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THREE BABIES WHO SPOKE IN THEIR CRADLE

260

“Three people spoke when they were in their cradle one of whom was Jesus, the son of Mary.

There was a man called Juraij who was pious, a great worshiper who had built a sanctuary. One day when he was praying his mother came and called him. He supplicated: ‘Lord, my mother and my prayers.’ He continued with his worshiping and she returned. The next day she came again and called to him but he supplicated again: ‘Lord, my mother and my prayers’ and continued with his worshiping. The third day she came again and called to him and he supplicated once more saying: ‘Lord, my mother and my prayers’ and continued with his worshiping. She supplicated saying: ‘O Allah, do not let him die until he has seen the face of a prostitute!’

The piety of Juraij became a topic of conversation among the Children of Israel. Now among them was a beautiful prostitute. She told them: ‘If you like, I can make trouble for Juraij.’ She tried to seduce him but Juraij paid no attention to her. Then she went to a shepherd who lived near the sanctuary of Juraij and offered herself to him and became pregnant. After she had given birth she claimed that the child was Juraij's.

The Children of Israel went to him and brought him out of his sanctuary, demolished it and beat him. He asked: ‘Why are you doing this?’ They replied: ‘You committed adultery with this prostitute and she has borne your child!’ He asked: ‘Where is the child?’ So they brought it to him. Then he said: ‘Now leave me alone so that I might pray.’ Then he prayed, and when he finished he picked up the child, sat it upon his knee and asked it: ‘Who is your father?’ The child replied: ‘So and so, the shepherd.’ Then the Children of Israel turned to Juraij, kissed him and touched him saying: ‘We shall rebuild your sanctuary out of gold!’ But he said: ‘Rebuild it from clay just as it was.’ So they did.

The third was a boy who was being suckled by his mother when a man wearing fine clothes rode by on a fast, fine looking horse. The mother supplicated: ‘Allah, make my son like him.’ The infant released his mother's breast, turned and looked at the man and said: ‘Allah, do not let me be like him.’ Then he turned to his mother's breast and resumed the suckling. At this point the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, demonstrated the suckling of the child by putting his forefinger into his mouth and sucking it.

Then he continued: Then some people passed by who were beating a young woman. Those who were beating her said: 'You have committed adultery and theft.' She said repeatedly: 'Sufficient for me is Allah, an Excellent Guardian is He.' The mother supplicated: ‘O Allah, do let my son be like her.’ Thereupon he stopped his suckling, looked at the young woman and said: ‘O Allah, let me be like her.’ Then a dialog between the mother and her son took place. She said to him: ‘When a handsome, well to do man passed by and I supplicated: O Allah, make my son like that one, but you said: 'Allah, do not let me be like him.' Then, when some people passed by beating a young girl saying: 'You have committed adultery and theft, I supplicated: 'O Allah, do not let my son be like her', but you said: 'O Allah, let me be like her.' The boy replied: ‘The man is a tyrant, that is why I said: 'O Allah, do not let me be like him.' As for the girl, they said she had committed adultery but she had not. They also accused her of stealing but she is not a thief so I said: 'O Allah, let me be like her.'"

Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this.