Do not you say, ‘Abraham is khalil Allah (the friend of Allah)?

Do not you say, ‘Abraham is khalil Allah (the friend of Allah)?’ So when you say this why do you reject our saying, ‘Jesus is the son of Allah.’” The Apostle of Allah said, “These are not alike for khalil Allah is taken from khallah or khullah and the meaning of khallah is poverty and neediness. He was a friend of his Lord and needy of Him, chastely, abstemiously and independently separated from all but Him.

Because when they wanted to throw him into the fire and to cast him with a catapult, Allah, the Exalted, raised Gabriel and said to him, ‘Catch My servant!’ Gabriel came to him, met him in the air, and said, ‘Commission me for what happened to you, for Allah the Exalted raised me to help you.’ He said, ‘But Allah is sufficient for me and He is the best Trustee ( wakil ).

I ask no one but Him and there is no need for me unless of Him.’ Then He named him His friend ( khalil ), that means His poor and needy, and who is separated from all but Him. When the meaning of khalil is taken from need ( khullah ) and he is needy ( takhalal ) of Him and knows His secrets that no one else knows, it means that he knows Him and His affairs. And it does not cause the likeness of Allah to him.

Do not you see that if he did not separate from all but Him, he would not have been His friend, and if he did not know His secrets he would not have been His friend. One’s father is he of whom one is born, even if his father slanders him and sends him far away, for the meaning of being born of him remains.

Then if it is necessary for you to compare Jesus with Abraham and say Jesus is His son for He said, ‘Abraham is My friend,’ it is necessary for you to say, ‘Moses is His son,’ For his miracles were no less than the miracles of Jesus.

So you should say ‘Moses is His son too.’ And it is permitted for you to say, ‘He is his shaykh, master, uncle, chief and commander,’ in the meaning that I said it to the Jews.” Then some of the Christians said, “According to the revealed books Jesus said, ‘I go to my father.’” The Apostle of Allah said, “If you do according to that book, you should say, ‘All of the people that He addressed were His sons as Jesus was his son.’ For according to that book, Jesus said, ‘I go to Him who is my father and yours.’ Then something that is in that book makes invalid what you think, that only Jesus is His son because he was so distinguished.