Ali al-Rida

Imām ˤAlī ibn-Mūsā ar-Riđā (Arabic: علي بن موسى الرضا) (January 1, 766 - May 26, 818) was the eighth Shīˤa Imām. His given name was ˤAlī ibn-Mūsā ibn-Jaˤfar. In Persian, he is frequently known as Emam Reza.

[edit] Birth and family life

ˤAlī ar-Riđā was born in Medina to the seventh Shīˤa Imām, Mūsā ibn-Jaˤfar ibn-Muħammad al-Kāđim (known in Persian as Emam Musa Kazem), and Ummu l-Banīn Najmā. He was born one month after the death of his grandfather, Jaˤfar as-Sādiq. Like his father and grandfather, his education came at the hands of his father.

His father died in 799, when ˤAlī was 35, and he was given the responsibility of the Imamate. ˤAlī was not looked upon favorably by Hārūn Rashīd, and the people of Medina were disallowed from visiting ˤAlī and learning from him. Harun attempted to kill him but was unsuccessful.

After the death of Hārūn Rashīd, his two sons began fighting for control of the Abbāsid empire. One son, Al-Amin, had an Arab mother and thus had the support of Arabs, while his half-brother Al-Ma'mun had a Persian mother and the support of Persia. Al-Ma'mun believed that Persia was sympathetic to the Hashemites and asked for ˤAlī to meet him in Persia. ˤAlī ar-Riđā left his only son, Muħammad at-Taqī, and his wife and set out for Merv.

After defeating his brother, al-Ma'mun named ˤAlī ar-Riđā his successor. He hoped to win Shīˤa support through this move, but the passage of caliphate would occur only if ˤAlī outlived al-Ma'mun (as with all promises of succession). Al-Ma'mun even changed the black Abbāsid flags to green, the traditional color of the house of ˤAlī ibn Abī-Tālib, the first Shīˤa imam.

[edit] Death

ˤAlī ar-Riđā did not outlive al-Ma'mun, dying on May 26, 818, in Persia while accompanying al-Ma'mun at Tus. Some scholars believe he was poisoned by al-Ma'mun. ˤAlī ar-Riđā is buried in Mashhad.