A Jewish scholar was very proud of his knowledge. One day he came to Imam Ridha’ (a.s) and posed many questions to him. The debate is very lengthy. Here we mention only a few of his questions and their replies.
Imam: What proof do you have that Musa (a.s) was a prophet? Ras: He performed such feats that the past prophets did not do. Like the splitting of the Nile, the staff turning into a serpent, the bursting forth of twelve springs from the stone and the “Shinning hand” etc. Imam: You say the truth. Your statement shows that a prophet should show such feats that others are unable to do. Ras: Without any doubt. Imam: Then it is necessary that whoever shows such feats must be accepted as a prophet. Ras: No. Imam: Why? Ras: In addition to those miracles, Musa (a.s) had such proximity to God that none other possesses. Thus till one does not show us the same miracles and feats, we cannot accept his prophethood. Imam: All right! Tell me, do you believe in any prophet before Musa (a.s)? Ras: Yes. Imam: But how that is correct? Before him no prophet split the river, caused springs to flow from a stone, had a shining hand or made his staff into a snake? Ras: No, what I mean to say is that if someone performs such feats that ordinary people are unable to do, even if they are not the same feats, we are obliged to accept his prophethood. Imam: If it is so, why do you people not accept Isa as a prophet? He also enlivened the dead, cured the blind and lepers and made a bird of clay and blew life into it? Ras: We did not see him do anything of the sort. People claim he did it. Imam: Then, did you see the miracles of Musa (a.s) with your own eyes? You have heard about them also from other people. Upon hearing this Ras al-Jalut fell silent and he did not have any reply to this. Imam said, “In the same way you should testify to the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa also because he also performed many miracles despite the fact that he was an orphan, a homeless shepherd and a paid employee of someone else. And he also did not learn a single letter from anyone. Even then he brought a perfect book like the Holy Quran, which has all the incidents of the previous prophets. In addition to this, he used to tell about what other people thought and what they had hidden in their houses.” Hearing this, Ras al-Jalut replied shamelessly, “All this is right but since the prophethood of Isa and Muhammad is not proved to us we cannot accept them as prophets.” Imam said, “This is obvious ignorance. No one has any remedy for it.” Harbaz Akbar was a great Zoroastrian scholar. One day he came to Imam (a.s) and said, “I have come to make you confess the prophethood of Zoroaster.” Imam: What proof are you having about the prophethood of Zoroaster? Harbaz: He informed us of such wonderful things that none had taught before. He made such things permissible for us, as none had made lawful before. Imam: Did you get the teachings from Zoroaster directly? Harbaz: No. We heard them through our elders. Imam: Then how are you certain that except for Zoroaster no one has taught such good things? Harbaz: This is what we have heard so far. Imam: This is not a valid reason. Have you heard no mention about the previous prophets till now? Harbaz: Why not? Imam: Then why do you not testify their merits and perfections? It is possible that their perfection may be more than the perfections of Zoroaster. Hearing these words, the priest became so confused that he was at a loss for words. So he just got up from there and left the place in haste.
Reference :Akhlaq al-A’imma, Morals & Manners of the Holy Imams