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His
name was Ali, appellative Riza and kunniyat Abul Hasan. Imam
Musa Kazim was his father and, therefore, his full name was Imam
Abul Hasan Ali bin Musa Al-Riza A. S. His mother was known by her
kunniyat, Ummul Baneen and appellative Tahira. She was a pious
lady very much devoted to the worship of God.
He
was born in Madinah on 11th of Dhil Qadah 148 A.H. The demise of
his esteemed grandfather Imam Jafar Sadiq A.S. had taken place
about a month earlier on 15th of Shawwal. The arrival of this
pious baby soon after that great calamity must have given some
solace to the entire household.
He
was reared and brought up under the benign shadow of his
esteemed father Hazrat Imam Musa Kazim AS. Successive stages of
childhood and youth passed in this very pious environment and
thus he completed thirty-five years of his age. Although the
last few years of this period were those when Imam Musa Kazim
A.S.
was undergoing the hardships of captivity and persecution in
Iraq yet prior to this Imam Riza A.S. had the privilege of passing
twenty-eight or twenty-nine years of his life in the company of
his father.
Imam
Musa Kazim AS was aware that the government of the day
will not allow him to breath freely and that during the later
part of his life when he would be about to leave the world, such
conditions might come to prevail that would not even let the
devotees of Ahle Bait A.S see him and find out from him the
identity of their future guide. He therefore had deemed it
necessary to acquaint the followers of Ahle Bait A.S of their
would be Imam after him during that very period of respite when
he was still in Madinah. With this end in view, he had called an
assembly of seventeen distinguished personalities from amongst
the progeny of Ali A.S and Fatima A.S. and made a formal
announcement of the name of his son Hazrat Ali Riza A.S as his
vicegerent and successor. He also arranged for a will executed
in writing on which sixty notable personalities of Madinah
affixed their signatures as witnesses. Such arrangements do not
seem to have been made in respect of other Imams A.S. simply
because they were not confronted with such conditions in the
last moments of their lives.
Hazrat
Imam Ali Riza A.S was thirty-five years of age when his esteemed
father Hazrat Imam Musa Kazim A.S left this world and the
responsibilities pertaining to Imamate devolved upon him. This
was the time when Haroon Rasheed was reigning, as caliph in
Baghdad and the conditions were extremely unfavourable for the
progeny of Fatima A.S. It was in such a hostile environment that
the Imam AS began discharging silently his obligations towards
the genuine Islamic Shariat.
Amongst
the pious progeny of Muhammad A.S, every single individual was
blessed by God with the highest degree of knowledge which
friends and foes alike had perforce to acknowledge. It is
another matter that the circumstances favoured some with lesser
and others with greater degree of opportunity to disseminate the
bounties of knowledge. Amongst these pious personages it was
Imam Riza A.S who got the utmost opportunity in this respect
after Imam Jafar Sadiq A.S. even prior to his formal assumption
of the Imamate, his father Hazrat Imam Musa Kazim A.S used to
advise all his sons and members of the household to seek his
guidance saying: “Ali Riza A.S is the most knowledgeable
person amongst the present progeny of most knowledgeable person
amongst the present progeny of Muhammad A.S. Get all your
problems relating to religious maters solved by him and commit
to memory whatever he says.”
After
the demise of Hazrat Imam Musa Al-Kazim, while Imam Riza was in
Madinah and used to sit at the shrine of the Prophet, Islamic
scholars came to him for the solution of their difficult
problems pertaining to the faith. Muhammad bin Yaqtin says that
when he collected together the written replies given by Imam
Riza to question put to him in writing,
their total went up to eighteen thousand. (Author's note: at
the very time of the death of his father, Imam Riza was
recognized by scholars as the depository of the Divine Knowledge)
After
the death of Hazrat Imam Musa Kazim A.S, Haroon’s tenure of
caliphate lasted for ten years. Surely, he could hardly bear the
existence of Imam Ali Riza A.S in this world just as he did not
tolerate that of his esteemed father, but no aggressive steps
were taken openly against Imam Riza A.S. It could be either
because the government had been publicly discredited as a result
of the continued torture and persecution of Imam Musa Kazim A.S
for a long duration that culminated in his death while still in
captivity, or because of the realization by the tyrant himself
of his own cruel conduct that led his own conscience to
reprimand him. Whatever might have been the reasons, the fact is
that no open action was taken against the Imam A.S. It is even
reported that with a view to strengthening his position and
influence Yahya bin Khalid Barmaki once said to Haroon Rashid
that after his father Ali ibne Musa A.S was also laying claim to
Imamate like his father. To this Haroon replied: “Was there
left anything wanting in the treatment that we meted out to his
father that you now want me to exterminate the entire
lineage?”
Even
then in view of the intense antipathy that Haroon had been
showing towards the descendants of the Prophet and the treatment
that he had hitherto meted out to the Sadaat in keeping the
ruler pleased at all costs, could not be expected to have an
amicable disposition towards the Ahle Bait A.S. Moreover,
neither the people could visit the Imam A.S freely for seeking
knowledge nor he himself had the opportunity to freely propagate
the genuine Islamic tenets.
The
last days of Haroon passed most unpleasantly due to the
internecine wrangling between his two sons, Ameen and Mamun.
Ameen was from his first wife, who belonged to the royal family,
being the granddaughter of Mansoor Diwaniqi. Therefore he
enjoyed the favour of all the nobles of Arab descent. Mamun was
born of a Persian maid slave and hence the Persian section of
the court entertained affection for him. The mutual tug of war
between the two was a continuous source of mental agony for
Haroon. Thinking that the division of the territory between the
two sons would finally settle the dispute, he partitioned the
country in such a manner that the capital of Baghdad and Arab
territories around it viz., Syria, Egypt, Hijaz and Yemen were
allotted to Muhammad Ameen and the Eastern regions viz., Iran,
Khurasan and Turkestan etc, were assigned to Mamun. But this
settlement could have worked only if both the parties had any
inclination to follow the maxim ‘live and let live’.
But
if the lust for power could lead the Bani Abbas to commit all
sorts of atrocities and oppression on Bani Fatima, there was no
reason as to why the two warring brothers of the same clan Bani
Abbas should not gear themselves up for aggressive action
against each other. A clash between any two forces is inevitable
when none of them possesses that spirit of compassion
selflessness and concern for the welfare of the people in
general that Bani Fatima always had before them as their main
objective and for which they used to forsake even their rightful
claims. The result was that soon after the death of Haroon,
fierce fighting broke out between the two brothers. Ultimately
after four years of continuous struggle and carnage, success
embraced Mamun and Ameen was put to death in Muharram 198 A.H.
Thus Mamun finally established his away over the entire Abbasid
Kingdom.
Ultimately,
after Ameen was killed, the Islamic domain in a way did come
under the control of Mamun. It has already been stated that from
the mother’s side Ameen was of Arab descent and Mamun of
Persian. The assassination of Ameen further alienated the Arabs
of Iraq, the Arab nobles in general from Mamun. There was anger
and resentment in their hearts against him, at the same time
Mamum was also apprehensive of a sizable section of Bani Abbas
that was favouring Ameen, besides there was also another class
of people which in its heart of hearts felt disgusted with the
Abbaside regime although it was not in a position to do any harm
to it, these were the supporters of the progeny of Fatima A.S, a
large number of whom had confronted Bani Abbas from time to time
and some of whom were massacred some exiled from their hearths
and homes and some confined to prison.
It
was by recalling to their memory the atrocities perpetrated by
the Umayyads on Imam Husain A.S and others from the progeny of
Fatima A.S that Abu Muslim Khurasani had incited the people of
Iran against them. It was but natural that a feeling of
compassion should have been generated in Iran towards this
household. However, the Abbasids exploited this feeling to their
advantage. This must have opened the eyes of the Iranians to
some extent. They must have felt defrauded by the fact that
against all that was said to them the power had been grabbed by
other people. It is quite possible that these reports regarding
the leanings of the Iranians might have also reached the ears of
Mamun. After the assassination of Ameen he could no longer
repose his trust in the Arabs and more particularly in the tribe
Bani Abbas. Thus every moment he apprehended an uprising among
them against him. He, therefore, thought it politically
expedient to win the favour the Iranians against the Arabs and
that of Bani Fatima against Bani Abbas. If the intention behind
one’s conduct appears to be based on political expediency it
is not deemed as sincere and therefore, has no positive impact
on the people in general. It was thus considered necessary by
Mamun to adopt a religious posture and publicly propagate his
Shiite leanings and his love for the Ahle Bait and also to
demonstrate to the world that he genuinely intended to follow
the maxim: “Restore to one what rightfully belongs to
one”, and entrust the Caliphate to the progeny of the
Prophet A.S.
As
recorded by Sheikh Saduq, Mamun gave wide publicity to the story
relation to the pledge, which he had allegedly made to the
Almighty whole facing Ameen, and was in a very critical
situation. Just then there was an uprising against him in
Seestan and Kitrman as well and a deep unrest was also
prevailing in Khurasan. According to him his financial condition
too was in a bad shape. Moreover, he was not sure if he could
trust his army. In this most difficult and trying situation he
had made a supplication to God with a solemn pledge that if all
these troubles came to an end and he got hold of the caliphate,
he would restore it to its rightful claimant i.e. to the person
most deserving from amongst the progeny of Fatima A.S.
Immediately after he had made this pledge all his affairs got
smoothly sorted out and eventually he attained success against
his enemies.
Surely,
this event was widely publicized by Mamun to create an
impression that whatever he did was based on sincerity of
purpose and good intentions. Although even the most virulent and
open enemies of Ahle Bait were fully aware of their real worth
and their virtues and superiority but only knowing this much
does not mean Shiism. It also involves love and obedience. It is
evident from the actions of Mamun that, in spite of all his
propaganda about his claim regarding Shiism and his love for
Ahle Bait he did not have the least intention to obey the Imam
A.S. Instead, he wanted to make the Imam A.S act according to
his wishes. With regard to his installation as the heir apparent
the Imam A.S was denied the right to have any say, he was forced
to accept the assignment. It is clear from this that his
appointment as the heir apparent was an act of despotic
aggression against the Imam A.S under the deceptive guise of
Shiism.
The
acceptance of heirship by the Imam A.S was in no way different
from the imprisonment of Imam Musa Kazim A.S at the behest of
Haroon. That is why when Imam Riza A.S was leaving Madinah for
Khurasan his grief pain and distraction knew no bounds. At the
time of bidding adieu to the Prophet’s shrine his state of
mind was similar to that of Hazrat Imam Husain A.S, when he was
leaving Madinah. Eye witnessed saw him going inside the shrine
in an agitated state moaning and sighing and complaining against
the Ummah, and then coming out with the intention of going to
his house. But then again, forced by his restless heart, he
would enter the shrine and embraced the Prophet’s grave. This
happened several times. Mahawal a narrator says that the Imam
A.S told him that he was being forcibly banished from his
forefather’s shrine and that he would never come back to that
place again.
Imam
Raza departed from Madinah for Khurasan in the year 200AH. He
left his family and other dependents in Madinah itself. At
that time (his son) Imam Muhammad Taqi was just five years
old. He ( Imam Taqi) remained in Madinah. When Imam Riza
arrived at Merve, the then Capital of the government, Mamun,
after showing respect and honour to him for a few days, proposed
to him to accept the Caliphate. The Imam A.S declined to accept it just as Ameerul
Momineen Ali A.S had done when the office of the caliphate was
offered to him in the fourth round (after the demise if the
third Caliph). As a matter of fact Mamun had no intention of
giving up the caliphate, otherwise he should have persisted in
pressurizing the Imam A.S to accept it. But he did nothing like
that. After the Imam A.S had refused the office of caliphate,
Mamun next placed before him the offer to be the heir apparent.
Imam A.S knew what was going to happen to it. Moreover, to
accept willingly any office offered by a despotic regime was
against the tenets of his faith. The Imam A.S, therefore
declined this offer also. But Mamun's insistence reached the
stage of coercion and he plainly told him that his non
acceptance of the office shall cost him his life.
Danger
to life can be acceptable only when preservation of the
interests of the faith depends on the giving away of one’s
life. Otherwise protection of life is the basic tenet of the
Islamic Shariat. Hence the Imam A.S said: “ In that case I
accept the offer under compulsion but on the condition that I
will have nothing to do with the affairs of the state. Of course
if my opinion is sought in a particular case, I shall be always
ready to give my advice.” After this the Imam A.S heir
ship amounted to nothing more than a gimmick of the government
of day. It is possible that this might have helped achieve
certain amount of success in respect of some political objective
for some space of time. But the position of Imam A.S with regard
to the discharge of his responsibilities was similar to the one
adopted by his forefather Hazrat Ali A.S in respect of the
people in power in his time. Just as mere tendering of advice
now and then by him did not pout the seal of validity on those
regimes, similarly the acceptance of heir ship by Imam Riza A.S
in the way it was done in no way validated the rule of Mamun. It
was nothing mere than the satisfaction of the pertinacity of a
despot. The Imam A.S as he had determined kept himself strictly
aloof from the activities and the administrative steps of the
tyrannical regime.
Still
the Bani Abbas were not at all agreeable to this decision of
Mamun. They tried to disrupt the process but Mamun explicitly
challenged them to name anyone better than Ali Riza A.S. There
was no answer to this. In this connection several momentous
sessions of disputations were also held but obviously there was
no one who could establish his scholastic supremacy over the
Imam A.S. The decision of Mamun was inflexible and he was not
prepared to deviate from his stand. Nor there was any one who
could convince him through reasoning to change mind.
On
the first of Ramazan 201 A. the ceremony of the installation of
the Imam A.S as heir apparent was held. The event was celebrated
with great pomp and show grandeur and glory. First of all Mamun
beckoned his son Abbas who took the oath of allegiance. Others
followed him. Gold and silver coins were thrown over the head of
Imam A.S as mark of offering and awards were given to all the
nobles and employees of the State Mamum issue the order that the
coins be minted in the mane of the Imam A.S. Accordingly his
name was engraved on Dinars and Dirhams and these coins were put
in circulation throughout the realm. His name was included in
orations of the Friday prayers.
“The
lady is virtuous for want of veil” is a well known saying and
it is applicable to those worldly –minded people who
euphemistically call their life of constraint and helplessness
as one of contentment and renunciation. But to live like a
destitute when endowed with power and wealth and resources is
the prerogative of God’s chosen ones only. The noble
personalities from amongst the infallible progeny of the prophet
A.S who did not ostensibly enjoy a status of authority and (and
most of them belong to that category) used to put on decent
clothes and lived in a dignified manner. This was because if
they had lived like indigent people their adversaries would have
attribute it to their helplessness and also would have invited
taunts and insults. That would have hurt the honour that goes
with righteousness. But such of those noble souls who by chance
found themselves apparently in the seats of power the
manifestation of their simple mode of living and their self
denial increased proportionately so that their life may be a
source of consolation for the poor Muslims and serves as a
model. It was just in accordance with the life pattern of
Ameerul Momineen Hazarat Ali A.S. As he was acknowledgement as
the ruler of the Islamic domain both his clothing and his diet
were the simplest like those of an anchorite. A parallel of his
life style cannot be found even among the other infallible
personalities of own line. This was exactly the case with Hazrat
Ali Riza A.S He was appointed heir apparent of that great Muslim
empire whose vastness had obliterated the memory of the grandeur
of the Roman and Persian empires. There whenever a cloud passed
by the caliph would loudly address it saying it could go and
rain wherever it chose to in any case the tax proceeds of the
harvest of that place would ultimately come to his coffers.
The
ascension of Hazrat Ali Riza A.S to the office of the heir
apparent of the regime provides an example of how religious men
conduct them selves when they gain worldly power. In this case
realizing his religious obligations, it was necessary for the
Imam A.S to demonstrate much more prominently his innate
qualities of renunciation and self-denial in proportion to the
imperatives of his august opposition and grandeur of status.
Accordingly, the history repeated itself and the world witnessed
again the life style of Ali Murtaza A.S in the person of Ali
Riza A.S .He disapproved of having expensive carpets laid out in
his house. Instead the floor was covered with coarse rugs in the
winter and ordinary mats in summer. He used to have his food
along with his doorkeeper the groom and the slaves. One day, a
man from Balkh accustomed to the imperial etiquette and manners
said: “Sire, what is the harm if food is served to these
people separately?” The Imam A.S replied: “Allah is
the creator of everyone will get recompense or punishment in
accordance with his deeds. Why then should there be
discrimination amongst them in this world?”
The
Imam A.S had become a component of that regime of the Abbasids
who on the basis of a single source of relationship with the
Prophet A.S had laid claim to rule over the creations of God
without looking into their own character to fine out what
actually they were and how they should conduct themselves.
Matters went so far that it came to be generally asserted that
the Abbasids is not lag behind the Umayyads either in their
tyranny and atrocious behaviour or in their vicious and immoral
mode of living. In fact in some respects they had even surpassed
them. Still they were proud of their relationship in comparison
to the deeds. This was apparently a demonstration of modesty and
civility by an individual, which in itself is a noble attribute.
But far beyond that it was in fact a proclamation of the true
Islamic tenets against almost a century old Abbasid mentality.
It assumed greater significance as it was being made by a very
important member of the state. Accordingly we fine various
significant examples of the behaviour of Imam Riza A.S Once a
man said to Imam A.S : "by God no one can surpass you with
respect to your ancestry.”
The
Imam A.S replied: “the eminence attained by my ancestors
was also by virtue of their fear of God, their piety and their
devotion to God only.”
On
another occasion a man said to the Imam A.S : "I swear
by God that you are the best of his creations.”
The
Imam A.S told him: “Do not affirm so on oath because
whosoever has greater fear of God and is much more pious he is
superior to me.”
Ibrahim
bin Abbas has narrated that the Imam A.S used to assert: “I
would set free all my slaves both male and female if it is
otherwise then that only on the basis of my relationship with
the Prophet A.S I do not consider my self superior to this black
slave ( at this he pointed some noble deed) then I shall be
superior to him in the estimation of God.”
Short
sighted persons might have attributed these things to the Imam A.S
personal humility but the despotic ruler of the Abbasid regime
would not have been so stupid as not to have felt the floggings
that were being inflicted on his dynastic system of autocratic
governance by the mute action and such utterances of Imam Ali
Riza A.S. In his own conceit he had appointed the Imam A.S as
his heir apparent to serve a temporary political purpose that is
the strengthening of his rule. But very soon the realization
dawned upon him that if the Imam A.S continued to live for long
that would bring about a revolution in the thinking of the
people in general and cause the overthrow of the Abbasid regime.
 The
unfulfilment of his expectations obliged Mamun to be after the
life of the Imam (A) .The same secret weapon, which had been
used several times in the past against these infallible
personages, was again put to use. The grapes that were offered
to the Imam (A) as a present were poisoned and because of them,
the Imam (A) embraced martyrdom on 17 of Safar 203 A.H. Mamun,
outwardly, exhibited much sorrow and grief and got the body of
the Imam buried ceremoniously by the side of his father Haroon
Rasheed.
The
sacred city of Mashad, where the crowned potentates of the world
prostrate themselves in reverence before the shrine of Imam Raza
(A) is also the burial place of the greatest emperor of his
time, Haroon Rasheed , but the visitors to the holy shrine do
not even know where his grave is.
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