RECORD OF THE FLIGHT OF I’SA—U. W. B., ETC.—FROM JERUSALEM, AND AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF HIS MIRACLES DURING THAT JOURNEY.

When the Jews accused his prophetic lordship of false­hood and expelled him from the city, I’sa departed with Mariam and arrived in one of the villages of Syria, where they alighted at the house of one of the nobles of that country, who treated them with respect and kindness, requesting them to take up their abode with him. One day the gentleman of the house happened to return home, full of sadness and grief. He informed Mariam that his distress originated from the fact of the king’s desire—who was an oppressor, and accustomed every evening to pay a visit to one of his subjects, and to carouse in his house—of spending the night in his abode, and that he had neither the wealth nor power required for entertaining the king with his retinue and servants. Mariam, who sympathized with the landlord, requested I’sa to remedy this difficulty. I’sa, however, replied: ‘This is connected with a great trial.’ Mariam replied: ‘This man has great claim to our protection; there is no need to be apprehensive of any trial.’ The Messiah then complied with the request of his mother, ordered the vessels and pots to be filled with water before the banquet, and supplicated the Omnipotent Creator, whereon the vessels became all filled with meat, and the pots with generous red wine, whilst the table was full of bread. After eating the king quaffed a bumper, and found that he had tasted delicious wine, the like of which he had never drank before. He therefore asked his host whence he had obtained it, whereon the latter named a certain village; but the king assured him that this wine could not be compared with that of the said place, and advised him to tell the truth. Then the landlord mentioned another town, which subterfuge so incensed the king that the poor man’s life was in danger. He then confessed that in his vicinity there was a youth who had no father, and that anything he asked from the Almighty Creator was granted, and that all these victuals, together with the wine, had been produced by his supplications from the invisible world. The king immediately called for I’sa, and wanted him to pray that his son and successor to the throne, who had lately died, might be resuscitated to life. I’sa replied: ‘If the prince returns to life thy royalty will be endangered.’ The king rejoined: ‘After seeing him I shall dread no mis­fortune.’ I’sa continued: ‘I shall resuscitate the prince to life on the condition that no one be allowed to expel me from this country.’ The king assented, whereon I’sa prayed, resuscitated the prince to life, and after performing this miracle departed to another place. When the son of the king was again alive, the people said: ‘The oppression of this tyrant has reduced us to extremities; we hoped, however, that we would be relieved by his death, but now there is no doubt that the son will, after the demise of his father, renew his opprobrious habits. The remedy there­fore is to kill both the father and the son, so as to get at once rid of their violence and tyranny.’ They all agreed, and executed their design by drawing the sword of opposi­tion from its scabbard, and exterminating both of them.

After I’sa and Mariam had left the said village, they met a Jew who possessed two loaves of bread, while they had only one. I’sa said to the Jew: ‘Let us have all our pro­visions in common.’ The Jew assented; but when he per­ceived that I’sa had only one loaf he repented of his promise, and during the night secretly disposed of the second loaf. In the morning I’sa told his companion to produce his food, but he showed only one loaf, whereon I’sa asked: ‘Where is the other?’ But he replied, ‘I had no other loaf except this one.’ The Messiah said nothing more, but after they had travelled awhile they reached a spot where a man was pasturing sheep, and he accosted him with the words: ‘Owner of the sheep! show me hos­pitality.’ The shepherd agreed and said: ‘Tell thy com­panion to pick out a sheep and to kill it.’ I’sa then ordered the Jew to kill and to roast a sheep, but added: ‘We must eat it, but preserve its bones.’ After they had finished the repast I’sa collected all the unbroken bones, put them into the hide, and struck the latter with his staff, saying: ‘Arise by the command of Allah.’ The sheep then immediately became alive, and I’sa said to the shepherd: ‘Take thy sheep.’ The man asked in astonishment: ‘Who art thou?’ He replied: ‘I am I’sa, the son of Mariam.’ The shepherd rejoined: ‘Thou art a sorcerer, about whom we have heard.’ After thus insulting him he ran away from I’sa, who, when he had performed this miracle, asked the Jew: ‘Thou hast had two loaves, what hast thou done with the other?’ The Jew, however, swore that he never had more than one loaf. I’sa again became silent, and they departed also from that place. Whilst they were journeying they happened to meet a fellow who had several kine. I’sa took a calf from him, which they slaughtered, roasted and consumed; whereon the spirit of Allah again resuscitated the calf, as he had done before [to the sheep], and surrendered it to its owner. After that he asked the Jew for the missing loaf, but received the same answer as before. Then they again travelled by common consent, until they arrived in a town, where they separated. The king of the said town was reposing on the couch of sickness, and his physicians having been unable to cure him, he punished them. When the Jew heard of this matter, he procured a cane resembling the staff of I’sa, and went to the palace with the intention of imitating him. He said to the courtiers: ‘I shall heal your patient, and if he be dead I shall resuscitate him.’ They accordingly led him to the bed of the king, whose feet he then repeatedly struck with the staff. The king nevertheless expired, and though the Jew gave him many blows with his staff, and said, ‘Arise by the command of Allah,’ it was of no use. When his inability to revive the king became evident, the courtiers accused him of having slain their master, and suspended him upside down from a gibbet. When I’sa heard of what had happened, he went to the place of execution, where he saw the Jew with a rope round his neck, and the people wanting to drop him from the head to the foot of the gallows. I’sa said: ‘If you desire the king to be recalled to life, leave my friend alone.’ They replied: ‘This is our wish, and when the king is again alive we shall let go thy friend.’ I’sa then prayed to the Lord of Magnificence, resuscitated the king, and delivered the Jew from his scrape. They departed together, and the Jew, having escaped death, said to I’sa: ‘By saving me from death thou hast so highly obliged me that I swear by Allah never to leave thy service.’ The Messiah—u. w. b., etc.—replied: ‘I adjure thee by the true God, who has resuscitated the sheep and the calf, after we had roasted and eaten them; by that God who resuscitated the king after he had died, and who has granted thee life after having been on the gallows, tell me how many loaves thou hadst in thy possession when beginning to accompany me?’ The Jew again swore an oath that he never had more than one loaf. I’sa then again placed the seal of taciturnity upon his mouth, and they continued the journey together. They happened to see a place where a wild beast had, whilst digging about, found a treasure, of which no one had become cognizant till that day. The Jew asked I’sa: ‘Leaving this treasure untouched, where are we going?’ I’sa replied: ‘Cease these words, for such is the decree of fate, that several persons must perish on account of this treasure.’ The Jew, having no means of resistance, went in obedience to, and with, the spirit of Allah. After they had departed four men arrived near the treasure, two of whom then went to the city to purchase food and drink, as well as to procure the utensils necessary for the removal of the treasure. The two remaining men, however, had conspired with each other to slay those who had gone, because they wanted to take possession of their shares also. Those, however, who had departed, harboured the same murderous intentions, and mixed alethal poison with the food. Then they returned and were killed by the swords of their remaining two companions, who in their turn died when they had eaten of the poisoned food. Thus all these four individuals pitched their tents in the plain of annihila­tion.*

Time addressed the Jew, in the language of the circumstances, as follows:

Distich: The companions are gone, have reached the term;
In the sleep of deceit art thou still plunged, careless heart?

After I’sa had been informed by Divine revelation he said to the Jew: ‘Come, let us go to see the treasure.’ The greedy fellow having made the preparations necessary for taking possession and for removing the property, departed with the spirit of Allah [i.e., Jesus]. When they reached the spot they beheld the four dead companions, whereon the Lord I’sa divided the treasure into three parts, of which he gave one to the Jew, and retained the other two for himself. The Jew then said: ‘O spirit of Allah, thou must be just in making the distribution, and must divide the property into two parts, one of which will belong to thee, and the other to me.’ I’sa rejoined: ‘One share belongs to me, the second to thee, and the third to the owner of the lost loaf.’ The Jew asked: ‘If I point out to thee the owner of the lost loaf, wilt thou surrender to him his portion?’ I’sa replied: ‘Yes.’ The Jew continued: ‘I am the owner of it.’ The spirit of Allah said: ‘Then take possession of the whole treasure, because thy share [of hap­piness] consists therein in this world and in the next.’ That ill-fated individual then took the worldly goods, but when he had travelled a short distance the earth opened, and swallowed him with all he possessed. Let us take refuge with Allah from [the temptations of] this world!

One of the wonderful prodigies of I’sa was, that when his lordship was one day passing with his companions through a field which was almost ripe for the harvest, his friends were hungry, and asked for permission to eat some of the grain. The revelation having descended to I’sa to allow them to do so, they began to eat; but the owner of the harvest suddenly arrived, shouting, ‘I have inherited this field from my ancestors; by whose permission are you now eating thereof?’ The lord I’sa was displeased with this interference, and prayed that all might be resuscitated who had ever been owners of the said field. This actually took place, and on near every blade a man or woman arose, exclaiming, ‘By whose permission do you commit ravages on my property?’ The owner of the field was confused, and asked, ‘Who produced this miracle?’ They replied: ‘I’sa, the son of Mariam.’ Then he approached I’sa with excuses, saying, ‘O spirit of Allah, I knew thee not; now, however, I am cognizant who thou art, and allow thy com­panions to eat of my harvest.’ I’sa—u. w. b., etc.— replied: ‘In reality this field does not belong to thee, because these people possessed it before thee, and have left it against their will. What happened to them will soon come to pass with thee also.’

It is related that one day I’sa had placed a stone under his head, and Satan approached his cushion, saying, ‘Thou thinkest thou art attached to nothing in this world, but this stone also belongs to the world.’ I’sa then arose, and threw the stone towards Satan, exclaiming: ‘This belongs to thee with the world, and by my life! The world and its inhabitants belong to thee!’

Distich: I am the slave of him who beneath this azure sky
Is free from everything that may claim attachment.*

Hasan Bossri—mercy be on him!—has related that the apostles of I’sa said: ‘O spirit of Allah! thou walkest on the surface of the water, and we are unable to do so; what is the reason?’ I’sa replied: ‘[I walk thus.] By cer­tainty in Allah, w. n. b. e.’ They continued: ‘We are likewise of those who have attained certainty.’ The spirit of Allah asked: ‘If you perceive a stone and a jewel on the ground, which of them will you pick up?’ They replied: ‘We would take the jewel.’ His lordship continued: ‘Then you are not of those who have attained certainty.’

Hasan Bossri also says that I’sa received his mission in his thirteenth year, and that he was taken up to heaven in his thirty-third. Others allege that he had been sent in the seventeenth, and others in his twenty-seventh year. According to some traditions, all the inhabitants of para­dise are thirty-three years old, and these words were for a long time difficult to be understood by the author of these pages; but whilst writing it occurred to him that possibly the said years imply maturity of intellect, because the denizens of paradise will for ever remain in the same con­dition, and will never become subject either to decrepitude or to old age. In the Ma’arif Hassibi it is related that I’sa—u. w. b., etc.—ascended to heaven in his forty-second year, and that in the twelfth year of his age the Gospel was sent down to him in the town of Nâssra [Nazareth], in a province of the Ardan [Jordan], and that for this reason he is called Nassâri; Allah, however, is most wise!