I asked Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.): Why were the disciples (of Jesus) called the Hawariyoon? He (a.s.) said, ‘They were called the Hawariyoon by the people since they used to wash clothes. They cleansed the filth and dirt from clothes. Another reason is that the word Hawariyoon is derived from the word Hawar (bread) that is a form of bread made with sieved flour. We call them this because they cleansed themselves and others by means of the advice they gave.’ Ali ibn Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Fadhdhal asked, ‘Why were the Christians called the Nasara. The Imam (a.s.) said, ‘Since they came from a town called Nasereh that was one of the towns in Syria. After Mary (a.s.) and Jesus (a.s.) returned from Egypt, they settled down there.’”