Salim Syed
Islamic Perspective
It is related that Jesus, peace be upon him, one day passed by a hill in which he saw a cave. He drew near it and found in it a devotee whose back was bent, whose body was wasted, and in whom austerity had reached it's utmost limits. Jesus greeted him and wondered at the evidences of his devotion which he saw.
So Jesus said to him, 'How long have you been in this place ?' He replied , 'For seventy years I have been asking Him for one thing which He has not granted me yet. Perhaps you, O Spirit of God, may intercede for me concerning it; then possibly it may be granted'.
Jesus said: 'What is your requirement ? ' He replied, 'I asked Him to let me taste the amount of one atom of His pure love'. Jesus said to him, 'I shall pray to God for you about that.'
So he prayed for him that night, and God, Exalted and Mighty is He, revealed to him, 'I have accepted your intercession and granted your request'.
Jesus, peace be upon him, returned to him to the place after some days to see what the condition of the devotee was, and saw the cave had fallen in and a great fissure had appeared in the ground below it. Jesus, peace be upon him, went down into that fissure and went some leagues in it and saw the devotee in a cave under that hill, standing with his eyes staring and his mouth open. The Jesus, peace be upon him, greeted him, but he did not answer.
While Jesus was wondering at his condition a voice said to him, 'O Jesus, he asked Us for something like an atom of Our pure love, and We knew that he was not able for that, so We gave him a seventieth part of an atom, and he is bewildered in it thus; so what would it have been like if We had given him more than that ?'
Just thought I would share that with you ...
So Jesus said to him, 'How long have you been in this place ?' He replied , 'For seventy years I have been asking Him for one thing which He has not granted me yet. Perhaps you, O Spirit of God, may intercede for me concerning it; then possibly it may be granted'.
Jesus said: 'What is your requirement ? ' He replied, 'I asked Him to let me taste the amount of one atom of His pure love'. Jesus said to him, 'I shall pray to God for you about that.'
So he prayed for him that night, and God, Exalted and Mighty is He, revealed to him, 'I have accepted your intercession and granted your request'.
Jesus, peace be upon him, returned to him to the place after some days to see what the condition of the devotee was, and saw the cave had fallen in and a great fissure had appeared in the ground below it. Jesus, peace be upon him, went down into that fissure and went some leagues in it and saw the devotee in a cave under that hill, standing with his eyes staring and his mouth open. The Jesus, peace be upon him, greeted him, but he did not answer.
While Jesus was wondering at his condition a voice said to him, 'O Jesus, he asked Us for something like an atom of Our pure love, and We knew that he was not able for that, so We gave him a seventieth part of an atom, and he is bewildered in it thus; so what would it have been like if We had given him more than that ?'
Just thought I would share that with you ...