Tarif Khalidi is Sir Thomas Adams's Professor of Arabic, Director of the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous books, most recently Classical Arab Islam: The Culture and Heritage of the Golden Age and Arabic Historical Thought in the Classical Period.
"The Muslim Jesus" is a very good book. Khalidi writes in eloquent
yet never pompous English...always striving to be comprehensible to
the nonspecialist. Moreover, he has done valuable work simply in
collecting, annotating, and translating his material. Thereafter,
he lets the material about Jesus speak for itself, in order (I
think) to make an important point: that the Jesus of Islam is a
creation of Islam. In Khalidi's words, the Muslim Jesus is "a
compound image," a figure "resurrected in an environment where he
becomes a Muslim prophet." Thus, Khalidi explains, a wide range of
Muslim authors used the figure of Jesus as a spokesman for their
cause, be it asceticism, quietism, Shi'ism, or anti-Christian
polemic...Khalidi is to be congratulated for collecting this
material and presenting it in a clear and accessible manner. He has
also included a complete bibliography of Arabic sources for the
specialist and detailed endnotes with the most important secondary
literature for the specia
"The Muslim Jesus" is as fascinating as it is timely. The sayings
are remarkable and often beautiful literary artifacts in their own
right; but more importantly, they demonstrate that the links that
bind Christianity and Islam are much deeper, more complex, and far
more intricately woven, that most of us would expect...Now of all
times, it should be welcomed as a book of the greatest
importance.--William Dalrymple"The Guardian" (12/22/2001)
["The Muslim Jesus"] helps dispel the ignorance among Christians
about Islam. It is a collection of Islamic sayings about Jesus in
the Koran and Islamic literature...With a little perseverance, the
reader is rewarded with a better understanding of Islam, and an
appreciation of how one of the most central figures in Western
civilization--Jesus of Nazareth--is perceived by another
tradition.--Larry B. Stammer"Los Angeles Times" (05/26/2001)
In his fascinating book "The Muslim Jesus", Tarif Khalidi brings
together, from a vast range of sources, 303 stories, sayings and
traditions of Jesus that can be found in Muslim literature, from
the earliest centuries of Islamic history. These paint a picture of
Christ not dissimilar to the Christ of the Gospels. The Muslim
Jesus is the patron saint of asceticism, the lord of nature, a
miracle worker, a healer, a moral, spiritual and social role
model.--Mehdi Hasan"New Statesman" (12/09/2009)
Jesus captivated the Muslim imagination; in Islam, he is regarded
as the last great prophet to precede Muhammad. Khalidi reminds us
of the Middle Eastern milieu into which Islam arrived. Under a
blazing desert sun, many of the world's great traditions--Judaism,
Christianity, Zoroastrianism--mingled in a vibrant, dynamic
atmosphere. The proximity of so many religions bred, along with
tolerance, unmistakable signs of each other's influence...For many
years, Khalidi engaged in scholarly archeology, poring over the
Hadith for any sightings of Jesus. In "The Muslim Jesus," he
presents more than 300 stories and sayings...Consider one
interesting East-West parallel aided by the book's chronological
format. In a 14th century collection by the lawmaker al-Subki,
Jesus is still a cherished figure, instructing Muslims that 'the
rich shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven.' About the same time,
Dante consigned Muhammad to cruel suffering in 'Inferno.' We might
explain such drastically different tre
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...Khalidi's efforts bring
a...[great] 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. An unique and important
addition to the corpus of writings about Jesus.--John
Green"Booklist" (04/15/2001)
Khalidi's long introduction is a gem of graceful erudition and
analytical wisdom, setting the stage for dozens of often surprising
and always fascinating extracts which show all the numerous ways in
which Muslims, while denying both Incarnation and Crucifixion,
nevertheless have a deep-seated affection and reverence for
Jesus.--Edward W. Said"Times Literary Supplement" (12/07/2001)
Tarif Khalidi, professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge,
has assembled a very valuable collection of sayings and
stories--303 in number--of Jesus in Arabic Islamic literature. The
sources scanned reach from the second to the twelfth Islamic
centuries. The book consists of a comprehensive and illuminating
fifty-page introduction, the 303 items in chronological order of
their sources, and brief helpful comments (on sources, parallels,
and function in Islamic discourse) appended to each item... Before
Khalidi's efforts, the basic corpus of the "Muslim gospel" used to
be a collection of 225 sayings by the Spanish scholar Miguel Asin y
Palacios who translated the sayings into Latin (!) and provided
brief Latin commentaries on them...Khalidi's collection will now
replace that one for those of us whose needs are served by good
translations...["The Muslim Jesus"] is a great accomplishment,
rewarding reading for anyone interested in Islam and in religious
transculturation (sic).--Heik
This short book contains a millennium's worth of sayings and
stories of Jesus drawn from Islamic literature. The title may seem
paradoxical; we are not accustomed to thinking of Jesus in Muslim
contexts. Enter Tarif Khalidi, Sir Thomas Adams professor of Arabic
and director of the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at
King's College...Khalidi proves to be an expert guide to this
wealth of material. As a result, "The Muslim Jesus" is a book of
spiritual connoisseurship with a timely and seductive appeal..."The
Muslim Jesus" is handsomely produced. Its pages are well designed
and spacious. They invite the eye to linger and the mind to
ruminate. Tarif Khalidi has not only risen to the occasion of our
present discontents, he has transcended it and lifted the heart
beyond sorrow and distraction to delight.--Thomas
D'Evelyn"Christian Science Monitor" (02/28/2002)
"The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature" is
the English translation of the largest collection ever published
for a western readership of the sayings and stories of Jesus as
found in Arabic Islamic literature. A unique and invaluable
resource for the study of Jesus' role and position within an
Islamic context...Tarif Khalidis's informative introduction and
commentaries place the sayings and stories within an historical
context..."The Muslim Jesus" is an indispensable and greatly
appreciated addition to Islamic Studies.
Ý"The Muslim Jesus"¨ helps dispel the ignorance among Christians
about Islam. It is a collection of Islamic sayings about Jesus in
the Koran and Islamic literature...With a little perseverance, the
reader is rewarded with a better understanding of Islam, and an
appreciation of how one of the most central figures in Western
civilization--Jesus of Nazareth--is perceived by another tradition.
-- Larry B. Stammer "Los Angeles Times" (05/26/2001)
From the Qur'an on, Jesus has always had a special place in Muslim
piety as Khalidi (professor of Arabic at Cambridge University)
shows in his exemplary study, "The Muslim Jesus.".. The 303
snippets that Khalidi translates and comments on from a wide range
of sources ("hadith," belles-lettres, mystical works, etc.) do
convincingly establish his point that "In his Muslim habitat. Jesus
becomes an object of intense devotion, reverence, and love."
Tarif Kahlidi brings together Islamic primary sources about Jesus
from the eighth to eighteenth centuries. Included are mystical
works, historical texts about prophets and saints and, of course,
the foundational words about Jesus in the Qur'an...the literary
quality of the texts and the role "the Muslim Jesus" has played in
both Muslim piety and Muslim-Christian relations.
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