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

ʾAsmaʾ-e-Maryam

Narrated Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal that Hazrat ibn `Abbas said,

The Messenger of Allah drew four lines on the ground and asked,
"Do you know what these lines represent?"
They answered, "Allah and His Messenger know best."
He said, "The best among the women of the Garden are Khadijah binte Khuwaylid, Fatimah binte Muhammad, Maryam binte `Imran and Asiyah binte Muzahim."

The following are the titles bestowed unto Lady Mary in Islamic tradition. According to the Prophetic Narrations of Muhammad, Hazrat Mary is one of the foremost of the women of Paradise.

Qanitah

The Arabic term implies the meaning not only of constant submission to Allah but also absorption in prayer and invocation, meanings that coincide with the image of Mary spending her childhood in the mihrab. In this way, Mary personifies prayer and contemplation in Islam.

And Mary, the daughter of Amram, who guarded her chastity, We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and she testified to the Truth of the Words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout.
[Quran 66:12]

Siddiqah

Mother Mary is called ‘Siddiqah’ twice in the Qur’an. It means ‘one who testifies to the truth’ or ‘a person of the truth’. The term has also been translated as ‘She who believes sincerely and totally.’

Christ, the son of Mary was no more than a Messenger, many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their food. See how Allah doth makes His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!
[Quran 5:75]

And Mary, the daughter of Amram, who guarded her chastity, We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout.
[Quran 66:12]

Sajida

It means ‘she who prostrates’. The prostration that Muslims do in their daily prayers is the prostration that Mary did: hands, knees and forehead touching the ground together.

"O Mary! Worship thy Lord devoutly; prostrate thyself and bow down with those who bow down."
[Quran 3:43]

Raki’a

Translated as ‘she who bows down in worship’. According to Islam, the command was repeated by angels only to Mary. The bowing down in the daily ritual prayers, known as ruku', has been derived from Mary's practice.

"O Mary! Worship thy Lord devoutly; prostrate thyself and bow down with those who bow down."
[Quran 3:43]

Tahira

Meaning ‘she who is pure.’ According to a hadith recorded by Imam an-Nisa’i, Satan could not touch Mary when she was born, therefore she did not cry.

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

Mustafia

It means ‘she who was Chosen.’ Allah chose the virgin in herself and for herself, and He chose her in regard to the world and for a Divine Plan.

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

Sa’ima

It means ‘she who fasts.’ Mary is reported to have fasted one half of every year in Islamic tradition.

"So eat, drink and cool thine eye. And if thou dost see any man, say to them `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]

Batoul Adhraa al-Marhuma

Translates to ‘the Ascetic Virgin Enveloped in God's Mercy.’ This title is an amalgamation of three different ones mentioned in the ahadith. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala grant peace upon our Lady Mary. Ameen.



— Sidi Terence Helikaon Nunis of A Muslim Convert Once More

Honoring Muhammad — A Bridge Between the Crescent and the Oktcrux

Abu Qasim Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim was born in Mecca in the year 570 AD. He was raised by his uncle Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib after being orphaned at an early age. At the time of his birth, the Arabian Peninsula had fallen into idolatry and disbelief, pagan traditions rampant and hedonism the norm.

Muhammad felt disgusted by all that. Revolted, he would retreat into the depths of Gar Hira for meditation. He could not believe that the true purpose of humanity was to bow down to stone and wooden statues of strange creatures in submission. He believed there was more. Turns out he was right.

At the age of forty, during one meditative sessions, Muhammad experienced something profound. A Light of Truth shone upon him in the form of the Archangel Gabriel who manifested before him with the command to read.

Initially, Muhammad was confounded by this. He did not know what he was being asked to read from. The angel embraced him, tighter and tighter, repeating the demand. Fear grasped Muhammad and he fled the scene, returning home to his wife, Hazrat Sayyidina Khadija bint Khuwaylid asking her to comfort him, lay her arms around him, soothe his nerves. As she did, Muhammad told her what happened and she assured him he was the Lord's Chosen.

The experience was profound and it was three years until the next revelation came, declaring Muhammad as a Prophet chosen to preach the doctrine of the One God to the pagan polytheists of Mecca. Daunted by the task, Muhammad was hesitant at first but steeled himself later on to begin his duty. He was persecuted, hurt, exiled and cast out. He lost his family and everyone he knew, those closest to him, dearest to him, were tortured along with him. Eventually, he and his followers took flight to Medina wherein the newest chapter of his ministry began.

In Medina, Muhammad turned his faith into a political system, forging the tribes there together into one state, with a law and an army. With his newfound power and influence, Muhammad launched a campaign to nationwide propagate the Faith of the One God of Abraham. Twenty-three years after the mission began, he succeeded.

The Arabian Peninsula came together as a singular entity of united tribes, a religious polity. The leaders who followed Muhammad after his death spread the faith even further. During the reign of Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab, the faith found its way to Palestine, Egypt and Persia. The faith was known as Islam.

From an outsider perspective, Muhammad is considered to be the founder of Islam. However, from the viewpoint of a practitioner, God is the founder of Islam and Adam was the first among humans to be Muslim. He propagated the faith and passed down its knowledge through Seth to Enoch to Noah all the way through to Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and David. The central creed of this faith: the doctrine of the One God, also known as Tawhid.

La ilaha il-Allah — this is the summary of the creed. There is no god but God. And Muhammad is His Messenger, merely a Prophet on the Path of Prophets. Patriarch Mar Timothy I of Baghdad states it succinctly as the following:

Muhammad is worthy of all praise by all reasonable people...
He walked in the Path of the Prophets and trod in the Trail of the Lovers of God. 

All the Prophets taught the doctrine of the One God, and since Muhammad taught the doctrine of the Unity of God, he walked, therefore, in the Path of the Prophets. 

Further, all the Prophets drove men away from misdeeds, and brought them nearer to good works, and since Muhammad drove his people away from impious acts and brought them nearer to righteousness, he walked, therefore, in the Path of the Prophets. 

Again, all the Prophets separated men from idolatry and polytheism, and attached them to God and worshiping Him. Since Muhammad separated his people from idolatry and polytheism and attached them to the worship and knowledge of One God, beside whom there is no other God, he walked, therefore, in the Path of the Prophets. 

Finally, Muhammad taught about God, His Word and His Spirit, and since all the Prophets had prophesied about God, His Word and His Spirit, verily indeed , Muhammad walked, therefore, in the Path of the Prophets... 

Who, then, shall not praise, honor and exalt the great one who not only fought for God through words, but showed zeal for Him by the sword?

Patriarch Timothy I is a patriarch of the Church of the East often called, inaccurately since they accept and follow the Chalcedonian Creed, the Nestorian Church of the East or, simply, the Nestorian Church. It is to be distinguished from the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches. A prime difference between the Oriental Orthodox Church and the Nestorian Church of the East is that the former is Nasrani while the latter Hanif.

"Hanif" is a Syro-Aramaic word meaning "one rejecting and turning back" because the Nestorian Church observed the Sabbath and refrained from eating pork along with keeping other Laws of the Torah meticulously. The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge states in the article concerning the Nestorians:

The Nestorians eat no pork and keep the Sabbath.
They believe in neither auricular confession nor purgatory.

Therefore, the greater majority of Christians considered that the Nestorians were turning back or inclining towards Judaism. Hence, the other Christians used to call the Nestorian Church "Hanif" because they were Hebraizers. Eventually the categorization stuck on.

What is interesting to note here is that the word "Hanif" also appears in the Quran and it did not previously exist within the Arabic language before the Revelation of the Book unto Muhammad. The root of the word is Syriac, basically the same as above. It is used in the Quran to refer to those who maintained the pure monotheistic beliefs of Patriarch Abraham, having rejected idolatry and retained some or all of the tenets and laws of the religion of Abraham which was "Submission to God" in its purest form.

 

Say unto them,
"Nay, we follow only Hanif, the religion of Abraham, and he was not of the polytheists."
[Quran 2:135] 

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Hanif and he was not of the polytheists.
[Quran 3:67] 

Therefore, set you your face towards Hanif, inclining towards Haqq and Fitrah. No change let there be in the Creation of God: that is the straight religion, but most of men know not.
[Quran 30:30]

In the final Quranic verse listed above, "Haqq" means "Truth" and "Fitrah" means "Natural Law" referring to the preset moral compass instilled within all humans and jinn, as believed by Muslims, from the moment of their creation. These, in total, encompass the notion that Abraham's doctrine of monotheism, Hanif, in faith and practice was the true lawful nature of human beings expressed physically and spiritually.

Meanwhile, the categorization of the Oriental Orthodox as Nasri came from their acceptance of the Coptic belief regarding the Month of el-Nasi.  This is a thirteenth month lasting just a week or so in length. Nestorians do not accept this because of the prohibition of Nasi laid down in the Quran, the Revelation bestowed unto Muhammad, which the Church of the East term as Abu Qasim's Ahadith Qudsi, the Holy Narrations, making clear there are only twelve months, totally rejecting the Nasi,

The number of months with God is only twelve by God's Ordinance since the day He divinely fashioned the Heavens and the Earth.
[Quran 9:36]

Muhammad also mentions the Nasi in the Farewell Sermon,

Certainly the Nasi' is an impious addition, which has led the infidels into error. One year they authorize the Nasi', another year they forbid it. They observe the divine precept with respect to the number of the sacred months, but in fact they profane that which God has declared to be inviolable, and sanctify that which God has declared to be profane. 

Assuredly time, in its revolution, has returned to such as it was at the creation of the heavens and the earth. In the eyes of God the number of the months is twelve. Among these twelve months four are sacred, namely, Rajab, which stands alone, and three others which are consecutive.

The Nestorians accepts Muhammad as a transcendentally appointed Messenger of God inspired by the Holy Spirit. They call him Abu Qasim, Abbot Cosimas, and his Quranic traditions collected and codified during the time and reign of Caliph Osman they honor and consecrate as the Ahadith Qudsi.

The Nestorian Church of the East consists of many orders within its ranks, one of them being the small, almost extinct, military order known as the Order of the Caraimean. The Caraimean believe Muhammad was an orphaned ecclesiastical poet, not illiterate as propounded by mainstream Sunni scholarship, but one prolific with words and letters, his narrations, beautiful poetry, some of which were written down upon tablets of rocks and rags of parchment, leaves and leather, surviving him while others were lost.

They believe that when Caliph Osman put together the official Quran, some narrations were left out because he only included the ones which were written and could be recited but some could be recited yet no written copy was found and some were written yet no reciter was found. These became the remnants of the Ahadith Qudsi

However, over time, more and more Ahadith Qudsi were being spread around, some authentic while others fabricate. Therefore, Imam Abu Hanifah laid down the criteria to identify which ones were the former and the latter using Kalam, that is, philosophical discourse, and Ijtihad, independent reasoning. He taught this to Anan ben David who was, as believed by the Caraimean, the only student dedicated enough to be imprisoned with Imam Abu Hanifah.

Regarding the Theology and Christology of the Caraimean Order, they believe in High God the Holy Father Almighty. He is ha-Eloh, the God, al-Ilah or Allah, the Divine One. His Essence, dhat, is the Divinity, Haloh or Allah, which He has given His creations the chance of becoming one with through theosis, known in Islamic Sufi terminology as fana'. Theosis, in contrast to fana', though, is believed to provide one the chance to become elohim or alihatun, that is, lesser gods in His family. The equivalent to these "gods" or elohim in Islamic theology would probably be Sifatullah because these are the Names and Attributes of the One God reflected unto the mirrored hearts of His creations.

The Caraimean Creed believes in the statement of "La ilaha il-Allah" where they interpret it as:

The God is One, and His Essence is One, but His Names are many.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit, Ruh al-Quds, is considered to be a reflection of an eloh or sifat but not the God Himself, although emanating from the same Essence, Allah. The Holy Spirit carries the Logos which is also considered to be an eloh or sifat but not the God although emanating from the same Essence, Allah.

Meanwhile Christ is called Son of Mary — who is known by the Caraimean Order as the Christotokos, meaning Mother of Christ, and not the Theotokos, meaning Mother of God — not the Son of God. This is to emphasize his humanity. The role of the Messiah, according to the Caraimean, is to take the Logos from the Holy Spirit and be united with it forever. The Logos is from Allah but the Christ is not Allah. Together they are one in Jesus.

This is why it is said:

The Word is god from God, light from Light, truth from Truth, generated not created, but one divine essence with the Father. It was sent out by the Power of the Holy Spirit and through the flesh of the Virgin Mary to become one with man in Christ.

The Caraimean believe that Christ suffered death by crucifixion, he permitted it, under Pontius Pilate, who did not crucify him but only Allah allowed it to happen, and was buried, descended unto Sheol, the Realm of the Dead, at the End of Time to liberate the souls deserving Mercy, then rose again on the third day and ascended unto Heaven.

They believe we will see him again at the End of Days when he liberated the dead. Since time is relative, for him it has already happened but for us it is yet to happen. This is why the Caraimean say that Christ came and yet is coming. In Truth, it has all been accomplished already.

They believe that the Holy Spirit is Grace, termed Ahmed, poured out into the Saints, called Mahamadim. Each Saint is therefore named Muhammad. It is impossible to say Muhammad has gone, if he dies or is slain and the believer should not turn on their heels because, they believe, he will return in the next saint.

The Caraimean Order understands that when Abu Qasim was a child, the Archangel Gabriel came and opened his chest, took out his heart and put Ahmed inside of him. Hence, from that day onward he became Muhammad, and the same happens to every saint, at some point in their life.

This story and the foundation of this belief is not alien to Islam. The narration regarding the renewal of Muhammad's heart is found in a hadith concerning Muhammad's childhood related by Anas ibn Malik in the Sahih of Imam Muslim which states the following:

"Gabriel came to the Apostle of Allah while he was playing with his mates. He took hold of him and made him to lay on his back, ripping open his chest and taking out the heart from it.
He then proceeded to open the heart and extracted something that clung in it stating that was the part leading Man to sin. Then, his heart was washed in a gold basin with the Water of Zamzam, closed, and restored to its place. The boys came running to his foster mother and said,

Verily, Muhammad has been murdered!

They all rushed towards him and found him changed in complexion.
Anas said,

I myself saw the mark of stitching on his chest."

Muslims believe Gabriel is the Holy Spirit, Ruh al-Quds, who is tasked as the Archangel of Revelation to carry the Word of God to the Saints and Prophets. This is referenced multiple times in the Quran,

"And verily We gave unto Moses the Scripture and We caused a train of messengers to follow after him, and We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, evident signs, and we supported him with the Holy Spirit."
[Quran 2:87]

"That Day God shall say: 'O Jesus, the son of Mary, recount My Favor unto thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit!"
[Quran 5:110]

"Say: the Holy Spirit has brought the Revelation from thy Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as Guidance and Glad Tidings to Muslims."
[Quran 16:102]

Therefore, Gabriel, the Holy Spirit, cleansing the heart of Muhammad and implanting it unto him anew brimming with the Inspiration from the Grace of God is not entirely a bizarre idea from an Islamic viewpoint, though the resultant events and the interpretation of the event itself is different.

In the end, the gist of the matter is this, that our Caraimean brothers among the echelons of the Nestorian Church, have the utmost respect for our Liege Lord and Sultan al-Qulub Muhammad salallahu alayhisalam.

It is a shame today that so many of our brethren among them are being slaughtered inhumanely by those who claim to be from us such as the likes of ISIS and al-Qaeda. The violence perpetrated unto them by these terrorist so-called Muslims who are, in reality, munafiqun, are driving the Nestorians to believe that perhaps Patriarch Mar Timothy I was wrong about Muhammad and his people, leading them to leave the Church of the East for other denominations.

What is even more saddening is that the Church is already dwindling in regards to numbers. We cannot be the ones under whose name they are driven to extinction, specially when they behold our Prophet in such eminent light. We have to extend our hands to them, embrace them as one with us, hand in hand, together as humanity against the subhuman ilk of terrorism and extremist fundamentalism that is corrupting our world today.

I end this article with the Achtiname of our beloved Prophet Muhammad to the Christian Monks of Mount Sinai penned by his esteemed cousin and son-in-law Mawla Imam al-Murtaza Ali ibn Abu Talib:

This is a letter issued by Muhammed, son of Abdullah, the Messenger, the Prophet, the Faithful, who is sent to all the people as a trust on behalf of God to all His creatures and creation, that they may have no plea against God hereafter. Verily God is Mighty and Wise. 

This letter is directed to the ones embracing submission to God in peace, as a covenant unto the followers of the Holy Nazarene in the East and West, the far and the near, the Arabs and foreigners, the known and the unknown. 

This letter contains the oath given unto them, and he who disobeys that which is therein will be considered a renegade and transgressor to that whereunto he is commanded. He will be regarded as one who has corrupted the Oath of God, disbelieved His Testament, rejected His Authority, despised His Religion, and made himself deserving of His Curse, whether he is a Sultan or any other Muslim. 

Whenever monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley, or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship, verily we are behind them and shall protect them, and their properties and their morals, by myself, by my friends and my allies, for they are of my subjects and under my protection. 

I shall exempt them from that which may disturb them; of the burdens which are paid by others as an oath of allegiance. They must not give anything of their income but only that which pleases them — they must not be offended, or disturbed, or coerced or compelled. 

Their judges should not be changed or prevented from accomplishing their offices, nor the monks disturbed in exercising their religion, or the people of seclusion be stopped from dwelling in their cells. 

No one is allowed to plunder the pilgrims, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has corrupted the Oath of God, and, indeed, disobeyed His Messenger. 

Poll-taxes should not be put upon their judges, monks, and those whose occupation is the worship of God; nor is any other thing to be taken from them, whether it be a fine, a tax or any unjust right. 

Verily I shall keep their compact, wherever they may be, in the sea or on the land, in the East or West, in the North or South, for they are under my protection and the testament of my safety, against all things which they abhor. 

No taxes or tithes should be received from those who devote themselves to the worship of God in the mountains, or from those who cultivate the Holy Lands. No one has the right to interfere with their affairs, or bring any action against them. 

Verily this is for aught else and not for them; rather, in the seasons of crops, they should be given a Kadah for each Ardab of wheat as provisions for them, and no one has the right to say to them this is too much, or ask them to pay any tax. 

As to those who possess properties, the wealthy and merchants, the poll-tax to be taken from them must not exceed twelve drachmas a head per year. 

They shall not be imposed upon by anyone to undertake a journey, or to be forced to go to wars or to carry arms; for the Muslims have to fight for them. Do no dispute or argue with them, but deal according to the verse recorded in the Quran,

Do not dispute or argue with the People of the Book but in that which is best [29:46] 

Thus they will live favored and protected from everything which may offend them by the Muslims, wherever they may be and in any place they may dwell. 

Should any Christian woman be married to a Muslim, such marriage must not take place except after her consent, and she must not be prevented from going to her church for prayer. 

Their churches must be honored duly as their right and they must not be obstructed or withheld from building churches or repairing their convents. 

They must not be forced to carry arms or stones; but the Muslims must protect them and defend them against others. 

It is positively incumbent upon every one of the Islam nation not to contradict or disobey this oath until the Day of Resurrection and the End of Time.

— Fahim Ferdous Kibria