The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family)- Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him) narrates that I said to my father Imam Hadi (peace be upon him): "When the Jews and opponents raised objections and opposed the noble Prophet, did he also engage in debate with them?" He said: "Yes, many times. ... These incidents took place at the time when one day the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was sitting with his companions beside the Ka'ba and reciting to them the verses of the Quran and the commands of the Lord. At that moment, a group of the chiefs of Quraysh gathered. ... Abu Jahl said: 'Who is ready to argue and debate with him?' Abdullah ibn Abi Umayya al-Makhzumi answered: 'I am.' ... First, Abdullah ibn Abi Umayya al-Makhzumi began to speak, saying: 'O Muhammad! You have made a great claim and you are saying a difficult thing. You consider yourself a Messenger of Allah, whereas it is not fitting that Allah, the Creator of the world, should make one like you His envoy and Messenger — a human being who eats and drinks like us and walks in the streets and markets. ...' ... The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'Now pay attention, O servant of Allah, to what you objected — that why do I also eat food like you, and you claimed that for this reason I am not fit for prophethood. This matter belongs to Allah. He does whatever He wills and He decides whatever He wills. His actions cannot be criticized. It is not for you or anyone else to question how and why. Do you not see how Allah has made some poor and some rich, some honored and some humiliated, some sound and healthy and some sick, some noble and some lowly — all of them eat food. The poor cannot say why we have become weak and powerless while they are sound and capable, and the humiliated cannot say why we are humbled and they are honored, and those with ugly faces cannot say why You made us ugly and them beautiful. If they say such a thing, they have objected against Allah and stood against Him, and they will be disbelievers in Him. Allah will say to them in reply: I am the Sovereign in whose hand are lowness and highness, wealth and poverty, honor and humiliation, health and sickness. You are My servants, and you have nothing to do but submit before Me and obey My command. If you submit, you are believing servants, and if you refuse, you are disbelievers in Me and you will be seized by My punishment and retribution. Then Allah revealed this verse to the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): قُلْ إِنَّما أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُکُمْ یُوحی إِلَیَّ أَنَّما إِلهُکُمْ إِلهٌ واحِدٌ [Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me that your god is one Allah], say: I too am a human like you, I eat food and in humanness I am like you, except that Allah has chosen me for prophethood, just as He gives some wealth and some soundness of body and one beauty, and does not give it to others. In the same way, you should not deny my prophethood, because He has not granted you this distinction.'"