Translator’s Foreword

Supplement to the Translated Commentator’s Foreward

This book, The Thirteenth Disciple, is a translation of the original Arabic book titled Al-Hawwari al-Thalith Ashar, written by Imam Ahmed al-Hasan℗ and released in 2012. Al-Hawwari, translated as “disciple”, literally means one who is spoken to in particular, and “the thirteenth” is the position promised Judah by Jesus℗ in the recently discovered Gospel of Judas, or more accurately the Gospel of Judah. Judas (Greek: Ιούδας) is the anglicized Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Yehudah (Hebrew: ‫)הָדּוהְי‬, whereas Judah is the anglicized rendering of the Hebrew. Although the name is common throughout the Old and New Testaments, it never appears in the form of Judas in the Old Testament English translations as that pronunciation and spelling derive from Greek, the language of the New Testament. In the New Testament the same name is variously translated as Judah, Judas or Jude. The language of the Gospel of Judah is Coptic, which is written using an adapted Greek alphabet, and with this Greek connection as well as explicit mentioning of Judas Iscariot in the Gospel of Judah, it is not surprising that each Judah is translated as Judas. But this matter of Judah, Judas and Jude presents a unique problem in English that is not present in Arabic, as the name is simply Yehutha in the Arabic Bible, the Arabic translation of the Gospel of Judah and the Arabic The Thirteenth Disciple. Although not every Judas in the gospels is Judas Iscariot, this English custom of presenting the same name in different forms has profound implications as each different version of the name heavily implies one personality over another. For example, an English reader would not usually consider that the name Judas in a document could be referring to the son of the prophet Jacob℗ nor that Jude or Judah could be referring to Judas Iscariot. Thus each mention of Judah, Judas or Jude in any document, devoid of context or Iscariot,

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cannot be safely assumed to refer only to Judas Iscariot. The Gospel of Judah has baffled scholars, Christian and secular alike, since its discovery and the release of its translation. The assumption that every reference to Judah is a reference to Judas Iscariot has understandably resulted in shock and confusion that a gospel named after the betrayer of Christ, as they understand it, would be written by early Christians and circulated. The crucial question in understanding this nearly forgotten gospel and properly translating its title into English is not why would Jesus praise Judas Iscariot, but rather, who is the Judah spoken to in particular? Dear reader, what you hold between your hands is unlike anything published in modern time, for it is not the product of opinion, but is instead the truth of the unseen restricted to Almighty God and taught to His chosen messengers, peace be upon them all. The author of this book is the first of the twelve Mahdis, Imam Ahmed al-Hasan℗, the direct descendant of the Messenger Muhammad℗, as explained in the Commentator’s Foreward by the pure sheikh Alaa al-Salim, and this book is a proof from the proofs of Almighty God to prove the authority, authenticity, and legitimacy of His messengers℗, as it is knowledge of the unseen which He gives only to whom He chooses. The relevance of the Gospel of Judah is in its connection to the crucifixion which Christians, Muslims and Jews acknowledge, yet differ over. The difference lies in the perceived status or identity of the one crucified as, for the most part, the Jews deny that Jesus is the Christ, and Christians believe Christ was crucified, and Muslims believe another was crucified in Christ's place, but the true details of the event as well as its significance in these times has eluded them all. And this pivotal event from which inescapable confusion has arisen is as intended by Almighty God, so that only His true messenger℗ who is given understanding of the unseen by Him can explain that which no one else has been able to, to prove his legitimacy and to prepare the people for the Savior of Mankind promised in the End Times, the Riser and Unifier of Religions. This book contains nine chapters in question and answer form concerning the crucifixion and the prophecies of the promised Savior. It

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contains sincere advice to all Christians, those who wish to avoid the evil consequence, regarding Islam, the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad℗ and the infallible Imams from his progeny℗, proven from the divine texts using the standard given by Jesus Christ℗ to know the truth. This book contains a clear answer to the most common criticisms of Islam, violence and women’s rights, and it contains an absolute rejection of the satanic criminals who claim that their evil works are done in the name of Islam and following the way of Muhammad℗. All of these matters are scrutinized, explained and proven using not just the Old and New Testaments, but also using apparently unreconcilable sources such as the Gospel of Judah, the Quran, Sunni narrations from Companions, Shia narrations from the purified progeny of Muhammad℗, and the collections of the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad℗. And has anything like this ever been attempted, let alone accomplished, without raising more questions for the reader than providing answers? Above all, this book stands as a challenge added to the mountain of challenges issued by Imam Ahmed al-Hasan℗ to the scholars of all three divine religions to refute his proofs and explanations if they can, which they have not and cannot. And to anyone who rejects this book saying it is unbelievable, then does he have an alternate explanation also supported by the divine texts, reasoning and wisdom?

English Translation Committee of Ansar Imam al-Mahdi℗