… Imam Al-Ridha turned to the High Rabbi and suggested, “Do you want me to ask you? Or do you prefer that you ask me?”

… فَالْتَفَتَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ إِلَى رَأْسِ الْجَالُوتِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: تَسْأَلُنِي أوْ أسْأَلُكَ؟

The High Rabbi said, “I will ask you. But I will not accept any proofs from you except those quoted from the Torah, the Bible, the Psalms of David, or the Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”

فَقَالَ: بَلْ أسْأَلُكَ، وَلَسْتُ أقْبَلُ مِنْكَ حُجَّةً إلاّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ أوْ مِنَ الإنْجِيلِ أوْ مِنْ زَبُورِ دَاوُودَ أوْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ إبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى

Imam Al-Ridha, agreeing, said, “Do not accept any of my proofs unless they are proven to be quoted from the Torah as expressed by Moses the son of Amram, the Bible as expressed by Jesus Christ the son of Mary, or the Psalms as expressed by David.”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: لاَ تَقْبَلْ مِنّي حُجَّةً إلاّ بِمَا تَنْطِقُ بِهِ التَّوْرَاةُ عَلَى لِسَانِ مُوسَى بْنِ عِمْرَانَ، وَالإنْجِيلُ عَلَى لِسَانِ عِيسَى بْنِ مَرْيَمَ، وَالزَّبُورُ عَلَى لِسَانِ دَاوُودَ

The High Rabbi said, “How can you prove true Muhammad’s prophethood?”

فَقَالَ رَأسُ الجَالُوتِ: مِنْ أيْنَ تُثْبِتُ نُبُوَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ)؟

Imam Al-Ridha said, “Moses the son of Amram, Jesus the son of Mary, and David God’s representative on the earth—all those testified to Muhammad’s prophethood.”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: شَهِدَ بِنُبُوَّتِهِ مُوسَى بْنُ عِمْرَانَ وَعِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَدَاوُودُ خَلِيفَةُ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الأرْضِ

The High Rabbi said, “Provide evidence that Moses the son of Amram testified to Muhammad’s prophethood.”

فَقَالَ لَهُ: ثَبِّتْ قَوْلَ مُوسَى بْنِ عِمْرَانَ.

Imam Al-Ridha said: “O Jew! Moses said the following to the children of Israel: ‘A Prophet will come to you from among your brethren. Believe in him and obey him.’ Do you know that the Children of Israel have no other brethren than the children of Ishmael? Do you know about the ties of kinship between Israel and Ishmael and the relationship that existed between them from the past through Abraham?”

فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: هَلْ تَعْلَمُ يَا يَهُودِيُّ أنَّ مُوسَى أوْصَى بَنِي إسْرَائِيلَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: إنَّهُ سَيَأتِيكُمْ نَبِيٌّ مِنْ إخْوَانِكُمْ. بِهِ فَصَدِّقُوا وَمِنْهُ فَاسْمَعُوا. فَهَلْ تَعْلَمُ أنَّ لِبَنِي إسْرَائِيلَ إخْوَةً غَيْرَ وُلْدِ إسْمَاعِيلَ إنْ كُنْتَ تَعْرِفُ قَرَابَةَ إسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ إسْمَاعِيلَ وَالسَّبَبَ الَّذِي بَيْنَهُمَا مِنْ قِبَلِ إبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ؟

The High Rabbi said, “These are the words of Moses. We do not deny them.”

فَقَالَ رَأسُ الجَالُوتِ: هَذا قَوْلُ مُوسَى لاَ نَدْفَعُهُ

Imam Al-Ridha asked him, “Did any other prophet than Muhammad appear from amongst the brethren of the children of Israel?”

فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: هَلْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنْ إخْوَةِ بَنِي إسْرَائِيلَ نَبِيٌّ غَيْرُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ؟

He replied, “No.”

قَالَ: لاَ

Al-Ridha said, “Is this not correct in your opinion?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: أوَلَيْسَ قَدْ صَحَّ هَذا عِنْدَكُمْ؟

The High Rabbi said, “Yes, but I want you to prove it true from the Torah.”

قَالَ: نَعَمْ. وَلَكِنِّي أُحِبُّ أنْ تُصَحِّحَهُ إلَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ

Al-Ridha asked him, “Do you deny this? The Torah reads the following: There came light from Mount Sinai. Light shined upon us from Mount Seir and it became apparent to us from Mount Paran.”

فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: هَلْ تُنْكِرُ أنَّ التَّوْرَاةَ تَقُولُ لَكُمْ: جَاءَ النُّورُ مِنْ قِبَلِ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ، وَأضَاءَ لَنَا مِنْ جَبَلِ سَاعِيرَ، وَاسْتَعْلَنَ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ جَبَلِ فَارَانَ؟

The High Rabbi said, “I am familiar with these words, but I do not know what they mean.’”

قَالَ رَأسُ الجَالُوتِ: أعْرِفُ هَذِهِ الكَلِمَاتِ وَمَا أعْرِفُ تَفْسِيرَهَا

Al-Ridha said, “I will inform you about them. As for ‘There came light from Mount Sinai,’ this is a reference to God’s revelations to Moses on Mount Sinai.

As for ‘Light shined upon us from Mount Seir,’ this is an indication of the mountain on which God sent revelations to Jesus the son of Mary. Jesus was on that mountain.

As for ‘…and it became apparent to us from Mount Paran,’ this is an indication of a mountain that is a one day-walk away from Mecca.

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: أنَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِهِ: أمَّا قَوْلُهُ: جَاءَ النُّورُ مِنْ قِبَلِ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ، فَذَلِكَ وَحْيُ اللهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى الَّذِي أنْزَلَهُ عَلَى جَبَلِ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ. وَأمَّا قَوْلُهُ: وَأضَاءَ لَنَا مِنْ جَبَلِ سَاعِيرَ، فَهُوَ الجَبَلُ الَّذِي أوْحَى اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إلى عِيسَى بْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ. وَأمَّا قَوْلُهُ: وَاسْتَعْلَنَ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ جَبَلِ فَارَانَ، فَذَلِكَ جَبَلٌ مِنْ جِبَالِ مَكَّةَ، بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا يَوْمٌ

Your brothers-in-faith and you affirm that Prophet Isaiah said in the Torah: ‘I have seen the image of the Rider of the Donkey. He was wearing gowns of light. And I have seen the Rider of the Camel who is as bright as the moon.’ Who is the Rider of the Donkey? And Who is the Rider of the Camel?”

وَقَالَ شَعْيَاءُ النَّبِيُّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فِي مَا تَقُولُ أنْتَ وَأصْحَابُكَ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ: رَأَيْتُ رَاكِبَيْنِ أضَاءَتْ لَهُمُ الأَرْضُ؛ أَحَدُهُمَا عَلَى حِمَارٍ وَالآخَرُ عَلَى جَمَلٍ. فَمَنْ رَاكِبُ الحِمَارِ وَمَنْ رَاكِبُ الجَمَلِ؟

The High Rabbi said, “I do not know who they are. Tell me who they are, please.”

قَالَ رَأسُ الجَالُوتِ: لا أعْرِفُهُمَا، فَخَبِّرْنِي بِهِمَا

The Imam said, “The Rider of the Donkey is Jesus Christ, and the Rider of the Camel is Muhammad. Do you deny that this is written in the Torah?”

قَالَ: أمَّا رَاكِبُ الحِمَارِ فَعِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ، وَأمَّا رَاكِبُ الجَمَلِ فَمُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ. أتُنْكِرُ هَذَا مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ؟

The High Rabbi said, “No, I do not.”

قَالَ: لا، مَا أُنْكِرُهُ