One day a group of Jewish scholars\nwent to the second Caliph, Umar ibn Khattab, and said,\u201d O Umar! You are the\nCaliph after Muhammad. We have a few questions for you. If you can answer them,\nit reveals that the religion of Islam is true and that Muhammad was a Messenger\nof Allah. But if you are unable to answer them, it shows that the religion of\nIslam is false and Muhammad was not a Messenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Umar said,\u201d Ask whatever you want\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jewish scholars said:\u201dTell us<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1- What are the\nlocks of the heavens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2- What are the\nkeys to the heavens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3- Which grave\nmoved its occupier?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4- Who was the\nperson who warned his nation but was neither a human nor from the Jinn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5- What were the\nfive living things which were not created in a womb?…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Umar, who did not have the answer to\nthose questions, lowered his head out of shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the Jews happily said,\u201d We testify\nthat Muhammad was not a Messenger and Islam is false\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this moment, Salman Farsi who was\npresent there turned to the Jewish scholars and said,\u201d Wait here so that I will\nbring to you a man who can answer all your questions\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he went to Ali ibn Abi Talib and\nsaid,\u201d O Abal Hassan! Save Islam!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amir al-Mu\u2019minin (PBUH) asked,\u201d What\nhas happened?\u201d Salman narrated the whole incident. Ali (PBUH) went to the\nmosque wearing the cloth of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP). As soon as\nthe second Caliph saw Ali (PBUH), he became happy and said,\u201d O Ab al-Hassan!\nIndeed you are the only person who can answer all the questions of these Jews\u201d.\nThen, Ali (PBUH), turned to the Jews and said,\u201d Ask whatever you want, with the\ncondition that if I answer all your questions, you have to become Muslims\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jewish scholars accepted, and\nafter reiterating their questions, Amir al-Mu\u2019minin (PBUH) answered their\nquestions as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lock of the\nheavens is associating a partner with Allah; because when a person associates a\npartner with Allah, his deeds would not be raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key to the locks is testifying to\nthe Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of His Messenger, Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grave which moved its occupier was\nthe whale that swallowed Prophet Yunus (PBUH) and moved him around the seven\nseas (2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The one who warned his nation but was\nneither a human nor from the Jinn was the ant at the time of Prophet Solomon\nson of David, who said,\u201d O Ants! Enter your houses, so that Solomon and his\narmy may not crush you under their feet while they do not know (3)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five things which walked on the earth\nbut did not come out of a womb were Prophet Adam, Eve, the camel of Salih(4),\nthe sheep of Abraham(5), and the staff of Moses (which turned into a serpent)(6)…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this point, two of the Jewish\nscholars became Muslims and testified to the oneness of Allah and the\nProphethood of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP); however, the third person\nsaid,\u201d If you answer this question of mine, I will believe too\u201d. Ali (PBUH)\nsaid,\u201d Ask whatever you want\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jew said,\u201d Tell me about the\nnation who were alive, but then died and God resurrected them after 309 years?…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ali (PBUH) said,\u201d That is the story of\nthe companions of the cave (Ashaab Kahf)\u201d, and he narrated the incident in\ndetail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, he turned to the Jew and said,\u201d\nO Jewish man! Was the story that I narrated for you similar to that which is in\nthe Torah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jewish man replied,\u201d Indeed!\nWithout a single word more or less. O Abal Hassan! Don\u2019t call me a Jew anymore.\nI testify that there is no God but Allah, that Muhammad is His servant and\nMessenger, and you are the most knowledgeable of this nation\u201d (7). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The above is a selection\ntaken from \u201cAl-Ghadeer fi al-Kitab Wa al-Sunnah Wa al-Adab (8)\u201d, by Late\nAllamah Amini (with some summarizations and additions))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website congratulates all\nMuslims, especially you dear friend, upon 13th of Rajab, the birthday\nanniversary of the gate to the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah\n(PBUH&HP), the commander of the believers, and the first Imam of Shiites,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1- It refers to\nthe Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) that,\u201d I am the city of\nknowledge and Ali is the gate to it\u201d. (Shawaahid al-Tanzil li Qawaid al-Tafdil,\nby Haakim Haskaani, vol. 1, pp. 104, 105, 107, 377, 432- Rooh al-Ma\u2019ani fi\nTafsir al-Quran al-Adhim, by Alusi, vol. 16, p. 90.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2- Based on the\nwill of Allah (SWT), a giant whale swallowed Yunus (PBUH), who was a Prophet.\nAllah (SWT) has narrated the story in the Holy Quran, Chapter 37, verses 139 to\n144. For instance, in verse 142, He says,\u201d So the fish swallowed him while he\nwas worthy of being blamed!\u201d Yunus stayed in the stomach of the whale for a\nwhile, and it moved him anywhere around the sea (for further information refer\nto the aforementioned verses).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3- The Holy\nQuran, (27:18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4- Salih (PBUH),\none of the Prophets, took a female camel out of a mountain, with the will of\nAllah (SWT), in order to prove the oneness of God and his prophethood. The Holy\nQuran refers to this incident. In verse 27 of Chapter 54, Allah (SWT) says,\u201d\nSurely We sent the she-camel as a trial for them; [and we told Salih to] watch\nthem and have patience\u201d (for more information, refer to the verses).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5- Abraham\n(PBUH), the great Prophet, was ordered by Allah (SWT) to slaughter his son,\nIshmael (PBUH). When he was about to fulfill the order, he realized that the\nknife does not cut the head of his son. At this moment, Allah (SWT) sent a\nsheep so that Abraham (PBUH) would slaughter it instead of his son. Allah (SWT)\ndescribed this great test verse 107 of Chapter 37 of the Holy Quran as\nfollows:\u201d And We ransomed him with a Feat sacrifice\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6- One of the\nmiracles of Prophet Moses (PBUH) was that his staff turned into a serpent. In\nverse 20 of Chapter 20, Allah (SWT) says,\u201d So he cast it [his staff] down; and\nit was suddenly a serpent running\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6- Al-Araais, by\nAbu Ishaaq Tha\u2019labi, pp. 232-239.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7- Al-Ghadeer,\nvol. 11, p. 295.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One day a group of Jewish scholars went to the second Caliph, Umar ibn Khattab, and said,\u201d O Umar! You are the Caliph after Muhammad. We have a few questions for you. If you can answer them, it reveals that the religion of Islam is true and that Muhammad was a Messenger of Allah. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[63203],"class_list":["post-3990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-the-position-of-the-amir-al-muminin"],"yoast_head":"\n