We have already discussed this matter in detail in the Tafsīr (1); it should be copied from there, and whoever wishes to review it may consult it at that point. All praise and favor belong to Allah.

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Abū Bakr ibn Abī al-Dunyā said:

“A man whose name has been lost narrated to us; Ḥajjāj ibn Muḥammad narrated to us; Abū Hilāl Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān narrated to us, from Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Muzanī (2), who said: The disciples lost track of Jesus (3). It was said to them, ‘He has headed toward the sea.’ They set out in search of him, and when they reached the shore they found him walking upon the water, the waves lifting him up at one moment and setting him down the next. He was wearing a cloak, draping half of it over his shoulders and wrapping the other half around his waist, until he came up to them. One of them”—Abū Hilāl remarked, “I think he was among their leading figures”—said, ‘May I come to you, O Prophet of Allah?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ The man placed one foot on the water, but when he tried to put down the other he cried, ‘Ah! I am drowning, O Prophet of Allah!’ Jesus said, ‘Give me your hand, O you of little faith. Had the son of Adam possessed even a grain’s weight of certainty, he would have walked upon the water.’(4)

Abū Saʿīd ibn al-Aʿrābī narrated a similar report, from Ibrāhīm ibn Abī al-Jaḥīm, from Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb, from Abū Hilāl, from Bakr.

Ibn Abī al-Dunyā then said:

“Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Sufyān narrated to us; Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ashʿath narrated to us, from al-Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ, who said: It was asked of Jesus son of Mary, ‘O Jesus, by what do you walk upon the water?’ He answered, ‘By faith and certainty.’ They said, ‘We too have believed as you believed and attained certainty as you attained it.’ He said, ‘Then walk.’ They walked with him amid the waves, but they began to sink. Jesus said, ‘What is the matter with you?’ They answered, ‘We feared the waves.’ He said, ‘Did you not fear the Lord of the waves?’ He then rescued them, struck his hand upon the ground, grasped a handful, and opened it. In one hand was gold, and in the other clay—or pebbles. He asked, ‘Which of these is sweeter to your hearts?’ They replied, ‘This gold.’ He said, ‘To me they are the same.’(6)

Earlier, in the story of John son of Zechariah (7), we cited some of the early predecessors who said that Jesus, peace be upon him, used to wear coarse haircloth and subsist on