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The Catholicos said, ‘I will not deny what is clear for me in the Gospel. I will confess to it.’ Rida(a.s.) said, ‘Bear witness to what he has confessed.’ Then he said, ‘O Catholicos! Ask whatever comes to your mind.’ The Catholicos said, ‘Inform me about the Apostles of Jesus the son of Mary. How many were they? And how many were the scholars of the Gospel?’ Rida(a.s.) said, ‘You have come to one who is well informed. As for the Apostles, they were twelve men, and the most noble and knowledgeable of them was Luke. As for the Christian scholars, they were three men: John the Great of Ajj,[1] John of Qirqisa and John Daylami of Zijar, and it is he who mentions the Prophet (s), and mentions his folk and his community, and it is he who brought the glad tidings of him to the community of Jesus and to the Children of Israel.’ Then he said to him, ‘O Christian! Verily, we do indeed, by Allah, believe in Jesus who believed in Muhammad (s) and we do not resent anything about your Jesus except his weakness and the small amount that he fasted and prayed.’ The Catholicos said, ‘By Allah! You spoiled your knowledge and weakened your affair. I imagined nothing less than that you were the most knowledgeable of the folk of Islam.’ Rida(a.s.) said, ‘How is that?’ The Catholicos said, ‘Because of what you said about Jesus being weak and having little fasting and prayer, while Jesus never broke his fast and slept through not a single night; he was constantly fasting and holding vigals.’ Rida(a.s.) said, ‘So, for whom did he fast and pray?’ Then the Catholicos was dumbfounded and stopped speaking. Rida(a.s.) said, ‘O Christian! I want to ask you about a problem.’ He said, ‘Ask. If I know anything about it, I will answer you.’ Rida(a.s.) said, ‘Why did you deny that Jesus raised the dead by the permission of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent?’ The Catholicos said, ‘I denied it because whoever raises the dead and cures the blind and the leper is the lord deserving to be worshipped.’ [1] Some say that what is meant here is Akh in Basra. |
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قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’لاَ أُنْكِرُ مَا قَدْ بَانَ لِى فِى الاِنجِيلِ، وَإنِّى لَمُقِرٌّ بِهِ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’إشْهَدُوا عَلَي إقْرَارِهِ.‘ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ’يَا جَاثِلِيقُ، سَلْ عَمَّا بَدَا لَكَ.‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’أخْبِرْنِي, حَوَارِىُّ عِيسَي بْنِ مَرْيَمَ كَمْ كَانَ عِدَّتُهُمْ؟ وَعَنْ عُلَمَاءِ الاِنجِيلِ، كَمْ كَانُوا؟‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’عَلَي الْخَبِيرِ سَقَطْتَ. أمَّا الْحَوَارِيُّونَ، فَكَانُوا إثْنَي عَشَرَ رَجُلاً، وَكَانَ أفْضَلُهُمْ وَأعْلَمُهُمْ، ألُوقَا. وَأمَّا عُلَمَاءُ النَّصَارَي، فَكَانُوا ثَلاَثَةَ رِجَالٍ: يُوحَنَّا اْلاَكْبَرُ بِأجٍ، وَيُوحَنَّا بِقِرْقِيسَا، وَيُوحَنَّا الدَّيْلَمِىّ بِزِجَارٍ، وَعِنْدَهُ كَانَ ذِكْرُ النَّبِىِّ (ص) وَذِكْرُ أهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَأُمَّتِهِ؛ وَهُوَ الَّذِى بَشَّرَ أُمَّةَ عِيسَي وَبَنِى إسْرَائِيلَ بِهِ.‘ ثُمَّ قَال لَهُ: ’يَا نَصْرَانِيُّ، وَاللَّهِ إنَّا لَنُؤْمِنُ بعِيسَي الَّذِى آمَنَ بِمُحَمَّدٍ (ص)، وَمَا نَنْقِمُ عَلَي عِيسَاكُمْ شَيْئًا إلاَّ ضَعْفَهُ وَقِلَّةَ صِيَامِهِ وَصَلاَتِهِ.‘ قَالَ الْْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’أفْسَدْتَ وَاللَّهِ عِلْمَكَ وَضَعَّفْتَ أمْرَكَ، وَمَا كُنْتُ ظَنَنْتُ إلاَّ أنَّكَ أعْلَمُ أهْلِ الاِسْلاَمِ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’وَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ؟‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’مِنْ قَوْلِكَ: ’إنَّ عِيسَي كَانَ ضَعِيفاً، قَلِيلَ الصِّيَامِ، قَلِيلَ الصَّلاَةِ.‘ وَمَا أفْطَرَ عِيسَي يَوْمًا قَطُّ، وَلاَ نَامَ بِلَيْلٍ قَطُّ، وَمَا زَالَ صَائِمَ الدَّهْرِ، قَائِمَ اللَّيْلِ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’فَلِمَنْ كَانَ يَصُومُ وَيُصَلِّي؟‘ قَالَ: ’فَخَرَسَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ وَإنْقَطَعَ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’يَا نَصْرَانِيُّ، أسَألُكَ, عَنْ مَسْألَةٍ.‘ قَالَ: ’سَلْ. فَإنْ كَانَ عِنْدي عِلْمُهَا، أجَبْتُكَ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’مَا أنْكَرْتَ أنَّ عِيسَي كَانَ يُحيِى الْمَوْتَي بِإذْنِ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’أنْكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ، مِن قبلِ أنَّ مَنْ أحْيَا الْمَوْتَي وَأبْرَأ اْلاَكْمَهَ وَاْلاَبْرَصَ فَهُوَ رَبٌّ مُسْتَحَقٌّ ِلاَنْ يُعْبَدَ.‘ |
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Rida(a.s.) said, ‘Elisha also did things like Jesus did: walked on the water, raised the dead and cured the blind and the leper, but his community did not take him to be the Lord, and not one of them worshipped him instead of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent. And the prophet Ezekiel also did things like what Jesus the son of Mary did, for he raised thirty-five thousand men after they had been dead for sixty years.’ Then he turned to the Exilarch and said to him, ‘O Exilarch! Do you find in the Torah what there is about the youths of the Children of Israel who were exiled by Nebuchadnezzar when they revolted in Jerusalem and then he sent them to Babylon? Then Allah, the Exalted, sent one to them and Allah revived them. This is in the Torah. None of you deny this unless he is a disbeliever.’ The Exilarch said, ‘We heard this and know about it.’ He said, ‘You spoke the truth.’Then he said, ‘O Jew! Consider the scripture of the Torah.’ Then he(a.s.) recited some verses of the Torah. The Jew started at his recitation and was surprised. Then he faced the Christian and said, ‘O Christian! Did this take place before Jesus or was Jesus before that?’ He said, ‘No. They were before him.’ Rida(a.s.) said, ‘Once the Quraysh gathered before the Apostle of Allah(a.s.) and asked him to raise their dead for them. He had ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib(a.s.) accompany them, then he said to him, ‘Go to al-Jubbanah and call that clan by their names, those about whom they had asked, with your loudest voice: O so-and-so! O so-and-so! And O so-and-so! Muhammad the Apostle of Allah says to you, “Rise, by the permission of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent.”’Then they rose and wiped the dust from their heads. The Quraysh received them and asked how they were. Then they told them that Muhammad (s) had been raised as a prophet. They said, ‘We would love to see him and to believe in him.’ He cured the blind, the leper and the insane. The beasts, birds, genies and devils spoke to him, but we did not take him as a Lord instead of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent. We do not deny the virtues of any of them. |
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قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’فَِانَّ الْيَسَعَ قَدْ صَنَعَ مِثْلَ مَا صَنَعَ عِيسَي: مَشَي عَلَي الْمَاءِ وَأحْيَا الْمَوْتَي وَأبْرَأ اْلاَكْمَهَ وَاْلاَبْرَصَ؛ فَلَمْ تَتَّخِذْهُ أُمَّتُهُ رَبًّا وَلَمْ يَعْبُدْهُ أحَدٌ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَلَقَدْ صَنَعَ حِزْقِيلُ النَّبِىُّ مِثْلَ مَا صَنَعَ عِيسَي بْنُ مَرْيَمَ: فَأحْيَا خَمْسَةَ وَثَلاَثِينَ ألْفَ رَجُلٍ مَنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهِمْ بِسِتِّينِ سَنَةٍ.‘ ثُمَّ إلْتَفَتَ إلَي رَاْسِ الْجَالُوتِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: ’يَا رَاْسَ الْجَالُوتِ، أتَجِدُ هَؤُلاَءِ فِى شَبَابِ بَنِى إسْرَائِيلَ فِى التُّوْرَاةِ؟ إخْتَارَهُمْ بُخْتُ نَصَّرَ مِنْ سَبْيِ بَنِى إسْرَائِيلَ، حِينَ غَزَا بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسَ، ثُمَّ إنْصَرَفَ بِهِمْ إلَي بَابِلَ؛ فَأرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ، تَعَالَي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إلَيْهِمْ، فَأحْيَاهُمُ اللَّهُ. هَذَا فِى التَّوْرَاةِ، لاَ يَدْفَعُهُ إلاَّ كَافِرٌ مِنْكُمْ.‘ قَالَ رَأسُ الجَالُوتِ: ’قَدْ سَمِعْنَا بِهِ وَعَرَفْنَاهُ.‘ قَالَ: ’صَدَقْتَ.‘ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ’يَا يَهُودِىُّ، خُذْ عَلَي هَذَا السِّفْرِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ.‘ فَتَلاَ (ع) عَلَيْنَا مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ آيَاتٍ. فَأقْبَلَ الْيَهُودِىُّ يَتَرَجَّحُ لِقِرَاءَتِهِ وَيَتَعَجَّبُ. ثُمَّ أقْبَلَ عَلَي النَّصْرَانِيِّ، فَقَالَ: ’يَا نَصْرَانِيُّ، أفَهَؤُلاَءِ كَانُوا قَبْلَ عِيسَي أمْ عِيسَي كَانَ قَبْلَهُمْ؟‘ قَالَ: ’بَلْ كَانُوا قَبْلَهُ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’لَقَدْ إجْتَمَعَتْ قُرَيْشُ إلَي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (ص)، فَسَألُوُهُ أنْ يُحيِى لَهُمْ مَوْتَاهُمْ. فَوَجَّهَ مَعَهُمْ عَلِىَّ بْنَ أبِى طَالِبٍ (ع)، فَقَالَ لَهُ: ’إذْهَبْ إلَي الْجَبَانَةِ، فَنَادِ بَأسْمَاءِ هَؤُلاَءِ الرَّهْطِ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْألُونَ عَنْهُمْ بِأعْلَي صَوْتِكَ: ’يَا فُلاَنٌ وَيَا فُلاَنٌ وَيَا فُلاَنٌ، يَقُولُ لَكُمْ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ: ’قُومُوا بِإذْنِ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.‘ فَقَامُوا، يَنْفُضُونَ التُّرَابَ, عَنْ رُءُوسِهِمْ. فَأقْبَلَتْ قُرَيْشٌ، تَسْألُهُمْ, عَنْ أُمُورِهِمْ. ثُمَّ أخْبَرُوُهُمْ أنَّ مُحَمَّدًا (ص) قَدْ بَعَثَ نَبِيًّا، وَقَالُوا: ’وَدَدْنَا أنَّا أدْرَكْنَاهُ، فَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ. وَلَقَدْ أبْرَأ اْلاَكْمَهَ وَاْلاَبْرَصَ وَالْمَجَانِينَ، وَكَلَّمَهُ الْبَهَائِمُ وَالطِّيْرُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالشَّيَاطِينُ، وَلَمْ نَتَّخِذْهُ رَبًّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَمْ نُنْكِرْ |
