Since the Israelites had first gone into exile (722 B.C., see page 58) scattered Israelite communities grew up throughout the Near East. One can assume that Jesus was always able to find refuge among the far-flung Children of Israel, or among sympathisers of the Israelites, on his flight eastwards. In Parthia (today Iraq and Iran) there were major Israelite settlements, according to the Book of Esther. The Israelite leagues were later to bitterly resist the invasion of Traian (c. 115 A.D.). Numerous place names along the old Silk Road point to Jesus or Mary having stopped there. For instance, near Ephesos, on the west coast of what is now Turkey, there is a "House of Mary"; the travellers possibly sojourned there before continuing the voyage eastwards. Several sources indicate that Jesus was also sent further westwards in his mission to instruct related congregations which probably have existed in France and even in England.
There are various documents that refer to Jesus' stay in Persia. Jesus' name, title and occupation vary from country to country and from language to language according to local conditions and traditions. The names of those places where Jesus resided for a longer period were preserved over the years. After all, it seems that more than sixteen years elapsed from Jesus' crucifixion until his arrival in Kashmir with his entourage. By this time, Jesus was known by the name "Yuz Asaf '. The meaning of the name has been passed down to us in the Farbang-Asafia (Volume 1), which relates that Jesus (Hazrat Isa)healed some lepers who were called"Asaf' the purified after being cured of their complaint. "Yuz" means leader, so Yuz Asaf means "leader of the healed", and it became a common appellation for Jesus. In a figurative sense, the name probably alluded to Jesus' mission to purify the world of "impure spirits", and lead all back to the true Faith. Jesus would be able to move with greater safety and escape his persecutors more easily using this new name. After all, the Persian priests probably had not forgotten his earlier debut in their land (see page 18). According to tradition, the prophet entered the land from the west; and the contents of the sermons that Yuz Asaf delivered were no different from those of Jesus Christ. Jesus is said to have resided in Mashag, where he visited the grave of Shem, Noah's son (jami-uf- Tawarik, Volume 11). According to numerous accounts, Yuz Asaf preached all over Persia (Iran), converting a vast number of people to his creed. Details in various accounts (such as Agha Mustafai's Ahwali Ahaliau-i-Paras) confirm that Yuz Asaf and Jesus were one and the same man.
The court-poet of Emperor Akbar of lndia called jesus Ai-KiNam-I to: Yus o Kristo, or "Thou, whose name is Yuz or Christ". Although the Greek name Chrestos was altered in its forms in the various languages of the West, the name Yuz Asaf was preserved in its original form over the centuries. Place names connected with Jesus'presence and influence point on towards Afghanistan and Pakistan. In eastern Afghanistan, near Ghazni and jalalabad, two plains bear the name of the prophet Yuz Asaf. According to tradition, Jesus had actually been here. The Acts of Thomas describe the sojourn of Jesus and Thomas in Taxila (now in Pakistan) at the court of King Gundafor in the twenty-sixth year of his rule (47 A.D.). Thomas is commissioned by the king to build a magnificent palace; but the apostle uses the money for distribution among the needy.
Thomas thanks Jesus for the opportunity to do such good deeds with the following words: ... I thank thee, 0 Lord, in every respect, for dying for a short while (!) in order that I might live in you eternally; and for selling me, in order to emancipate many others through me.' And he did not cease to teach and give peace to the troubled, saying, 'The Lord gives you this and assures everyone of nourishment. For he is the nourisher of the orphans and the provider of the widows, and offers the troubled recovery and peace."' (A. Th. 19)' The king was finally converted and did in the end receive a "Palace in the heavens"! Gundafor and his brother Gad were initiated by Thomas. They were "marked" by the baptism in water, the anointing with oil and the Eucharist, and were taken as sheep into the fold of the Lord. "For we have heard that the God that vou worship recognizes his sheep by their mark." Following the initiation rite, Jesus himself appeared, saying, "Peace be with you, Brothers!"' The text continues, "And after he (Thomas) blessed them, he took bread, oil, vegetables and salt, blessed it, and gave it to them. He himself continued his fast, for the Day of the Lord was approaching with dawn."Apparently, Jesus did not reside continuously at the court of the king; though he returned there regularly. At any rate, he came the following night to Thomas who was expecting him, and said: "Thomas, rise early, bless everyone, and after prayer and service, go two miles along the path eastward, and there I shall show you my glory. For many will seek refuge in me, for the sake of the work for which you are setting off, and you are to expose the nature and power of the enemy."' At the place described by Jesus, the apostle found a lad who appeared to be dead, whom he awakened in the presence of a number of spectators. The comely youth tells Thomas of having seen Jesus. "For I saw that man, as he stood next to you and said to you, 'I have many miracles that I shall demonstrate through you, and have great works that I shall execute through you ...
The next clue on the road eastward is seventy kilometres east of Taxila, in a small town called Mari. In this idyllically situated mountain resort (called Murree in English), on the border to Kashmir, a grave has been maintained and honoured from as far back as anyone can remember, called Mai Mari da Asthan, " The Final Resting Place of Motber Mag".
When Jesus reached this region with his group, his mother must have been over seventy years old, and strained by the long journey. Because there are no traces of Mary's tomb anywhere else in the world (Christian tradition insists that the mother of Jesus reached paradise by the Ascension, paradise also signifying Kashmir, heaven on Earth), it is conceivable that Mary was entombed here. Even if Jesus did not have a particularly intimate relationship with his physical mother outwardly, he would certainly not have left her behind at the mercy of his enemies without any protection. One of the notable features of the grave is its orientation: in contrast to Islamic graves, which point from north to south, Mary's grave points from east to west (in Jewish fashion). It is located on the mountain Pindi Point outside the small town, and is now sealed off by the military because of its proximity to the Kashmirian border. The area around Mari was under Hindu rule at the time of Christ. The Hindus cremated their dead, and scattered the ashes, thus having no need of graves. Therefore the grave can have been neither Hindu nor Islamic. Nonetheless, the monument continues to be honoured as the final resting-place of Jesus' mother by members of the Islamic faith, because Jesus (Issa) is also considered one of the most exalted prophets in the Islamic faith.
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