The Prophet Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him)

I`sa’s dialogue in childhood

Maryam was ordered by the Lord not to speak, thus she declined to answer the people, but as the Lord intended, the child replied in her stead.

The incident concerning I`sa’s speech has been mentioned in the Quran as follows:

"Then she pointed to him. They said, "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" He (Jesus) said, "Verily, I am a worshipper of Allah, He has given me the book and made me a prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I may be and enjoined upon me prayer and zakaat as long as I live. And made me obedient to my mother and has not made me arrogant and unblessed. And peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I shall die and the day I shall be resurrected alive."

19/29-33

This verse enlightens the reader as to Jesus’ speech in childhood and what he said exactly. He claimed to be given four attributes and qualifications :

Abdullah, the first words he spoke, were a declaration of himself as a slave of Allah and recognition of Allah as Lord."
Nabiyya, the responsibility of prophethood had been imposed upon him.
Mubaraka, which means blessed. Mujahid, a great exegesis, says it means Naffa`a, a beneficial person and some of Jesus’ benefits are that he cured the blind and the leper. Sufyan (61) says it means that he will ordain the good and forbid the bad, guide the misled, help the oppressed and comfort the grieved. Sawri(61) and Mujahid(103) have also stated it to mean a preacher of good. Dhahhak(105) says it means one who will fulfill the people’s needs.
The fourth attribute is Barran-bi-walidati, "obedient to my mother," as Jesus was born from a mother only, without the requirement of a father, thus only his mother has been mentioned concerning this attribute, says Ibn Abbas(d.68/646) as recorded by Imam Qurtubi.

There is also a Hadith presenting evidence upon Jesus’ speech in childhood, narrated by Imam Bukhari in his Sahih -al-Bukhari, on the authority of Abu Hurayrahh, that the prophet Muhammad

said, "None spoke in the cradle, but three : (the first was) Jesus, (the second was) a man from Bani Israel called Zuraij. While he was offering his prayers, his mother came and called him. He said (to himself), "Shall I answer her or keep on praying?" (He went on praying and did not answer her.) His mother said, :O Allah! Do not let him die till he sees the faces of prostitutes." So while he was in his hermitage, a lady came and sought to seduce him, but he refused. So she went to a shepherd and presented herself to him to commit illegal sexual intercourse with her and then later she gave birth to a child and claimed that it belonged to Zuraij. The people, therefore, came to him and dismantled his hermitage and expelled him out of it and abused him. Zuraij performed the ablution and offered prayer and then came to the child and said, "O child! Who is your father?" The child replied, "The shepherd." (After hearing this) the people said, "We shall rebuild your hermitage of gold." But he said, "No of nothing, but mud."

(The third to speak in childhood was : )A lady from Bani Israel was nursing her child at her breast when a handsome rider passed by her. She said, " O Allah! Make my child like him!" On that the child left her breast and facing the rider said, " O Allah! Do not make me like him!" The child then started to suck her breast again.

After a while the people passed by with a lady slave and she (i.e. the child’s mother) said, "O Allah! Do not make my child like this (slave girl)!" On that the child left her breast and said, "O Allah! Make me like her." When she asked why, the child

replied, "The rider is one of the tyrants, while this slave girl is falsely accused of theft and illegal sexual intercourse."

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