… Imam Al-Ridha said: “O High Rabbi! May I ask you about your prophet Moses the son of Amram?”

… فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: يَا رَأسَ الجَالُوتِ، أسْأَلُكَ عَنْ نَبِيِّكَ مُوسَى بْنِ عِمْرَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ

The High Rabbi said, “Yes, you may.”

فَقَالَ: سَلْ

The Imam asked, “What is the evidence that proves true the prophethood of Moses?”

قَالَ: مَا الحُجَّةُ عَلَى أنَّ مُوسَى ثَبُتَتْ نُبُوَّتُهُ؟

The Jew said, “He brought miracles, the like of which no prophet before him had ever brought.”

قَالَ اليَهُودِيُّ: إنَّهُ جَاءَ بِمَا لَمْ يَجِئْ بِهِ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الأنْبِيَاءِ قَبْلَهُ

The Imam asked, “Could you give me an example?”

قَالَ لَهُ: مِثْلُ مَاذا؟

The High Rabbi replied, “He split the sea, turned the cane into a running serpent, cleaved the stones so that springs gushed forth from them, took out his hand shining white for the onlookers, and other signs the like of which other creatures were unable to bring.”

قَالَ: مِثْلُ فَلْقِ البَحْرِ، وَقَلْبِهِ العَصَا حَيَّةً تَسْعَى، وَضَرْبِهِ الحَجَرَ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ العُيُونُ، وَإخْراجِهِ يَدَهُ بَيْضَاءَ لِلنّاظِرِينَ. وَعَلامَاتُهُ لاَ يَقْدِرُ الخَلْقُ عَلَى مِثْلِهَا

Imam Al-Ridha confirmed, “Yes, you are right. They are proofs of his prophethood. He brought the like of which other creatures were unable to bring. Is it obligatory on you to believe in whomever claims prophethood and performs something which all other creatures are unable to perform?”

قَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: صَدَقْتَ فِي أنَّهُ كَانَتْ حُجَّتَهُ عَلَى نُبُوَّتِهِ أنَّهُ جَاءَ بِمَا لاَ يَقْدِرُ الخَلْقُ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ. أفَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مَنِ ادَّعَى أنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ ثُمَّ جَاءَ بِمَا لاَ يَقْدِرُ الخَلْقُ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ وَجَبَ عَلَيْكُمْ تَصْدِيقُهُ؟

The High Rabbi answered, “No, it is not. There is no one like Moses considering his position near his Lord and his closeness to Him. It is not incumbent upon us to profess the prophethood of whomever claims it, unless he brings us miracles similar to those brought by Moses.”

قَالَ: لاَ. لأنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ نَظِيرٌ، لِمَكَانِهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَقُرْبِهِ مِنْهُ. وَلاَ يَجِبُ عَلَيْنَا الإقْرَارُ بِنُبُوَّةِ مَنِ ادَّعَاهَا حَتّى يَأتِيَ مِنَ الأعْلامِ بِمِثْلِ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ مَوسَى

The Imam argued, “If so, then how come you admit the prophethoods of the other prophets who had existed before Moses. They could not split the sea, nor could they cleave the stone so that twelve springs would gush forth from them; nor did they take their hands out shining white as Moses did; nor did they turn the cane into a running serpent.”

فَقَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: فَكَيْفَ أقْرَرْتُمْ بِالأنْبِيَاءِ الَّذِينَ كَانوا قَبْلَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ وَلَمْ يَفْلُقُوا البَحْرَ وَلَمْ يُفَجِّرُوا مِنَ الحَجَرِ اثْنَي عَشَرَةَ عَيْناً وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوا أيْدِيَهُمْ مِثْلَ إخْرَاجِ مُوسَى يَدَهُ بَيْضَاءَ وَلَمْ يَقْلِبُوا العَصَا حَيَّةً تَسْعَى؟

The Jew replied, “I have already told you that if they came with miraculous signs to prove their prophethood, which all other creatures were unable to come with, and if they brought something the like of which Moses had brought, or they followed what Moses had brought, then it is incumbent upon us to believe in them.”

قَالَ اليَهُودِيُّ: قَدْ خَبَّرْتُكَ أنَّهُ مَتَى مَا جَاؤوا عَلَى نُبُوَّتِهِمْ مِنَ الآيَاتِ بِمَا لاَ يَقْدِرُ الخَلْقُ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ، وَلَوْ جَاؤوا بِمَا يَجِئُ بِهِ مُوسَى أوْ كَانَ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ مُوسَى وَجَبَ تَصْدِيقُهُمْ

Imam Al-Ridha asked, “O High Rabbi! If so, what prevents you from professing the prophethood of Jesus the son of Mary? Jesus brought the dead to life, healed the blind and the leprous, and made birds formed of clay and breathed at them giving them life with God’s permission.”

قَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: يَا رَأسَ الجَالُوتِ، فَمَا يَمْنَعُكَ مِنَ الإقْرَارِ بِعِيسَى بْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَقَدْ كَانَ يُحْيِي المَوْتَى وَيُبْرِءُ الأَكْمَهَ وَالأَبْرَصَ وَيَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينَ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ ثُمَّ يَنْفُخُ فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْراً بِإذْنِ اللهِ تَعَالى؟

The High Rabbi said, “It is only said that he did that, but we have not seen him do it.”

قَالَ رَأسُ الجَالُوتِ: يُقَالُ إنَّهُ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ، وَلَمْ نَشْهَدْهُ

Imam Al-Ridha refuted, “Have you seen the miracles shown by Moses? Is it not that you have only received this news by way of Moses’s closest trustworthy companions who said he did so?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: أرَأَيْتَ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ مُوسَى مِنَ الآيَاتِ؟ أشَاهَدْتَهُ؟ ألَيْسَ إنَّمَا جَاءَتِ الأخْبَارُ مِنْ ثِقَاتِ أصْحَابِ مُوسَى أنَّهُ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ؟

The High Rabbi said, “Yes. It is so.”

قَالَ: بَلَى

The Imam thus said, “Well. The news about the miracles of Jesus the son of Mary reached you in a similar fashion. Why then did you acknowledge Moses and believe in him, but you did not believe in Jesus?”

قَالَ: فَكَذلِكَ أيْضاً. أتَتْكُمُ الأخْبَارُ المُتَوَاتِرَةُ بِمَا فَعَلَ عِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ. فَكَيْفَ صَدَّقْتُمْ بِمُوسَى وَلَمْ تُصَدِّقوا بِعِيسَى؟

The High Rabbi could not find an answer.

فَلَمْ يَحْرَ جَواباً

Imam Al-Ridha explained, “The same applies to Prophet Muhammad and what he showed, and to all other prophets sent by God. One of the miracles of Muhammad is that he was orphan, poor and employed shepherd. He had not been taught anything by anyone. He did not go to any teachers. But he came with the Quran, which contains the stories of the prophets and the details of their lives precisely. It narrates the news of the bygone nations and the coming generations up to the Resurrection Day. The Quran provided information about what they did in secrets and in homes. He brought innumerable miracles.”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: وَكَذلِكَ أمْرُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَمَا جَاءَ بِهِ، وَأَمْرُ كُلِّ نَبِيٍّ بَعَثَهُ اللهُ. وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أنَّهُ كَانَ يَتِيماً فَقِيراً رَاعِياً أجِيراً، لَمْ يَتَعَلَّمْ كِتَاباً وَلَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ إلَى مُعَلِّمٍ. ثُمَّ جَاءَ بِالقُرْآنِ الَّذِي فِيهِ قَصَصُ الأنْبِيَاءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ وَأخْبَارُهُمْ حَرْفاً حَرْفاً، وَأخْبَارُ مَنْ مَضَى وَمَنْ بَقِيَ إلى يَوْمِ القِيَامَةِ. ثُمَّ كَانَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِأَسْرَارِهِمْ وَمَا يَعْمَلُونَ فِي بُيُوتِهِمْ، وَجَاءَ بِآيَاتٍ كَثِيرَةٍ لاَ تُحْصَى