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/291

 teeth! "

We add the following quotations which set forth the poverty, humility and homelessness of the Christ taken from Al-Ghazali’s " Precious Pearl ": " Consider Jesus Christ, for it is related of him that he owned nothing save one garment of wool which he wore for twenty years and that he took nothing with him on all his wanderings save a cruse and a rosary and a comb. One day he saw a man drink ing from a stream with his hands, so he cast away the cruse and did not use it again. He saw an other man combing his beard with his fingers so he threw away his comb and did not use it again. And Jesus was accustomed to say, * My steed is my legs, and my houses are the caves of the earth, and my food are its vegetables, and my drink is from its rivers, and my dwelling-place among the sons of Adam! In another connection he writes: " It was said to Jesus: If you would take possession of a house and live there it would be better for you/ and he said: Where are the houses of those who lived before us? " (Ihya, Vol. Ill, p. 140.)

A story is related (Vol. IV, p. 326) to show that Christ knew what was in the hearts of men and could change their purposes by prayer to God. In this case He makes an old man cease from his work of cleaning the ground, go to sleep and after wards return to his work.

Another story is as follows: " It is related that Jesus (upon him be peace) in his wanderings