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Nabi - Page 2

© Virginia Marin

Neither were legends associated with the Biblical prophets, as with Mohammed, since Biblical events are not considered by Christians or Hebrews to have been legends, but actual happenings.

The following are but a few mirabile dictu Biblical events in the lives of prophets. Can they be attributed to fact or legend? Jonah swallowed by a great whale and regurgitated from its bowels on the third day; Jesus walking on the water and stilling the storm; Elijah's miraculous transportation to Heaven in a chariot of fire; Moses parting the Red Sea; Daniel's protection in and eviction from the lion's den and furnace of fire; and the story of Adam, Eve, the apple, and that old serpent dragon, the Devil. Fact, folklore, mirage, or miracle?

Mohammed's life, on the other hand, is strewn with exciting lore. Legend holds that his coffin was suspended in mid-air at Medina without any support, while another tells how he fed his favorite dove with wheat which he pulled out of his ear.

One of the best know legends surrounding THE PROPHET has to do with the Legend of the Moon:

Now, Habib the Wise asked Mohammed to prove his mission by cleaving the Moon in two. Mohammed raised his hands towards heaven and commanded the moon to do Habib's bidding. Accordingly, it descended to the top of the Kaaba, (the ancient stone building said to have been first built by the Islamic prophet Ishmael and Abraham and incorporated in the center of the Great Mosque at Mecca. It forms a rough square and is about 40 feet high. Its eastern corner contains the famous Black Stone). It then made seven circuits, and coming to the prophet, entered his right sleeve and came out of the left. Subsequently, it entered the collar of his robe, descended to the skirt, and clove itself into two plaits, one of which appeared in the east and west skies. The two parts untimately reunited.

Another tale concerns a stepping-stone, so named because Mohammed placed his foot upon it as he mounted Al Borak on his ascent to heaven. It rose as the beast rose, but Mohammed, putting his hand upon it, forbade it to follow him, whereupon it remained suspended in mid-air, where the True Believer, if he has faith enough, may still behold it.

The animals admitted to THE PROPHET'S Paradise are of interest, and each has its own legend:

Kratim, the dog, which accompanied the Seven Sleepers--

prophet 2

prophet book

prophet 1

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