Mamun subjected Imam Ali al-Reza (AS) to various trials in hopes of overcoming him through failure in those tests. One of the most significant of these trials was the scientific debates with scholars of different religions. He instructed his vizier, Fazl ibn Sahl, to gather the prominent theologians, including religious scholars such as the Patriarch (the head of the Christian clergy), the Ruler of the Jews, Herbed (the leader of the Zoroastrians), the Roman Nestorian, natural scientists, and other philosophers. Then, he ordered Yaser, the servant, to summon Imam Ali al-Reza (AS) for a debate with the scholars of various religions.
The next day, Mamun arranged a gathering and positioned Imam al-Reza (AS) against the scholars of the different faiths. He instructed each of them to debate with the Imam. First, he turned to the Patriarch and said, “O Patriarch, this is my cousin Ali ibn Musa ibn Ja’far, from the children of Fatimah, the daughter of our Prophet, and from the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib. I wish for you to engage in a discussion with him about religious beliefs and be fair in your approach.”
The Patriarch arrogantly asked Mamun, “How can I debate with a man who wants to argue with me based on a book I deny and a prophet I do not believe in?”
Then the Patriarch turned to Imam al-Reza (AS) and asked, “Tell me, how many disciples did Jesus son of Mary have? Tell me how many scholars of the Gospel there were?”
Imam al-Reza (AS) replied, “You have asked about something significant! There were twelve disciples. The names of the twelve apostles are: first, Simon (known as Peter) and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus (New Testament, Matthew 10:2-4). And the most virtuous and knowledgeable among them was ‘Luke.’ As for the scholars of Christianity, there were three: John the Elder, John of “Carchesia,” and John of Dylamis in “Zekhar.” The latter was the one who introduced the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his family to the people and foretold the coming of Muhammad to the nation of Jesus and the children of Israel”
Imam (AS) added, “By God, we believe in Jesus, who believed in Muhammad (PBUH). We have no issue with Jesus except his deficiency in fasting and prayer!”
When the Patriarch heard the last part of Imam al-Reza’s (AS) statement, he cried out, “By God, you have corrupted your knowledge and your argument has become weak. We thought you were the most knowledgeable of the Muslims!”
Imam al-Reza (AS) calmly replied, “Why?”
The Patriarch said, “Because of your statement that ‘Jesus fasted little and prayed little,’ while Jesus never broke his fast during the day and never slept at night. He was always fasting during the day and praying at night”
At this point, Imam al-Reza (AS) questioned the Patriarch in line with the Christian belief that “Christ was a god other than God and served God.” He asked, “For whom did he fast and pray?”
The Patriarch did not answer because he didn’t know what to say.
Therefore, Imam al-Reza (AS) turned to him and said, “Now I want to ask you a question.”
The Patriarch responded, “Ask. If I know the answer, I will respond.”
Imam (AS) asked, “Do you deny that Jesus raised the dead by God’s permission?”
The Patriarch replied, “I used to deny this, because anyone who raises the dead, gives sight to the blind, and heals the leper is God and worthy of worship.”
Imam al-Reza (AS) rejected his statement and said, “In fact, ‘Yasa’ (Elisha) also did exactly what Jesus (AS) did. He walked on water, raised the dead, and healed the blind and the leper” (Old Testament, 2 Kings 2:12-14, 5:26-27, 6:1-7, 20-23). So why did his people not accept him as God, and no one worshipped him? Ezekiel also raised thirty-five thousand men sixty years after their death.”
Then Imam al-Reza (AS) turned to the head of the Jews and asked, “O Ruler of the Jews, have you found the story of these men in the Torah, who were from among the youth of the Children of Israel? When Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, captured them, and exiled them to Babylon, God sent Ezekiel to them, and he revived those who were dead. These words are found in the Torah” .
The head of the Jews praised Imam’s knowledge of the Torah and said, “We have heard of it, and we know it.”
Imam (AS) replied, “You have spoken the truth.”
Then, Imam (AS) turned to a Jewish man who was present and asked him to recite some verses from the Torah that referenced several prophets. The Jewish man recited these verses for the audience.
Then Imam (AS) turned to the Patriarch and asked, “Were these prophets before Jesus, or was Jesus before them?”
The Patriarch answered, “They were all before Jesus.”
Imam (AS) then said, “… We do not deny the support and love for any of these prophets. If you accept Jesus as God, then you must also accept Yasa (Elisha) and Ezekiel as gods too, for they did the same things that Jesus son of Mary did, like raising the dead.”
“You cannot deny any of these points I have made, because the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms of David, and the Furqan (the Quran) all mention them. If anyone who raises the dead, heals the blind, and cures the leper is God, then consider them gods too. Now, what do you say, O Christian?”
In truth, Imam (AS) criticized Christianity for accepting Christ as a god alongside Allah; because if Christ raised the dead and healed the blind and leper, these types of miracles, according to the Bible, also happened through other great prophets. However, they were not accepted as gods alongside Allah.
After hearing these brilliant words from Imam al-Reza (AS), the Patriarch addressed him and said, “My opinion is in agreement with yours, and there is no deity but Allah.”
“Adapted from the book A Detailed Study of the Life of Imam Reza (AS), by the late Hujjat al-Islam Shaykh Baqir Sharif Qarashi”his is the complete translation with “Reza” replacing “Ridha” in all occurrences.