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Once there was a Christian delegation of Najrān that arrived in Madinah Shareef in the blessed court of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Their leaders Āqib and Abdul Masīh said to Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), “You think that Īsa (Alaihis Salaam) is the servant of Allah?” Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied, “Yes, he is the servant of Allah Ta’ala, His Messenger and His Words, which were addressed to the pure virgin Mariam (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha).” They became angry and asked, “O Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)! Have you ever seen any person who was born without a father?” They implied that Hazrat Īsa (Alaihis Salaam) being born in this manner was proof of him being the son of God, Allah forbid! At that moment Sayyiduna Jibreel (Alaihis Salaam) descended with the following verses of the Holy Qurān:
اِنَّ مَثَلَ عِیْسٰی عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ اٰدَمَ ؕ خَلَقَهٗ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهٗ كُنْ فَیَكُوْنُ ؕ اَلْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُنْ مِّنَ الْمُمْتَرِیْنَ ؕ
The example of Īsa before Allah is like that of Ādam; He created him (Ādam) from clay and then said, “Be”, and he immediately becomes. O listener! This is the Truth from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt. {Holy Qurān 3:59-60}
It was shown in the above-mentioned verses that the birth of Sayyiduna Ādam (Alaihis Salaam) was even more astonishing and unique than the birth of Sayyiduna Īsa (Alaihis Salaam) in that he was created without both a mother and father, from dry clay. When they do not take Sayyiduna Ādam (Alaihis Salaam) as the son of God and believe him to be the servant of God, how can it be astonishing to believe that Sayyiduna Īsa (Alaihis Salaam) is the servant of God! {Tafseer-e-Khāzin}
Allah Ta’ala further stated:
فَمَنْ حَآجَّكَ فِیْهِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ اَبْنَآءَنَا وَ اَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَ نِسَآءَنَا وَ نِسَآءَكُمْ وَ اَنْفُسَنَا وَ اَنْفُسَكُمْ ۫ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَّعْنَتَ اللّٰهِ عَلَی الْكٰذِبِیْنَ ؕ
Therefore say (O Beloved Prophet) to those who dispute with you concerning Īsa, after knowledge has come to you, “Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then do Mubāhalah, thereby invoking the curse of Allah upon the liars!” {Holy Qurān 3:61}
When Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) read this verse to the Christian delegation and invited them to a Mubāhalah (a supplication involving the opponents invoking curses upon each other such that the one who is a liar will be destroyed), they asked for three days to think about the invitation. In another narration it is stated that they asked for time till the following day.
They gathered by themselves to discuss the matter and also called people of the Banu Nadīr and Banu Qurayza. Āqib asked Abdul Masīh what his opinion was on this matter. He replied, “O Christians! You have recognised that Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is the true Messenger. If you engage in Mubāhalah with him then all of you will be destroyed. If you want your religion to continue, then do not engage in Mubāhalah and return home. This is the same Messenger who has been mentioned in the Torah.”
After this discussion, they arrived on the appointed day in the attendance of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), and they noticed that in the blessed lap of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was Hazrat Imām Husain, in his blessed hand was the hand of Hazrat Imām Hasan, and behind him were Sayyidah Fātimah Zahra and Sayyiduna Maula Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhum). Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) addressed these holy personalities and said, “When I make Dua then all of you must say Āmeen.” The leader of the Christian delegation said to his people, “O Christians! I am seeing such faces that if these people had to make Dua to Allah to move the mountain, then Allah will move the mountain from its place. Do not engage in Mubāhalah with them otherwise you will be destroyed and till the Day of Judgement there will be no Christians left on the face of the earth.” Hearing this, the Christians declined the invitation of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and agreed to pay the Jizya tax. Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) thereafter stated, “By the One in Whose Hand of Power is my life! Punishment was very near for the people of Najrān. If they had engaged in Mubāhalah they would have been transformed into monkeys and pigs, their forest would have become ablaze with fire, Najrān and its people would have become totally ruined and within a year all Christians on the face of the earth would have been destroyed.” {Tafseer Khazāin-ul-Irfān; Tafseer Naeemi}
SubhānAllah! Such was the Noor on the blessed faces of these five holy personalities (known as the Panj-Tan-Paak) that even the leader of the Christian delegation realised just by looking at their blessed faces that the Christians would be defeated.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us true love and honour for the Ahle Bayt and the courage to stay away from those who hold animosity towards them, Allahumma Āmeen.