The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature (Convergences: Inventories of the Present)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 256 pages
• Published by: Harvard University Press April 30, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0674011155
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0674011151
• Book Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 8.5 ounces

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Reader Reviews
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.