Editing Jesus in Islam (section)

== Childhood ==
{{Main|Finding in the Temple}}
{{See also|Flight into Egypt|Infancy Gospel of Thomas}}

The Quran does not include the tradition of the [[Flight into Egypt]], though {{transliteration|ar|[[sūrah]]}} 23:50 could conceivably allude to it: "And we made the son of Maryam and his mother a sign; and we made them abide in an elevated place, full of quiet and watered with springs."<ref>A. J. Wensinck and Penelope C. Johnstone, "Maryam", in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition'', ed. by P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W. P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 30 September 2018. {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0692}}, {{ISBN|9789004161214}}.</ref> However, narratives similar to the narrative found in the Gospels and non-canonical sources circulated in later Islamic tradition, with some details and elaborations added over the centuries by Islamic writers and historians. Some narratives have Jesus and family staying [[Flight into Egypt|in Egypt]] up to 12 years.<ref name="Leirvik 2010, p. 59-60">{{harvnb|Leirvik|2010|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IEUdCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA59 59–60]}}.</ref> Many moral stories and miraculous events of Jesus' youth are mentioned in {{transliteration|ar|[[Qisas al-anbiya]]}} ('Stories of the Prophets'), books composed over the centuries about [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic]] prophets and heroes.{{sfn|Leirvik|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=IEUdCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA58 58]}}

Al-Masudi wrote that Jesus as a boy studied the Jewish religion reading from the [[Zabur|Psalms]] and found "traced in characters of light":

{{blockquote|You are my son and my beloved; I have chosen you for myself}}

with Jesus then claiming:

{{blockquote|Today the word of God is fulfilled in the son of man.{{sfn|Watt|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_qxlAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 46]}}}}

=== In Egypt ===
{{See also|Infancy Gospel of Thomas}}

Several narratives show some disparity and similarity in Islamic writings about Jesus' early childhood, specifically his time in Egypt with regard to duration and events. Most of the narratives are found in non-canonical Christian sources like, for example, the pre-Islamic Gospel of Thomas. One such disparity is from al-Athir in his ''The Perfection of History'' which contains a birth narrative stating Jesus was born in Egypt instead of Bethlehem.{{Sfn|Watt|1991|pp=48–49}}

Some other narratives of Jesus' childhood are popular Middle Eastern lore as highlighted by professor of interfaith studies [[Mahmoud M. Ayoub]].{{sfn|Ayoub|1992|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XCZaP4JLeKkC&pg=PA145 145]}} Many miracles are attributed to a young Jesus while in Egypt<ref name="Leirvik 2010, p. 59-60"/> (see the sections [[#Miracles|Miracles]] and [[#Other miracles|Other miracles]]).