His Distinctions and Characteristics
Lineage
He is Ali son of Mousa son of Ja'fer son of Muhammad son of Ali son
of al-Husayn son of Ali son of Abu Talib (A.S.), eighth in the series of
the Imams belonging to the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.). His birthplace is Medina,
and his resting place is Toos (Iran).
Birth and Demise
Historians disagree a great deal about the year of his birth and even
in determining the month as well, and they also disagree about determining
the year and the month of his death. Their disagreements are not confined
to the limit of a short span of time but they may be five years apart,
and the disagreement is so confusing that it is very difficult to determine
clearly such matters; however, we shall point out the statements recorded
in this regard without favouring any of them due to the lack of purpose
of such favouring which naturally requires research and investigation and
a proof for selecting what seems to be the most accurate.
He was born in Medina on Friday, or Thursday, Dhul-Hijja 11, or Dhul-Qi'da,
or Rabi'ul-Awwal, of the Hijri year 148 or the year 153. He died on Friday,
or Monday, near the end of the month of Safar, or the 17th of Safar, or
Ramadan 21, or Jumada I 18, or Dhul-Qi'da 23, or the end of Dhul-Qi'da,
of the year 202 or 203 or 206. In his 'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, al-Saduq
states: "What is accurate is that he died on the 13th of Ramadan, on a
Friday, in the year 203."
What is most likely is that his death took place in the year 203 as
stated by al-Saduq. It is the same year in which al-Mamoon marched towards
Iraq. To say that he died in 206 is not to agree with the truth because
al-Mamoon marched towards Baghdad in the year 204, and the Imam died while
he was heading in the same direction.
His Mother
There is a great deal of dispute regarding the name of his mother. Some
say she was called al-Khayzaran; others say she was Arwi and that her nickname
was "the blonde of Nubia," while others say she was Najma and her nickname
was "Ummul-Baneen." Others say she was called Sekan the Nubian; still others
say she was called Takattam as may be proven from the poetry in his praise
which said:
The best in self and parenthood,
In offspring and
in ancestry,
Is Ali al-Muaddam,
Eighth in series
of the knowledgeable
and the clement,
An Imam descending
from the Proof of God,
that is Takattam.
Offspring
Disputes exist also regarding the number of his offspring and their
names. A group of scholars say that they were five sons and one daughter,
and that they were: Muhammad al-Qani', al-Hassan, Ja'fer, Ibrahim, al-Husayn,
and 'Ayesha.
Sabt ibn al-Jawzi, in his work Tadhkiratul-Khawass, says that
the sons were only four, dropping the name of Husayn from the list. Al-Mufid
inclines to believe that the Imam did not have any son other than Imam
Muhammad al-Jawad (A.S.), and Ibn Shahr Ashoob emphatically states so,
and so does al-Tibrisi in his A'lam al-Wara. Al-'Udad al-Qawiyya
states that he had two sons, Muhammad and Mousa, and that he did not have
any other offspring. In his claim, he is supported by Qurb al-Asnad
in which the author says that al-Bazanti asked al-Rida, "For years I have
been asking you who your successor is and you keep telling me that it is
your son even when you had no son at all, but since God has now blessed
you with two sons, which one of them is he?" 'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida
indicates that he had a daughter named Fatima.
We are not in the process of investigating, researching and pinpointing
with accuracy the number of his offspring and their names, but what seems
to be more reasonable is what al-Mufid states. What is established as a
fact with us is that Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (A.S.) was his son; as regarding
his other sons, nobody seems to be able to prove any facts regarding them,
and God knows best.
Personality and Characteristics
Generally speaking, an Imam enjoys a unique personality and distinctive
characteristics, in as far as Shi'a followers of the Imams are concerned;
therefore, he is not permitted to do what others are, such as falling into
error, or getting confused about a matter. Rather, infallibility is essential
in him since he conveys on behalf of the Prophet (S.A.W.) what seems to
others to be obscure of the Message and its intricacies. Just as we proved
the infallibility of the Prophet (S.A.W.), we, by the same token, prove
infallibility for the Imam as well with one exception: the Imam conveys
on behalf of the Prophet (S.A.W.), whereas the Prophet conveys on behalf
of the Almighty God. The wisdom in this argument is that should falling
into error be accepted and expected from the Prophet (S.A.W.) or the Imam,
then doubt will result regarding the reliability of what they convey to
people of jurisdic rules and regulations and other such matters since they
are liable to err in their judgement or get confused about a particular
issue. Although the believers are not held accountable for doing what they
are not supposed to be doing due to such error of judgement, the assumption
of the error of judgement itself collides with the very wisdom behind the
reason why prophets were sent to people at all which is to clarify to people,
according to the way God Almighty intended them to, without any error or
confusion, what His Will is.
The topic of infallibility is a vast one the discussion of which has
no room here and which requires a dedicated research I may be able one
day to tackle. What I have to clarify here is that Imamate is characterized
by certain distinctive aspects such as infallibility which we cannot discuss
by itself with others except after both parties agree on the basis from
which it emerged; otherwise, our case would be like one who discusses the
necessity of performing the ritual prayers (salat) with someone
who does not believe in the message of the Prophet (S.A.W.).
The basic point upon which we have first and foremost to agree is the
definition of general Imamate, then the distinctions it requires and, finally,
the proofs which testify to these distinctions. It is only then that disagreeing
parties can conduct a reasonable discussion. Having been convinced by unequivocal
proofs of such infallibility, and having seen the Twelve Imams (A.S.) to
be fully qualified to be the only ones in whom such infallibility could
be observed, we became fully convinced of their unshakable superiority
over all others, and that they were the ones adorned with absolute human
perfection.
An Imam, according to this viewpoint, has got to be the most learned
among people and the most aware of the general needs of people such as
knowledge or other necessities of life, and that he has to be the most
pious, the most ascetic, the most perfect in personal conduct and norms
of behaviour. In other words, in order to be qualified for Imamate, one
has to be superior to everyone else in all aspects of perfection and its
requirements which all raise him to his position of leadership. On this
basis, the character of Imam al-Rida (A.S.), who is one of these Twelve
Imams, becomes clearly distinctive due to its merits. But this is not the
limit of the scope of this research; rather, we shall attempt to research
his personality and the qualities which distinguished him from all others
by our sifting into the legacy history has preserved for us of his conduct
while still alive, and from the stances taken by the men of knowledge and
by contemporary caliphs towards him.
Government's Attitude Towards the Imam
The attitude of the then rulers towards Imam al-Rida (A.S.) and the
other Imams may provide us with a clear view of the distinctions which
raised their personalities to the zenith. And it is essential to explain
the phenomenon of the government's attitude towards them which manifested
itself in the surveillance imposed upon them rather than upon other distinguished
dignitaries or chiefs of the Alawides, monitoring their movements and counting
their steps in all their social and personal encounters. What we can mention
here to explain this phenomenon are the following reasons:
1) The belief of a large number of Muslims in their Imamate and in their
being the most worthy of the caliphate, and their conviction that all other
caliphs are considered usurpers of authority, trespassers upon the rights
ordained by God to others. This is why the politicians of the time considered
them their competitors whose mere presence increased the dangers surrounding
them and jeopardized the security of the very existence of their government
structure.
2) Their being the magnet which attracted leading scholars and thinkers
who shrank in their presence despite their intellectual advancement and
distinction in the fields of the arts and knowledge and despite their genius
and intellectual prowess. This caused the caliphs to feel a stronger animosity
towards them and be more grudgeful towards them due to the public fascination
by them and to their attempts to be close to them and to being emotionally
distant from the center of the government.
3) Their being the better alternative from the public's political standpoint
to take charge of the responsibilities of government, bear its burdens,
carry out its obligations and doing all of that most efficiently. This
frightened the rulers and made the obscure future seem to their eyes even
more so.
4) The vicious incitements about them by their opponents who bore animosity
towards them and who wished thereby their elimination, and the tell-tales
of even some of their own kin whose judgement was blinded by jealousy,
so they kept fabricating stories and attributing them to those Imams and
telling them to the rulers who were pleased to hear them since they became
outlets to the grudge they felt towards those Imams and, at the same time,
found in them the pretexts for annihilating and harassing them and in the
end a justification to put an end to their lives and rid themselves of
the complex they were suffering from due to their existence.
By these and by others can we explain the phenomenon of the rulers pursuing
them and desperately trying to alienate them from the stage of events affecting
the nation in order to secure a distance from the ghost of competition
which could haunt them had they permitted the Imams to do as they pleased.
Thus can we understand the general characteristics of the significant distinctions
the personalities of those Imams enjoyed in all sectors of the society
in its various centers of activity and in its various aspirations; otherwise,
how do you explain this phenomenon, and why should those rulers pay the
Imams so much attention?
His Knowledge
He inherited the knowledge of his grandfather the Messenger of God (S.A.W.),
thus becoming its pioneering fountainhead that quenched the thirst of those
who were thirsty for knowledge. History narrates a great deal of his scholarly
stances and intellectual discourses in which he achieved victory over those
who opposed the Divine Message, excelling in various branches of scholarship
with which he provided the seekers of knowledge and the thinkers of the
time.
Imam Mousa a-Kazim (A.S.) is reported to have often said to his
sons: "Ali ibn Mousa, your brother, is the learned scholar of the Descendants
of Muhammad (S.A.W.); therefore, you may ask him about your religion, and
memorize what he tells you for I have heard my father Ja'fer ibn Muhammad
more than once saying, `The learned scholar of the family of Muhammad is
in your loins. How I wish I had met him, for he is named after the Commander
of the Faithful Ali (A.S.).'"
Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Suli is reported to have said: "I never saw
al-Rida (A.S.) unable to provide the answer to any question he received,
nor have I ever seen any contemporary of his more learned than he was.
Al-Mamoon used to put him to test by asking him about almost everything,
and he always provided him with the answer, and his answer and example
was always derived from the Holy Qur'an."
Rajaa ibn Abul-Dahhak, who was commissioned by al-Mamoon to escort al-Rida
(A.S.) to his court, said: "By God! I never saw anyone more pious than
him nor more often remembering God at all times nor more fearful of God,
the Exalted. People approached him whenever they knew he was present in
their area, asking him questions regarding their faith and its aspects,
and he would answer them and narrate a great deal of hadith from his father
who quoted his forefathers till Ali (A.S.) who quoted the Messenger of
God (S.A.W.). When I arrived at al-Mamoon's court, the latter asked me
about his behaviour during the trip and I told him what I observed about
him during the night and during the day, while riding and while halting;
so, he said: `Yes, O son of al-Dahhak! This is the best man on the face
of earth, the most learned, and the most pious.'"18.
Al-Hakim is quoted in Tarikh Nishapur as saying that the Imam
(A.S.) used to issue religious verdicts when he was a little more then
twenty years old. In Ibn Maja's Sunan, in the chapter on "Summary
Of Cultivating Perfection," he is described as "the master of Banu Hashim,
and al-Mamoon used to hold him in high esteem and surround him with utmost
respect, and he even made him his successor and secured the oath of allegiance
for him."
Al-Mamoon said this once in response to Banu Hashim: "As regarding your
reaction to the selection by al-Mamoon of Abul-Hassan al-Rida (A.S.) as
his successor, be reminded that al-Mamoon did not make such a selection
except upon being fully aware of its implications, knowing that there is
no one on the face of earth who is more distinguished, more virtuous, more
pious, more ascetic, more acceptable to the elite as well as to the commoners,
or more God-fearing, than he (al-Rida, A.S.) is."19.
Abul-Salt al-Harawi is quoted saying: "I never saw anyone more knowledgeable
than Ali ibn Mousa al-Rida (A.S.). Every scholar who met him admitted the
same. Al-Mamoon gathered once a large number of theologians, jurists and
orators and he (al-Rida, A.S.) surpassed each and every one of them in
his own respective branch of knowledge, so much so that the loser admitted
his loss and the superiority of the winner over him."20.
He is also quoted saying: "I have heard Ali ibn Mousa al-Rida (A.S.)
saying, `I used to take my place at the theological center and the number
of the learned scholars at Medina was quite large, yet when a question
over-taxed the mind of one of those scholars, he and the rest would point
at me, and they would send me their queries, and I would answer them all."21.
In his discourse regarding the issue of succession, al-Mamoon said:
"I do not know any man on the face of earth who is more suited (to be heir
to the throne) than this man."22.
Al-Manaqib records the following: "When people disputed regarding
Abul-Hassan al-Rida (A.S.), Muhammad ibn 'Isa al-Yaqtini said, `I have
collected as many as eighteen thousand of his answers to questions put
forth to him.' A group of critics, including Abu Bakr the orator in his
Tarikh and al-Tha'labi in his tafsir and al-Sam'ani in his
dissertation and in al-Mu'tazz in his work, in addition to others, have
all quoted hadith from him."23.
After an intellectual discourse with al-Mamoon, Ali ibn al-Jahm said:
"Al-Mamoon stood up to perform the prayers ritual and took Muhammad ibn
Ja'fer, who was present there, by the hand, and I followed both of them.
He asked him: `What do you think of your nephew?' He answered, `A learned
scholar although we never saw him being tutored by any learned man.' Al-Mamoon
said: `This nephew of yours is a member of the family of the Prophet (S.A.W.)
about whom the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: `The virtuous among my descendants
and the elite among my progeny are the most thoughtful when young, the
most learned when adult; therefore, do not teach them for they are more
learned than you are, nor will they ever take you out of guidance, nor
lead you into misguidance.'"24.
Ibn al-Athir writes: "He (al-Mamoon) discerned the descendants of Banu
al-Abbas and Banu Ali and did not find anyone more than him (al-Rida, A.S.)
in accomplishments, piety and knowledge."25.
We do not need the testimony of anyone to convince us of the distinction
enjoyed by Imam al-Rida (A.S.) due to his knowledge over all others. Suffices
us to review the books of hadith which are filled with his statements
and dictation in various arts which every individual, regardless of the
loftiness of his degree of knowledge, became dwarfed upon meeting him,
feeling his inferiority and the superiority of Imam al-Rida (A.S.).
Ethical and Humane Conduct
Good manners constitute a significant part of one's personality. They
unveil the innermost nature of the individual, highlighting the extent
of its purity of origin when it translates belief into action. The Imam
was characterized by a most noble personality which won him the love of
the commoners as well as the elite, by extraordinary humanity derived from
the spirit of the Message itself one of whose custodians he himself was,
a person who safeguarded it and inherited its innermost secrets.
Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Suli is quoted saying: "I never saw Abul-Hassan
al-Rida (A.S.) angering anyone by something he said, nor did I ever see
him interrupting anyone, nor refusing to do someone a favour he was able
to do, nor did he ever stretch his legs before an audience, nor leaned
upon something while his companion did not, nor did he ever call any of
his servants or attendants a bad name, nor did I ever see him spit or burst
into laughter; rather, his laughter was just a smile. When he was ready
to eat and he sat to be served, he seated with him all his attendants,
including the doorman and the groom." He adds, "Do not, therefore, believe
anyone who claims that he saw someone else enjoying such accomplishments."26.
A guest once kept entertaining him part of the night when the lamp started
fading and the guest stretched his hand to fix it, but Abul-Hassan (A.S.)
swiftly checked him and fixed it himself, saying, "We are folks who do
not let their guest tend on them."27.
Al-Manaqib states that al-Rida (A.S.) once went to the public
bath-house and someone asked him to give him a massage, so he kept giving
the man a massage till someone recognized him and told that person who
that dignitary was. The man felt extremely embarrassed; he apologized to
the Imam (A.S.) and gave him a massage.28.
Muhammad ibn al-Fadl narrates the following anecdote regarding the Imam's
simple personality. He says:
"Al-Rida (A.S.), on the occasion of Eidul-Fitr, said to one
of his attendants, `May God accept your good deeds and ours,' then he stood
up and left. On the occasion of Eidul-Adha, he said to the same man, `May
God accept our good deeds and yours.' I asked him, `O son of the Messenger
of God! You said something to this man on the occasion of Eidul-Fitr and
something else on the occasion of Eidul-Adha; why?' He answered: `I pleaded
God to accept his good deeds and ours because his action was similar to
mine and I combined it with mine in my plea, whereas I pleaded God to accept
our good deeds and his because we are capable of offering the ceremonial
sacrifice while he is not; so, our action is different from his.'"29
Thus does Imam al-Rida (A.S.) become in total harmony with his message
in the area of ethics, personifying the latter into action derived from
the spirit of the message whereby he ascends to the summit of human perfection,
rising thereby to the shores of the individual's own real greatness. It
is through this and similar means that the sincerity of faith and loftiness
and dignity of the self are recognized.
Imam al-Rida (A.S.) defines for us the Islamic theory as the rules which
govern the actual dealings of man with his brother man from which we can
achieve the inspiration that Islam abolishes the then class distinctions
among individuals and groups in the areas of public rights and the safeguarding
of man's dignity, and that the difference which we must recognize regarding
these areas is the difference between one who obeys God and one who does
not.
A man once said to the Imam: "By God! There is nobody on the face of
earth who is more honourable than your forefathers." The Imam responded
by saying: "Their piety secured their honour, and their obedience of God
made them fortunate."30.
Another man said to him: "By God! You are the best of all people!" He
said to him: "Do not swear so. Better than me is one who is more obedient
to God and more pious. By God! The following verse was never abrogated:
`And We have made you nations and tribes so that you may know each other;
verily the best of you in God's sight is the most pious.'"31.
Abul-Salt once asked him: "O son of the Messenger of God! What do you
say about something people have been criticizing you for?" He asked: "What
is it?" He said: "They claim that you call people your slaves." He said:
"God! Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the hidden and the
manifest! I invoke Thee to testify that I have never said so, nor did I
ever hear that any of my forefathers had said so! God! You are the Knower
of the many injustices this nation has committed against us, and this is
just one of them..." Then he came to Abul-Salt and said: "O Abdul-Salam!
If all people, as some claim, are our slaves, who did we buy them from?"
Abul-Salt answered: "You are right, O son of the Messenger of God..." Then
the Imam said: "O Abdul-Salam! Do you deny the right which God has allotted
for us to be charged with the authority as others deny?" He said: "God
forbid! I do acknowledge such right."32.
The Imam here denies such an allegation about him and his forefathers
and rejects the vicious accusation which their enemies use against him
to tarnish his image, considering it one of the many injustices committed
against the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.). Rather, he and the Household of the Prophet
(S.A.W.) consider people to be equal in their general obligations except
in the right of government which God ordained to be theirs solely, for
others have no right to claim it for themselves. With the exception of
the right to obey God in its most pristine implications which raised their
status in the sight of God and man, all are the slaves of God. They share
the same parents and worship the same God.
Abdullah ibn al-Salt quotes a man from Balkh saying: "I accompanied
al-Rida (A.S.) during his trip to Khurasan. One day he ordered preparations
for his meal to which he invited all his attendants, blacks and non-blacks,
so I said: `May my life be sacrificed for yours! Maybe these should have
a separate eating arrangement.' He said: `God Almighty is One; the father
(Adam) and the mother (Eve) are the same, and people are rewarded according
to their deeds.'"33.
The Imam does not see any difference between him and his servants and
attendants except in the degree of good deeds; other than that, all distinctions
are void when the matter is related to common obligations in which all
individuals are equal, for each one of them is created by the same God,
and each has the same father, Adam, who was created of dust.
When we see the Imam sitting at the table surrounded by his servants,
his doorman, and his groom, he is thus teaching the nation a lesson in
virtuous humanity which believes in the dignity of man in order to demonstrate
the theory of Islam in practice showing the nature of behaviour man should
undertake in his conduct towards his brother man. The loftiness of status
and the elevation of career must not necessitate that a man of a less status
or one whose career is less coveted should be despised or made to feel
inferior to his brother man even if he is a servant. This is so in order
to eliminate the complex class distinctions which widen the gap between
the members of the society whose energies would then be split into opposing
parties torn by grudge and consumed by hatred.
Islam enacted the law of equality among the members of the society in
the areas of general obligations in order to emancipate man's dignity from
class obligations which dominated the way of life during the pre-Islamic
era and were adopted by nations of old. God Almighty has said: "The best
of you in the eyes of God is the one who is most pious."34
The Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "All of you descended from Adam, and Adam was
created of dust." He also said: "No Arab can be held superior to a non-Arab
except through superiority of his degree of piety."
Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Suli is quoted saying: "I heard Ali ibn Mousa
al-Rida saying, `I swear by emancipation--and whenever I swore by it, I
would emancipate one of my slaves till I emancipated each and every one
of them--that I do not see myself as better than that (and he pointed to
a black slave of his who remained in his service) on account of my kinship
to the Messenger of God (S.A.W.) except if I do a good deed which would
render me better.'"35.
Thus does the Imam define for us the good Islamic conduct of safeguarding
the dignity of man and the elimination of all class distinctions except
the distinction of good deeds. He, peace be upon him, does not view his
kinship to the Prophet (S.A.W.) as providing him with a distinction over
a black slave except if such kinship is combined with good deeds which
render the doer distinction and superiority. Yasir, one of his servants,
said once: "Abul-Hasan said to us once: `If I leave the table before you
do, while you are still eating, do not leave on my account till you are
through.' It may happen that he calls upon some of us to his service and
he is told that they are eating, whereupon he says: `Leave them to finish
their meal first.'" Nadir, another servant, says: "Abul-Hassan did not
require us to do anything for him except if we had finished eating our
meal."36.
These are samples of his actual conduct and humanity which he inherited
as a fragrant legacy the perfume of which is goodness and mercy from his
grandfather the greatest Prophet (S.A.W.) who crowned his message with
the banner of good conduct when he said: "I have been sent to perfect the
code of good conduct." Such was that genuine humane legacy from whose spirit
nations derive their strength and upon which they build the pillars of
their glory and through which they secure the continuation of their very
existence.
His Conduct Regarding His Appearance
There is no doubt that, generally speaking, the Imams (A.S.) were more
distant than anyone else from the alluring wares of this vanishing world,
and most distant from its ornamentations and allurements. But the concept
of asceticism according to them was not limited to wearing modest coarse
clothes or eating very simple food. Rather, its limits extended beyond
that, for the ascetic person is the one who does not allow the pleasures
of this world to take control over him without being able to take control
of them, one who does not see this world as the ultimate goal he seeks;
rather, when it comes towards him, the believer is entitled to enjoy its
good things, and when it forsakes him, he contends himself that God's rewards
are more lasting.
Al-Aabi is quoted in Nathr al-Durar as saying:
"A group of sufis visited al-Rida (A.S.) when he was in Khurasan,
and they said to him, `The commander of the faithful looked into the authority
God Almighty entrusted to him, and he found you, members of the Prophet's
Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.), to be the most deserving of all people to be the leaders.
Then he discerned you, members of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.), and
he found yourself the most worthy of leading the people, so he decided
to entrust such leadership to you. The nation is in need of one who wears
coarse clothes, eats the most simple food, rides the donkey and visits
the sick.' Al-Rida (A.S.) was first leaning, then he adjusted the way he
was sitting and said: `Joseph (Yousuf) was a Prophet who used to wear silk
mantles brocaded with gold. He sat on the thrones of the Pharaohs and ruled.
An Imam is required to be just and fair; when he says something, he says
the truth, and when he passes a judgement, he judges equitably, and when
he promises something, he fulfills his promise. God did not forbid (an
Imam) from wearing a particular type of clothes or eating a particular
type of food.' Then he recited the Qur'anic verse: `Say: Who has forbidden
the beautiful (gifts) of God which He has produced for His servants, and
the good things, clean and pure (which He has provided) for sustenance?'"37
Imam al-Jawad (A.S.) was asked once about his view regarding musk. He answered:
"My father ordered musk to be made for him in a ben tree in the amount
of seven hundred dirhams. Al-Fadl ibn Sahl wrote him saying that people
criticized him for that. He wrote back: `O Fadl! Have you not come to know
that Joseph (Yousuf), who was a Prophet, used to wear silk clothes brocaded
with gold, and that he used to sit on gilded thrones, and that all of that
did not decrease any of his wisdom?' Then he ordered a galia moschata (perfume
of musk and ambergris) to be made for him in the amount of four thousand
dirhams.'"38.
Thus does the Imam prove that the outward appearance of asceticism has
nothing to do with true asceticism; rather, it may even be a fake whereby
someone tries to attract the attention of others. This is why Imam al-Rida
(A.S.) and other Imams did not see anything wrong with meeting the public
with an appearance of luxury in what they put on or ate as long as it did
not collide with the reality of asceticism which is the building of the
self from within to renounce the world and its allurement and regard it
as a vanishing display with a short span of life. This does not forbid
the believer from enjoying its pleasures in the way which God made permissible.
God did not create the good things in this world for the disbeliever to
enjoy while depriving the believers therefrom. Rather, God considers the
believer to be more worthy of such enjoyment when he submits himself to
God and expends it in His Path.
Ibn Abbad tells us the following about Imam al-Rida's ascetic conduct:
"Al-Rida used to sit on a leaf mat during the summer and on a straw sack
during the winter; he used to put on coarse clothes, but when he went out
to meet the public, he put on his very best."39
So, when he is by himself, away from public life, his soul finds harmony
with denying what is fake, that is, the decorations and allurements of
this life. But when he goes out to meet people, he puts on his best for
them following their own nature of holding the appearances of this world
as significant, enjoying its good things. This realistically ascetic conduct
of the Imam provides us with a glorious example of the truth regarding
the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) and their pure view of life which is free from any
disturbing fake or pretense.
Clemency and Tolerance
Imam Mousa ibn Ja'fer (A.S.) had recommended his son al-Rida (A.S.)
to be the Imam after him, making him his own deputy in faring with his
wealth, women, sons and the mothers of his sons, without permitting any
of his other sons to fare with anything after him, and he wrote his will
indicating so and sealed it with his own seal, invoking the Wrath of God
upon anyone who would unlawfully break the seal after having secured the
testimony of a number of his own household and followers. But the brothers
of Imam al-Rida (A.S.) disputed with their brother regarding their father's
will and what he had left for them. According to al-Kafi, Yazid
ibn Salit is quoted saying:
"Abu Umran al-Talhi was the judge at Medina when his (al-Rida's)
brothers presented him as their opponent in their dispute. Al-Abbas ibn
Mousa said: `May God bring through you reconciliation and happiness. At
the bottom of this written statement there is a treasure and a jewel and
he (al-Rida) wishes to keep it away from us and take it all to himself,
and our father entrusted everything to him, leaving us helpless. Had I
not checked myself, I would have told you so before a crowd of people.'
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, who was one of the witnesses of the will, jumped
at him and said: `Then you by God would be telling something we do not
accept to be coming even from you, and we will hold you as a liar, and
you will be among us blamed and despised, nicknamed by the young and the
old as a liar. Your father knew you best if there was any good in you and
your father knew you inside and out, and he could not trust you to guard
two pieces of dates.' Then his uncle Ishaq ibn Ja'fer jumped at him and
pulled him by the robe saying, `You are a silly, weakling, and a fool;
add these to your previous faults,' and he was supported in his view by
all others. Abu Umran, the judge, said to Ali, `Stand up, O father of al-Hassan!
Suffices me today the curse your father had invoked, and your father was
quite generous with you. No! By God! Nobody knows a son better than his
father. No! By God! Your father was neither weak in his intellect nor shallow
in his view.' Al-Abbas said to the judge, `May God bring conciliation through
you! Please remove the seal and read the contents.' Abu Umran said, `No,
I shall not remove it; suffices me today the curse your father invoked.'
Al-Abbas said, `I shall remove it.' He said, `That is up to you.' So al-Abbas
removed the seal and the contents spelled out their exclusion and the inclusion
only of Ali, and an order that they all, whether they liked it or not,
were to listen to and obey Imam Ali al-Rida (A.S.). In short, the removal
of the seal spelled their destruction, scandal and humiliation, whereas
Ali remained the winner.
"Ali then turned to al-Abbas and said: `Brother! I know that
what made you do what you did is the fact that you have fines and debts
to pay. Sa'id! Go ahead and take an account of their debts, then pay their
dues on their own behalf. After that take out their zakat and clear
their name. By God! I shall never abandon your assistance and I shall never
cut my ties from you as long as I walk on this earth; so, you may say whatever
you please.'
"Al-Abbas said: `Do not give us anything other than what rightfully
belongs to us, and what you hold of our own is even more.' He said: `You
may say anything you want to say, for the offer is yours; if you do good
deeds, you shall be rewarded by God, and if you commit a bad deed, God
is Most Forgiving, Merciful. By God! You know very well that today I have
no son nor heir except you; so, if I keep anything which belongs to you
from you or save what you think to belong to you, it shall always remain
yours and will always be returned to you. By God! I have never owned anything
since your father, may God be pleased with him, passed away except that
I relinquished it to you as you have seen.'
"Al-Abbas leaped and said: `By God it is not so! Nor God has
given you authority over us..., but..., but it is our father's jealousy
and he willed a will which God does not accept from him nor from you, and
you know very well that I know Safwan ibn Yahya, the Sabiri seller at Kufa.
If I ever get there, I shall strangle him and you with him.'
"Ali said: `There is no power or will except by the Will of
God, the Sublime, the Great... Brothers! God knows that I desire nothing
other than your happiness and well-being. God! If you know that I love
their well-being, and that I want nothing but good for them, that I do
not severe my ties with them, that I am kind to them, concerned about their
affairs day and night..., then grant me good rewards for it. But if I am
contrariwise, then I invoke You, Knower of the unknown, to grant me the
rewards of my intentions: good for good and evil for evil. Lord! Bring
them to the path of righteousness, and make life good for them, and keep
the snares of the devil away from us and from them, and assist them to
be able to worship Thee, and help them see Thy guidance. As for me, brother,
I desire nothing other than your happiness, working hard for your own well-being,
and God is my Witness.'
"To this, al-Abbas said: `How well I know your mastery over
words! And there is no mud with me for your spade!'"40
With these rude words al-Abbas ended his argument with his brother, Imam
al-Rida (A.S.), despite the fact that the Imam was very kind and clement
in his argument with him, without articulating any unkind word, that it
was already established that right was on the side of the Imam, and that
their own transgression dragged him into such a situation which did not
befit his lofty status. This, indeed, is indicative of a great deal of
clemency and tolerance towards an unlimited aggression.
Although al-Abbas discarded the norms of good manners in his confrontation
with his brother by articulating disrespectful words and by committing
a sin against his own father Imam Mousa ibn Ja'fer (A.S.) by accusing him
of being jealous and biased, which causes the other party to be on the
offensive, or at least would push him away from a balanced temper, this
is not an artificial show of clemency and tolerance from the Imam (A.S.);
rather, it is derived from the spirit of genuine goodness and love whereby
he and the other Imams were characterized when others challenged them.
On the other hand, the Imam (A.S.) tries to cause others to adorn themselves
with the same trait of clemency and tolerance upon being wronged as an
element of good relationship among them, justifying this by saying that
it increases the dignity of man, for clemency and tolerance, when the ability
to deal equal blows and effect equal retribution express the power of anger
in man and his control over his rash temper upon being challenged, this
causes others to respect and venerate such a person especially when that
person shoulders the responsibilities of authority. Al-Aabi says:
"A man sentenced to be beheaded was brought to al-Mamoon while
al-Rida (A.S.) was among his train. Al-Mamoon asked him: `Father of al-Hassan!
What is your view?' He said: `All I can say is that God only increases
the dignity of those whose good will causes them to forgive.' He, therefore,
forgave the man."41
Swiftness of Response
Imam al-Rida (A.S.) was endowed with a readiness to respond coupled
with the strength of argument and oratory to which extra-ordinary expressions
freely submitted without making the over-all meaning too difficult to comprehend.
His arguments with the heads of other religions, with foremost writers,
and with atheists in which he outwitted them with his clear argument and
decisive arguments, all provide us with a glorious indication that he used
to enjoy the ability to provide a ready answer and a speed in intellectual
reasoning.
This is why learned scholars held him in high esteem and hesitated to
challenge him to debate in any field of knowledge as actually happened
after his arguments with the highest authorities of other religions at
a meeting al-Mamoon arranged at his court and the audience were tongue-tied
when he challenged them to put for discussion whatever came to their minds.
His Patience and Perseverance
The patience and perseverance of the Imam manifest themselves clearly
when he had to face psychological and emotional crises. When he went to
say his farewell at the Ka'ba, Mecca, upon being ordered by al-Mamoon to
be present at his court in Khurasan, he was faced with an emotional situation
involving his only son Abu Ja'fer Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, but he maintained
with an iron will his self-control, solacing himself with a patient heart,
submitting to God's Will and Decree.
Umayya ibn Ali states: "I was sitting with Abul-Hassan (A.S.) at Mecca
during the year in which he performed the hajj prior to his trip
to Khurasan, and Abu Ja'fer was with him when he was bidding the House
(Ka'ba) good-bye. Having finished his tawaf, he went to the maqam and said
his prayers there. Abu Ja'fer, accompanied by Muaffaq, was making his tawaf,
till he reached the Stone. There he sat and he prolonged his sitting there.
Muaffaq said to him: `May my life be sacrificed for yours! It is time you
stood up.' He answered: `I do not wish to leave this place at all except
by the Will of God,' and grief could easily be seen clouding over his face.
Muaffaq approached Abul-Hassan and said to him: `May my life be sacrificed
for yours! Abu Ja'fer is sitting by the Stone unwilling to leave,' so Abul-Hassan
stood up, came to Abu Ja'fer and said: `Stand up, my loved one.' But his
son said: `I do not wish to leave this place...' He said: `Do stand up,
O my loved one.' After a while, he said to his father: `How can I stand
up seeing that you have already said your farewell at the House never to
return again?' He said: `Do stand up, my loved one.' He stood up and left
with his father."
The Imam (A.S.) patiently put up with numerous norms of persecution
and injustice inflicted upon him during the reign of (Harun) al-Rashid
starting with the tragedy of his father, passing by the tragedies to which
the Alawides were subjected, and ending with the unfair instigations to
al-Rashid by the Imam's opponents to kill him and eliminate him. The strength
of the patience and perseverance of the Imam become manifest when we examine
the thinly veiled political persecution from which he suffered during al-Mamoon's
reign especially after the latter appointed him as his heir to the throne,
fully knowing that al-Mamoon was not sincere in his intention but rather
enacted a political act in which al-Mamoon played the major role solely
to provide security to the shaky foundations of his regime due to the storming
events the outcome of which was reflected upon the issue of who would succeed
him on the throne.
The extent of the suffering of the Imam, the degree of his bitterness
and agony, and the amount of grief and sorrow which filled his heart due
to the treatment meted to him by the government, can be assessed; yet he
buried all of that in the depth of his mind with mute patience and perseverance.
Yasir, his servant, said once: "Whenever al-Rida (A.S.) returned home on
Friday from the mosque, with his face sweating and stained by blowing dust,
he would raise his hands and invoke God saying, `God! If the only way I
am relieved from my distress is by death, then I invoke Thee to hasten
its hour.'"
Suffices to assess the extent of his patience and perseverance to simply
be aware of the fact that although he was God's Argument over His creation,
he was powerless to do anything while seeing right being abandoned and
wrong upheld.
Generosity
In a dialogue with al-Bazanti, the Imam said: "Anyone who receives a
boon is in danger: He has to carry out God's commandments in its regard.
By God! Whenever God blesses me with something, I continue to be in extreme
apprehension till (and here he made a motion with his hand) I take out
some of it and spend it in the way God has ordained in its regard." Al-Bazanti
asked him: "May my life be sacrificed for yours! You, in your status of
high esteem, fear that much?" He answered: "Yes, indeed! And I praise my
Creator for the blessings He bestowed upon me."42.
The Imam's generosity and thoughtfulness emanate out of this good aspect
of his conviction which depends on the principle of letting others share
in the wealth with which God blesses him, and in what blessings and favours
He bestows upon him. God's rights in this context are the shares of the
needy and the poor in this world whose ability to earn a decent living
was hampered by either severe employment conditions, or disability to work
due to old age, or because of being left stranded away from their original
home, in addition to others who were forced by the necessities of life
to stretch their hands to others for help. To ask others is humiliating,
for it shatters the dignity of the person who is stretching his hand asking
and by his psychological appeal to the breath of humanity in the person
he is asking. In this story, the Imam guides us to realize a magnificent
fact about the human psychology, that is, to give is not a favour someone
does to someone else begging him for help; rather, it is his way of thanking
God for the blessings with which He blessed him. The person who is blessed
is in danger until he takes out of it the rights in it which are God's.
The Imam's method in giving is derived from such an angle of the human
nature. Eleisha ibn Hamza says: "I was once talking to al-Rida (A.S.) when
a large crowd of people assembled to ask him about what is permissible
in Islam and what is not. A man as tall as Adam came to him and said: `Assalamo
Alaikom, O Son of the Messenger of God! I am a man who loves you, your
fathers and grandfathers, and I have just been on my way to perform the
pilgrimage when I discovered that I had lost everything with me and now
I do not have anything enough even for a leg of the trip. If you will,
please help me with the expense of going back home, and I am a recipient
of God's blessing (i.e. well to do). As soon as I reach there, I will give
to the poor as much as you will give me, for I do not qualify to be a recipient
of alms.' He said to him: `Sit, may God be merciful to you,' then he kept
talking to people till they dispersed except that man, Sulaiman al-Ja'feri,
Khuthai'ama and myself. Then he (al-Rida) said: `Do you permit me to enter
(the room)?' Sulaiman said to him: `May God advance your endeavour.'43
So he entered the room and stayed for about an hour after which he came
out and closed the door behind him, stretched his hand above the door and
said: `Where is the man from Khurasan?' The man answered: `Here I am!'
He said: `Take these two hundred dinars, use them for your preparations
for the trip; may God bring you blessings thereby, and do not spend an
equal amount to it on my behalf, and leave the room in a way that I do
not see you and you do not see me,' then he left. Sulaiman then said: `May
my life be sacrificed for yours! You have made quite a generous offer,
but why did you hide your face?' He answered: `I did so for fear of seeing
the humiliation on the face of the man due to my assistance for him. Have
you not heard the hadith of the Messenger of God (S.A.W.) in which
he said: `The one who hides a good deeds receives rewards equal to performing
the pilgrimage seventy times; one who announces his sin is humiliated,
while one who hides it is forgiven'? Have you heard the saying of the example
of the first case:
Whenever I approach him, one day, with a plea, I return home
and my dignity is still with me.
for he hides himself from the person who appeals to him when he gives him
something so that he does not see the humiliation on his face, and so that
the pleading person retains his dignity when he does not see the face of
the benevolent one who is giving him?"
He asks him to leave without seeing him in order to safeguard himself
against feeling as having the upper hand over the pleading person, and
in order to relieve the pleading person from having to show his gratitude
to him.
While in Khurasan, he once distributed his entire wealth to the poor
on the day of Arafat, so al-Fadl ibn Sahl said to him: "Now you are bankrupt!"
he said: "On the contrary! I am now wealthier than ever. Do not consider
trading my wealth for God's rewards and pleasure as bankruptcy."44.
He does not give others in order to buy their affection or friendship;
rather, he considers giving with generosity as a good trait whereby man
gets nearer to his Maker by including His servants in the wealth with which
He blessed him. This is the difference between his method of giving and
the method of others. Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Nawbakhti is quoted saying:
"A man passed by Abul-Hassan and begged him to give him according
to the extent of his kindness. He said: `I cannot afford that.' So he said:
`Then give me according to mine,' whereupon he ordered his servant to give
the man two hundred dinars."45
The reason why the Imam abstained from giving the man according to the
extent of his own kindness, as the man asked him the first time, is probably
due to the fact that he simply did not have as much money as he liked to
give. As regarding his own affection towards the poor and the indigent,
and his way of looking after them, Mu'ammar ibn Khallad narrates this anecdote: "Whenever Abul-Hassan al-Rida (A.S.) was about to eat his meal,
he would bring a large platter and select the choicest food on the table
and put on it, then he would order it to be given away to the poor. After
that he would recite the following verse: `But he hath made no haste on
the path that is steep.'46
After that he would say: `God, the Exalted and the Sublime, knows that
not everyone has the ability to free a slave, nevertheless He found means
for them to achieve Paradise (by feeding others).'"47
Thus does the Imam sense the weight of deprivation under which the poor
moan and suffer; therefore, he shares his best food with them in response
to the call of humanity and kindness and in harmony with the spirit of
the message with which God entrusted him.
Al-Bazanti tells the story of a letter Imam al-Rida (A.S.) wrote to
his son Imam Abu Ja'fer (A.S.) which personifies the generosity and spirit
of giving deeply rooted in the hearts of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.);
he says: "I read the letter of Abul-Hassan Imam al-Rida (A.S.) to Abu Ja'fer
which said: `O Abu Ja'fer! I have heard that when you ride, the servants
take you out of the city through its small gate. This is due to their being
miser so that nobody asks you for something. I plead you by the right I
have upon you that every time you enter into or get out of the city, you
should do so through its large gate, and when you ride, take gold and silver
with you, and every time you are asked, you should give. If any of your
uncles asks you for something, you should give him no less than fifty dinars,
and you yourself may determine the maximum amount you would like to give;
and if any of your aunts asks you for something, do not give her less than
twenty-five dinars, and it is up to you to determine the maximum amount.
I only desire that God raises your status; therefore, keep giving away
and do not fear that the Lord of the Throne will ever throw you into poverty.'"48.
Equity
The Imam (A.S.) did not have the chance to rule for any period of time
so that we may discuss his practical style of government, but we can still
be acquainted with that through reviewing his statements to some of his
followers who very much desired that the Imam should shoulder the responsibilities
of caliphate. Muhammad ibn Abu 'Abada asked him once: "Why did you delay
executing the order of the commander of the faithful and why did you refuse
to oblige?" He said: "Be careful, O father of Hassan! The matter is not
so." He added saying that the Imam noticed that he was crossed, so he said:
"What's in it for you anyway? Should I, as you presume, become what you
wish me to become, and you are as close to me then as you are right now,
you would certainly be responsible for paying your dues and, in my eyes,
there would be no difference between you and anyone else."
He, peace be upon him, clarifies the matter, and that there is no use
to accept the caliph's offer since government will never actually be under
his control. And when he notices the bitterness on the face of the person
who asked him why he hesitated to accept the caliph's offer, he reminds
him of his method of government should it at all be in his hands, summarizing
it thus: Nobody shall have any distinction over other citizens according
to the dictates of the equitable government set up by Islamic Shari'a
regardless of class or any other distinctions such as favouritism, friendship
or support; rather, all subjects are equal in the rights they enjoy without
any bias to one in preference over another, or any bias against one in
order to please another.
The Imam's way of explaining his method of government is actually an
outspoken way of criticizing the ruling methods followed then the foundations
of which were not based on justice and equity but on special interests
which guarantee for the ruler and his followers the continuity of his government
and authority. The wealth, lives, possessions and everything else under
the government's control was all subject to the whims and desires of the
oppressive ruler and his train, distant from the principles of justice
and the norms of equality secured by the Islamic message as embedded within
its humanitarian method of legislation.
Method of Educating the Public
The Imams (A.S.) played a significant role in the area of educating
the public, setting examples in educating through the example of one's
own conduct; therefore, their methods of education were not confined merely
to spreading awareness through the spoken word but went beyond that to
enforcing a strict practical censorship over actions to observe the defects
and shortcomings of conduct in the life of others. Here we present three
examples of the norms of conduct of Imam al-Rida (A.S.) each dealing with
one aspect of man's practical life:
Yasir, one of his servants, narrates that the Imam's attendants were
eating some fruit one day and they were throwing away a good portion of
it uneaten. Abul-Hassan (A.S.) said to them: "Praise be to God! If you
have eaten to your fill, there are many who have not; so, you should feed
them of it instead."49.
In this incident, the Imam points out to the reality of wanton living
which we observe in our life. When we feel that we have achieved full satisfaction
of something, be it food or anything else, we do not try to satisfy the
need of others for it, but we may even try to spoil it in one way or another
without realizing the crime towards humanity implied in an action like
that.
Sulaiman ibn Ja'fer al-Ju'fi is quoted saying: "I was in the company
of al-Rida (A.S.) trying to take care of some personal business of my own
and I wanted to go home. He said to me, `Come with me and spend the night
over my house.' So I went with him and he entered his house shortly before
sunset. He noticed that his attendants were working with clay, probably
mending stables, and there was a black man among them. He asked them, `What
is this man doing with you?' They said: `He is helping us, and we will
pay him something.' He asked, `Did you come to an agreement with him regarding
his wages?' They said, `No. He will accept whatever we pay him.' He, thereupon,
started whipping them and showing signs of extreme anger. I said to him,
`May my life be sacrificed for yours! Why are you so angry?' He said: `I
have forbidden them so many times from doing something like that and ordered
them not to employ anyone before coming to an agreement with him regarding
his wages. You know that nobody would work for you without an agreed upon
wage. If you do not, and then you pay him three times as much as you first
intended to pay him, he would still think that you underpaid him. But if
you agree on the wage, he will praise you for fulfilling your promise and
paying him according to your agreement, and then if you give him a little
bit more, he would recognize that and notice that you increased his pay."50.
Here the Imam tries to point out a significant point related to the
system of labour whereby each of the employer and the employee safeguards
his rights. Often, disputes erupt about determining the wage the employee
deserves in the absence of a prior agreement between the employer and the
employee regarding a set wage. By determining and agreeing upon a set wage,
each party safeguards its own right without finding a reason to dispute.
An increase, though small, in the wage will surely cause the employee to
feel grateful and thankful to his employer.
Al-Bazanti is quoted saying:
"Al-Rida (A.S.) had one of his donkeys sent to convey me to
his residence, so I came to the town and stayed with a dignitary for a
part of the night, and we both had our supper together, then he ordered
my bed to be prepared. A Tiberian pillow, a Caesarian sheet, and a Marw
blanket were brought to me. Having eaten my supper, he asked me, `Would
you like to retire?' I said, `Yes, may my life be sacrificed for yours.'
So he put the sheet and the blanket over me and said, `May God make you
sleep in good health,' and we were on the rooftop. When he went down, I
told myself that I had achieved a status with that man nobody else had
attained before. It was then when I heard someone calling my name, but
I did not recognize the voice till one of his (al-Rida's) servants came
to me. He said: `Come meet my master;' so I went down and he came towards
me, asked me for my hand to shake and he shook it with a squeeze, saying,
`The Commander of the Faithful, God's peace be upon him, came once to visit
Sa'sa'a ibn Sawhan, and when it was time to leave, he advised Sa'sa'a not
to boast about his visit to him but to look after himself instead for he
seemed to be about to depart from this world and that worldly hopes do
not do a dying man any good, and he greeted him a great deal as he bid
him good-bye.'"51
In the above anecdote, the Imam (A.S.) points out the significance of realistic
spiritual upbringing which is not influenced by external appearances nor
is deceived by artificial psychological fantasies, for the reason why others
pay attention and show concern may be solely due to seeking their self-interest,
or maybe due to a sincere affection, or to any other reason, without any
of these reasons being linked to the reality of the self and its significance.
The Imam tries to push us to avoid being deceived by anything which would
push us away from contemplating upon our real world to which our destiny
is tied, and we have to be subjective in our outlooks, assessing our realities
without being influenced by casual external factors.
Reluctance to Cooperate With the Rulers
The Imams (A.S.) did not for even one day admit any legitimacy to their
contemporary governments, be it Umayyad or Abbaside, due to the fact that
those governments were far away from the pristine Islamic system of government
and to their deviation, in spirit and in conduct, from the most simple
principles and rules of human justice. Executions, deportations, confiscations
of properties, transgressions, according to them, all did not hold them
legally accountable, nor did they constitute a departure from the principles
of creed and equity as long as they in the end served to strengthen and
secure the foundations of their governments.
Anyone who appreciates his divine responsibility would try as hard as
possible to stay away from participating in shouldering the responsibilities
of such governments or making the latter's job easier, for this would mean
his own recognition of their legitimacy and his own admission of their
right to exist.
Yes; if the objective of his participation is to alleviate, as much
as he can, their injustice and transgression to which innocent believers
may be subjected, and to minimize the danger of their ethical and social
iniquities which distance the nation from the achievement of an exemplary
realization of its mission--if this is the objective, then such participation
may be necessitated by one's own persistent faith, and upon this premise
did the Imams refrain from encouraging any of their followers from working
for such governments for that would mean assisting the aggressor and strengthening
his stance. The only exception was the case when the religion's interest
dictated it. In the latter case, they used to encourage some of their influential
followers to take part in the government and be employed by it as was the
case of Ali ibn Yaqteen who tried several times to resign from his post
at the court of Harun al-Rashid, but Imam Mousa ibn Ja'fer (A.S.) used
to encourage him to stay due to the fact that his stay meant removing injustices
from many believers and the fending of some of the corruption committed
by others.
We can clearly be acquainted with this negative stance of Ahl al-Bayt
(A.S.) towards their rulers by examining what al-Hassan ibn al-Husayn al-Anbari
tells us about Imam Abul-Hassan al-Rida (A.S.). He says: "I continued writing
him for fourteen years asking his permission that I accept a job in the
service of the sultan. At the conclusion of the last letter I wrote him
I stated the fact that I was fearing for my life because the sultan was
accusing me of being a Rafidi and that he did not doubt that the reason
why I declined from working for him was due to my being a Rafidi. So Abul-Hassan
wrote me saying, `I have comprehended the contents of your letters and
what you stated regarding your apprehension about your life's safety. If
you know that should you accept the job, you would behave according to
the commands of the Messenger of God (S.A.W.) and your assistants and clerks
would be followers of your faith, and if you use the gain you receive to
help needy believers till you become their equal, then one deed will offset
another; otherwise, do not.'"52.
The Imam (A.S.) preconditions for his permission to work for the government
that there should be a religious interest which decreases the damage done
by the nature of the job; otherwise, it would mean a psychological and
factual separation from the pristine principles of Islam and its precepts
and an attachment to the corrupt world in which those rulers were living.
How could the Imam ever approve the principle of cooperating with those
who played Muslim caliphs and deliberately watered down the divine content
of the Islamic message by their and behavioural transgressions which demolished
the psychological and spiritual borders separating the nation from the
realization of the sins and pitfalls of such transgressions? Theirs were
gatherings in which wine was served, entertainers entertained, singers
sang, dancers danced, filling the palaces of Umayyad and Abbaside caliphs
with immorality. One of them was insolent enough to invite one of those
Imams (A.S.) to participate in his drinking orgy as was the case of al-Mutawakkil
with Imam Ali al-Hadi (A.S.) which unveils to us the extent of corruption
and the extremity of moral decay of the Abbaside caliphate.
It is quite possible that those rulers were aware of the negative attitude
of the Imams towards them and their corrupt government systems. We find
them, as the anecdote above proves, doubting the loyalty of the individuals
who refused to cooperate with them, charging them with Rafidism due to
the negative stance adopted by their Imams towards the conduct of those
rulers.
Islamic caliphate suffered the tragedy of a humiliating deviation from
Islam and a moral decay during the Umayyad and Abbaside dynasties which
helped the wide dissemination of corruption and moral decay among various
sectors of the ummah. What sort of Muslim caliphs were those whose
eyes could not sleep except after listening to the music played by their
male and female singers, whose nightly meetings were not complete without
the presence of wine and immorality? What type of Islamic reality is this
in which a group like that has the full say? How can anyone expect the
Imams (A.S.), who were the careful custodians of rights and whose responsibility
was to safeguard such rights, to permit themselves and their followers
to bear any responsibility in a government led by individuals whose hands
were polluted with sins and accustomed to sinning?
The negative stance of the Imams was an obvious call for the nation
to be aware of its Islamic mission and principles, a loud cry to wake it
up from its slumber to witness the corrupt reality lived by such Islamic
"caliphs" due to the reckless and corrupt behaviour of those rulers and
their followers who were at the helm of leading the nation.
These are some of the characteristics and qualities which provide us
with some of the outlines of the portrait of Imam al-Rida (A.S.), and the
picture presented here is not complete in its pristine components which
represent the actual context for it, for such a task requires the researcher
to rise to grasp the Imam's loftiness which is impossible to attain by
any writer, and nobody can ever describe it no matter how hard he tries.
18
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rata, Vol. 2, pp. 180-183. 19
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 49, p. 211, as quoted by Ibn Maskawayhi's book
Nadeem al-Tareef.
20
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 49, p. 100. It is narrated from al-Hakim by
Abu Abdullah, the hafiz of Naishapur.
21
Ibid.
22
Al Irshad by al-Mufid, p. 291.
23
Manaqib Aali Abi Talib, Vol. 4, p. 300.
24
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 1, p. 203.
25
Ibn al-Athir, Vol. 5, p. 183.
26
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 2, p. 184.
27
Al Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 203.
28
Al Manaqib, Vol. 4, p. 362.
29
Al Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 81.
30
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 2, p. 226.
31
Al Hujurat:13.
32
Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 174.
33
Al Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 23.
34
Al Hujurat:13.
35
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 2, p. 237.
36
Al Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 298.
37
Kashf al-Ghumma, Vol. 3, p. 147; Surat Al A'raaf:32.
38
Al Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 516.
39
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 2, p. 178.
40
Al Kafi, Vol. 1, pp. 316-319.
41
Kashf al-Ghumma, Vol. 3, p. 143.
42
Al Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 502.
43
Al Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 24.
44
Al Manaqib, Vol. 4, p. 361.
45
Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 360.
46
Al Balad:11.
47
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 2, p. 264.
48
'Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 2, p. 8.
49
Al Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 297.
50
Al Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 288.
51
Qurb al-Isnad, p. 222, and Al Kharaij wal Jaraih, p. 237,
with a slight textual variation.
52
Al Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 111.