Matthew

Isa went out on the same day and sat at the lake shore.

Great multitudes crowded around him, so he got in a boat and sat down in it. The crowds were standing on the shore.

He started speaking to them in stories about many things: "Listen: A farmer went out to sow.

As he was sowing, some seeds fell beside the road. The birds flew down to the seeds and ate them.

Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground with shallow soil. They sprouted immediately, because the soil had no depth.

But when the sun rose, they were burned and dried up, because they had no root.

Some of the seeds fell among weeds, which sprouted and choked them.

Some of the seeds fell on fertile soil, and the seed produced one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was sown.

Whoever has ears should listen."

Then his followers came to him and asked him, "Why do you talk to them with stories?"

He answered them, "Allah has given knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to you. But he has not given it to them.

More will be given to the one who has. But for those who do not have, even what they do have will be taken away.

So I speak to them with stories, because they look and do not see. They hear but do not pay attention or understand.

What Allah revealed in the scroll of Isaiah is fulfilled in them: 'You will hear but not understand. You will look carefully but not see.

The hearts of this people have become hard. Their ears have become deaf. They have covered their eyes. Otherwise, they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn. Then I would heal them.'

But your seeing eyes and listening ears have a baraka.

I tell you a true saying. Many anbiya and righteous people wanted to see what you see, but they did not see it. They wanted to hear what you hear, but they did not hear it.

Listen to the meaning of the story of the farmer.

Suppose someone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it. The evil, cursed one will come and snatch the word sown in his heart. This is the meaning of the seeds sown beside the road.

The seeds that are sown on the rocky ground are people who hear the word and receive it immediately with joy.

But they have no root in themselves. They remain for a time, but as soon as hardship or persecution because of the word touches them, they turn back immediately.

The seeds sown among the weeds are the people who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitful love of riches choke the word, and they produce no fruit.

The seeds sown in the fertile soil are people who hear the word and understand it. Those seeds produce one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was sown."

Then Isa told them another story, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field.

Then his enemy came at night, when everyone was sleeping. He sowed weeds among the wheat and left.

When the seeds grew and the heads of grain appeared, the weeds grew up also.

The slaves went to the owner of the field and asked him: 'Master, did you not sow good seed? Where did these weeds come from?

He told them: 'This is the work of an enemy.' They asked him: 'Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?'

He said: 'No. If you gather the weeds now, you might pull up the wheat also.

Let the wheat and the weeds grow together. When harvest day comes, I will tell the harvesters: 'Gather the weeds in bundles for the fire. But gather the wheat and put it in my storehouse.'"

He told them another story, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. A man took it and sowed it in his field.

It is the smallest seed. Nevertheless, when it grows, it is taller than all plants. It becomes a tree that the birds of the sky make their nests in."

He told them another story, "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast. A woman took it and hid it in three measures of dough, until all the dough was yeasted."

Isa spoke to the multitudes with stories about all these matters. He only spoke to them with stories.

This was to fulfill the saying of Allah by the tongue of the nabi: "I will open my mouth with stories and speak secrets hidden since the universe was created."

Then he sent the crowds away and went in to the house. His hawariyun came to him and said, "Explain the story of the weeds of the field to us."

He said, "The one who sows the good seeds is Sayyid Al-Bashar.

The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the ones who cause corruption in the earth, the sons of the evil, cursed one.

The enemy who sowed the weeds is Iblis. The day of harvest is Yawm Al-Din. The harvesters are angels.

The weeds are gathered at the harvest and burned in the fire, and that is the way it will be on Yawm Al-Din.

Sayyid Al-Bashar will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all the sinful people who cause destruction.

They will throw them in the furnace of fire, where people will cry and grind their teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Malik Al-Rahman. Whoever has ears should listen.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. A man found it by chance and covered it again. He was so happy that he sold everything he had and bought that field.

The kingdom of heaven is like a trader searching for valuable pearls.

When he found a pearl of incredible value, he sold everything he had and bought it.

The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the lake. All kinds of fish were caught in it.

When it was full, they pulled it to the shore. Then they sat and chose the good fish and kept them. They threw the bad fish away.

This is what will happen on Yawm Al-Din. The angels will come and take the bad people from among the good people.

They will throw them in the furnace of fire, where there will be crying and grinding teeth.

Have you understood all this?" They said, "Yes."

He said, "Every faqih who seeks the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out treasures containing new and old things from his storehouses."

After Isa had finished telling stories, he left that place.

When he returned to his hometown, he started teaching people in the house of salat. They were amazed and asked each other, "Where did he get this wisdom and these works of power?

Is he not the son of the carpenter? Is the name of his mother not Mariam? Are his brothers not Yacoub, Yusif, Simon, and Yahuda?

Are all of his sisters not with us? From where did he get all this?"

So they doubted him. Isa told them, "A nabi has no honor in his hometown and among his household."

He did not do many works of power there because of their kufr in him.