Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends
But Adam was hungry, and he said, “Let me eat now,” and the angel stayed
him, and answered, “Tarry till the bread be cold and stale,” but he
would not, but ate. Therefore he suffered from pain in his belly. Next,
Gabriel by the command of Allah brought out of Eden the ox and fruit; of
these latter there were ten kinds whose exterior was edible, but whose
insides were useless to eat, such as the apricot, the peach, and the
date. And there were three that could not be eaten anyhow. Then he
brought ten more whose insides and outsides might be eaten, such as the
grape, the fig, and the apple. Said Gabriel to Adam, “Sow these,” and he
sowed them. These are the trees that the angel brought out of Paradise.
Now Adam was all alone on the peak in the midst of Ceylon, and his head
was in the first heaven. The sun burnt him, so that all his hair fell
off; and God, in compassion, bade Gabriel pass his wing over Adam’s
head, and Adam thereupon shrank to the height of sixty cubits. And then
he could no longer hear the voices of the angels in heaven, and he was
sore distressed.
Then God said to him, “I have made this world thy prison, but I send to
thee out of heaven a house of rubies, in order that thou mayest enter in
and walk round it, and therein find repose for thy heart.”
Thereupon out of heaven descended “the visited house,” and it was placed
where now stands the temple of Mecca. The black stone which is there was
originally white and shining. It was placed in the ruby house. Whosoever
looked in that direction from ten parasangs off, could see the light of
that house shining like a fire up to the heaven, and in the midst of
that red light shone the white stone like a star.
Afterwards, Gabriel conducted Adam to that house that he might go in
procession round it. All the places where his foot was planted became
verdant oases, with rivers of water and many flowers and trees, but all
the tract between was barren.
Gabriel taught Adam how to make the pilgrimage; and if anyone now goes
there without knowing the ceremonies, he needs a guide.
Then Adam met with Eve again, and they rejoiced together; and she went
back with him to Ceylon. Now at that time there was in the world no
other pair than Adam and Eve, and no other house than the mansion of
rubies.
Now Eblis had made his prayer to Allah that he might be allowed to live
till Israfiel should sound the last trumpet. And he asked this, because
those who are alive when that trumpet sounds, shall not die any more,
for Death will be brought in, in the shape of a sheep, and will be
slaughtered; and when Death is slaughtered, no one will be able to die.
And God said, “I give thee the time till all creatures must die.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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