- 06 May 2021, 18:00
#20620
The time of the 8th Holy imam was famous for his debates and arguments, here is one such debate:
The Imam debates with the Hindu High Priest
The heads of the creeds failed to render the Imam incapable, and feebleness appeared on their faces. There was none except the Zoroastrian high priest, so the Imam turned to him and asked him: “Tell me about Zoroaster, whom you claim that he is a prophet; what is your evidence for his Prophethood?”
The Hindu high priest said: “We did not see him, but the tales of our ancestors informed us that he had legalized for us what no other person before had made legal.”
The Imam asked him: “You believed in the tales which came to you about him, so you followed him, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered.
The Imam established against him undeniable argument, saying: “This is the case with all other nations. Tales had come to them about what the prophets had accomplished, what Musa’, ‘Isa’, and Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, had all brought them, so why did you not believe in any of these prophets, having believed in Zoroaster through the tales that came to you about him informing that he brought forth what others did not?”
Perplexity and astonishment dominated the Zoroastrian high priest; he was perplexed and had nothing to say. Accordingly, the Prophet’s grandson (i.e. al-Ridha’) turned to the chief representatives of those creeds and said to them: “People, if there is among you someone who opposes Islam and wants to question (me), let him put forth any question (to me) without any shame!29”
These debates silenced the anti-Islam forces and clearly established the great scientific abilities with which Allah endowed the Imam, and which demonstrated the correctness of the creed of the Shi‘ites, who maintained that Allah endowed the Imams of the Ahal al-Bayt, peace be on them, with scientific abilities, and that the Imams were the most learned of that community, not only in the legislative fields but also in all scientific ones.
The time of the 8th Holy imam was famous for his debates and arguments, here is one such debate:
The Imam debates with the Hindu High Priest
The heads of the creeds failed to render the Imam incapable, and feebleness appeared on their faces. There was none except the Zoroastrian high priest, so the Imam turned to him and asked him: “Tell me about Zoroaster, whom you claim that he is a prophet; what is your evidence for his Prophethood?”
The Hindu high priest said: “We did not see him, but the tales of our ancestors informed us that he had legalized for us what no other person before had made legal.”
The Imam asked him: “You believed in the tales which came to you about him, so you followed him, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered.
The Imam established against him undeniable argument, saying: “This is the case with all other nations. Tales had come to them about what the prophets had accomplished, what Musa’, ‘Isa’, and Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, had all brought them, so why did you not believe in any of these prophets, having believed in Zoroaster through the tales that came to you about him informing that he brought forth what others did not?”
Perplexity and astonishment dominated the Zoroastrian high priest; he was perplexed and had nothing to say. Accordingly, the Prophet’s grandson (i.e. al-Ridha’) turned to the chief representatives of those creeds and said to them: “People, if there is among you someone who opposes Islam and wants to question (me), let him put forth any question (to me) without any shame!29”
These debates silenced the anti-Islam forces and clearly established the great scientific abilities with which Allah endowed the Imam, and which demonstrated the correctness of the creed of the Shi‘ites, who maintained that Allah endowed the Imams of the Ahal al-Bayt, peace be on them, with scientific abilities, and that the Imams were the most learned of that community, not only in the legislative fields but also in all scientific ones.
- By Fatema.Khimji