Ali al-Rida

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Ali ibn Musa al-Raza (Arabic: علي بن موسى الرضا) (Commonly known as, Ali al-Raza) (Eleventh of Dhu al-Qi'dah, 148 AH – Seventeenth of Safar, 203 AH) (Approximately: January 1, 765 AD - May 26, 818 AD) was the Seventh descendent of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and the eighth Shī'a Imām. His given name was Ali ibn Masa ibna Ja'far. In Persian, he is known as, Imam Raza.

1 Birth and family life
2 The Features of Ali al-Raza's Morality
3 Ali al-Raza Admonishes Brother
4 Death
5 See Also
6 External links

[edit] Birth and family life

Shrine of Imam Ali Reza in Mashad, Iran

On Eleventh of Dhu al-Qi'dah, 148 AH, a son was born in the house of Musa al-Kazim (the seventh Shi’ah Imam) in Medina, who took over the position of the Imamate, after his father. He was named Ali and titled al-Raza. He was born one month after the martyrdom of his grandfather, Ja'far as-Sādiq. Like his father and grandfather, his education came at the hands of his father. The honorable and gracious mother of Ali al-Raza was Umul Baneen Najma, who was considered to be the most notable and distinguished lady in the realm of wisdom and faith.

Right from the childhood period, Ali al-Raza accompanied his father. Musa al-Kazim who repeatedly used to tell his friends, "Ali al-Raza is the Imam after me." As such, Makhzoomi says one day Musa al-Kazim summoned and gathered us and said, "I invited you to be witnesses that this child (Ali al-Raza) is my executor and successor."

Since an extreme choking atmosphere and pressure prevailed in the period of Musa al-Kazim, he said in the end of his words, "What I said must remain (restricted) up to you and do not reproduce it to anybody unless that you know he is one of our friends and companions."

Ali al-Raza’s father was martyred in 799, when Ali al-Raza was 35, and he was given the responsibility of the Imamate. Ali al-Raza was not looked upon favorably by Hārūn Rashīd, and the people of Medina were disallowed from visiting Ali al-Raza and learning from him. Harun attempted to kill him but was unsuccessful.

[edit] The Features of Ali al-Raza's Morality

The infallible Imams were the selected ones of the Allah and outstanding, distinguished and superior to all the people. They used to become the practical example for others during their lives. They taught the lesson of life to the people. They did not segregate and separate themselves from them and did not lead their lives on the style and pattern of the tyrants and oppressors. They did not overlook or show heedlessness and disrespect to anyone.

Sheikh Saduk narrates through the words of Ibrahim ibn Abbas that, "I never saw Imam Ali al-Raza committing excess over anyone in talking and interrupting anybody's speech before its coming to the end. He did not stretch his legs in the presence of others. When the meal table was laid he invited the servants to it, and took his meals with them. After taking rest in the nights he got up and made himself busy with the prayers to Allah. Similar to his fore fathers he carried food to the houses of the afflicted ones at the mid of nights."

Mohammad ibn Abi Ebad says about Imam Ali al-Raza, "He used mats of palm date leaves, straws and marsh reed in the summer season, and woolen carpets in the winter."

He led a simple life in his home, but when he went out he used to decorate himself and put on new and clean dress. He respected and honored the guests to the extent that one night a lamp of the house went out of order, the guest got to his feet to put it right. Ali al-Raza made him sit and he set the lamp right, and said, "We do not employ our guests (exploit) upon work."

Yasir, the servant of Ali al-Raza says, Imam Ali al-Raza said to us, "Whenever you are busy taking your meal, if I call you, do not get up till you have finished up eating." Another friend of Ali al-Raza says, "One day a stranger came Ali al-Raza's house and said, I am one of your friends and I am also not a poor man but my money has finished up and I do not have the expanses to return. You give me an amount and when I return to my city I will give it out as alms on your behalf." Imam Ali al-Raza got up and went to another room, brought an amount of two hundred dirhams and gave it to him from upside the door and said, "Take this and go and it is not necessary to give it away as alms on my behalf."

They asked the Imam Ali al-Raza, "Why did you do it this way that he may not see you."

He said, "So that he does not catch my sight and get ashamed (embarrassed)."

Suleman, one of the friends of Ali al-Raza says, "I went along with the Imam Ali al-Raza to the house. The labors were busy at work. There was a stranger among them whom the Imam Ali al-Raza did not recognize." He said, "Who is this man?" They said we have brought him from outside, so that he may help us. He said, "Have you concluded an agreement with him and fixed his wages?" They said, "No, he is a good man, whatever we pay him he accepts it and does not utter a word."

Ali al-Raza was angry and annoyed and said, "I have always told you that when you employ someone for a job first of all fix his wages. Because, when his wages are fixed and you give more than that to him, he will become happy. But if you do not fix his wages and give him three times the amount, he thinks you have not given him the correct wages."

[edit] Ali al-Raza Admonishes Brother

Imam Ali Reza's Shrine, Iran

Once Ali al-Raza was summoned to Khurrasan and he forcibly accepted the special conditions of the succession of al-Ma'mun, al-Ma'mun summoned his brother, Zaid, who had revolted and brought about a riot in Medina to his court in Khurrasan. Al-Ma'mun kept him free as a regard and honor to Ali al-Raza and overlooked his punishment.

One day, when Ali al-Raza was delivering a speech in a grand assembly. He heard Zaid praising himself before the people, saying I am so and so. Ali al-Raza shouted at him saying, "Oh Zaid, have you trusted upon the words of the grocers of Kufa and are conveying them to the people? What kind of things are you talking about? The sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah Zahra are worthy and outstanding only when they obey the command of God, and keep themselves away from sin and blunder. You think you are like Musa al-Kazim, Ali ibn Hussayn, and other Imams? Whereas, they took pains and bore hardships on the way to Allah and prayed to Allah day and night. Do you think you will gain without pain? Be aware, that if a person out of us the Ahl al-Bayt performs a good deed. He gets twice the reward. Because not only he performed good deeds like others but also that he has maintained the honor of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. If he practices something bad and does a sin, he has performed two sins. One is that he performed a bad act like the rest of the people and the other one is that he has negated the honor of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad."

Oh brother! The one who obeys Allah is from us the Ahl al-Bayt and the one who is a sinner is not ours. Allah said about the son of Noah who cut the spiritual bondage with his father, "He is not out of your lineage, if he was out of your lineage, I would have (saved) and granted him salvation."

[edit] Death

Ali al-Raza did not outlive al-Ma'mun, martyred on May 26, 818, in Persia while accompanying al-Ma'mun at Tus. Scholars believe he was poisoned by al-Ma'mun. Ali al-Raza is buried in Mashhad, Iran.

After the death of Hārūn Rashīd, Hārūn's 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 Ali al-Raza to meet him in Persia. Ali al-Raza left his only son, Muħammad at-Taqī, and his wife and set out for Merv.

After defeating his brother, al-Ma'mun named Ali al-Raza his successor. He hoped to win Shī'a support through this move, but the passage of caliphate would occur only if Ali al-Raza 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 Alī ibn Abī-Tālib, the first Shī'a imam.

On the night of his martyrdom Ali al-Raza saw a dream. In his dream he saw his grandfather the Islamic Prophet Muhammad saying, "Come to us tomorrow, what we have for you is better than the condition you are in."

Harsama says, Ali al-Raza got up in the mid of the night and called me so that I be present before him. I put on my dress and went to Ali al-Raza. He said to me, "al-Ma'mun has decided to poison me through grapes tomorrow. Be aware, after my martyrdom he wishes to give me a bath. Tell him to refrain from it. If you do that Allah will not give you chance and respite (any-longer). At that time my son will arrive from Medina and give me a bath and coffin, without anyone seeing it or getting informed.

Then, they will carry me to the tomb of Hārūn Rashīd. Al-Ma'mun wants to bury me behind him. But howsoever they work on the earth the pickaxe; they will fail to dig the soil. At that time tell al-Ma'mun to dig the earth in front of the grave so that a ready-made grave will appear. At that instance a white water boils out of the head-side (grave) and rises up. Small fish appear in that. Then a big fish appears which eats up the small fish. Thereafter, the water will settle down. After that lay me in the grave. Do not put the soil on my grave since; it will be filled up by itself. Oh Harsama, do what I have said and do not allow things to happen against what I told you, otherwise, Allah will torment you (people)."

At last al-Ma'mun poisoned the Ali al-Raza through grapes in Toos, on the way back from Maro to Baghdad. Ali al-Raza came to the house and said to his old friend Aba Salat, "Collect the carpets of the house and do not allow anyone to enter the house, as this is the time when my soul departs (dying) I want to die on the earth like my grandfather Hussain ibn Ali."

Before the martyrdom of Ali al-Raza, Ma’mum stood next to his pillow (head side). Ali al-Raza opened his eyes and said to him, "have a good conduct with my son Muhammad al-Taqi for his death and yours are close to each other and do not have much distance in between."

The body of Ali al-Raza was buried in the same parameter where Hārūn Rashīd was buried and in the front of his grave. This tragedy and calamity occurred on the last day of Safar in 203 AH, when Ali al-Raza was 55 years of age.

Following the martyrdom of Ali al-Raza a great revolt took place in Khorrasan. Ma’mum wept and beat upon his head to show that he was a mourner. But a large number of people knew that Ma’mum himself was the killer of Ali al-Raza. A wave of despises and noise awn against Ma’mum. So that he did not allow the funeral to be carried out for a day and a night. Because, he was afraid that the disturbance may expand and the angry hostile and flared up masses may annihilate all the set ups and organizations. This is the reason why he sent a few men among the people to exhibit and shows the death of Ali al-Raza as a natural one and tells them that Ma’mum did not have a hand in it. But for all he did, he could not get himself acquitted off and prove his innocence. At last, day-by-day he became more and more worthless and despicable in the eyes of the people, till he died in a very bad shape.