Page:A Moslem seeker after God - showing Islam at its best in the life and teaching of al-Ghazali, mystic and theologian of the eleventh century (IA moslemseekeraft00zwem).pdf/285



strange Moslem theory that there have been no less than 124,000 prophets since the world began. In his book "Al-Iqtasad " he devotes a long argu ment to prove to the Jews that Jesus was indeed a prophet, basing it upon his teaching and miracles (pp. 83-86). In his Jazvahir ul-Koran he even classes Mary the Virgin with the prophets and gives the list of these worthies in the following curious order: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Zachariah, John, Jesus, Mary, David, Solo mon, Joshua, Lot, Idris, Khudra, Shu aib, Elijah, and Mohammed!

Regarding the fasting of our Lord, Al-Ghazali says: " It is related that Jesus (on him be peace) remained for sixty days without eating, engaged in prayer; then he began to think of bread and behold a loaf of bread appeared between his hands; then he sat weeping because he had forgotten his prayers. And behold an old man came to him and Jesus said: God bless you, O servant of God. Call upon God Most High, for I too was in a sad condition and I thought of bread until my prayer departed/ Then the old man prayed: O God, if thou knowest any occasion when the thought of bread entered my head when I was praying do not forgive me! Then he said to Jesus: When anything is brought to me to eat I eat it without even thinking what it is. " (Vol. Ill, p. 61.) The following story seems to be based on the in junction of the Gospel " to pluck out the eye " that