The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature [Hardcover]

Tarif Khalidi (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674004779 | ISBN-13: 978-0674004771 | Publication Date: May 31, 2001

This work presents in English translation the largest collection ever assembled of the sayings and stories of Jesus in Arabic Islamic literature. In doing so, it traces a tradition of love and reverence for Jesus that has characterized Islamic thought for more than a thousand years. An invaluable resource for the history of religions, the collection documents how one culture, that of Islam, assimilated the towering religious figure of another, that of Christianity. As such, it is a work of great significance for the understanding of both, and of profound implications for modern-day intersectarian relations and ecumenical dialogue.

Tarif Khalidi's introduction and commentaries place the sayings and stories in their historical context, showing how and why this "gospel" arose and the function it served within Muslim devotion. The Jesus that emerges here is a compelling figure of deep and life-giving spirituality. The sayings and stories, some 300 in number and arranged in chronological order, show us how the image of this Jesus evolved throughout a millennium of Islamic history.

(20010415)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As a Western religion, Islam gives primacy to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and considers Jesus to be a holy prophet. In The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature, Tarif Khalidi brings together Islamic primary sources about Jesus from the eighth to the 18th centuries. Included are mystical works, historical texts about prophets and saints and, of course, the foundational words about Jesus in the Qur'an. "As a whole," Khalidi explains, these writings "form the largest body of texts relating to Jesus in any non-Christian literature." Khalidi pays particular attention to the literary quality of the texts and the role "the Muslim Jesus" has played in both Muslim piety and Muslim-Christian relations.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The oldest stories of Jesus may be contained in the New Testament, but legions of Christian gospels weren't included in the New Testament. And could there be an Islamic gospel? After all, Jesus figures prominently in Islam. Alongside the hadiths , the stories of the Prophet's sayings and actions, appear stories of Jesus' sayings and actions, 303 of which Tarif Khalidi has collected and translated to produce, for the first time, a Muslim gospel. Some of the sayings reflect certain of Jesus' sayings in the Christian gospels, while others probably derive from pre-Islamic ascetics and heroes. The widespread Islamic view of Jesus as the ascetic prophet makes him especially popular with Sufism (mystical Islam), but Khalidi's efforts bring a much greater diversity of Muslim beliefs about Jesus into the book. To each story, Khalidi appends astute analysis, and a lengthy general introduction provides a historical and functional overview of the Muslim understanding of Jesus. A unique and important addition to the corpus of writings about Jesus. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (May 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674004779
• ISBN-13: 978-0674004771
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How much Islam has in common with Christianity, September 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature (Hardcover)

As an Arab Christian who have lived in an Islamic environment, I have always known that Muslims cherished and respected Jesus as one of their prophets, but little did I know about the actual sayings they ascribe to him. I was therefore intrigued by the topic of this book: what do Muslims really think about Jesus, and how does their conception differ from ours? I found this book to contain excellent answers to satisfy my curiosity and arouse further interest in the subject.

This book is the first collection in English of all the sayings in early Islamic literature (Hadith) attributed to Jesus. Thus they are the authoritative guide to what Islam knows and thinks about Jesus. The rendering into English is excellent and easily readable, and the author's commentary on each saying is a useful addition. I decided to read the introduction before the sayings, and was thankful for doing so (despite its length), as the introduction adds a wealth of background material about the origin of the sayings, their relationship to Christianity, and their evolution within the early Islamic context. The scholarship of the author is impeccable, and the work is a superb example of how unbiased objective scholarship should be, as the author takes no sides, except that of deep curiosity to find out the truth.

While reflecting the certain theological differences between the Islamic Jesus and the Christian Jesus, these sayings are evidence for a surprising similarity in attitude and values between the two religions. No doubt some of these sayings are influenced by translations of the gospels and apocryphal texts into Arabic and by the large Arab Christian community during that period. However, much of the wisdom therein is of a universal nature that transcends religious divisions and reflects a common human denominator.

Another feature of this book is its insights about the early Islamic period. Although I have read many books about Islam, most of them portray the religion as a stagnant system that was revealed at a single time to the Prophet Mohammad. Instead, this book demonstrates how Islam evolved dynamically over its first few centuries, much like how early Christianity was an evolving religion. Thus we see how various factions of Islam competed and had their own concepts of what the religion should be, and `used' lore from prophetic figures such as Jesus to strengthen their arguments. This whole concept of an evolving religion throws great doubts upon the ideals of modern-day "fundamentalists" who apparently wish to recreate "early Islam". By exposing the myriad differences between Muslims themselves, and the closeness of some important Islamic elements to Christianity, "The Muslim Jesus" also throws a lot of doubt on some Westerners today who somehow feel threatened by Islam and lump all Muslims together as "enemies of Christianity".

For all these reasons, I strongly recommend The Muslim Jesus for a highly enjoyable, and thought-provoking read.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating..., March 25, 2002

By 

A. Ort "aorto" (Youngstown, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. If you truly wish to understand the Islamic view of Jesus, this book is a must. Through its pages are many stories and sayings of Jesus, some instantly recognizable, others less so.

Rather than studying 'dry' comparative religious texts discussing 'Islam vs. Christianity/Jesus' (which are foundationally necessary), try reading this book as an alternative. Not only will you come to understand how Jesus is viewed in Islam but you will also get a sense of the 'spirit' of Islam.

The introduction presents the major themes in any discussion on this topic and raises many questions, yet leaves them open ended. Yet the answers make their way through the pages of the rest of the book. This book will enlighten you to the fact that in the earliest days of Islam, the bitter and often violent antagonism that seems so apparent these days was not always so and in that sense perhaps hope will spring eternal from these pages.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Multicultural Jesus, September 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature (Hardcover)

This book reveals how another major world civilization viewed Jesus: as a prophet, teacher, ascetic, and iconoclast. It displays a new facet of Jesus, which is highly relevant to our times. I'll definitely assign this text in one of my undergraduate courses.