In this part of the article titled “The Sayings of Jesus Christ in Shia Traditions”, we shall continue with the discussion under different headings:
Pride of the Sanctimonious
33. Jesus (‘a) said: O group of Apostles! How many lamps the wind has put out, and how many worshippers pride has corrupted.! (1)
On Chastity
34. Imam Sadiq (‘a) said: The Apostles met with Jesus (‘a) and said to him: ‘O teacher of the good! Guide us!’ He said to them: ‘Verily Moses the interlocutor of Allah (‘a) commanded you not to swear by Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, falsely, and I command you not to swear by Allah falsely or truly.’ They said: ‘O Spirit of Allah! Guide us more!’ Then he said: ‘Verily Moses the prophet of Allah (‘a) commanded you not to commit adultery, and I command you not to talk to yourselves about adultery, let alone to commit adultery. Verily one who talks to himself about adultery is like one who sets fire to a house that is decorated so the smoke damages the decor, even though the house is not burnt.’ (2)
35. Jesus (a) said: Never stare at that which is not for you. If you restrain your eyes you will never commit adultery; and if you are able to avoid looking at the garments of women who are not permitted for you, then do so. (3)
36. It is reported that Imam Sadiq (‘a) said: Jesus the son of Mary (‘a) said, ‘When one of you sits in his house, he should have clothes on. Verily, Allah has allotted modesty for you, just as He has allotted your sustenance. (4)
Looking at the Bright Side
37. It is reported that he [Jesus (‘a)] passed by a carcass with his disciples. Then the disciples said: How putrid the smell of this dog is! Then Jesus (‘a) said: How intense is the whiteness of his teeth! (5)
Hope and Fear
38. It is reported that Abu ‘Abd Allah [Imam Sadiq] (‘a) said: Jesus the son of Mary (‘a) sent two of his companions on an errand. Then one of them returned thin and afflicted and the other fat and chubby. He said to the one who was thin: what did this to you, that I see you this way?’ He said: ‘The fear of Allah.’ And he said to the other who was fat: ‘What did this to you, that I see you this way?’ He said: ‘A good opinion of Allah.’ (6)
Death
39. It is reported from Imam Sadiq, Peace be upon him, from his father that he said: Jesus, Peace be upon him, used to say: ‘Regarding the terror which you do not know when you will encounter [i.e. death], what prevents you from preparing for it before it comes upon you suddenly?’ (7)
About Advice and Advisers
40. And he (Jesus (‘a)) said: How long will you be advised without taking any advice? Certainly, you have become a burden to the advisors. (8)
41. [Imam] al-Sadiq, Peace be upon him, said: Verily, a man came to Jesus the son of Mary, Peace be upon him, and said to him: ‘O Spirit of Allah! I have committed fornication [or adultery, sex between a man and woman not married to each other, in Arabic: zina] so purify me.’ Then Jesus ordered the people to be called so that none should be left behind for the purification of so-and-so. Then when the people had been gathered together and the man had entered into a hole, so as to be stoned, the man in the hole called out: ‘Anyone for whom Allah, the Supreme, has a punishment should not punish me.’ Then all the people left except for John and Jesus, Peace be upon them. Then John, Peace be upon him, approached him and said to him: ‘O sinner! Advise me!’ Then he said to him: ‘Do not leave yourself alone with its desires or you will perish.’ John, Peace be upon him, said: ‘Say more.’ He said: ‘Verily, do not humiliate the wrongdoer for his fault.’ John, Peace be upon him, said: ‘Say more. He said: ‘Do not become angry.’ John, Peace be upon him, said: ‘That is enough for me.’ (9)
Goodness Imperishable
42. Jesus (‘a) said to his companions: Accord great regard for the thing which is not eaten by the fire. They said: ”What is that? He said: That which is good (al-ma’ruf) (10).
Charity
43. Imam Sadiq (‘a) said: ”Verily, when Jesus the son of Mary ( ‘a) passed along the shore of a sea, he threw a piece of his bread into the water, Then some of the disciples said: ‘O Spirit of Allah and His Word! Why did you do this when that was your food.’ He said: I did this in order that some animal among the animals of the sea may eat it, and the reward of Allah for this is great.’ (11)
Moderation in Food and Sleep
44. Jesus (‘a) said: O Children of Israel! Do not be excessive in eating, for those who are excessive in eating are excessive in sleeping, and those who are excessive in sleeping are deficient in praying, and of those who are deficient in praying, it is written that they are negligent. (12)
45. Jesus the son of Mary (‘a) stood up among the Children of Israel to preach. He said. ‘O Children of Israel! Do not eat before you become hungry and when you become hungry, eat but do not eat your fill, because when you eat your fill your necks become thick and your sides grow fat and you forget your Lord. (13)
The blessed and the wretched
46. It is reported that [Imam] Ali (a) said: Jesus the son of Mary (a) said: ”Blessed is he whose silence is contemplation (fikr). whose glance is an admonition, whose house suffices him and who cries over his mistakes and from whose hand and tongue the people are safe.’ (14)
47. Jesus said: How can someone benefit himself while he trades himself for all that is in this world, then he abandons that which he has traded as an inheritance to others and destroys himself? But blessed is the man who purifies himself and prefers his soul to everything of this world.” (15)
48. I heard Imam Sadiq (‘a) say: ”Christ (‘a) said to his disciples: ‘If you are not lovers and my brothers, you must accustom yourself to the enmity and hatred of the people, otherwise you will not be my brothers. I teach you this that you may learn it; I do not teach you so that you may become proud. Verily, you will not achieve that which you seek unless you give up that which you desire, and by enduring patiently that which you detest. And guard your gaze for it plants lust in the heart, and it is sufficient to tempt one.
Happy are they who see that which they desire with their eyes, but who commit no disobedience in their hearts. How far is that which is in the past, and how near is that which is to come. Woe to those who have been deluded when what they loathe approaches them, and what they love abandons them, and there comes that which they were promised. There is a lesson in the creation of these nights and days. Woe to those whose efforts are for the sake of this world, and whose achievements are errors. How he will be disgraced before his Lord! And, do not speak much about anything other than the remembrance of God.
Those who talk much about things other than God have their hearts hardened, but they do not know it. Do not look at the faults of others as if you have been appointed to spy over them, but attend to the emancipation of your own selves, for you are slaves, possessed. How much water flows in a mountain without its becoming soft, and how much wisdom you are taught without your hearts becoming soft? You are bad slaves, not pious slaves, nor of those who are noble and free. Indeed, you are like unto the oleander: all who see it wonder at its flowers, but when they eat from it they die. Peace be unto you.’ (16)
To be continued!
NOTES:
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1. Bihar al-Anwar, 72, 322.
2. Al-Kafi, 5, 542.
3. Majmu’at al-Warram, 1, 62.
4. Bihar al-Anwar, 71, 334.
5. Bihar al-Anwar, 14, 327.
6. Bihar al-Anwar, 70, 400.
7. Bihar al-anwar, 14, 330.
8. Adab al-nafs, 1, 175.
9. Bihar al-Anwar, 14, 188.
10. Bihar al-Anwar. 14, 330.
11. Tahdhib, 4, 105.
12. Sharh Nahj al-balaghah, 19, 188; Adab al-nafs. 1, 189.
13. Bihar al-Anwar 66, 337.
14. Bihar al-Anwar 14, 319.
15. Bihar al-Anwar 14, 329.
16. Bihar al-Anwar, 14, 324.
