Imam Ridha (pbuh)
Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the Sultan of the Prophets. Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the owner of the Basin and the Banner. Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the one who ascended to heaven and reached a place just around the corner. Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the Prophet of guidance and the master of enlightenment and the savior of the servants from destruction. Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the owner of the great morals, the verses, and the wise remembrance. Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the owner of the praiseworthy position, the blessed basin, and the witnessed banner. Peace be upon you, oh daughter of the approach of the religion of Islam, the owner of the Qiblah and the Qur’an, and the knowledge of honesty, truth, and benevolence. Peace be upon you, oh She is the daughter of the elite of the prophets and the scholar of the pious. She is well-known on earth and in heaven, and may God have mercy and blessings. Peace be upon you, daughter, the best of God’s creation, the master of His creation, the beginning of number before the creation of His earth and heavens, and the end of eternity after the annihilation of the world and its people, and God’s mercy and blessings.
The shrine of Lady Zeinab, peace be upon her, in the town of Rawya in Ghouta, Damascus, is considered one of the most important spiritual shrines and one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture. Believers from all over the world visit it, their hearts full of faith, and they enjoy heavenly scents at its pure thresholds that fill their senses with the fragrance of piety and reverence. Visitors to the shrine used to offer sacrifices and vows of livestock to be slaughtered in the shrine’s slaughterhouse and then distribute them all to the poor.
Biography
The birthplace of
the eighth leader of the Shiites, Imam Ali bin Musa al-Reza, peace be upon him, was opened to the world in Medina.
Abolhassan and Abulali jokes
(1)
Nicknames:
Reza, Saber, Zaki, Wali, Fadel, Wafi, Siddiq, Razi, Siraj Allah, Noor Al Hadi, Qura Ain Al Mominin, Makida Al Muhedin, Kafu Al Malik, Kafi Al Khalq, Rab Al Slir and Rab Al Tadbir.(2)
The most famous nickname
is "Reza".
They have said about the reason for assigning this title: "He was called Reza because he was pleased in heaven and pleased on earth by the Prophet of God and the imams after him.
It has also been said: Because everyone, both opponents and companions, were pleased with him.
Finally, it has been said: Because of that, they called him Reza, because Ma'mun was pleased with him .(3)
Imam's mother,
in the various narrations that have reached us, the names and epithets and nicknames of Umm al-Binin, Najmeh, Sakan, Taktam, Khaizran, Tahira and Shakra.(4)They brought it for the mother of that Prophet.
There are differences
regarding the day, month and year of his birth as well as his death:
the year of his birth: (148, 151 and 153 AH)
and the day of his birth: 19th Friday of Ramadan, half of the same month, 10th Friday of Rajab(5)and the eleventh of Dhu al-Qaida(6)
The martyrdom day
of that Prophet's death is also known as the years (202, 203 and 206 AH).(7)
But they mostly believe that the birth of that Prophet was in the year (148 AH), that is, the same year as the death of Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him; As Mofid, Klini, Kafami, Shahid, Tabarsi, Sadouq, Ibn Zahra, Masoudi, Abu al-Fida, Ibn Athir, Ibn Hajar, Ibn Jozi and others have chosen this opinion.(8)
Regarding the date of his death, the opinion of the majority of scholars is the same year (203 AH) . (9)
According to the narration, his life was fifty-five years(10) It is possible that he spent twenty-five years with his father and held the Shia Imamate for another twenty years.(11)
These twenty years coincide with the final period of Harun Abbasi caliphate, followed by three years of Amin's caliphate, and then continued war and separation between Khorasan and Baghdad for about two years, and finally a period of Ma'mun's caliphate.(12)
Although the children
have mentioned the names of five sons and one daughter for Imam, but as Alama Majlisi says: "Mostly, only one son named Javad has been mentioned as his only child.(13)
He was martyred
by Mamun's conspiracy and was martyred with his poison, and his pure body was buried in Tous, on the Qibla side of Haruni's dome, in Hamid bin Qahtaba Tay's palace.(14)And today his mausoleum is the familiar tomb of admirer
Why is his name Reza?
Among all the names and nicknames of the eighth Imam of Shiites, Hazrat Ali bin Musa (peace be upon him), the nickname "Reza" is the most famous.
"Reza" means pleased and pleased, but why did they call Hazrat by this name?
It seems that this question was raised during the lifetime of the Prophet and some time after that, when someone asked Imam Javad (a.s.) the reason for this naming of the father.
It is clear from the historical narrative that we will bring the text of, that people had considered reasons for this name, including the relationship between Imam and Ma'mun in their minds and thoughts, and they spread the same here and there; But Hazrat Javad (a.s.) explicitly mentions that the reason should be sought elsewhere, except for the relationship between Imam and Ma'mun. According to the text of this narration, this name is transcendental and heavenly, and the way the Prophet dealt with Ma'mun or how that Imam interacted with the story of Wilayat Ahadi had nothing to do with this naming.
In another tradition, it is stated that whenever Hazrat Musa bin Jafar (a.s.) addressed his son Ali bin Musa, he called him with the nickname "Abul Hasan", and when he wanted to bring his son to him or spoke about him, he called "Reza", and what is the point of saying that at that time, there was still no news about Ma'mun's rise and his sitting on the throne of government, nor was there any sign of Imam Reza (a.s.) becoming the crown prince.
In the book Ayun Akhbar al-Reza (a.s.) by Sheikh Sadouq, citing "Byzanti," it is stated that I said to Imam Javad (a.s.):
A group of your opponents think that Mamun called your father "Reza"; Because that Imam has consented to his guardianship.
The Imam said: They lied and fell into sin. This is not the case, rather, God Almighty has named him "Reza"; Because he was satisfied with him in God's heaven, and he was satisfied with the Prophet and the imams after him (peace be upon him) on earth.
I said to the imam:
Were not all your past ancestors (peace be upon them) satisfied with God Almighty and His Prophet and the Imams after him?
He said: Why?
I said: Then why in the meantime, only your father was called Reza?
He said: Because just as his peers and friends were pleased with him, his enemies and opponents were also pleased with him; And this situation had not happened to any of his ancestors; That's why they only called him "Reza" .
This is how the name "Reza" for the 8th Imam of the Shiites, Hazrat Ali bin Musa (AS) is a heavenly and God-given title that was chosen for him by looking at the life conditions of the Prophet.
Imam Reza's worship
For those who do not consider being a servant, worship is not a "task", but the meaning of life and the secret of immortality. In their view, worshiping God is not a duty that must be fulfilled and be absolved from guilt, but it is a sweet honey that must be tasted and find the spirit of being and staying in it.
Therefore, if a word is said about the worship of God of such people, who is the Imam in advance of all of them, it is not about "the amount of worship", but about "how". They consider being a servant a source of pride, being a servant a source of pride, and bowing down to the open and hidden will of God is the basis of pride.
This is the meaning of the words of the 8th Imam who said: "I am proud to serve God."(1)
This is the truth that unwittingly prompts his detractors to admit that he is the most worshipful of all the earthlings.(2)
And among all the children of Abbas and Ali, peace be upon them, they have not seen anyone more virtuous, pious, religious and worthy than him.(3)
In the light of attention to such an understanding of the concept of worship, in Imam's opinion, one can find a suitable interpretation for reading a thousand rakats of prayers in a day and night, long prostrations after morning prayers, repeated fasting, night life full of mysteries and constant synchronicity with the Qur'an,
or Understanding the truth of this saying was achieved when someone said about that Prophet: "I swear by God, I have not seen a man who cares about God more than him, remembers God more than him at all times, and fears God more than him."(4)
The speaker of this speech is not one of his students, but the emissary of the Caliphate. It is Raja bin Abi Dahhak who went to Madinah as Ma'mun's assignee to monitor the Imam and took him with him to Merv. In the continuation of his speech, he says: "When he went to bed at night, he recited the Qur'an a lot, and when he came across a verse in which there was a mention of heaven or hell, he cried and asked God for heaven and sought refuge in Him from the fire... When the last third of the night would come, he would get up from the bed and perform the glorification and praise, Tahlil and Istighfar. After that, he would brush his teeth and then stand for night prayer. He performs Jafar Tayyar's prayer for four rak'ats and he performs these rak'ats in the number of night prayers.(5)
According to Ibrahim bin Abbas, even his words, the answers he gave, and the parables he gave were all taken from the Quran, and he finished the divine book once every three days.(6)
He himself said about this: "If I wanted to, I would have finished the Quran in less than three days. But I think about every verse I come to and I hesitate about what it was revealed and at what time, and that's why I finish it in three days.(7)
It is also on this basis that the Imam attributes all superiority to piety and even gives others the right to be superior to him if they can benefit from piety more than him, as he said in response to a man who swore that he is the best of people. "O man, I swear by the humble, the one who has more piety to God and is more obedient to him is superior to me. By God, this verse has not been abrogated yet, that the best of you is the most pious of you.(8)
Hamu also said in another place: "O Zayd, fear God because what we have achieved has only been possible with the help of piety."(9)
He calls the same piety, fear of God and obedience as the standard and sign of being a Shia, and he says to one: "Any of our followers who does not obey God is not from us, and if you obey God, you are one of our family."(10)
Visiting Imam Reza (pbuh)
A few narrations about the merits of visiting Imam Reza (peace be upon him).
1- Imam Baqir (a.s.) has narrated from his grandfather, Amir al-Mu'minin (a.s.) that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said:
Parts of my body will be buried in Khorasan, God will relieve him of any troubles that visit him. And every sinner who visits him, may God forgive his sins.(1)
2- Abu Hashem Jafari says: I heard from Imam Javad (a.s.) that he said:
Between the two ash mountains, there is a gap that took it out of heaven, whoever enters it will be safe from the fire on the Day of Resurrection.(2)
3- Hossein bin Zayd says: I heard from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that he said:
A man from the generation of my son Musa, who is the same name as Amir al-Mu'minin (a.s.), will be buried in the land of Tus, which is in Khorasan. He is killed there with poison and buried strangely. Whoever visits him with knowledge, God will reward him like those who have forgiven and fought before victory.(3)
4- Bezanti says: I heard from Imam Reza (a.s.) that he said:
Any of my friends who come to see me with mysticism, I myself will intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection.(4)
5- Imam Reza (a.s.) said:
Whoever takes the distance of the journey and comes to visit me, I will rush to him on the Day of Resurrection in three places to get him out of trouble: the place where the letter of deeds It goes hand in hand, in the path, and when measuring actions.(5)
6- Heravi says: Imam Reza (a.s.) entered the court where Harun was buried, drew a line on the ground next to his grave with his own hand and said:
This is my burial place, and God is here. will make it a gathering place for my followers and lovers. Every pilgrim who comes to see me and every Muslim who greets me, through the intercession of our Ahl al-Bayt, will receive God's forgiveness and mercy.(6)
7- Abdul Azim Hosni says: I said to Imam Javad (AS): I am confused between visiting the grave of your grandfather Imam Hussein (AS) and visiting your father's court in Tus, what do you say? He said: Wait a little! Then he went home and while his cheeks were stained with tears, he came out and said:
There are many pilgrims to the shrine of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and there are few pilgrims to my father's grave in Tus.(7)
8- Saqr bin Delf says: I heard from my master Imam Hadi (a.s.) that he said:
Whoever needs the presence of God, should visit the grave of my ancestor Imam Reza (a.s.) in Tus, as if he first performs ghusl, then prays two rakats at the top. He should ask and express his need in Qunut... If there is no sin in his request or cutting off his relatives, it will be answered; Because the place of his grave is a part of paradise, and every believer who visits it, may God save him from the fire and place him in the house of security.(8)
Companion of Imam Reza
Abu Ali or Abu Jaafar Da'bal Khaza'i is from a family known for piety, piety, virtue and courage.
His father Ali bin Razin, and his uncle Abdullah bin Razin, and his cousin Abu Jafar Muhammad and his brothers Abul Hasan Ali and Razin, were all poets and orators.
They have said that he is originally from Kufa and some have considered him to be Qureshi. He mostly lives in Baghdad and he went out of the city for a while because of the fear of Mo'tasim who had been harassing him. Ibn Abdullah bin Malik came to Egypt at the time of the subject and was appointed to the province of "Aswan" on his behalf. But later, when he found out that the poet had cheated, he dismissed him from that position.
Allameh Amini considered his life to be four stages:
1- His sacrifice in the seal of the Asmat family.
2- His genius in poetry, literature, history and his works.
3- Narration of the hadith and the narrators of the hadith on his part and those on whose behalf Da'abl narrated the hadith.
4- His behavior with the caliphs and after that, his wits and novelties, etc.
"Khuza'a", the poet's tribe, is a part of the "Azd" tribe, who were so famous as a friend of Muhammad (PBUH) that Muawiya said: tribe The Khuza'ah have reached such a point in their friendship with Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) that if it was possible for their wives, they would fight with us.
Daabl was one of the famous Shiites of Kufa, a talker, literate, wise and familiar with the knowledge of the days and classes of poets. They say he is from Qareisa. Divan of his poetry was three hundred pages, which was collected by the famous writer Abu Bakr Soli.
According to Ibn Nadim, in the book Al-Fahrest, he was born in 148 AH. He went to Baghdad during the time of Harun al-Rashid and settled there until his death. After the journey of Imam Reza (a.s.) to Khorasan, Da'abl also came to Khorasan and remained in his service until Imam's martyrdom and composed the ode of Tayyeh. The Imam gave him a shirt along with an agate ring and dirhams in his name.
Da'bal did not praise the kings. When they asked him the reason, he said: He who praises kings is greedy for their rewards, and I am not greedy like that.
All the kings and powerful people were afraid of the blade of his tongue, and the enemies of Ali (AS) were constantly trembling from the crushing power of his speech. He had a clear and fearless language and a strong and pure faith. You would never see him fearing himself in the way of Allah from the blame of those who blame him. He sings unabashedly:
his condemnation of the successor of the Prophet (PBUH) is a slander of the Prophet himself. You blame the children of the prophets, while you yourself are an unclean criminal?!
He used to say to Mamun:
I am from the darkness whose swords killed your brother and put you on Murad's throne!
Ahmad bin Mudbar says:
I saw Da'bal and I said to him: You have shown a lot of fearlessness in this poem that you wrote to Ma'mun!
He said: O Abu Ishaq! I have been carrying my own gallows for forty years and I don't see anyone to hang me on it!
At a time when he was being persecuted by Ma'mun, and he was living with Abu Dulaf Ajli, Ibrahim bin Mahdi teased Ma'mun's uncle like this:
From where? How? Why?... He can never inherit the wickedness of the caliphate from another criminality!
And when Imam Reza (a.s.) was buried in Tus and next to the grave of Harun al-Rashid, he sang this poem:
There are two graves in Tus: the grave of the best people, and the grave of their worst! The impure person does not benefit from the pure neighbor, nor does the pure person suffer from the impure neighbor!
It was this night screamer in history who cried out all the suffering, sorrow and oppression that had befallen the family of the Prophet (PBUH) with all his might and asked the times not to open their mouths to laughter after all this oppression, injustice and oppression:
If the age wants to open its bite to laugh, may God not open its bite, because the family of Muhammad (PBUH) all became victims of the oppressions of history and perished. Some of them were displaced from their homes and it is as if they have committed an unforgivable crime.
Daabal was a good-natured poet, with fluent poetry and a logical and reasoned texture. He uses simple and expressive words. High meanings were evident in his poems. He used to speak with sincere affection towards Ahl al-Bayt, both in praise and lamentation. He was not influenced by the civilization and culture of Bani Abbas in his poetic interpretation and thought, but he wrote poetry in the manner of previous poets and in the style of the Bedouins.
According to Allameh Amini:
"What is a more obvious proof than his famous poem (Taiyyah) which appears at the beginning of books and is sought for proof of the meaning of words and the root of words and is recited in Shia gatherings!" An easy and restrained poem that the listener at first thinks he has the ability to write like it, but when he goes deep into it and digs into it, he realizes that he is unable to compose a poem close to the sanctity of a long ode. What a place to be equal to it!
Muhammad bin Qasim bin Mehrawiyah used to say:
"I heard from my father that poetry ends with a double."
The poet's deep insight and insight into issues - unlike his contemporaries who only understood superficial and everyday issues - had seen the depth of tragedy and accident. Ali's distance from the leadership of the people and the coming to power of the Umayyads and the Abbasids, from the poet's point of view, was not the only incident that could be simply passed over as a historical fact, or he planned it at the level of a conflict between two families and a battle between two ideologies, but he considered all the people who Hammal
al-Hatb has been this fire, or they have silently agreed to this work and have not stood up for the truth, and by disregarding the essence of the matter, they have strengthened the false front. From Imani to Bakr and Mudar, everyone shares in the blood of Ali's family; Just like the participants in gambling, in dividing the meat of the headless sheep, they are partners and equal!
The political insight and humor of the poet can be clearly seen in the following story:
Abu Najih has reported that he received news from Da'bal: Mo'tasim intends to deceive and kill him. He fled to Jabal and sang this song in his mockery:
The sad lover of religion wept because of the dispersal of religion and a fountain of tears flowed from his eyes.
A leader has arisen who is far from guidance and has no religion or wisdom.
We have not received any news about the rulership of a man named Mutasim and the submission of the Arabs to him.
But as the predecessors have said, because the work of caliphate became difficult, according to religious books
... there will be seven Bani Abbas kings, and there is no record of the eighth government.
The companions of the cave are also like that, when counting, there were seven good men in the cave and the eighth of them was their dog!
I am obsessed with you! I give superiority; Because you are a sinner and he was not!
The people's government has been destroyed since the day that Wasif and Ishna (two Turkish slaves who became office bearers in Motasim's government) came to power... and what a great sadness this is !
When Mutasim died and Wathiq took his place, Da'bal sang this song:
A caliph died and no one looked at him, and a caliph came and no one was happy about his arrival.
In the joke of Tahir Zulaiminin, who set fire to Baghdad with the help of Harthama bin Ain, and under the pretext that his right hand was pledged to Mamun's allegiance, he pledged allegiance to Imam Reza (a.s.) with his left hand, said:
Look at Tahir with two hands. Right and one eye, surprisingly! He doesn't have the eye that he should, and he has an extra hand that he shouldn't!
Ibn Shahr Ashub considered Da'abl to be one of the companions of Imam Kazim (a.s.) and Imam Reza (a.s.).
In his list of his brother, Najashi mentioned that Da'abl managed to meet Musa bin Jafar (a.s.) and Abul Hasan Reza (a.s.) and also understood the presence of Imam Javad and was successful in meeting him.
Daabl says:
"I entered the presence of Imam Ali bin Musa al-Reza (a.s.), Imam said: Read something from your poems." I read Tayyeh's poem until I came to this verse:
When they are oppressed....
The Imam cried so much that he fainted. Imam's servant, who was on the bed of Imam, pointed to me to be quiet. I was silent for a moment. Then Imam said to me: Read again, from the beginning! And I read the poem again until I reached the same verse.
This time, the Imam fainted from crying and sadness. The servant again pointed to be quiet and I did so. Imam once again ordered me to read the poem from the beginning and I read it to the end. Hazrat blessed me three times and gave me ten thousand dirhams from the coins minted in his name. What he did not do to others.
When I returned to Iraq, the Shiites bought each dirham for 10 dirhams, and I became the owner of 100,000 dirhams.
Abu Khaled Khaza'i says:
"I said to Da'bal: Woe to you! You made fun of all caliphs, ministers and commanders, you lived as a fugitive, displaced and afraid all your life.
If you stop doing this, you have saved yourself from this kind of suffering.
Dabal said: Woe to you! I have thought about what you said, and I have tested most people. They only warn. There is no fear of a poet who writes good poems, even if they are not safe from the evil of his poems; Because those who care about you in consideration of preserving their reputation are much more than those who turn towards you in consideration of their respect and honor from you... because people's faults are more than their virtues.
Ma'mun was amazed by his poems and said: "Ainyeh Da'bal's poem is in front of me in travel and presence."
Da'abl has many poems on Shiite issues and he has left many of his poems on the virtues of Ali and on the mourning of Imam Hussain (a.s.). The friendship of Ahl al-Bayt makes him happy and when he talks about them, he opens his mouth with so much tears and burning and purity that such an emotion has never been seen in any poet.
When Imam Reza (a.s.) gave him his clothes as a khalat and he entered Qom with those clothes, the people of Qom asked him to sell the Imam's shirt to them for 300,000 dirhams. He was not satisfied, people took the shirt from him and told him: either take the money or we will not give you the shirt back. Da'bal said: I did not give it to you out of desire, and the usurped clothes are of no use to you. Finally, with an agreement, they gave him one of the two sleeves of the garment for three hundred thousand dirhams.
In the year 246 Hijri, Da'abl was martyred by an agent of Malik bin Tuq in the village of Shush in Khuzestan and was buried in the same village and in the city of Shush. They say: He bequeathed Taye's ode to be buried in his grave.
The marriage of Sayeda Zainab (pbuh)
About the Imams after the Noble Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his family, and especially about the Imamate of the eighth leader of the Shiites, that is, Imam Ali bin Musa al-Reza, peace be upon him, many narrations and hadiths have been narrated, which we will mention here in three parts. :
A: Qudsi Ahadith
Qudsi Hadith is that which the Holy Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, narrates from the words of God Almighty, and it is different from revelation and is different from the Qur'an.
In some of the hadiths of Qudsi, the imamate of the twelve Shia imams has been emphasized in a general way, among which we can refer to this hadith that the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, says from the words of God Almighty:
...they are your successors after you. They are the treasurers of my knowledge... I have chosen them, and I am pleased with them. . . Whoever loves them and submits to their province and testifies to their superiority will be freed.(1)
In another part of these narrations, the name of one of the imams, including the name of the eighth Imam, Imam Reza (peace be upon him) is also mentioned. Among them is the famous hadith of the Ascension, in which the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, says that he saw the name of one of the imams on the throne, and it was shown to him that his successors are these twelve people.
B: Hadiths of the Prophet, may God bless him and his family,
there are many narrations of the Prophet, may God bless him and his family, about the imams after the Prophethood, and in them, some of which are also found in the books of the Sunnis, their unique attributes and virtues are mentioned, and some of their situations and characteristics are mentioned. They have been mentioned. Among other things, pay attention to this hadith:
Ibn Abbas says: A Jewish person named Nathal came to the Holy Prophet and asked him to introduce his successor and said: Every prophet had a successor, our Messenger Musa bin Imran, Yoshua bin Nun. choose as a successor, who is your successor? The Prophet said: My successor is Ali bin Abi Talib, then my two tribes, Hasan and Husayn, then the nine Imams who are from Husayn's lineage. Nathal asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, to name them. The Prophet said: After Hussain, his son Ali, after Ali his son Muhammad, after him his son Jafar, then his son Musa, then his son Ali means Imam Reza, then his son Muhammad, then his son Ali, then his son Hassan, and finally His son Hojjat God, Muhammad Mahdi... these are two people... Blessed are those who love these people and follow them, and bad for those who anger them and oppose them... May they be happy. To follow his guidance(2)
One of the narrations quoted by the Prophet of Islam in Shiite books is:
Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari says: When the honorable verse, O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and the leader of the command...(3)It was revealed to the Holy Prophet, I said: O Messenger of God! We know God and the Prophet, who are these leaders whose following is equivalent to obeying you? He said: Jabir! They are my successors and the leaders of Muslims after me. The first of them is Ali bin Abi Talib, then Hasan and Hussain, then Ali bin al-Hussein, after him Muhammad bin Ali, who is known as Baqir in the Torah... You will understand his time, and if you see him, greet him. Inform him... then Ja'far ibn Muhammad is truthful. And after him in order: Musa bin Jafar, Ali bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Muhammad and Hasan bin Ali will come... In the end, my namesake is: the proof of God on earth and the rest of God among the servants. The son of Hasan bin Ali, the one through whom God will spread His memory in the East and the West, the one who hides from his followers and Shiites, and will have a secret that whoever God tests his heart for faith, will accept his Imamate.(4)
A: Hadiths of the Imams (peace be upon them)
In this section, the narrations that were narrated from the Shia imams and the ancestors of Imam Reza (peace be upon them) are narrated.
Imam Ali, peace be upon him, says in a long hadith: This is the contract that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, took from me and said that twelve Imams will complete this matter.... After Musa, it is his son Ali who will be called Reza.(5)
Imam Hussain, peace be upon him, said: The leader and successor after the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, is the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, then Hasan, peace be upon him, and then I and nine of my children: my son Ali, his son Muhammad, his son Jafar, his son Musa, his son Ali(6)
Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, said: This is a copy of the tablet that God Almighty gave to His Prophet as a gift, and on it is the name of God, the Blessed and Exalted, and the Prophet of God, and the Commander of the Faithful, Ali.....and his son Ali, known as Reza.(7)
Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, said: There are twelve Imams after the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: first, Ali, peace be upon him, and then his son Ali, known as Reza.(8)
Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: I have bequeathed to my son Musa, who is the Imam after me. They asked: Who is he then? He said: His son Ali, who is known as Reza, will be buried in a far away land in Khorasan(9)
But above all, there are narrations that were narrated from Imam Musa Kazim, peace be upon him, the beloved father of Imam Reza, peace be upon him, and in all of them, there is a true proof of the Imamate of Hazrat Ali bin Musa.
1- Daud al-Raqqi says: I said to Imam Kazim, peace be upon him: I have become your sacrifice, my life has come to an end and I am overcome by weakness. Earlier, I asked your father to introduce himself after Imam, he showed you. Now I have the same question for you! Then the Prophet pointed to his son Abul Hasan and said: After me, this is your Imam.
2- Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Ammar says: I said to Imam Kazim: Will you not guide me to someone from whom I can learn my religion? He said: This is my son Ali, learn your religion from him.
3- Ziyad bin Marwan Qandi, who was one of the Waqifs himself, says: I reached the service of Abu Ibrahim Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, and his son Abul Hasan was also with him. He said: O Ziyad! This child of mine, his words were said by me, his writings were written by me, and what he sent to you is my representative. Whatever he says is the truth.
4- Makhzoomi, whose mother was one of Jafar bin Abi Talib's children, says: Hazrat Musa bin Jafar, peace be upon him, called us to his house, we gathered around that gentleman, Jazrat said: Do you know why I called you here? We said: No. He said: Testify that this son of mine is my guardian and after me he will be my successor and the guardian of my affairs...
5- Dawud bin Zarbi says: I arrived at the service of Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, and he also took some property with him for that gentleman. I was. Hazrat accepted some of that property. I asked: Why didn't you accept all of them? He said: Your Imam will ask for it from you at the right time... When the news of the martyrdom of the Prophet reached us, his son Abul Hasan al-Ra'a'ah, peace be upon him, asked for the money from me and I handed it over to him.
6- Muhammad bin Fazl Hashemi says: I reached the service of Hazrat Musa bin Jafar, peace be upon him. He was very worried and upset about the situation. I said: If an accident happens, who should we follow? He said: From my son Ali. He is my successor among you.
7- Ali bin Yaqtain says: I was in the service of Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, and his son Ali was also with him. Musa bin Jafar said: O Ali bin Yaqteen! This child is the lord of my children and I have given him my taunt.... At this time, Hisham bin Salem put his hand on his forehead and said: I swear to God that he announced his death!
8- Suleiman bin Hafs Marozi says: I arrived at the service of Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, and I thought that I would ask about the Imam after him. The Imam looked at me and started talking and said: O Suleiman! My son Ali is my guardian and the leader of the people after me, and he is the best of my children. If you survive and understand him, show the proof of his Imamate in front of my Shiites and whoever asks about my successor, he will be my introduction.
9- The late Abdullah says: I left Basra with the intention of Madinah, on the way, I met Musa bin Jafar, peace be upon him, who was taking him to Basra. Hazrat sent for me and I arrived. They gave me a letter to deliver to Medina. I said: Who should I deliver the letter to? He said: To my son Ali. Because he is the guardian and imam after me and the best of my children.
10- Hussain bin Bashir says: Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, introduced his son Ali to us as Imamate, just as the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, introduced Ali, peace be upon him, on the day of Ghadir Khum. He addressed the people of Medina or the people present in the mosque of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said: O people! This is the guardian and leader after me.
11- Muhammad bin Sinan says: I reached the service of Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, before they exiled him to Iraq. His son Ali was also with him.
He said: O Muhammad! An accident will happen this year. Don't be afraid of it and don't be impatient. Then he lowered his blessed head and hit his fingers on the ground. Then he raised his head... and said: God leaves the misguided to himself and accomplishes what he wills.
I asked: What is the meaning of these words?
He said: Whoever oppresses this son of mine and ignores his right and denies his Imamate is like someone who violates the right of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and denies his Imamate.
... I understood from his words that he announced his death and introduced his son Ali as the imam after him.
I said: I swear to God, if the Lord gives me life and I find his time, I will fulfill his rights, submit to his imamate and caliphate, and now I testify and confirm that he is the authority of God after you. He is the land and Imam of the people and he calls the society to Islam.
He said: O Muhammad! God will extend your life, and you will find the time of his Imamate, and you will call people to him, and you will even acknowledge and confirm the Imam after him.
I asked: I am your servant! Who is the imam after him?
He said: His son Ali.
I said: I submit to your command and I testify to the Imamate of his son.
He said: Yes, O Muhammad! I saw your name in the book of Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, and you are one of our Shiites, and among them you remain like a spark that shines and shines in the dark night... O Muhammad! Mons is my favorite, whenever I see him, I find peace. You will also be the two Imams after me and they will find peace by seeing you. The fire of hell is forbidden to your body and it will never touch your body.
The mother of Imam Reza (pbuh)
Names of the Imam's Mother The mother of Imam Reza, peace be upon him, is a lady named Toktam from the people of Nawab, who after entering the house of Musa bin Jafar, peace be upon him, called her Najma.In historical books, he is also mentioned with the names of Sukan, Khizran, Saqra, Arvi, Umm al-Binin and Tahira, which are probably titles given to him on various occasions. For example, Sokan is made from the material of Sakon in accordance with the dignity of that drug, and Khizran (which is the name of the red leaves of a bush) in accordance with her delicate body, and Najmeh because of her brightness, and Saqra Baaz because of that lady's keenness and great effort, and Umm al-Binin because of her beauty. Bringing children, and Tahirah, because of her immunity and purity, was impolite.
Where is the turn? Yakut Hamavi introduces several places under the name of Nubeh:1-a town in Tunisia2-a place in Hejaz three days away from Madinah3-an area near the Tehame Sea of the Red Sea4-a land in the south of Egypt, no doubt, Najmeh is from the fourth place. That is, the land of Nuba was in the south of Egypt... because he was brought to Medina as a slave in the second half of the second century of Hijri, when Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, was about twenty years old, and was transferred to the house of the Imam...We know that during this period, people Tunisia, which is called Africa in historical books and Islamic conquests, was Muslim. The land of Hijaz and also the side of the Red Sea, which means the coast of Arabia, was completely part of the Islamic territory during the time of Abu Bakr 11-13 Hijri, and it is not possible to bring people from these lands to Medina as captives and expose them to sale, so Najma of The vast land of Nube was in the south of Egypt, which had not yet been captured by Muslims.This Nube area is the name of a place in Africa, next to the Nile, which is located between Aswan province in the south of Egypt and Sudan, and includes two parts:A: Lower Nube, which is part of the land of Egypt and between Aswan province in the south of Egypt and the valley. It is located in Halfa, after the Aswan Dam was closed, some of its ancient artifacts were transferred to Egyptian museums, and the large temple inside the dam, with its concrete wall, is still visited by travelers and shows the ancient civilization of this land. It is done by local boats.B: Nube Uliya, which is located in the northeast of Sudan, and the 16th dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs built temples there that are still standing.In the distant past, Nube has had civilization and powerful rulers, among which the country of Kushi in the 8th century BC can be mentioned in that land.After the death of Iskandar and the rise of his successors who were known as Batalsa, the people of that land accepted Christianity and until the 14th century when they converted to Islam, they were among the followers of Christ.Currently, 70% of the people in the north and west of Sudan are Nube, and about 30% of those who live in the west of Sudan are Sudanese and black. Considering the fact that the Nube race is different from the blacks, Najmeh should not be considered black, but like other people of northern Sudan and southern Egypt, she was wheatish and the so-called Arabs were dark-skinned.In any case, the people of this area are still Muslim and speak Arabic, and by the way, the Abad area of Sudan is this part, which is one of the good areas of Africa in terms of livestock and agriculture, due to the Nile banks along the Nile River and the aforementioned valley.Yaqut writes: Nube people own camels, horses, cattle, and sheep. The end of the noble horses belongs to the king and the type of yabu or barzun belongs to the public. The grain products of this area are wheat, barley and corn.
Fourty sayings of Imam Reza
۱
From the Ethics of the Prophets: Cleanliness
Cleanliness is the cause of the purity of the body,
cleanliness is the calmness of the soul,
the 8th Imam said,
cleanliness is the way of the prophets
.
The owner of the blessing must extend it to his family.
It was obligatory for the wealthy to give
his wife and children from the wealth of the world,
to expand the affairs of life
in gratitude for the blessing of the mighty living
3.
I am grateful to God Almighty.
I have heard that Ali bin Musa, Kazem
Khadiv Tous, said a beautiful point,
the one who did not have the goodness of the people,
has not thanked God
.
Faith: performing the obligatory duties and avoiding forbidden things
Reza the eighth Imam said:
Fulfilling one's duties is faith,
staying away from taboos and ugliness,
avoiding wrongdoing and disobedience
.
Lam yakhunk al-Amin, but the trust of traitors
A person who has no fear of the All-Knowing do not appoint a trustee
for the service of God's people .
Because of the negligence of
Amin, you are considered a traitor of bad faith
. 6
Silence is one of the doors of wisdom
If your tongue is not under command,
choose silence, so that you don't fall into the humiliation of
Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza, you know the truth:
silence is the door of wisdom
7
The older brother is like a father
Brother Cho is wise and experienced and considered
equal to his father,
but truly, absolute light
is in place of father, Mehtar brother
8
The righteous of all things is wisdom and the enemy is ignorance.
Be close to the ignorant, let him
know, make him clear,
son of Musa bin Jaafar:
your friend is wisdom and your enemy is ignorance
9
Being courteous to people is half the mind
Always seek the care of the poor,
help the creation, because of the actions of the Creator,
the Imam is right in this passage, a word of wisdom:
that in the company of the creation, it is half of the wisdom
10
Trust is not to fear anyone but God
Put your trust in the grace of the right hand
, if God's grace is yours,
trust in it. There are two worlds
other than the truth, don't be afraid of anyone else.
11
Our best is reaching the mercy of those who hurt them.
Raza Wali said, " The best
treasure of knowledge, grace, and kindness
is the peace of mercy and kindness:
refraining from their sting."
12
The person with the best livelihood is the one who has a good livelihood.
The best path to the path of life is
the one that shines like a candle,
people live comfortably in its light,
life is better in its service
13
The mind is a gift from God and good manners are a burden
Reza Sabat Pak, Rasool Amin
, who could not be satisfied with his service,
said: The wisdom of God's forgiveness is
to find politeness through effort.
14
There is no greed for comfort and no greed for pleasure
Miserliness is suffering and jealousy is hardship
from the teacher of Hebrew lessons,
you can't find comfort in stinginess,
you can never find pleasure in envy
15
Never have two factions met except with victory, the greatest of them being generous.
Forgiveness is the ritual of the elders,
forgiveness is the mirror of vision for
the two groups who fight and fight for the
victory of the right, whose forgiveness is greater
. 16
Your help for the weak is better than charity
I have a word from Imam Humam,
which is useful for every class,
arresting the weak and weak
, it is better than charity
17
Al-Mu'min, if there is good, he will be praised, and if he is wrong, he will be forgiven.
Unless you have done bad luck to someone who has done bad things , don't despair
from the door of the Lord
of the Faithful .
Muslim: from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe.
Listen to the advice of the son of Musa bin Jafar,
the true Imam, the month of the sign of the Imamate
is someone who is a Muslim whose people are
in his hands and tongue in safety and health
19
I don't know, I don't want to sweep the documents.
Do good to your neighbor, O good man,
if your neighbor had rights over you, say
to him who was not a safe neighbor
: No, it was from us.
20
Humility is to give people of yourself what you would like them to give you the same.
O friend, deal with good and bad in such a way
that good and bad are safe from you,
submit to God's creation
that you want to create with you.
21
Among the signs of a jurist are wisdom, knowledge, and silence
Be perceptive to the rulings of the true religion, which God is
pleased with the jurisprudence, who is knowledgeable,
the signs of jurisprudence to the wise man
are judgment with the right, knowledge, and silence
22
Al-Saffah Al-Jamil Al-Afu Min Ghir-i-Itaab
23 .
Only a donkey refuses dignity
Listen to the words of the noble son of Pembar,
his speech is the light of the dark nights,
except for the foolish people,
whoever does kindness, rejects people's kindness, is a donkey.
24
The generous one eats from people’s food so that they can eat from his food.
A generous man eats the bread of those
whom people eat willingly .
Generous people are close to God, close to heaven, close to people.
Generous is never the
only one who has the benefit of others.
Be generous, the mercy of the truth
is close to heaven and people.
26
The friend of the ignorant is in weariness
Don't be a friend to an ignorant person, because he will bite you
because of his actions day and night
, Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza
, your friendship with an ignorant person is sadness and fatigue
27
The best intellect is a person’s knowledge of his Lord
For the sake of pure Yazdan,
who increases thanksgiving and blessing. The best
knowledge, my friend, is the knowledge
that will lead you to the unsurpassed
. 28
Whoever is satisfied with what is lawful, his provisions will be reduced.
May you be pleased with the slave who was
satisfied with the right of slavery .
Whoever is satisfied with a little provision, a small amount of work will be accepted from him.
Hear a word from the gray emperor,
the guardian of God and the Prophet's family,
because you are satisfied with a small provision, God
is slow to accept your obedience
. 30
Silence wins love and is evidence of all goodness.
Z Hossein Khamoushi and its attributes
said the king of Khorasan, Reza
Khamoushi brought fruit,
become a friend, the path of all good things
31
Whoever thinks about himself wins, and whoever neglects it loses.
You are the one who has closed your eyes, you are
always ugly, you see other people's condition,
you think that you will benefit,
because you are unaware of your actions and you suffer loss
. 32
He who considers sees, he who sees understands, and he who understands knows.
Imam is the truth of the word that a man
reads one word with a thousand points.
He who learns it is enough to become a seer.
He who becomes a seer understands and knows.
33
The best money: that which protects one’s honor
Say to the powerful, sacrifice wire and gold today
, so that tomorrow the wire and gold are at the disposal of others,
so it would be a valuable asset to protect honor,
if it is spent in another way, it will be a loss
. 34
Believers, if anger does not come out, then anger comes from the truth.
Listen to a speech from a foreign imam
so that your knowledge will increase,
a believing man, if he gets angry,
do not go outside the path of truth
35
The believer, if he is able, will take most of the truth.
Hear a point from the son of the Messenger,
who is the Imam and leader of the people,
but when the power fell into the hands of the believer,
he never asked for more than his right
. 36
Looking at the descendants of Muhammad is an act of worship
Get used to the actions of elders
, which cannot be done easily. Leaving the habit
of looking at a child as a pimp
was righteous in front of a man, worship
37
Diet is something to reduce
Listen to the words of Ali bin Musa Al-Reza, which will increase your
intelligence .
Whoever commits transgression shall not be punished
If the person who did
injustice wants to be considered unpunished, he should not be punished
in peace . 39
Do not seek guidance in anything other than the Qur’an, lest you go astray
Raza said, the moon of the guardianship of
Hidayat Majavid
leads to a path other than the Qur'an except the path
of the Qur'an
.
The signs of a believer’s faith are: keeping secrets, being patient in times of adversity and adversity, and being polite to people.
One of the signs of a righteous man is
secrecy and patience in hardships
with tolerance for people who lead
the way to freedom and happiness.
The story of the egg
From the sky to the earth in a container smaller than an egg (saying of Imam Reza, peace be upon him)
A man who did not say which sect he belonged to, who he was, and what his name was, came to Imam Reza (a.s.) and asked a question.
From the manner of his question and the tone of his speech, it is clear that the man did not believe in the Imamate of that Imam, nor did he even believe in God. In this narration, the text of which will come, it is not even mentioned when this conversation took place, but since most of the inter-religious debates and conversations of the Prophet with others took place in Merv, perhaps this question and answer can be related to the period of Imam Reza's velayat. (pbuh) and in the city of Merv he knew.
From this narration and several similar narrations, it is clear that the Imam listened to their questions in his debates with the followers of other ideas and answered each one of them with his own precision and insight, this motivation is also widespread among the people. Whatever comes to their mind, they present to the imam in any language and tone and seek his answer.
According to this narration, the text of which is found in the book Tawheed of Sheikh Sadouq, a man with the same anonymity as mentioned before, comes to the imam and asks in a mocking tone:
"Does your Lord have the ability to create the heavens and the earth and everything that Is it among them to fit in an egg?
Although this sentence may have surprised many of the questioning man's like-minded people and praised his scientific ability and breadth of knowledge, it was undoubtedly clear to the Imam's followers, who were familiar with the power of the Prophet's response, that the Imam defended the foundations of knowledge. Elahi will deal with these questions, which are asked out of ridicule and perhaps entertainment of the questioners, in a scholarly way to show off the unsteadiness and instability of the question and offer a logical and knowledge-based answer to the questioner.
This is how the imam immediately answered him:
"Yes, it can, not only in the egg, but also in the smaller one"!
Now imagine the questioning man.
The imam continues:
"God has done this, and has placed all those phenomena in your eyes; An eye that is smaller than an egg.
When you open your eyes, you see the sky, the earth and everything in between. While if he wanted, he would make you blind so that you would not see any of these phenomena .
The scholar of Muhammad (pbuh) or the wise of the Prophet's family, is a title that was not given to Imam Reza (pbuh) for no reason.
Imam Reza and Waqifiya
Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida (peace be upon him) experienced many temptations and harsh tribulations during his imamate. In addition to the authority’s fanatical and extremist position on the Imams (peace be upon him) and the Shiites and the pressures it exerted on them, there were divisions and unrest raised by some sick souls among those who demonstrated heresies and denied his imamate ( p).
The first thing that Al-Rida (peace be upon him) faced in the series of tribulations was the plight of the misguided Waqifites, which was created by some deviants who strayed from the right path and deviated from the path of truth represented by the People of the House (peace be upon him) for the sake of their personal interests and worldly purposes. This sect claimed that Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) He did not die, but was raised to heaven as Jesus, son of Mary, was raised, and he is the Mahdi and there is no imam after him.
This idea was promoted, which caused a great division and sharp disagreement among the Shiites, and its proponents were many, and their misguidance was not limited to themselves, but they worked hard to divert the Shiites from Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) and his true doctrine.
Worldly motivation
This new abnormal departure did not arise from belief and conviction on the part of its followers in its reality, but rather came from the throes of material desires and worldly factors that affected their souls and led them to this deviant idea, as the innovators of this sect were three of the companions of Imam Musa bin Jaafar al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) who deviated from His writers are: Ali bin Abi Hamza Al-Bataini, Ziyad bin Marwan Al-Qandi, and Othman bin Issa Al-Rawasi. These three witnessed the funeral of Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), his washing, and his burial, and they were among the treasurers of the money collected for the Imam from his Shiites. One of them had seventy thousand dinars, and each of them had The other two were thirty thousand dinars, so they themselves disputed with them about handing over this money to Imam Al-Rida (peace be upon him) after the death of his father (peace be upon him), and they resorted to that by denying the death of Imam Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) and that he was alive, and that they would not hand over the money until he returned and handed it over to him.
The matter of this sect became widespread and its followers increased, so they deceived the simple people and cast suspicions and doubts on them, so they submitted to them and condemned their falsehood until this sect caused a major rift in the Shiite ranks. This sect was the first of the trials and tribulations that Imam Al-Rida (peace be upon him) faced during his Imamate.
This was a very harsh period for Imam Al-Rida (peace be upon him), which deepened into the tragedy he was experiencing after his father’s martyrdom. In addition to the pain that he had been experiencing for many years while he was far from his father (peace be upon him), who lived that long period in Harun’s prison and was not released until he was dead, he was suffering. On the one hand, the attempts of those in power to eliminate him, and on the other hand, the strife that some of his father’s companions raised and began to divert people from the right path. The disagreements and disputes between the followers of this sect and the sincere companions of Imam al-Kadhim and al-Rida (peace be upon them) were at their most intense.
The position of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)
The first act that Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) did during his Imamate was to ward off danger from the true doctrine and ward off strife. He refuted the falsehoods of the Waqifites, revealed the secrets of their souls, and exposed them before the public so that weak souls and sick minds would not be deceived by them. He was able to bring many of the people who were deceived by them back to their senses and guide them to the right path. .
The danger of this sect to Shiism was great. These misguided people tried to tempt one of the greatest loyal companions of Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) with money to join them, but they failed. Al-Kashi narrated in his men: Yunus bin Abdul Rahman said: Abu Al-Hasan Musa bin Jaafar (peace be upon him) died. (And there is no one among his people except that he has a lot of money, and that is because of their standing and their denial of his death - then Al-Kashi mentioned their names and the money that they have - then he continues quoting the words of Yunus and says: When I saw that and the truth became clear to me and I learned from the matter of my father Al-Hasan Al-Rida (peace be upon him) what I knew, I spoke about that. I called the people to it, and they sent me and guaranteed me ten thousand dinars that I would desist and leave this matter. I said to them: We have narrated on the authority of the truthful that they said: If heresies appear, then the scholar must reveal his knowledge. If he does not do so, God will take away the light of faith from him, and I will not abandon jihad and the command of God. Anyway, they attacked me and showed me hostility.
It is clear from this narration that this group was lying in its claim and misguided in its work. Otherwise, it would not have tried to buy the silence of Yunus bin Abdul Rahman with illicit money. Al-Nubakhti’s narration tells us of debates that took place between the sincere and faithful companions of Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him), such as: Yunus bin Abdul Rahman. And Ali bin Ismail Al-Maythami is with these deviants regarding the Imamate of Al-Rida after his father, Imam Al-Kadhim, and although they were the leaders of this sect, they insisted on falsehood and were deceived by the life of this world, and Satan made their deeds appear pleasing to them.
Al-Nubakhti says: When the conflict between them intensified, Ali bin Ismail said to them: You are nothing but developed dogs.
The heresies of standing
This misguided sect was the precious gift that the Abbasids wished for, who were terrified and intimidated by the Shiites gathering around one imam and rallying around him, especially since this sect denied some Islamic necessities and said of reincarnation and that the imam is one, and the number of imams in that this one moves from body to body to body. Other innovations will take a long time to explain.
Whatever the case, we are not in the process of investigating the heresies of the Waqifites, their trends, and the reasons that prompted them to innovate these opinions. Rather, we presented that from them because of its conflict with the Shiite principle and belief and its contradiction to the Imamate of Al-Rida, which continued to collide with events until its last stages.
Although Imam al-Rida and the imams after him disavowed this sect and similar misguided sects and their companions, the strange thing is that some historians and authors consider this sect and others like it to be Shiite and attribute what these sects claimed of heresies and misguidance to the Shiite beliefs.
Anyone who follows the history of Ahl al-Bayt will find that the approach of the pure Imams transcends and distances itself from these heresies and misguidance. The imam appointed by God Almighty as imamate is introduced to the nation by the imam who came before him. We see each imam among them (peace be upon him) when he senses the approaching of his time, many commandments regarding the imam who came before him. After him, so that the nation would not differ in its leadership, and this is what Imam Musa bin Jaafar Al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) did. He clarified the status of his son Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) and that he was the imam after him, and he emphasized that he was his heir and a guardian of the imamate, and he advised his family and companions to return to him in several hadiths, including that he (PBUH) used to say to his sons:
This is your brother Ali bin Musa, the scholar of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Ask him about your religions and memorize what he tells you, for I heard Abu Jaafar bin Muhammad say to me: The scholar of the family of Muhammad is in your heart, and I wish I had realized him, for he was named the Commander of the Faithful, Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him).
Among them is his saying (peace be upon him): My son, Ali, is the eldest of my children, the most honorable of them, and the most beloved to me. He looked with me in the Jafr, and no one looked at it except a prophet or a successor of a prophet.
Among them is his saying: This son of mine is the master of my son, and I have bestowed upon him my nickname, and his saying (peace be upon him): My son is Ali, my guardian, the guardian of my affairs, and the best of my sons.
And he (peace be upon him) said: “Ali is to me in the same position I have to my father.” Then he recited the Almighty’s saying: “Offspring, one of them from another, and God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
And his saying (peace be upon him): This is my son’s book, my book, his words are my words, his words are my words, his messenger is my messenger, and whatever he says, the words are his words.
In addition to many other narrations narrated by trustworthy individuals from among the companions of Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) on this subjec
Imam Reza and Al Mamun
The mandate of the covenant that Al-Ma’mun granted to Imam Al-Rida, “peace be upon him,” is one of the issues around which many questions have been raised related to the reasons that prompted Al-Ma’mun to undertake such an act. Was it really Al-Ma’mun’s conviction of the right of the Ahl al-Bayt, “peace be upon them,” to the caliphate?
After the end of the conflict that existed between the two brothers (Al-Ma’mun and Al-Amin), the matter was settled in favor of Al-Ma’mun Al-Abbasi. He began offering the caliphate to Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida, “peace be upon him,” where he said to the Imam: “O son of the Messenger of God, I have recognized your knowledge, your virtue, your asceticism, your piety, and your worship, and I see that you are more worthy.” By the caliphate from me.” The Imam responded to him, saying: “By servitude to God I take pride, and by asceticism in this world I hope to be saved from the evil of the world, and by abstaining from forbidden things I hope to win spoils, and by humility in this world I hope for exaltation with God.” Al-Ma’mun said to him: “For I have decided to isolate myself from the caliphate.” And I make it yours and I pledge allegiance to you” ( [1] ) However, the Imam, peace be upon him, rejected it, saying: “If this caliphate is yours and God made it yours, then it is not permissible for you to take off the clothing that God has clothed you with and give it to someone else, and if the caliphate is not yours, then it is not permissible for you to make it yours.” “I have what you do not have” ( [2] ). However, Al-Fadl bin Sahl, Al-Ma’mun’s minister, advised Al-Ma’mun to entrust the reign to Imam “peace be upon him,” under the pretext that he would erase the crime Al-Rashid had committed against the Alawites ( [3] ), but anyone who follows historical events will discover the falsity of this narrative for several reasons, the most important of which are The reasons are: The mandate of the covenant was part of Al-Ma’mun’s political strategy, so no one was informed of it until Imam Al-Rida came to Marv. Al-Ma’mun presented the idea of the covenant to his minister Al-Fadl ibn Sahl ( [4] ). Al-Fadl objected and warned Al-Ma’mun of the consequences and danger of his policy, saying: “. .. What is this correctness? Yesterday you killed your brother and removed the caliphate from him, and your father’s sons were your assistants, and all the people of Iraq, your household, and the Arabs, and then you brought about this second event that you entrusted the reign of the covenant to Abu Al-Hassan and removed it from your father’s sons... and the Abbas family are not satisfied with that, and their hearts are discordant with you.”( [5] ).
In addition to that, Al-Ma'mun's attempt to isolate the Imam, peace be upon him, and distance him from his followers and disciples by summoning him to Marv and imposing house arrest on him there, thus making him directly under the eyes of the ruler and his entourage, in addition to achieving his political goal, which was to defuse the Alawite revolts and stop them by pleasing the Alawites by assigning him the crown prince. Forward, “peace be upon him” ( [6] ).
Upon the Imam’s arrival in Marv, Al-Ma’mun offered him the mandate of the covenant, but Imam Al-Ridha, peace be upon him, refused, insisting on relieving him of this matter. This prompted Al-Ma’mun to change his tone, using the language of threats and threats of death, saying: “You will never meet me with what I hate, and you have believed in my authority, so by God I swear that if you accept the mandate of Covenant, or I will force you to do so. If you do, otherwise I will behead you.” ( [7] ) So the Imam, peace be upon him, accepted this under duress and stipulated that he be stripped of all the powers of the covenant and not interfere in political matters, stressing to Al-Ma’mun: “God Almighty has forbidden me from throwing my hand into the world.” Destruction. If the matter is like this, then do what appears to you, and I accept that on the condition that I will not appoint anyone or remove anyone, and I will not nullify an order or a law, and I will be an advisor in the matter from afar” ( [8] ). These conditions reflected the Imam’s strategy in confronting the authority on behalf of The way in which the Imam did not recognize the legitimacy of the covenant was that it was merely a formal mandate rather than an applied reality on the political scene, which raised the fears of Al-Ma’mun and his statesmen, led by Al-Fadl ibn Sahl. After they saw the expansion of the size of the popular base supporting the Imam in Khorasan, they felt extreme danger from what was happening, so they imposed on him. Eyes watching him for fear that he would carry out what was considered a conspiracy against Al-Mamoun.
We conclude from the above that the circumstances that accompanied Al-Ma’mun’s choice of Imam Al-Rida, peace be upon him, to be his crown prince were not natural circumstances, but rather there were political motives that dictated that to him. Therefore, it can be said that Al-Ma’mun was not sincere in transferring the caliphate to the family of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib. “Peace.” Rather, for him, the matter was nothing more than a political game, the purpose of which was to absorb the anger of the Alawite revolutionaries, eliminate the causes of tension in their ranks, and make their imam his crown prince. This work of his would contribute to stabilizing the pillars of his state in that critical period that the Abbasid state passed through. In addition to that, he added His caliphate has a legal status after the lack of confidence in him and his deposition by the Abbasids in Baghdad and the transfer of the caliphate to his uncle Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi.
Imam Reza and debating
Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida (peace be upon him) was able to draw the correct foundations for engaging in debates and discussions that would produce useful and correct scientific results. As is known, the era of Ali bin Musa Al-Rida (peace be upon him) was distinguished by intellectual pluralism and open arenas of discussion in religions and philosophical schools of thought. He (peace be upon him) took advantage of this advantage to correct the intellectual, sectarian and religious path in every society with which he came into contact. One of the most prominent debates that the Imam (peace be upon him) engaged in was when he arrived in Tus on the orders of Al-Ma’mun Al-Abbasi, who summoned thinkers and pillars of other religions and philosophers to open the arena of debates before the eyes of the public.
To clarify this, Al-Jalthiq is the archbishop of the Christians who was summoned by Al-Ma’mun Al-Abbasi to examine the Imam (peace be upon him) along with prominent speakers of articles from other sects and religions. Minister Al-Fadl bin Sahl gathered them in the court, and Al-Ma’mun and everyone in the council rose up out of respect for the Imam (peace be upon him) and sat down. The Imam (peace be upon him) and the people stood out of respect for him, so Al-Ma’mun ordered them to sit down, and after the council had settled, Al-Ma’mun turned to the Catholic and said to him: O Catholic, this is my cousin Ali bin Musa bin Jaafar, and he is from the descendants of Fatima, daughter of our Prophet (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family) and the son of Ali bin Abi Talib. (peace be upon him) I would love for you to speak to him and argue with him and be fair to him. Then the Catholicos said: O Commander of the Faithful, how can I argue with a man who is arguing against me with a book that I deny and a prophet that I do not believe in? The Imam (peace be upon him) said: O Christian, if I use your Gospel as evidence, will you acknowledge it? The Catholic said: Am I able to refute what the Gospel said? Yes, by God, I acknowledge it against my will. Then Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said to him: Ask what you think and listen to the answer. The Catholic said: What do you say about the prophecy of Jesus and his book? Do you deny anything from them? The Imam (peace be upon him) said: I acknowledge the prophecy of Jesus and his book and what he preached to his nation and the dialogues acknowledged, and I am a disbeliever in the prophecy of every Jesus who did not acknowledge the prophecy of Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) and his book and did not give good tidings to his nation... He (peace be upon him) said: So take from If it contains mention of Muhammad, his family, and his nation, then bear witness for me, and if there is no mention of him, do not bear witness. Then (peace be upon him) read the third book until he reached the mention of the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family). He stopped, and then said (peace be upon him): O Christian, I ask you truly. Christ and his mother Did you know that I know the Bible? The Catholic said: Yes, then he recited to him the remembrance of Muhammad, his family and his nation, then he said (peace be upon him): What do you say, O Christian? This is the saying of Jesus, son of Mary (peace be upon him): If you deny what the Gospel says, then you have denied Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). And when you deny this remembrance, you must be killed, because you will have disbelieved in your Lord, your Prophet, and your Book. The Catholic said: I do not deny what has been revealed to me in the Gospel. And I acknowledge it. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: Bear witness to his acknowledgment. Then he asked him about the disciples of Jesus bin Maryam (peace be upon him), how many there were, and about the statement that this Gospel is not the first Gospel. The Imam (peace be upon him) answered him and made him understand what he did not know, so the Catholicos said: : Let someone else ask you, but Christ is not right. She did not think that there were Muslim scholars like you (1) .
In this section of the novel, two important things become clear in the art of debate and fruitful scientific discussion: The first: The Imam (peace be upon him) expressed to him that he would not debate him based on the Holy Qur’an and the Noble Prophet’s Sunnah, and here his position (peace be upon him) was to argue with what the Christian Catholic Church considered as evidence against him. It is the book of the Gospel in its saying: (O Christian, if I argue against you with your Gospel, will you acknowledge it?)
Second: It is necessary for both parties in debates to be aware of the opposing thought. Otherwise, how can the person debating commit to or engage in dialogue with the person who disagrees with him? It is of no use in debates if one of the parties does not understand the opposing thought, as this leads to two things: either to stubbornness. And the controversy and the lack of competence between the debaters, it becomes clear in this section of the narration that the Imam (peace be upon him) was knowledgeable and knowledgeable of the Christian religion from his saying: (O Christian, if I argue against you with your Gospel, will you acknowledge it?) and his saying: (Ask what seems to you and listen to the answer) .
Al-Saduq continues in mentioning the narration, saying: The Catholicos said: What do you say about the prophecy of Jesus and his book? Do you deny anything of them? So the Imam (peace be upon him) explained: I acknowledge the prophecy of Jesus, his book, and what he preached to his nation, and the disciples acknowledged it, and I am a disbeliever in the prophecy of every Jesus who did not acknowledge the prophecy of Muhammad (may God bless him and his family and grant them peace) and his book, and did not preach it to his nation .
The Catholicos said: Is it not that we only determine judgments with two just witnesses? He (peace be upon him) said: Yes .
He said: So appoint two witnesses from people other than your religion to the Prophethood of Muhammad (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family) from whom Christianity does not deny, and we have asked the same from people other than our religion . Qaffal (peace be upon him): Now I have come with justice - O Christian - will you not accept from me the justice offered to Christ, Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him?
The Catholic said: Who is this justice? Name it for me . He said: What do you say, John Daylami? He said: Blah blah, you mentioned the people most beloved to Christ . He said: So I swore to you. Did the Bible say that John said: “Christ only informed me of the Arab religion of Muhammad and gave me good tidings of it that it would come after him. So I announced it to the disciples and they believed in it”? . The Catholicos said: John mentioned that about Christ and announced the prophecy of a man, his family, and his guardian, but he did not summarize when that would happen? You did not name the people for us so we could know them .
Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: If we bring you someone who reads the Bible and recites to you the remembrance of Muhammad, his family, and his nation, will you believe in him? He said: Right . He (peace be upon him) said: To Nostas al-Rumi: How did you memorize the third book of the Gospel ?
He said: I don't remember it . Then he turned to the head of the goliath and said: Don't you read the Bible?
He said: Yes, by my life . He said: So take the book, and if it contains mention of Muhammad, his family, and his nation, then bear witness for me, and if it does not mention him, then do not bear witness for me. Then he (peace be upon him) read the third book until he reached the mention of the Prophet (may God bless him and his family and grant them peace). He stopped and said: O Christian, I ask you for the sake of Christ and his mother: Do you know that I know the Gospel?
He said: Yes .
Then he recited to us the mention of Muhammad, his family, and his nation, then he said: What do you say, O Christian? This is the saying of Jesus Mary, peace be upon him. If you deny what the Bible says, then you have denied Moses and Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon them), and if you deny this mention, you must be killed, because you will have disbelieved. You disbelieved in your Lord, your Prophet, and your Book .
The Catholic said: I do not deny what has been revealed to me in the Gospel. I acknowledge it . Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: Witness his approval .
What appears from the text of the novel is a debate in which rational and conditional obligations were used. We benefit from this text that the Imam, peace be upon him, used several methods in the debate to prove his right, which are:
The first: The flexible style of the Imam (peace be upon him), whereby the Imam, peace be upon him, acknowledged or acknowledged the common religious matters, such as the prophecy of Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, and made the confession a gateway to clarifying the rest of the beliefs that the Imam denies. So the confession was a positive and just beginning, free of lies, and God forbid, which he gained. Peace be upon the trust of the Christian Catholics, and then he followed it - acknowledging the prophecy of Jesus (peace be upon him) - by denying the Christian hadith about Jesus (peace be upon him), which denies preaching the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad and his mention of him in the Gospel in his saying (peace be upon him): (And a disbeliever in the prophecy of every Jesus does not acknowledge the prophecy Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, and his book, but he did not give good tidings to his nation.)
The second: Coming down to the desire of the dissenter to choose the evidence and prove the opinion: This is one of the most difficult matters in debates or discussions between those who differ in thought. When the Catholicos asked the Imam for two witnesses from those whom he trusted - the Catholics - in his saying: (So appoint two witnesses from people other than your religion to me regarding the prophethood of Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace. (peace be upon him and his family) is one of those whom Christianity does not deny. So the Imam gave him the two witnesses along with their texts. This also indicates that the Imam (peace be upon him) was familiar with the religion that is contrary to Islam, and this is one of the conditions for the debate, as previously mentioned.
Third: Confirming the acknowledgment of witnesses: This point also focuses on the issue of witnesses. When the Imam, peace be upon him, completed his evidence for the Catholic’s question, he was asked to acknowledge the evidence mentioned. The Catholic acknowledged that by saying: (I do not deny what has been made clear to me in the Gospel. I acknowledge it.) So he said. The Imam (peace be upon him): (Bear witness to his approval) to confirm his opinion and close the outlets for evasion and controversy in speech.
Fourth: Briefing: The Imam, peace be upon him, summarized three discussion topics in his speech:
1: Proof of the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and his family)
2: Denying lying to the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) in not preaching the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and his family).
3: Correcting the intellectual path of the Christian Catholics.
The narrator of the noble narration continues by saying:
Then he (peace be upon him) said: O Catholic, ask whatever seems to you .
The Catholic said: Tell me about the disciples of Jesus bin Maryam (peace be upon him). What was their number? And how many Bible scholars were there?
Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: It fell to the expert. As for the disciples, they were twelve men, and the most knowledgeable and best of them was Luke. As for the Christian scholars, they were three men: John the Great Bagg, John Qarqisiya, and John Daylami Barjaz, and with him was the mention of the Prophet (may God bless him and his family and grant them peace), and he mentioned his family and his nation, and he The one who gave the good news to the nation of Jesus and the children of Israel .
Then he said to him: O Christian, by God, we believe in Jesus who believed in Muhammad (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family) and we do not hold any grudge against your Jesus for his weakness and lack of fasting and prayer .
The Catholic said: By God, you have corrupted your knowledge and weakened your command, and I only thought that you were the most knowledgeable of the people of Islam . Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: How is that?
The Catholics said: From your statement: Jesus was weak, fasted little, and prayed little. Jesus never broke his fast, nor slept at night, and he continued to fast and stand up all night . Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: Who was he fasting and praying for? ! He said, so the Catholic fell silent and stopped .
By carefully examining the passage of the narration above, it becomes clear to us that the Imam (peace be upon him) used the method of overthrowing the opponent by casting doubt on what he believed in order to prove something that the opponent might deny or in order for the Imam (peace be upon him) to prove something during the course of the debate. The Imam (peace be upon him) took the initiative to By questioning his saying: (O Christian, by God, we believe in Jesus who believed in Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, and we do not resent your Jesus in any way, his weakness and lack of fasting and prayer.) The Christian Catholic responded to him, saying: (By God, you have corrupted your knowledge and weakened your command...) and saying: ( From what you say: Jesus was weak, fasted little, and prayed little. Jesus never broke his fast during the day, nor did he sleep at night, and he continued to fast all the time and stand up all night.) So the Catholic fell into the trap after he acknowledged the worship of Jesus, peace be upon him, to God Almighty, so the question came from the Imam, peace be upon him, saying: (For whom was he fasting and praying?!), so the Catholic Church remained silent. That is, the Christian Catholic Church recognized that Jesus, peace be upon him, is one of the servants of God, who prays and fasts seeking the pleasure of God Almighty, and this is contrary to the principles of Christian beliefs.
After the Christian Catholic community completed its questions and remained silent, the Imam (peace be upon him) began asking him questions, as in the continuation of the narration below:
Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: O Christian, I ask you about a matter . He said: Ask, if I have knowledge of it, I will answer you . He ( peace be upon him) said : Why do you deny that Jesus used to bring the dead to life, God Almighty willing? The Catholic said: I denied that because whoever revives the dead and heals the blind and the leper is a Lord worthy of being worshiped .
Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said: Elisha did the same as Jesus, peace be upon him, did: he walked on water, raised the dead, and healed the blind and the lepers, so his nation did not take him as a lord, and no one worshiped him besides God (the Almighty), and the Prophet Ezekiel (peace be upon him) did a similar example. What did Jesus, son of Mary, do? He revived thirty-five thousand men sixty years after their death .
Then he turned to the head of the Goliath and said to him: O head of the Goliath, do you find these people among the youth of the Children of Israel in the Torah? They were chosen by Bakht Nasr from the captivity of the Children of Israel when he invaded Jerusalem, then he departed with them to Babylon, so God (Almighty and Majestic) sent him to them and revived them. This is in the Torah, and no one can repel it except an unbeliever among you . Ras al-Jalut said: We have heard of him and know him .
He said: You are right . Then he said: O Jew, take this book of the Torah, and he (peace be upon him) recited verses to us from the Torah. So the Jew began to read it and was amazed ! Then he approached the Christian and said: O Christian, were these people before Jesus, or was Jesus before them?
He said: Rather, they were before him .
Al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: The Quraysh gathered around the Messenger of God (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family) and asked him to revive their dead for them. So Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) went with them and said to him: “Go to the graveyard and call out the names of these people who are being asked about them.” At the top of your voice: O so-and-so, oh so-and-so, oh so-and-so, Muhammad, the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, says to you: “Arise, God willing (Almighty and Majestic) .”
So they stood up and shook the dirt off their heads, and the Quraysh came to ask them about their affairs. Then they told them that Muhammad had been sent as a prophet, and they said: We wish we could meet him and believe in him .
He healed the blind, the lepers, and the insane, and He spoke to the beasts, the birds, the jinn, and the devils. We did not take him as a lord other than God (Almighty and Majestic), and we did not deny any of these their merit. So when did you take Jesus as a lord, would it be permissible for you to take Elisha and Ezekiel as a lord?! Because they did what Jesus bin Maryam, peace be upon him, did in reviving the dead and other things .
From the above, it becomes clear that the Imam (peace be upon him) used the method of comparison in the debate and protested against the Christian Catholic Church by asking him about their worship of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and discussing the reasons behind their worship of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and refuting them in a smooth and simple manner. The Catholic Church believed that the one who revived The dead and He healed the blind and the lepers, for He is a Lord worthy of being worshipped. Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) presented to him a number of examples that the Christian and Jewish religions acknowledge, and they are similar to the miracles that the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) brought, and the examples were from the prophets and non-prophets as well. Then In his words, the Imam, peace be upon him, referred to the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, in mentioning situations witnessed by the Quraysh, where he revived the dead, healed the blind, the lepers, and the insane, and spoke to the animals, birds, jinn, and devils, God Almighty willing. So he committed the Catholics to his words and approval, and said to him, peace be upon him: (So when you take Jesus as a Lord, it is permissible Can you take Elisha and Ezekiel as lords?! Because they did what Jesus, peace be upon him, did in reviving the dead and other things.
It becomes clear to us that Imam Al-Rida (peace be upon him) took advantage of the reign of the Covenant, away from politics, in order to defend the Islamic faith and dispel it from the campaigns of doubters and deniers in his time and to correct the views of some Muslim scholars and other religions, because his sciences and knowledge are the inheritance of prophecy and the gift of God (Almighty) to his Imamate, and we have noted The Christian Archbishop of Galileo admitted his shortcomings and the error of his perceptions, while others were content to remain silent and did not see the truth.
Intellectual movement
The topic of the intellectual movement is one of the important topics in Arab-Islamic history, because the era of Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida, “peace be upon him,” witnessed the life of the generation of followers and scholars, and this era represents the basis of the scientific movement in all Islamic eras, as the codification, authorship, and classification of sciences and knowledge took place. In addition, it witnessed a major expansion of the Islamic State, which resulted in the entry of new peoples with ancient civilizations, who contributed to the development of science at that time.
The intellectual movement, in its various directions, in the era of Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida, was an extension of the intellectual movement that began since the era of the most honorable Prophet Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, and grew during the era of the Commander of the Faithful and the infallible Imams, peace be upon them. The sciences began to differentiate from each other, and each of them became Its schools and its men.
The main centers of the scientific movement at that time were the mosques, then offices were established to teach children the Holy Qur’an and teach them the principles of Islamic sciences. Then the sciences began to be distinguished from each other, and some men were known for interpretation, others for hadith, and others specialized in jurisprudence. In addition to the emergence of philosophical and intellectual currents and the movement of translation and transmission from the languages of other peoples [1] , there is no doubt that these Arabized books enriched Arab-Islamic thought and contributed to the development of science in Islamic countries, as many students of science sought help in studying them [2] .
Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida was distinguished among the leaders of Islamic thought by his breadth of knowledge and his knowledge of all branches of Islamic knowledge, to the point that al-Ma’mun al-Abbasi described him as “the most knowledgeable human being on the face of the earth” [3] . In addition, scholars found in his hadiths an extension of the hadiths of his grandfather, the most honorable Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace. "And God."
We should point out here that Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida, peace be upon him, took advantage of the power struggle between the two brothers, al-Amin and al-Mamun, which lasted for five years, which resulted in a relatively broad breakthrough. Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida began his intellectual revolution among Muslims using methods Multiple and different, it allows him to activate the sciences of the People of the House of Prophethood, peace be upon them, through scientific and cognitive openness to the rest of the other nations, in addition to using the method of argumentation with the owners of other heavenly sects and religions [4] .
In the same field, misguided movements became famous during that period, including, but not limited to, heresy and extremism characterized by disbelief and departure from Islam. On the other hand, we see Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida arguing and responding to heretics and extremists and refuting their opinions, in order to establish the rules of legislation and the principles of monotheism [5] .
Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida, “peace be upon him,” had many contributions to the various Islamic and human sciences that prevailed in the Imam’s era, including the science of interpreting the Book of God and explaining its meanings.
The science of interpretation means interpreting the verses of the Holy Qur’an, clarifying its meanings, and explaining the abrogated and abrogated, the absolute and the restricted, the general and the specific, and other things. The commentators have tended to interpret it in two directions. The first is interpretation according to tradition and the second is interpretation according to opinion. Interpretation according to tradition means interpreting what has been transmitted from the greatest Prophet Muhammad and the Imams from the Prophet’s family. Prophecy “peace be upon them all” and this is what Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida followed and explained to the people [6] .
In more frank and clear words, the first school of interpretation based on hadiths was established in Islam during the era of Imam Commander of the Faithful Ali, peace be upon him, and the most prominent interpreter of the Holy Qur’an in it was Abdullah bin Abbas [7] . As for interpretation based on opinion, it can be said that it means taking into consideration rational considerations based on approval. It is among those whose matter is suspected and is not decisive except in a ruling on which he is forced to issue a fatwa [8] , and when it was narrated on the authority of Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him: “Do not interpret the Book of God according to your opinion, for God says: ‘And no one knows its interpretation except God and the established. In knowledge ( [9] .
In order to clarify our statement, the science of interpretation according to Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida is among the sciences in which he excelled, and the science of interpretation has a distinct approach to him, as he used to explain to the nation the true interpretation from the People of the House of Prophethood by saying: “Whatever the Book and the Sunnah bear witness to, we are those who say it.” [10] .
Among the exegetical issues for which some have not been able to find the correct explanation is the Almighty’s saying: “Everyone who is in it will perish.” And the face of your Lord remains, full of majesty and honor There is no god but Him , everything is perishable except Him. “His face is judgment, and to Him you will be returned” [12] . Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida said: “Whoever describes God Almighty with a face like the faces has disbelieved, but the face of God Almighty is His prophets, messengers, and proofs, may God’s prayers be upon them. They are the ones through whom one turns to God Almighty and to His religion and knowledge” [13]. ] .
Regarding the same topic, intellectual life flourished in the era of Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida in all types of sciences, especially medicine. Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida, “peace be upon him,” was considered one of the vanguard of scholars of that era, and his message on medicine was one of the most wonderful medical researches, so much so that it was called the Golden Message. [14] .
In summary, the Imam, peace be upon him, had extensive knowledge of the various sciences of his time, but he focused his attention on the sciences of jurisprudence and interpretation more than others because they are the basis for understanding the principles of the Holy Qur’an, the noble Sunnah of the Prophet, and the sayings of the infallible imams of his righteous predecessors, peace be upon them.
Religious reform
Imam Ali bin Musa Al-Rida (peace be upon him) lived in a period that was one of the richest stages of Islamic thought and culture. In it, the founders of the schools of jurisprudence lived, for example, Al-Shafi’i, Malik bin Anas, and Ahmad bin Hanbal, in addition to a group of jurists and those with opinions and jurisprudential viewpoints, such as “Abu Yusuf.” Al-Qadi, Sufyan Al-Thawri, Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak, and Yahya bin Aktham.”
At the same time, a large group of those with intellectual and social sciences lived during this stage, such as “Al-Kasa’i, Al-Farahidi, Al-Asma’i, Muhammad ibn Al-Hudhayl Al-Alaf Al-Mu’tazili, and Jibril ibn Bakhshi’u.” In addition to that, the schools of jurisprudence, hadith, and history crystallized, and philosophical trends emerged, especially during the days of Al-Ma’mun Al-Abbasi. He ordered the translation and transfer of philosophy to Arabic, and the trend of Sufism grew, and heresy and extremism appeared [1] .
There is no doubt that the Imam (peace be upon him) was a refuge for people of thought and knowledge. He debated with scholars of interpretation, debated with people of philosophy and theology, responded to heretics and fanatics, directed people of jurisprudence and legislation, and established the rules of Sharia and the principles of monotheism. As he (peace be upon him) explained, the human mind is the most precious thing. God created God and worked to protect it from the defect that leads to corruption and the distortion of Islamic ideas, concepts, and values by weak souls. He (peace be upon him) said: “Our opponents have fabricated reports about our virtues and divided them into three categories, one of which is exaggeration, the second is negligence in our affairs, and the third is declaration.” By the faults of our enemies. If people hear exaggeration in us, they disbelieve in our Shiites and attribute them to the belief in our divinity, and if they hear negligence, they believe it is in us, and if they hear the faults of our enemies by their names, they slander us by our names...” [ 2]
It can be said that Imam Ali al-Rida (peace be upon him) took several methods in religious reform, the most important of which was responding to religious intellectual deviations, as he (peace be upon him) responded to all deviations and targeted ideas and sayings once, those who formulated them, and those affected by them again.
Historical sources show that Imam al-Rida confronted the false theories and claims adopted by the anthropomorphism and similes group. In his response to the similes, he said (peace be upon him): “My God, your ability appeared and it did not seem weak, so they ignored you, and they appreciated you and appreciated you without meaning and described you, and I am innocent, O my God, of those who sought you by similes, there is nothing like you.” [3] , In addition to Al-Kabir’s influence in confronting the temptation of “al-jabr and delegation,” in his response to al-Mujabbarah and al-Mufawda , he (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever claims that God does our actions and then punishes us for them has said force, and whoever claims that God Almighty has delegated the command of creation.” And sustenance is due to his arguments, peace be upon them. He said by delegation, and the one who says by force is an infidel, and the one who says by delegation is a polytheist.” [4] . He also has many responses to those who give fatwas and interpret by opinion and analogy, and those who make fatwas dependent on the whims and desires of the rulers. In addition to that, he has responses to those who hold non-Islamic religions, such as the Jews. Christians, Magians, Sabians, Brahmins, as well as atheists, secularists, and other types of heretics.
There is a historical fact, which is that he (peace be upon him) refuted all the narrations that the deviants rely on, and confirmed the invalidity of their issuance from the Most Honorable Prophet Muhammad (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family). He guided the jurists and students of knowledge to the correct narrations. In his response to the narration attributed to the Most Honorable Prophet Muhammad (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him) upon him and his family) in which it was said: “God, Blessed and Most High, descends every Friday night to the lowest heaven.” He (peace be upon him) said: “God has cursed those who distort words from their proper places. By God, the Messenger of God did not say that, but rather said: “Indeed, God Almighty descends.” A kingdom reaches the lowest heaven every night in the last third, and on Friday night at the beginning of the night. He commands him and he calls, “Is there anyone who asks so that I may give to him? Is there anyone who repents so that I may repent to him? Is there anyone who asks for forgiveness so that I may forgive him... My father told me about that on the authority of my grandfather on the authority of his fathers on the authority of the Messenger of God” [5] . ] .
At the same time, the Imam (peace be upon him) ordered the Muslims to boycott the deviants such as the oppressive, the corrupt, and the extremists to prevent their influence on the nation. He (peace be upon him) said: “My father Musa bin Jaafar told me, on the authority of his father Jaafar bin Muhammad (peace be upon them), that he said: ‘Whoever claims God Almighty forces His servants to commit sins or burdens them with more than they can bear, so do not eat his sacrifice, do not accept his testimony, do not pray behind him, and do not give him any of the zakat. Then he (peace be upon him) said: “The extremists are infidels, and the extremists are infidels, and the extremists are polytheists, whoever sits with them, mixes with them, or eats them.” Or drink them, or maintain ties with them, or give them in marriage, or marry one of them, or trust them, or entrust them with a trust, or speak truthfully to them, or help them with half a word, came out of the guardianship of God Almighty, the guardianship of the Messenger of God (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family), and our guardianship, Ahl al-Bayt” [6] , Rather, he emphasized the boycott of all types of extremists, saying: “May God curse the extremists, were they not Jews, were they not Magians, were they Christians, were they not Qadariyyah, were they Murji’ah, were they not Haruris... Do not isolate them and do not befriend them, and disavow them, may God disavow them.” [7] .
As for his position (peace be upon him) towards the Waqifites, it can be said that he worked to confront their destructive ideas in various ways in order to eliminate them. He cursed them in public and said (peace be upon him): “May God curse them, how severe are their lies.” Then he emphasized his statement: “The Waqif is deviated from the truth.” And he is committed to a bad deed, and if he dies because of it, Hell will be his abode, and wretched is the destination.” [8] Thus, he was able to limit their role and stop their movement within the school of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and their ideas did not spread except among those with ambitions and desires.
We conclude from this that Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida (peace be upon him) had a great impact on the evaluation of Islamic thought and culture. A multitude of tricks on wisdom, etiquette, commandments, advice, and other things that benefit people were transmitted from the Imam, and it demonstrated that he was the greatest educator of the Islamic world in his time.