Ibrahim al-Tabarani was a Palestinian monk who died around the year 820 AD. He introduces himself by saying: “I am Abdullah, from the family of Adam, from the people of Qahtan, from Tiberias of the Levant, and my shelter is huts (a town near the city of Baniyas, north of Lake Tiberias), the source of knowledge and news.” He was famous for having argued with Prince Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Saleh al-Hashimi, the “owner” (governor) of Damascus and Palestine, during the days of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. This debate took place in the presence of Jewish, Christian and Islamic figures. It is clear from Al-Tabarani’s statements that he was Orthodox in doctrine, following the Chalcedonian doctrine.
The debate addresses many issues and answers to various questions, including: the issue of true religion, the divinity of Christ and his humanity, is Christ created or not created?, the validity of the Gospel, the incarnation and the Holy Trinity, the cross, the superiority of Christ over any other prophet or messenger, the promise of the second coming and resurrection. the public. The debate ends with the return of the servants of “the prince who were Christians and converted to Islam” to the Christian faith, recognizing “Christ that he is the eternal, living Son of God.” The prince ordered them to be beheaded “because of their apostasy,” according to his opinion, and ordered the monk to be put in prison.
Ibrahim Al-Tabarani was not afraid when the prince asked him: “Which religions are the best and best, and which nations are more honorable to God?” One of the answers is that the true religion and the virtuous religion before God is “the religion of Christ and the Christian nation.” This is because God made Christianity the religion “which He chose for His glory, with which His angels rejoiced, with which He was pleased with His servants, which He singled out for His saints and those who obey Him, and which His prophets announced, (...) and to which He led peoples and nations without sword, oppression, or concealing falsehood, and purified its obligations from impurity, and adorned it with virtues.” All of them, and He made it knowledge, security, guidance, and light for the servants in all countries.” He goes on to describe Christians as the people of “the virtuous nation who are addicted to fasting, perform prayers, abound in alms, and recite verses of truth day and night. They sacrifice themselves and their wealth, enduring severe oppression and shedding their blood in various types of torment, out of protection for their master and love for him.”
As for the motive for the Son of God to become man and take on the body of the virgin, the Mother of God, Ibrahim al-Tabarani says: “When God (glory be His name) saw that the hearts of the people had become corrupt, and their consciences were increasing in evil and persistence in going against the truth, and they had long turned away from what He had called them to of believing in Him, God appeared. The Eternal in human clothing. So He guided the servants with His wisdom, grace, and mercy, and saved them from the misguidance and disbelief that they had fallen into by worshiping Satan, and guided them to the truth.” Al-Tabarani corrects what Muslims believe that Christians only glorify Christ because he revived the dead. He says: “We do not consider Christ a god because he only revived the dead.” But because He revealed the signs with an effective command from Him, there is no need for request or supplication, like the prophets. He would show these signs if he wanted to: either a dead person would be revived, a blind person would be opened, or a sick person would be healed, and thousands of hungry people would be satisfied with a little bread. All of this with a power present in Him.” Then the monk affirms the belief in the Holy Trinity, saying that “God, who is infinite, gave birth to the Son who has no beginning, and revealed the spirit without separation or limit, eternal from eternity, creator from without being created, incarnate from without having a body.” In another place in the text of the argument, Al-Tabarani declares that Christ “is by the essence of his father, the Creator, and by the essence of his mother, he was born of a created being.”
Ibrahim al-Tabarani does not reconcile with his interlocutor, the prince, who provoked him by telling him that Muhammad is dearer and more honorable to God than Christ, Adam, and all his descendants. Al-Tabarani responds to him after taking the security and covenant from the prince, saying: “And know that Christ is in the highest heaven, and Muhammad and all the prophets are below the earth, and that heaven is God’s seat and throne, and that Christ is seated on the throne of glory at the right hand of the Father above the angels and servants. How can someone who is under the earth be more honorable to God than someone who is in heaven on the throne of glory? In response to a question about Muhammad, the monk testified with complete frankness, saying: “I do not acknowledge that your prophet is a prophet. He is nothing but a king whom God was pleased with, and through whom Abraham’s promise to Ishmael was fulfilled. Because from John, son of Zechariah, prophecy and revelation rose.”
Then the two debaters address the most important issue in the Islamic-Christian dispute, the cross and its honor among Christians. Al-Tabarani specifies the Christian teaching regarding this subject, saying: “No, by my life, we do not worship the cross. No one should blame Christians for their love of the cross, because countless things were revealed to them from it. This is because it is the banner of victory and salvation from misguidance.”
Ibrahim al-Tabarani affirms the monotheistic faith of Christians, removing the accusation of polytheism from them. He says: “We are not polytheists, but we share, by the grace of God, this human being chosen from our essence, through whom God made us know three persons, good and evil, and resurrection and resurrection.” He adds regarding the issue of the Resurrection, saying: “We are concerned with the matter of the Resurrection and the resurrection based on the truth and certainty, because Christ came and said: O people, the Resurrection will take place through us, and God will resurrect from the graves.” So he died and was buried, and rose and was resurrected alive, and ascended into heaven and will come again.” Al-Tabarani believes that this certainty does not exist in Judaism or Islam, because the Prophet Moses and the Prophet Muhammad died and were not resurrected.
The monk Ibrahim al-Tabarani is a true witness to Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer. There are many witnesses like him in our Arab world, from the emergence of Islam until today. Otherwise, Christianity would have become extinct from our dear East. Thanks to these people, Christ is still alive in our homes, churches, and homes.
About my parish bulletin
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Issue 50
