The Jewish scholar and Imam Ali

Hawzah News Agency- Ali ibn Muhammad narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad, from ’Amr ibn ’Uthman, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Suma‘ah, from Imam Sadiq (pbuh), who has said the following:

قَالَ رَأْسُ الْجَالُوتِ لِلْيَهُودِ إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ عَلِيّاً (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مِنْ أَجْدَلِ النَّاسِ وَأَعْلَمِهِمْ اذْهَبُوا بِنَا إِلَيْهِ لَعَلِّي أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وَأُخَطِّئُهُ فِيهَا

فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ

- قَالَ سَلْ عَمَّا شِئْتَ

قَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَتَى كَانَ رَبُّنَا

- قَالَ لَهُ يَا يَهُودِيُّ إِنَّمَا يُقَالُ مَتَى كَانَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَكَانَ مَتَى كَانَ هُوَ كَائِنٌ بِلا كَيْنُونِيَّةٍ كَائِنٍ كَانَ بِلا كَيْفٍ يَكُونُ بَلَى يَا يَهُودِيُّ ثُمَّ بَلَى يَا يَهُودِيُّ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ لَهُ قَبْلٌ هُوَ قَبْلَ الْقَبْلِ بِلا غَايَةٍ وَلا مُنْتَهَى غَايَةٍ وَلا غَايَةَ إِلَيْهَا انْقَطَعَتِ الْغَايَاتُ عِنْدَهُ هُوَ غَايَةُ كُلِّ غَايَةٍ

فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ دِينَكَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا خَالَفَهُ بَاطِلٌ.

“Ra's al-Jalut (the chief scholar of the Jews) said to the Jews: The Muslims claim that Ali (pbuh) is the most eloquent and the most knowledgeable among people. Take me to him so that I may ask him about a question, and perhaps I can find him mistaken in it.
So he came to him and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I wish to ask you about a matter.
- He (Ali) said: Ask whatever you wish.
He said: O Commander of the Faithful, when did our Lord come to be?
- He (Ali) replied: O Jew, “when” can only be said of one who did not exist and then came to exist. As for Him—He is, without the existence of [created] beings. He was, without a modality of being. He exists, but not through any quiddity. Indeed, O Jew, indeed, O Jew! How could He have a “before,” when He is before the before, without limit and without end? Every end terminates at Him, and He is the End of every end.
So Ra's al-Jalut said: I bear witness that your religion is the truth, and that whatever contradicts it is false.”

Al-Kāfi,Volume 1,Book 3,Chapter 6