verse 6:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man come unto the Father, but by me."

— Fahim Ferdous Kibria

Birth of Christ Jesus ― The Anointed Savior

The appearance of Prophet Jesus on Earth occurred in an unusual way, according to the teachings of Islam. Jesus was the only person who was sent to mankind without the agency of a father. In order to fully comprehend how he came we need to understand the events as they occurred. It all began with a vow made by the mother of Mary concerning the dedication of her pregnancy to God.

Mary’s mother whose name was Anne, Hannah, was the wife of Amram, Imran, who belonged to one of the tribes of Israel. He was from the priestly class. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why her mother decided to dedicate her child who was not yet born to the Service of Allah. So she prayed as follows:

“O my Lord! I do dedicate into Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service so accept this of me! For Thou hearest and knowest all things.”
[Quran 3:35]

At the time of making her prayer, Hannah was not aware of the sex of the fetus in her womb; so when the child was born she found out that it was a girl. On seeing that it was a girl and not a boy as she had expected, she spoke to the Lord in the following words:

“O my Lord! Behold! I have delivered a female child!” And Allah knew best what she had brought forth, “And is not the male like the female. I have named her Mary and I commend her and her offspring to Thy Protection from the Evil One, the Rejected.”
[Quran 3:36]

Mary was taught of the Scriptures from a young age and put to service of the Temple under the care of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, who was a cousin of Mary.

Only Zechariah was permitted into her room, to take care of her and provide her requirements. Zechariah was always puzzled when he used to go to her room, as he found that she always had a supply of fresh fruits and food, things that he never gave to her. When he questioned her about it, her reply was always that it came from Allah Who is the Lord of all things.  The Quran mentions about this in the following verses:

… Every time that he entered her chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance.
He asked, “O Mary! Whence comes this to you?”
She said, “From Allah: for Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure.”
[Quran 3:37]

Mary grew up very pure and beautiful. She was pure because she was always in seclusion, and she never experienced any monthly cycle as other women. Allah tells us about her as follows:

…He made her grow in purity and beauty; to the care of Zechariah was she assigned...
[Quran 3:37]

Mother Mary grew up to be a special woman, above all other women in history. Allah relates to us about this in the Holy Quran in the following verse:

Behold! The angels said, "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee; ― Chosen thee above the women of all nations.”
[Quran 3:42]

Prophet Muhammad confirmed that Mary was special. He is reported to have said that there are four great women in history. They are: Asiyah, wife of Ramses II; Mary, mother of Jesus; Khadijah, his wife; and Fatima, his daughter.

When the time came for Prophet Jesus to come into the world, Allah sent Gabriel to Mary. He appeared to her in the form of a man. This got Mary disturbed as she wanted to know how he could have invaded her privacy without any permission. The Quran tells us about this incident as follows:

Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from the people to a place in the East.
She placed a screen from them: then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her in the guise of a man.
She said, “I seek refuge from thee in the Most Gracious: come not near if thou dost fear Allah.”
He said, “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord to announce to thee the Gift of a holy son.”
She asked, “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”
He replied, “So it will be: thy Lord saith, ‘That is easy for Me: and We wish to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us’: it is a matter so decreed.”
So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
[Quran 19:16-23]

After the discussion with her, the angel blew into her and she conceived. Allah says:

Mary the daughter of Amram, who guarded her chastity; We breathed into her body of Our Spirit...
[Quran 66:12]

Scholars interpret ‘breathing into it’ to mean that he blew onto her. It does not say that the angel blew into her private part. There are other occasions when the angel blew into persons and the soul went into the body. For example, about Adam, Allah says:

He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His Spirit…
[Quran 32:9]

Even Jesus was able to perform this miraculous gift, when he blew unto the bird which was made out of clay, and it attained life and flew away. Allah records about this as follows:

“And appoint him a Messenger to the Children of Israel, with this Message: I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay as if it were the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s Leave...”
[Quran 3:49]

The conception and birth of Jesus, the son of Mary was unique, and different from the coming into the world of any other human being. Except for Adam, every single human comes into this world through the conception of the sperm with the ovum. Adam’s body was formed and fashioned and then Allah breathed, through His angel, His Spirit or Soul into his body. He tells us so in the Quran in the following verse:

He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His spirit…
[Quran 32:9]

In the case of Jesus, the process was slightly different. His soul was blown into Mary, and around the soul the body developed. This we know from the Quranic verse in which Allah says:

O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the sole truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was no more than a Messenger of Allah and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him...
[Quran 4:171]

When the soul of Jesus was put into Mary and she realized that she was pregnant, she left her room in stealth and proceeded eastwards. She rested below a date palm tree and there gave birth. The Quran tells us about this as follows:

So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried in her pained anguish, “Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”
But a voice cried to her from beneath the palm-tree, “Grieve not! For thy Lord hath Provided a rivulet beneath thee; and shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So eat and drink and cool thine eye. And if thou dost see any man say ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.’”
[Quran 19:22-26]

Mary gave birth to Jesus under the date palm tree. There she got food from dates and water from the stream that was flowing below her. She stayed there until she felt strong enough to return to her people. She then took baby Jesus and returned. When the people saw her with a baby, they were shocked and amazed. They said:

At length she brought the babe to her people, carrying him in her arms.
They said, “O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!”
“O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”
But she pointed to the babe.
They said, “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”
He said, “I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me Revelation and made me a prophet; And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, enjoined unto me, prayer and charity as long as I live; He hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; so peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day that I shall be resurrected!”
[Quran 19:27-33]

Jesus lived a private secluded life with his mother. They were both sustained by Allah.

Later in his life, he used to preach in the synagogue in the day and retreat for prayer to the mountains at night.

As he was very critical of the doings of the hierarchy of the clergy, they wanted to get rid of him. They thought of many ways of doing so but finally decided upon crucifying him.

The leaders of the community violated every form of justice against an innocent person, and although Allah allowed them to crucify a person, it was not Jesus, the son of Mary, who was crucified. Rather, Jesus was raised unto Heaven and thus saved by his Lord, where he awaits the End Times for the Second Coming.

The Holy Quran says:

That they said in boast, “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”; ― but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them and those who differ therein are full of doubts with no certain knowledge but only conjecture to follow, for they surely killed him not.
[Quran 4:157]

― Mawlana Dr. Waffie Mohammed, Markaz al-Ihsaan,
transmitted via Sidi Terence Helikaon Nunis of A Muslim Convert Once More

The Oft-Forgotten Meaning of Christmas

Every Christmas I hear a lot of people complaining about how Christmas is not the actual birthday of Jesus and how it is a pagan holiday of some obscure Roman sun-deity, and here is a bit of a shocker: we know that, thank you! Yes, believe it or not, a large number of people are actually aware of the fact that Christmas is not the exact birthday of Jesus the Messiah but if you’re solely focused on that, my friends, the true meaning of Christmas is lost on you.

See, the thing is, Christmas is not a mere combination of the numbers two and five calibrated on the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar. It is a celebration of the birth of Christ but that is merely the surface of it. It goes deeper, much deeper. The guys out there lighting up Christmas trees and all that, they are not doing it for Sol Ivictus – the ones who know of the “pagan origins of Christmas” and especially the ones who do not know. You cannot be celebrating the birthday of someone whose birthday you do not know! Having a celebration on the 25th of December for the birthday of Jesus does not automatically qualify it to be the celebration of the birthday of every person or being born on the 25th of December – this is not that hard of a concept to grasp.

Now, this obviously does not deal with the fact that we know, historically, 25th of December is not even the birthday of Jesus, but does it matter? I don't think so. You see, December 25 may not be the birthday of Jesus but it is the birthday of Christ – Christ the Messiah, the Savior, the Symbol: a Symbol of Hope, of Courage, of Perseverance and Solace, Comfort and Tolerance, Mercy, Justice, Charity, Repentance and Forgiveness; an Icon. That is Christmas.

Christmas is not some physical birthday party with candle-lights and fudge cakes regardless of what Walmart wants you to believe; it is a spiritual revival. It is a rekindling of Hope. It is a celebration of Mercy. It is a commemoration of God’s Affection. A reminder that God loves and God forgives.

So what can Muslims do on the day of Christmas? Well, for starters, we can reevaluate what Jesus Christ and his birth means to us. What was the Message he was born to propagate? What were the values he exemplified? We reinstill our hearts with Faith in his Lord, the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Jacob, the Lord of Joseph, the Lord of Moses and Muhammad. Jesus was born to preach His Message, His Glory, His Mercy to a people who forgot, does not matter when. The point is, we know the man was born someday sometime in 1st Century Palestine to a Virgin devoted to the Service of God. And Christmas is a celebration of that. That, to me, is the true meaning of Christmas.

— Fahim Ferdous Kibria

Saint Mary — The Blessed Virgin

The time in which our Lady, Mother Mary, was born was a time in which the temptations of materialism held full sway over the Israelites. The interests of the world dominated them completely. They even altered the Word of God for the purpose of their buying and selling — the rulings of the Sacred Law. Allah forbade usury in all the dispensations, so they altered the rulings and made usury permitted to themselves. They made permitted to themselves much of what Allah had forbidden them. They made up clouds to obscure the order of the heavenly call, which had been directed to them, to run after material concerns. They became the slaves of Mammon.

Among the Israelites, there remained some righteous souls such as the prophets and their entourage and those who affiliated themselves to them. Among these righteous souls was our Lady Anne, the mother of our Lady, Saint Mary. Lady Saint Anne was one of the righteous women, one of the pious, worshipful, devoted to prayer and good works. She had great love for the prophets, saints, and the devotees that were in Jerusalem. When she became pregnant from her husband, she felt that she might give birth to a boy and so she vowed that what she carried in her womb would be dedicated to the Service of Allah.

Behold! A woman of Amram said, "O my Lord! I hereby do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service so accept this of me! For Thou hearest and knowest all things."
[Quran 3:35]

She vowed that the newborn would serve the Temple of Jerusalem to be prepared for the service of faith.

We look at the effect of intention. What is our goal when we want to have children? What is our intention? The very Deliverance which we await for, which will happen at the hands of our Liege Lord Jesus, for that there will be for the Lady Saint Anne an ample portion of its reward and benefit, because she possessed an intention with Allah which resulted in the Advent of the Messiah.

We look at this fortunate woman who, when she intended that in her offspring there would be someone who serves Allah, someone who would serve this religion, when she was truthful in such an intention, Allah honored her because of her intention, but not in the way she thought. For she gave birth to a female child.

When she delivered, she said, "O my Lord! Behold! I have delivered a female child!" And Allah knew best what she brought forth, "And is not the male like the female. I have named her Mary and I commend her and her offspring to Thy Protection from the Evil One, the Rejected."
[Quran 3:36]

What was the reply? The sum total of what the hearts of the truthful seek is that their Lord receive them with Gracious Favor.

Graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty; to the care of Zechariah was she assigned…
[Quran 3:37]

The intention of Anne made the one she bore accepted, even though it was other than what she had hoped for, since she had wished for a boy and received a girl. Righteous and truthful intentions are never quite in vain or futile in the Presence of Allah regardless of the judicial calculations of humankind, even if our hope and plans did not materialize. A girl came, but intentions are never lost in the Presence of Allah; thousands upon thousands of men are not even worth the foot of Mother Mary.

Saint Lady Anne gave birth to our Saint Lady Mary and she grew up, fed with purity, light, piety and righteousness. Those of the prophets, saints, and hermits that were in Jerusalem drew lots to see who would take charge of her.
The lot fell to Zechariah. He was a relative of Mary. Zechariah placed her in a mihrab.

The mihrab back then was not the prayer-niche we know today but consisted simply of an isolated cell or tower that had no door nor opening except from the top. It could be entered only with a ladder from the outside and another ladder down into it. Zechariah placed her in it. He would bring her food and go. She practiced her devotions and worship in absolute dedication and chastity, orienting herself wholly to her Lord in her place of solitude.

During his care of Mary, Allah showed our patron Zechariah certain wonders.

…Every time that he entered her chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance.
He asked, "O Mary! Whence comes this to you?"
She answered, "From Allah: for Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure."
There did Zechariah pray to his Lord saying, "O my Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a pure progeny; because Thou art He that heareth prayer!"
[Quran 3:38]

Such was the high rank of Mary that she was in a position to teach and inspire a prophet far older than her.
At that point, one of the prophets actually became her pupil in religion.

Zechariah wondered from where the fruits he found there came. They said he would find with her the fruits of winter in the summer season and the fruits of summer in the winter season. He knew full well that no one other than he entered that place which was shut tight and inaccessible; but, more importantly, such fruits were not to be found in the land since they were out of season. She said that it is from Allah. The fact of the matter is the certitude that sustenance is from our Lord and not from any created cause. We do know that we are commanded to deal with created causes and effects. However, if created causes and effects have been suppressed or rendered insufficient, then the Sustenance of Allah can never be suppressed.

Then came the tremendous event in which Allah manifested Himself, for which He had prepared Mary.

Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
[Quran 19:16]

The scholars have said that the East was an allusion to the Orient from where the sun rose, that is, to the East from her perspective. The people are accustomed to praise the East because it is the place from the direction of which the light of the sun comes unto Earth.

She placed a screen from them: then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her in the visage of a man.
[Quran 19:17]

They said that the screen, hijab, meant she hid herself from mankind to dedicated herself to divine worship throughout the entirety of the days and the nights. After she tasted the sweetness of worship in her isolated abode of peace and solitude, she wished to taste the sweetness of worship in her travelling throughout the Earth.

When she saw Gabriel, he assumed for her an excellent likeness, the likeness of a handsome male.

She said, "I seek refuge from thee in the Most Gracious: come not near if thou dost fear Allah."
He said, "Nay, I am only a Messenger from thy Lord to announce to thee the Gift of a holy son."
[Quran 19:18-19]

She realized the secret behind his presence, the receiving of the manifestation, tajalli, that dawned upon her from Allah. What is the secret behind such a Gift?

She said, "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
He said, "So it will be: thy Lord saith, ‘That is Easy for Me: and We wish to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is a matter decreed."
[Quran 19:20-21]

Consider now the presence of food for our Lady Mary as she was in her cell, dedicated to her worship, without means nor sensory cause. This was a preamble so that she would understand that for the existence of the newborn there was no precondition required. The matter was not, for Mary, merely a mental apprehension. Rather, it was a discernment of certitude and of the heart, dhawq yaqini qalbî. For she witnessed and saw with her very eyes the Divine Gift with which human custom and cause-and-effect were breached right in front of her as food was conjured before her from nothingness. After that, she did not consider it strange that a customary cause be breached in the occurrence of a newborn child for her through the means of the Virgin Birth.

Then came the time for giving birth. It was said that the spirit of the child was breathed into her, the pregnancy took place, and the time of birth came all at one and the same time. We must not think this strange. The matter, from beginning to end, violates custom. The matter is one of the manifestations of the Power of Allah.

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried in anguish,
"Ah! Would that I had died before this!
Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"
[Quran 19:23]

She gave birth to Jesus. The light of Jesus dawned upon this Earth. When he saw the distraught state of his mother, he addressed her even as he was in her womb or from below her after birth. He caused her to apprehend another meaning that reminded her of the Magnificence of Allah Who is with her.

"And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
[Quran 19:25]

Here we tend to recite this verse without pausing for consideration. The palm tree is solid. It is difficult for a human being to shake it. A strong and mighty man would hardly budge a palm tree, even a number of men. The palm tree trunk at the bottom is very large while its top is thin so that the wind can move it. If we try to move a fully grown palm tree at the bottom of its trunk, we will not be able. How, then, can a woman in the weakness of giving birth be able to shake it? Yet this act is demanded of her and it is not sufficient for her to merely see the Divine Bounty.

In the first two phases, she saw the Divine Gift before her. The first time was for her schooling. Fruits and sustenance descended from the heaven and were laid before her without her asking. The second time she was told that she would give birth without outward nor sensory cause and without connection to any man, again, without her asking. Now, it is asked of her that she herself move the palm tree.

Some of the scholars said that this was an allusion to the world of cause and effect and to the fact that mankind is not to leave aside material means even though they rely on their Causer. This is a fine explanation. However, there is another meaning. The certitude that had built up in Mary has taken root in her conscience with such strength that it was now asked of her what no mind would normally accept to do whatsoever.

The mind says that in such a state there is no way for her to move the trunk of the palm tree. However, the order or directive came to her from her own child — a breach of custom in its own right, a newborn infant speaking and with this same breach of custom she was ordered to stretch her hand to do what she knew she was unable to do of her own power howsoever. And this is a meaning from certitude to which Mary ascended.

We own a share of this certitude which we ought to grasp and follow. When Allah asks us to do something from which we find our strength falling short, we ought not to procrastinate obeying the Divine Order with the excuse that we are too weak or that others are stronger. The day we reach the certitude that when we are true in helping Allah, Allah will help us, at that day, the palm trees of existence shall tremble for us.

O ye who believe! If ye will aid in the Cause of Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly.
[Quran 47:7]

The Virgin rose with her newborn child and returned to the Israelites. They saw her whom they knew to be chosen. Some of them might well have harbored jealousy in their souls against her because of her specially exalted station. Those whose hearts have muddied or become diseased by the ilk of envy find it difficult to watch those that are hale, respected and honored in the society.

This is what is called jealousy, hasad. The mark of jealousy is recognized in the heart of the jealous person by the fact that when he sees markers of distinction before him, whether in religion or anything else, something takes hold in his heart; after this he bides his time patiently until when he hears the smallest suspicion or accusation, he shouts, "Yes! I knew it!" loud and clear in its confirmation and is overjoyed at its news. Why? Because in his heart there is filth and turbidity.

When such filth and turbidity had taken root in the hearts of those people, they felt that in the special distinction of Mary lay an implicit address to themselves. They seemed to hear the message:

"You ought to return to purity, you, those of you, who have polluted yourselves with the material world and its lucre and illusion to which you should never have attached yourselves. 

Here, before your eyes, is a dainty woman who is honored with this high station of sanctity while you, who lead your society, how far behind you have left purity."

Thus, the state of purity of the Virgin Mary was a state of admonition that had been overturning the beds of those possessed of insight among the worshipers of money and property. Now, as soon as they saw the nursing infant in her arms, they became overjoyed.

At length she brought the babe to her people, carrying him in her arms. they said,
"O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!"
[Quran 19:27]

Why did they not ask when they had a chance to learn something? But their muddied hearts could not bear to see the purity of the Virgin before their eyes. This is the wont of those who have polluted themselves with the worship of materialism. It is too much for them to see purity revered and followed among the people.

But she pointed to the babe. They said, "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
[Quran 19:29]

Allah did not give them pause for her to answer them.

He said, "I am indeed a servant of Allah. He hath given me Revelation and made me a Prophet."
[Quran 19:30]

He listed the meanings which Allah had especially bestowed upon him and the ranks with which He had honored him. He made the key to that list the affirmation that he was the slave of Allah, his servitude to Allah. Then, proceeding from the secret of his submission and servitude to Allah, came the ranks of loftiness. Then he described himself as being Blessed and Dutiful so we would know that the secret of dutiful piety is not binding merely upon those who possess it but also applies to others. The societies that recognize the degrees of piety and righteousness among its people of merit are the societies that rise in the ranks of merit.

And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be;
And He hath enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live.
[Quran 19:31]

Allah had said to her before she went back out to her people:

So eat and drink and cool thine eye. And if thou dost see any man say, "I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being."
[Quran 19:26]

Ponder this meaning. The rule would have been that He tell her, "Get ready to answer them. Say to them, Allah is able to do all things. Give them the proof and the evidences: I carried and gave birth in a very brief time, you saw me just before and I was not pregnant, if this had been a falsehood or a sin, this should have taken the normal span of time, nine months..." But He did not give her permission to speak nor to prove her innocence. Meaning, in facing this trial, she had turned entirely to her Lord Almighty and Glorious in tawakkul.

At length she brought the babe to her people, carrying him in her arms, and they said,
"O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!"
"O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"
[Quran 19:27-28]

There was implied parentage. It was also said that Aaron, the lineage of whom Mary was from, was proverbially known for integrity and purity. This is a preamble for the charge that is coming up. After falsehood settles firmly in the heart of the dishonest person, he becomes refined in the art of bringing out that falsehood. "We know so well that you are righteous and goodly, but this, this terrible thing you have done!" They seem happy to see evil.

But she pointed to the babe. They said, "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
He said, "I am indeed a Servant of Allah: He hath given me Revelation and made me a Prophet; and He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live."
[Quran 19:29-31]

So then blessing is with Jesus wherever he is. When he walked upon the Earth blessing was with him wherever he walked, and after he ascended unto Heaven blessing ascended with him wherever he ascended.

"He hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable."
[Quran 19:32]

And now the fruit of what preceded:

"So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day that I shall be resurrected!"
[Quran 19:33]

When this meaning came into broad daylight, they were crestfallen and remained unable to say anything.

Jesus grew up, fed with purity. When Allah willed to send him forth, his mission among his people was the mission of the spirit: to link the hearts back with their Lord and revive values and morals. This is the reason we do not find, in the Gospel, much talk about the Law but instead find that the Gospel focuses on morals, parables, and spirituality.

Jesus said, as is mentioned in the Gospel:

And he answered, “My errand is only to the lost sheep that are of the house of Israel.”
[Matthew 15:24]

That is, Allah sent him to those whom the world has so overwhelmed that they have become, unconcerned with anything other than food, drink, and lusts, without the least heed to rising to any Divine Connection.

When they did not accept that magnificent mission, denying its truth, plotting against it, denigrating it and defaming Jesus while some of them believed in him, Allah desired to cleanse him and raise him up to the Second Heaven.

He raised him up and the days passed while they remained in their disbelief, defacing the creed, far from spirituality and connection, and so until the time came when our Sultan Muhammad appeared.
Jesus had given the Glad Tidings of him in the Gospel.

— Sheikh Habib 'Ali al-Jifri, translated by Sheikh Gibril Fouad Haddad,
transmitted via Sidi Terence Helikaon Nunis of A Muslim Convert Once More