The Prophet Mohammad always referred to Jesus as a brother, and he is treated with the utmost respect in the Koran. As Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, a Master of the Nimatullahi Order of Sufis, states in the introduction to this wonderful collection of stories and anecdotes, Jesus is "the paragon of a perfect human being and the example par excellence of a true master." The Sufis see this man from Nazareth as demonstrating the commendable qualities of sincerity, purity, love, and charity. They emphasize his way as a path of striving, self-abnegation, and solitude.
This handy and helpful paperback provides fresh material for any devotee of Jesus. In the section on "Poetic Expressions of the Qualities and Characteristics of Jesus," you will find material on him by Rumi, Hafez, Attar, and others. A section on "The Sayings of Jesus" has the following: "When Jesus was asked by the disciples: 'With whom should we keep company?' he replied, 'With those whose association causes you to remember God.' " Or even more sharp-edged: "Jesus the prophet said: 'The Lord granted me the power to bring the dead to life and make the blind to see and the congenitally deaf to hear, but He did not give me the power to cure a fool.' "
Certainly the most fascinating section is the last one on "Stories Relating to Jesus in Sufi Books." Here is an example: "It is said that the sole worldly possession of Jesus was a cup from which he drank water. One day he chanced to see a man drinking water from his cupped hand. Thenceforth, he did without the cup, declaring,' Till now I was unaware that God had bestowed a cup upon me.' " Other material covers his life of wandering, his miracles, his interaction with the disciples, and much more.
