the pig, break the cross, and abolish the jizya tax” (1). He also instructed his community that “whoever from among them meets him should convey my greetings to him” (2). In another hadith he said, “How could a nation be destroyed when I am at its beginning and Jesus is at its end?” (3)

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The Torah text already cited states: “The LORD came from Mount Sinai, shone forth from Seir, and appeared in glory from the mountains of Paran” (4). The scholars of Islam—these are the very words of Abū Muḥammad Ibn Qutaybah (5)—maintain that this contains nothing obscure for anyone who reflects upon it. “His coming from Sinai” clearly refers to His sending down the Torah to Moses from Mount Sinai, just as both the People of the Book and we ourselves affirm. In the same way, “His shining forth from Seir” must signify His revealing the Gospel to the Messiah, for the Messiah was from Seir, in the land of the Friend (Abraham), from a village called Nazareth; and from that name those who followed him were called “Nazarenes” (6).