Al-Tawba - Ibn Abi al-Dunya - (109)

132 – Abū Isḥāq al-Ādamī narrated to us; Zayd ibn ʿAwf relayed it; Ḥammād ibn Salama, from Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, from Shahr ibn Ḥawshab, said:

While Jesus, son of Mary—peace be upon him—was sitting with the disciples, a bird appeared whose two wings were set with pearls and rubies, more splendid than any bird they had ever seen. It began to hop about in front of them. Jesus said, “Leave it; do not scare it away, for it has been sent to you as a sign.”

The bird then shed its plumage and became bald and red, the ugliest of birds. It went to a pool, rolled in its mud, and came out black. Then it faced a running stream, bathed, returned to its discarded plumage, put it back on, and its former beauty and grace were restored.

Jesus said, “It has been sent to teach you this lesson: when a believer soils himself with sins and misdeeds, his beauty and radiance are stripped away; but when he repents to Allah, his beauty and grace return to him.”

١٣٢ - حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الْآدَمِيُّ، ثنا زَيْدُ بْنُ عَوْفٍ، ثنا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ أَبِي هِنْدَ، عَنْ شَهْرِ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ، قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ ﵇ جَالِسٌ مَعَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ إِذْ جَاءَ طَائِرٌ مَنْظُومُ الْجَنَاحَيْنِ بِاللُّؤْلُؤِ وَالْيَاقُوتِ كَأَحْسَنِ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الطَّيْرِ، فَجَعَلَ يَدْرُجُ مِنْ أَيْدِيهِمْ، فَقَالَ عِيسَى: دَعُوهُ لَا تُنَفِّرُوهُ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا بُعِثَ لَكُمْ آيَةً، فَخَلَعَ مِسْلَاخَهُ فَخَرَجَ أَقْرَعَ أَحْمَرَ، كَأَقْبَحِ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَأَتَى بِرْكَةً فَتَلَوَّثَ فِي حِمَاتِهَا، فَخَرَجَ أَسْوَدَ فَجَاءَ فَاسْتَقْبَلَ جِرْيَةَ الْمَاءِ فَاغْتَسَلَ، ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَى مِسْلَاخِهِ فَلَبِسَهُ فَعَادَ إِلَيْهِ حُسْنُهُ وَجَمَالُهُ، فَقَالَ عِيسَى: إِنَّمَا بُعِثَ لَكُمْ أَنَّهُ، إِنَّ مَثَلَ هَذَا الْمُؤْمِنُ إِذَا تَلَوَّثَ فِي الذُّنُوبِ وَالْخَطَايَا نُزِعَ مِنْهُ حُسْنُهُ وَجَمَالُهُ، فَإِذَا تَابَ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَادَ إِلَيْهِ حُسْنُهُ وَجَمَالُهُ "