The True Story of Jesus — Page 10
as 10 this sheltered place she gave birth to Jesus as. As she went through the pains of childbirth, she exclaimed in agony, ‘Would that I had died before this and had become a thing quite forgotten!’ At that moment she heard a voice from the side of the slope of the moun- tain. It was an angel who comforted her saying that she should not grieve. She was told that her Lord has provided a stream under- neath her, wherein she may wash herself and the child. The angel said: And shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you; it will drop fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and be at rest. And if you see anyone approaching, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Gracious God; I will therefore not speak this day to any human being. ’1 The birth of Jesus as was extraordinary in the sense that he was born without the agency of a male. It was miraculous but not con- trary to the laws of nature. This unusual form of birth was a warn- ing to the Israelites that their misdeeds had brought an end to their spiritual progeny and that they would no longer be worthy of fathering the Prophets of God. This in fact was a sign to show that the spiritual blessings would be transferred from the prog- eny of Isaac as to that of his brother Ishmael as, in accordance with God’s great prophecy and His covenant with Abraham as. Jesus as would be the last Israelite Prophet. Muhammad saw, the Prophet of Islam, came after Jesus as in the year 570 ad, and was a descendant of Ishmael as. 1. Holy Quran 19:24–27