the matter with you?” Why don’t you answer me?” The Shaikh answered, “I am not going to answer you about any law, today.” “I am going to ask you tomorrow,” said Basheer to the Shaikh, “so prepare an answer for me!” He then ordered the Shaikh to leave. The next day, Basheer sent for the Shaikh. He came quickly, and Basheer said to him, “All praise be to Allah, who existed even before there was anything, and who created seven heavens, one above the other, without any assistance from His creations. It is, therefore surprising of you Arabs, when you claim that indeed the likeness of Jesus in the sight of Allah, is that of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be and he was.” The Shaikh remained silent. Basheer then said to him, “Why don’t you answer me?” The Shaikh said: “How can I answer you when I am a prisoner in your hands? If I tell you what you want to hear, my Lord would be displeased with me, and I would be destroyed. If, on the other hand, I say to you with what you didn't want to hear, I fear for myself. Therefore, give me a covenant by Allah, like that which Allah took with His Prophets and which the Prophets in turn took with the people, that you would not deceive me nor trick me nor desire to oppress me, and if you hear the truth, you would submit to it.” Basheer then said to him, “You have, from me, Allah’s covenant, that which He took with the Prophets and that which they took with the people, that I would not doublecross you, nor trick you, nor desire to oppress you. If I hear the truth, I shall submit to it.” The Shaikh then said to him: “Your description of Allah, is a good one. What is beyond your knowledge however, is even greater and Allah is even greater than your description of Him. He also cannot ever be fully described. On the other hand, you have distorted the description of Jesus and Adam. Didn’t they eat food, drink, urinate, and go to the toilet? Didn’t they sleep and wake? Weren’t they happy and sad?” “Of course they did.” Basheer replied. The Shaikh then asked, “So what then, is the difference between the two?” “The difference is that Jesus, the son of Mary, had two souls in one body,” said Basheer. “He had one soul by which he knew the unseen and what is in the depths of the oceans and what leaves of trees fall off, and another soul by which he healed the blind and the leper and gave life to the dead,” remarked Basheer. The Shaikh then said: “Did the stronger soul know the position of the weaker soul in relation to it? “May Allah‘s curse be upon you!” replied Basheer.” What would you say, if I said that it did not know, and what would you say, if I said that it did?” “If you say that it knew,” replied the Shaikh, “I would say, wasn’t its strength enough to repel the danger and terrible afflictions that befell it? And if you say that it did not know, I would say, how can it know the unseen, when it did not even know the position of another soul sharing the same body with it?” Basheer was silent. The Shaikh then said, “I ask you sincerely. Do you people worship the cross as a symbol of Jesus the son of Mary, that he was crucified?” “Yes,” replied Basheer. “Was this on the approval of Jesus or by his disapproval?” asked the Shaikh. At this Basheer said, “This question is the sister or the first. What would you say, if I say it was by his approval and what would you say, if I say that it was by his disapproval?” The Shaikh said, “If you say that it was by his approval, then you have said a great
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