Jesus (a.s.) & the Dyer

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Shaykh Farid ad-Din ‘Aththar Abu Hamid ibn Abu Bakr Ibrahim (q.s.) said, “When Mary had taken Jesus from school, she handed him over to various trades, and the last to which she entrusted him was to the dyers.  She handed him over to their chief that he might learn from him.  Now, the man had various clothes with him and he had to go on a journey, so he said to Jesus, ‘You have learned this trade and I am going on a journey from which I shall not return for ten days.  These clothes are of different colours and I have marked every one of them with the colour with which it is to be dyed.  So, I want you to be finished with them when I return.’  Then he left. 

Jesus prepared one receptacle with one colour and put all the clothes in it and said to them, ‘Be, by Allah’s (s.w.t.) Permission, according to what is expected of you.’ 

Then a dyer came and saw all the clothes were in one receptacle.  He said, ‘O Jesus, what have you done?’ 

He replied, ‘I have finished dyeing them.’ 

The dyer asked, ‘Where are they?’ 

He replied, ‘In the receptacle.’ 

The dyer asked, ‘All of them?’ 

He replied, ‘Yes.’ 

The dyer exclaimed, ‘Why are they all in one receptacle?  You have spoiled those clothes.’ 

Jesus replied, ‘Rise and look.’  So, he arose and Jesus took out a yellow garment and a green garment and a red garment until he had taken them out according to the colours which were desired.  Then the dyer began to wonder, and he knew that that was from Allah (s.w.t.). 

Then the dyer said to the people, ‘Come and look at what Jesus has done.’  So, his companions and he became disciples; they believed on him; and Allah (s.w.t.) Knows best.” 

This story is apocryphal.  According to the Gospels, Jesus (a.s.) was a carpenter, and none of the twelve apostles were dyers.