The Sufi Jesus (Jesus Christ, ritual, Earth, Messiah, gospel)

[MidnightBlue]

A book I read recently recounts some Sufi traditions about Jesus. Specifically, these are from al-Ghazali. I found them interesting, so I thought I'd pass them along.

"Learn a lesson from the Messiah, for it is said that he had no purse at all, that he was dressed in the same woolen garment for twenty years, and that in his travels he had only a small mug and a comb. One day he saw a man drinking with his hand, so he threw the mug from his hand and never used it again. Then he passed by a man running his fingers through his beard, so he threw away the comb from his hand and never used it after that. He used to say, 'My feet are my riding animal, my houses are the caves of the earth, and my food is its plants and my drink its rivers. What riches are greater than this, O sons of Israel? Eat barley and wild onions, but beware of bread made from wheat, for you will not be grateful for it.'"

"Said Jesus (on him be peace): 'Verily I say unto you, whosoever seeketh heaven let him eat barley bread and sleep on the dunghill with the dogs. This is enough for me.'"

"Jesus was accustomed to say, 'O children of Israel, let the water of the brook suffice for you and the vegetable of the field and the barley loaf; and beware of the white loaf for it will keep you from worship.'"

"Said Jesus (on him be peace): 'My food is hunger; all my thoughts are fear of God; my dress is wool; my warming place in winter is the rays of the sun; my candle is the moon; my steed is my legs; my food is the fruit that springs from the ground; I go to bed and have nothing and arise without anything; and yet there is no one richer than I.'"

"It is related that Jesus one day was pillowing his head on a stone; and the devil passed by and said, 'O Jesus, now you have shown your love for the world!' Then Jesus picked up the stone, threw it at him and said, 'Take it and the world.'"

[Cordoba]

Vey interesting quotes.

In many ways, there is a lot in the life of Jesus, peace be upon him, which resembles the Sufi approach to life, with a main focus on faith, spirituality and the love of God.

This hadith of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is in Sahih Muslim:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying:

"I am most akin to Jesus Christ among the whole of mankind, and all the Prophets are of different mothers but belong to one religion and no Prophet was raised between me and Jesus."

[john313]

Jesus was totally a sufi. thank you for the excellent posts.
" If you desire I will tell you about `Isa (p.b.u.h.) son of Maryam (Mary). He used a stone for his pillow, put on coarse clothes and ate rough food. His condiment was hunger. His lamp at night was the moon. His shade during the winter was just the expanse of earth eastward and westward. His fruits and flowers were only what grows from the earth for the cattle. He had no wife to allure him, nor any son to give grief, nor wealth to deviate (his attention), nor greed to disgrace him. His two feet were his conveyance and his two hands his servant. "
nahjul balaghaa, sermon 159
"`Isa used to tell his followers, 'Take masajid (mosques) to be your homes, house to be stopping places. Eat from the plants of the wilderness and escape from this world in Peace.' Sharik said, 'I mentioned this to Sulayman, who added, 'and drink pure water.'"
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak )d. 181/797), al-Zuhd, p. 198 (no. 563). Cf. Ibn Abd Rabbihi, al-`Iqd, 3:143; Ibn Asakir, Sirat, p. 138, no. 128 (Asin, p. 541, no. 111; Mansur, no 9; Robson, p. 73).
he also has some sufi style quotes in the gospel of thomas some might be interested in (sorry to end a sentence in a preposition, but that's just how it flowed).

peace and love to all

[kevmicsmi]

Originally Posted by john313

Jesus was totally a sufi. thank you for the excellent posts.
he also has some sufi style quotes in the gospel of thomas some might be interested in (sorry to end a sentence in a preposition, but that's just how it flowed).

peace and love to all

Actually with your parenthetical statement, you didnt