Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

INTRODUCTION

In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful

All praise belongs to Allah who guided His creatures on the right path; and to His chosen leaders, especially the last of the prophets, Muhammad (sawas) and his holy progeny.

Allah created human beings and blessed them with wisdom and the power to think. It is this wisdom which helps a man to find the right path and distinguish between right and wrong; in doing so he chooses the right for his own betterment and fulfils his desires with its help. He (the Lord) made wisdom as proof for His creatures, taught them what they did not know and in this way enabled each individual to reach the perfection appropriate for himself. Also, He made them aware of their targets and responsibilities.

The Holy Book of Allah (the Qur'an) made clear the ways of divine guidance and its elements and necessities. On the one hand, this Book is concerned with reasons; while on the other hand, it has made clear their results. It says:

قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّـهِ هُوَ الْهُدَىٰ

“... Say: Verily, the guidance of Allah, that is the (true) guidance.” [1]

وَاللَّـهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

“... For Allah guides whom He will to a path that is straight.” [2]

وَاللَّـهُ يَقُولُ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهْدِي السَّبِيلَ

“... But Allah tells (you) the truth, and He shows the (right) way.” [3]

وَمَن يَعْتَصِم بِاللَّـهِ فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

“... Whoever holds firmly to Allah will be shown that which is straight.” [4]

قُلِ اللَّـهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّۗ أَفَمَن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لَّا يَهِدِّي إِلَّا أَن يُهْدَىٰۖ فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

“... Say thou: Allah alone guides towards the Truth. Is then He more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you? How judge ye?” [5]

وَيَرَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ هُوَ الْحَقَّ وَيَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ

“And those to whom knowledge has come see that the (Revelation) sent down to thee from thy lord is the truth, and that it guides to the path of the Exalted (in Might), Worthy of all praise.” [6]

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ اللَّـهِۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

“And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, devoid of guidance from Allah?” [7]

Yes, the Great Lord is the fount of real guidance; He is the One who guides human beings along the right path. Wisdom also confirms this; and a wise man surrenders himself wholeheartedly to it. Allah the Almighty has put the inclination for perfection and beauty into man's nature. Having done this, He did him another favour by enabling him to find the path to perfection. Thus He says:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

“I have created the jinn and mankind only that they may serve me.” [8]

As worship is undone if there is no knowledge of he who is being worshipped, the only way to perfection is to worship God almighty and to know Him.

Allah the Almighty has armed every person with two powers: anger and desire. These powers are given to a man to enable him to move towards perfection. He (Almighty God) has not released man from the domination of these two powers and their product; the sensual desires. Where there is a man, there are these two powers accompanying him! Therefore, a man not only needs the power of reason and other abilities which have been given to him by Allah the Almighty - but also something which can guard and protect his vision so that the last divine proof and the blessing of guidance can be confirmed; he can be provided with all the things necessary for him as he chooses, for himself, the right or wrong path.

Hence, the real purpose of divine guidance is to support human reason together with the guidance of the leaders chosen by Allah the Exalted, on the road towards divine revelation, in every aspect of a man's life.

From the very first day of the history of mankind, the Prophets (as) have been given the responsibility to carry the divine light of guidance so that the servants of Allah do not remain without a guide and leader. The divine words which are also confirmed by human reasoning say the same thing:“The earth is never without divine proof. Divine proof is before, after and with its creatures, in such a way that if only two persons remained on the surface of the earth, one of them would be “divine proof” for the other one. The Holy Book of Allah also says:

إنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

“... Thou art a warner only, and for every man a guide.” [9]

The prophets (as) and their successors have the responsibility of guiding human beings. Their responsibilities are as follows:

They have to receive the divine revelation in the most perfect manner, which requires the prophet (as) to be perfectly ready to receive it. Therefore, Allah the Almighty chooses the divine messengers Himself. The holy Qur'an has clearly talked about this, saying:

اللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ

“Allah knoweth best with whom to place His Message.” [10]

[وَ]لَـٰكِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَجْتَبِي مِن رُّسُلِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ

“But Allah chooseth of His messengers whom He will...” [11]

They have the responsibility to make people aware of the divine mission, which needs perfect ability. The other necessities for this responsibility are to be completely aware of it, to know the goals and targets of this mission and to be free from every kind of mistake and sin:

انَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللَّـهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ

“Men were one community. God sent messengers to give glad tidings to the good and warn the bad. He sent the book in truth so they might judge justly in their disputes...” [12]

They have to create a nation which is stable and faithful to the divine mission and make this nation ready to follow their leader. To carry this meaning, the holy book of Allah has utilized two words,“training” and“education” .

وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ

“(He might) purify them from the filth of ignorance and evil characteristics and teach them the Law contained in His book.” [13]

Here“purification” simply means training a man to move towards the perfection appropriate for him. Such training needs a role model enjoying everything required for perfection:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّـهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّـهَ كَثِيرًا

“Verily in the messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him that looks unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.” [14]

They should keep their mission free of all kinds of deviations, misleading things and distortion. To fulfil such a duty successfully, it is necessary for the prophet (as) to be equipped with educational and spiritual perfection which is known as“infallablelity” .

They should try to put the spiritual targets of the divine mission into effect and should give the ethical values dominance regarding the human soul; also human society. This is only possible within the framework of divine rules and by practising the religious laws. However, such practice needs a political basis in order to build upon the divine values. In order to act upon such plans and put these laws into effect successfully, a leader is needed with abilities such as wisdom, bravery, extraordinary constancy, awareness and information about the psychology of different classes of people within a society; the leader must know of their intellectual, political and social conduct in addition to being aware of the laws related to training and education and the way to live a happy life. These specialties can also be called“educational abilities” which are different from“infallablelity” which is also known as“spiritual ability” .

The prophets (as) and their successors did not waste time but strove to achieve their goals and targets which Allah the Almighty had commanded them to achieve. Some of them lost their lives in the process. They faced trouble and did not squander time on leisure activities. Allah Almighty perfected their constant struggles with the prophetic mission of the last Prophet Mohammed (sawas), the son of Abdullah. Allah the Exalted gave the responsibility of guiding all of mankind to His last Prophet (sawas). The Holy Prophet (sawas) took some astonishing steps during his prophetic mission. Eventually, within a very short period of time, he was able to achieve amazing results. The outcome of twenty-three years of the Prophet's (sawas) endeavours can be summarized as follows:

Presenting a perfect mission with all the necessary elements of durability and survival to man.

Equipping that mission with the necessary requirements to keep it safe from all kinds of deviations and distortions.

Forming a Muslim Ummah which accepted Islam as their school, the Prophet (sawas) as their leader and the divine laws as their laws of life.

Creating an Islamic Government which put the divine laws into effect and raised the Islamic flag.

Presenting the wisdom of divine guidance to the people and becoming a perfect model for such guidance.

The fulfilment of prophetic targets was based on tasks such as:

A just leader possessing the ability to practise the divine mission and keep it safe from the hands of selfish individuals. Making it durable and providing it with continuity.

Determining fair ways of training the people which could be applicable in every era without becoming outdated. Such training can only be done by educators with educational and spiritual abilities; people whose conduct resembles that of the prophets (as).

That is why Allah Almighty willed the Prophet (sawas) to train chosen people from among his holy Progeny for the continuation of this mission. The prophet (sawas) was required to clarify their holy names and hand over the authority of continuing the divine guidance with His permission so that they could protect the religion from being twisted by ignorant deceitful people, and train future generations regarding divine values. This divine program is reflected in the words of the Holy Prophet (sawas) when he says:

“Verily I am leaving among you two precious things [Thaqalayn]: the Book of Allah and my progeny [itrah], the members of my household [Ahl al-Bayt]. If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray. These two will never be rent asunder until they meet me at the Pool [hawd] (of Kawthar)” .

The Infallible Imams (as) were the people chosen by the Prophet (sawas) to lead the people after his demise, with the permission of Allah. Their conduct showed the genuine method of Islam. When we research their lives, we come to know about the two-dimensional movement of Islam; a movement within the souls and spirits of the Muslims. Of course, after the demise of the Prophet (sawas), this movement became slower and weaker. That is why the Infallible Imams (as) attempted to instil awareness among the people. However, during their mission they did not deviate from the path, which is essential for both the leaders and the people. The Infallibles guided the strength of the people along the right path and raised their level of awareness as well as strengthening the revolution which was brought about by the Prophet (sawas). They also motivated people to use their strength in upholding the society of the Prophet (sawas).

The Holy Infallibles also based their lives on the Prophet's (sawas) conduct. People consulted their Imams (as) accepting them as bright beacons of guidance. In this manner, the religious leaders guided the people towards truth and righteousness. They were very constant in their efforts. Also, they strove harder than others to reach the peak of perfection. Their lives were full of struggle, surmounting difficulties and bearing the oppression inflicted by opponents and enemies. To an extent, they preferred martyrdom to living with meanness among their oppressors. At last, after great struggles and strife, they left this world and met their Lord with a feeling of success.

Historians will never be able to draw a complete picture of the lives of these great people. However, we will try to benefit from research and present a satisfactory outline of their lives and conduct.

Our research starts with a description of the Prophet's (sawas) life and ends with a description of the last divine administrator, the Imam of the present era, Imam al-Mahdi (as). We hope that one day Allah the Exalted will lighten the earth with the light of justice of our twelfth Imam (as), inshallah.

The present volume of our research is on the life of Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Jawad (as) - the ninth Imam of the Holy Household (as).

He was the eleventh Infallible of the divine leaders in Islam, who presented a practical example of the religion in all aspects of his life by his thoughts, way of life and methods. His life, as those of his father and forefathers (as) before him, was a model of divine law in both words and actions.

We are very pleased to be able to present another well-researched product from the Ahl al-Bait World Assembly entitled“A'lam al-Hidayah” . This book is the result of great efforts on the part of the researchers of this institution. Finally, we acknowledge all those people who contributed towards making this book possible and presenting it to the world, specifically the author, S. Munthir al-Hakim, and his co-author the honourable brother, Wissam al-Baghdadi.

We would like to thank Mr. Yunus 'Aghlah al-Musawi, who has taken on the responsibility to re-check all the historical records of the book, and accomplished it for the fifth completed edition, and Mr. al-Baghdadi, who undertook responsibility to type the digital version of the book, along with Mr. Hussain al-Salehi, who has examined the final version of the text with Mr. Abi Baqir al-Azraqi. The final linguistic check was done by Mr. Jawad al-Tahir, and for all of them we pray that Almighty Allah (swt) will accept their pure efforts, and hope that He will support them in their life's fields of struggle, and to Him is our sincere thanks.

Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) World Assembly

Holy Qum

SECTION ONE

Chapter One: Imam Muhammad Jawad (as) at a Glance

Chapter Two: Understanding Imam Jawad's (as) Personality

Chapter Three: A Display of Imam Jawad's (as) Personality

CHAPTER ONE: IMAM MUHAMMAD JAWAD (AS) AT A GLANCE

Imam Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali Jawad (as) was the ninth Imam from the Household of the Prophet who, given the post of Imamah by the Prophet (sawas) as commanded by Allah the Exalted, took upon himself the responsibility of guiding the Ummah and society. He was from those whose infallibility was confirmed by the holy Book of Allah and whose Imamah had been explained by successive Hadiths and traditions.

Like his forefathers, Imam Jawad (as) displayed eminence and generosity, which provided their possessor with the ability of an Imamah and revolutionary divine guidance. Imam Jawad (as) took the burden of Muslim leadership as Imam at the age of seven. To have leadership and Imamah at such a young age was unusual in those days, and naturally there were those who were highly critical; however, divine justice had already declared this to be appropriate as was in the case of Hazrat Isa (as) when he was awarded prophethood while still a baby in the cradle.

With the early Imamah of Imam Jawad (as), history confirmed the Shi'a belief which states that:“Imamah is a Divine Post which Allah the Exalted gives to qualified and perfect men of any time and era” ; these great men were the most qualified and knowledgeable personalities of their time and, with the help of God, were endowed with the highest quality of knowledge and reasoning. They were so successful that the higher echelons of learned people not only acknowledged the Imams' (as) scientific superiority but also confessed to their own comparative weakness.

Jurisprudents, traditionalists and the learned gathered around their seven-year-old Imam (as) for the purpose of slaking their thirst for knowledge and science. They asked him for the solutions to different doctrinal, philosophical, theological, jurisprudential, interpretational arguments and other sciences.

Imam Jawad (as) also took the responsibility of religious leadership of the Shi'a upon his shoulders like his illustrious father. He trained his Shi'a followers in scientific, spiritual and political fields in such a manner that they were able to walk in the way which the Imams (as) had chosen for them; because, they were going to live in a period of time very different from previous times and would soon be unable to have direct connection with their Imam (as). It was, therefore, imperative that they be fully equipped with intellectual, political, social and economic strength.

In this way, Imam Jawad (as) was able to both identify and strike significant targets in his short but very productive life. His martyrdom at the age of twenty-five is clear proof of the success and victory of his divine programs. His presence in the Islamic society had become so unbearable for the oppressive rulers that, being so irritated and feeling so threatened by his presence, they decided that they were left with no option but to plan his martyrdom in order to halt his activities. They, therefore, added yet another great sin to their mounds of previous great sins and crimes.

CHAPTER TWO: UNDERSTANDING IMAM JAWAD'S (AS) PERSONALITY

When a group of Imam's (as) contemporaries came to know his great personality, they were astonished to see how Allah had blessed him; also those who met the Imam (as) became amazed at his knowledge and greatness. In this discourse, we have compiled some indications of his greatness as mentioned by his contemporaries:

1. Imam Ali bin Musa al-Rida (as) praised his son Imam Jawad (as) in the following manner:

First: Imam al-Rida (as) said before the birth of his son Imam Jawad (as): By God, after some time [not very long], God will bless me with a son with whose help right will be separated from wrong.”[15]

In another narration, Imam al-Rida (as) said:“…till my son will come into existence and will become my successor. He will bring to life what is right and will destroy and let perish that which is wrong.” [16]

Secondly: when Imam Jawad (as) was born, his father (as) said: This is a baby so blessed and lucky that no equal has ever been among the Shi'a.”[17]

Thirdly: Imam al-Rida (as) said of his son Imam Jawad (as): He is Abu Ja'far. I have seated him in my place and have made him my successor.[18]

Fourthly: Imam al-Rida (as) said of his son Imam Jawad (as) to Safwan bin Yahya:

“Abu Ja'far [Imam Jawad] was the addressee [of the angels].” [19]

2. It has been narrated from Muhammad bin Hassan bin Imara:“When one day Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali (al-Jawad - peace be upon him) came into the mosque of the messenger of Allah (sawas), Ali bin Ja’far suddenly jumped up without shoes or formal garment, kissed his hand and glorified him. Imam al-Jawad (as) looked at him and said: “O uncle, sit down please! May Allah have mercy on you.”

Ali bin Ja’far bowed respectfully and said:“O my master, how can I sit while you are standing?”

Imam al-Jawad (as) went away and Ali bin Ja’far returned to his companions. They began scolding him for glorifying Imam al-Jawad (as) who was still very young. They said to him:“You are the uncle of his father, so why did you act in that way with him?”

He answered them with the answer of one who believed in his Lord and his religion and who recognized the actual position of the Imamah. He said to them:“Keep silent! It is Allah who has not qualified this beard (he caught his beard with his hand) for the Imamah and has qualified this young man and placed him in that position according to His will. We seek the protection of Allah from what you say. I am just a slave to him (to Imam Jawad).” [20]

3. Shaykh al-Mufid narrated the following dialogue thus:

“Al-Mamun had a great affection for Abu Ja’far (al-Jawad), peace be upon him, despite his young age because of the great merit he saw in him, because of his attainment in philosophy and literature and because of his intellectual maturity equalled by none of the scholars of the time. He, therefore, married him to his daughter Umm al-Fadl, after which (Abu Ja’far al-Jawad) took her to Madinah with him. Al-Mamun was generous in his honouring and extolling of him and giving him rank and position.” [21]

When al-Mamun wanted to marry his daughter, Umm al-Fadl to Abu Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Ali (al-Jawad), peace be upon him, this news reached the Abbasid (family), and shocked them and they were greatly concerned at his comments;“And as for Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali (al-Jawad), I have chosen him because he is the best of all people in knowledge and virtue though he is still young and I have admired this in him. Woe unto you! I know this young man more than you. He is from people of a house whose knowledge is from Allah Who has inspired them. His fathers have been rich in the knowledge of religion and sciences and have been in no need of imperfect people.” [22]

After the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali bin Musa al-Rida (as), during his first meeting with Imam Jawad (as) who was then just a ten-year old boy, al-Mamun tested him and then said to him: 'Indeed, you are the son of al-Rida (as)!' He took Imam al-Jawad (as) with him, was good to him and greatly honoured him.

4. After the martyrdom of Imam al-Rida (as), Abu al-‘Ayna went to Imam Jawad to condole with him on the loss of his father. He expressed the great value of Imam Jawad (as) saying: you are superior and greater than our praise; and we are inferior to you. You have enough in Allah's knowledge [which He has given to you] and His reward will make you tolerate this grief.”[23]

5. Among other historians writing about Imam Jawad (as) is Allama Sibt bin al-Jawzi Hanafi who died in 654 A.H. He said of Imam Jawad (as):“And Imam Abu Ja’far, the second, followed the footsteps of his father in knowledge, piety and generosity. He was also known as “Murtaza” and“Qani’” .”[24]

6. Kamal al-Din Muhammad bin Talha Shafi'i (deceased 262 A.H) narrating from Ibn Jawzi praised Imam Jawad (as) saying:“Although he was young, he had a great position and was very famous.”

He also said:“As for the virtues of Abu Ja’far Jawad (as), they did not last long for Divine Fate had determined that he would stay in this world only for a little while and would soon leave for his Lord; so his stay was brief and his days were short. However, during his short life, God blessed him with such a great virtuous and perpetually brilliant position that he became extraordinarily famous.

Then he indicated a eulogy saying that when al-Mamun saw him, he was witness to the Imam's (as) great position.” [25]

7. Another person praising Imam Jawad (as) is Ali bin ‘Isa Arbali, who died in 693 A.H. He expressed his love for Imam Jawad (as) in the form of the following words:“Al-Jawad (as) was in all cases generous (jawad) and he suits the lexical definition of the word because the root of the word “jawad” is“judah” (generosity). He exceeded all people in purity of lineage and birth and sat on the seat of glory. No one has ever approached him in rank or human glory. He was exalted in position. His high position was above the stars and his rank was above all ranks. When a delegation saw a fire, they said: it must be his fire. No fire was predominant over his fire. Exalted was he towards highness. Glory and honour felt proud of him. Mastership found its meaning in him. He was far from any vice and close to every virtue. Nobilities diffused from his sides and glory dripped from him. News of generosity was narrated about him, his progeny and his fathers. Blessed is he who strives to be loyal to him, and woe unto him who tries to be his opponent. When the booty of glory and loftiness are divided, the purest of them will be his, and when the backs of honour are mounted, the highest of them will be his. He matches the rain in generosity, the lion in courage and zeal, and defeats conduct with his good conduct.

When counting his sons and fathers (as all), they are praised with precious words like pearls and, whenever someone wants to praise him, he finds all the glories and honour in his personality which were possessed by his fathers before him and which will be possessed by his sons after him. Who else has a father like his father and a grandfather like his grandfather?

He has a share in their magnificence as they have their share in his. As they filled the empty hands of the needy people, he also filled them with his generosity.

It is because of him that the ways of guidance have been known by everyone and it is because of him that [a man] is saved from all kinds of misdirection. It is his friendship which provides one with the hope of freedom on one's last day of life. In fact, they are the people of kindness and generosity.

All words seem negligible against his magnificence; and good morals have been taken from his. All good virtues are found in this progeny. Thus, paradise is achievable by resorting to them; while hell is earned by their abandonment. These virtues are possessed by each one of them; and the ones present, the ones absent, the sons and the fathers all have these virtues and characteristics.

Their friendship is obligatory; their rule is forever. His friends will be smiling on the Day of Judgment. It is sufficient to show his magnificence and glorification that his grandfather is Muhammad (sawas); his father is Ali (as) and his mother is Fatima (as).

Who can compete with him in virtue and honour? And who can surpass him in greatness of position?

He has progressed towards every good deed without any opponent. He has reached high rank without anyone accompanying him throughout.

People are left beneath him and his journey. This is true; but also certain.

All people are like his slaves. Honours are gained from them and magnificent works have been done in following their path; and generosity is because of their generosity.

If I continue praising them, I have not done wrong; and if I want to count their good virtues the Soraya will shout at me saying: there is no comparison between the Soraya and their questioners. And how can you count something which has remained uncountable by all those who have died and by all those who will come in the future?”[26]

8. Al-Thahabi said:“Muhammad (al-Jawad) was nicknamed al-Jawad (the generous), al-Qani' (the satisfied) and al-Murtadha (being satisfied) and he was one of the chiefs of the Prophet's family he was described as being generous; therefore, he was named al-Jawad.''[27]

9. Ibn Sabbagh Maliki (who died in 855 A.H) said, regarding Imam Jawad (as): He is the ninth Imam and is known as “Abu Ja’far” . He gained a great and magnificent position and became very famous at a very early age. On the basis of explicit words, as well as the will of his father Imam Ali al-Rida (as), he was chosen to take charge of Imamah right after his father was no longer able to do so. A group of reliable and just people have also confirmed this pronouncement.[28]

10. Shaykh Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Amir Shabrawi Shafai’, who died in 1154 A.H, introduces Imam Jawad (as) by saying: Muhammad Jawad (as) is the ninth Imam.

He then talks about his lineage and after saying that he was born in 195 A.H. and he continues: His generosities are multiple and his virtues are well-known.

Then after counting the virtues of Imam Jawad (as), he concludes by saying: These are some of his magnificent generosities and beautiful virtues.”[29]

11. Another person praising Imam Jawad (as) was Yusuf Ismail Nabahani. He said: Muhammad Jawad son of Ali [bin Musa] al-Rida [as] was one of the magnificent members of Imams (as) and the candle of guidance for the Ummah who is from amongst the people of the Household (as); our leaders and masters.[30]

12. Mahmud bin Wahib Baghdadi praised Imam Jawad (as) saying: he was the heir to his father's knowledge and virtues. He was excellent in dignity and perfection among all his brothers.[31]

13. Fadhl bin Ruzbahan (died in 927 A.H.) explaining the words of praise which he wrote to outline the virtues of the Prophet (sawas) and his progeny, counting the virtues of Imam Jawad (as) says:“O God! Bless your peace on the ninth Imam (as) who always turned to You and prostrated frequently; he who was head of the generous ones; he who blessed the common people; he who removed misdirection and suppressed the ill-doers.

He was the sign of guidance who guided the people on the right path. The “abdals” and“otad” were influenced by him. Abu Ja’far Muhammad Taqi Jawad son of Ali [bin Musa] al-Rida is an inhabitant of the garden of paradise, who enjoys a good life there and who is buried in a Quraish graveyard, near the grave of his forefather.

God! Bless Your peace on our master Muhammad (sawas), his holy progeny, especially Imam (as) Muhammad Taqi Jawad who prostrated frequently.”[32]

14. Another person talking about the Imam (as) and praising him was Khayr al-din Zarkali, who wrote:

“He [Imam Jawad (as)] had a great position. He was wise, a skilled talker and very strong in dialogue improvisation.”

Then he adds:“Muhammad bin Wahban Dabili” has written a book about his conduct and has given it the title of“Akhbar Abu Ja’far al-Thani” .[33]

The above is only a small portion of the quotations and writings about Imam Jawad (as) by his contemporaries and those living after him. They expressed their feelings and astonishment without any fear and counsel regarding the blessings of Imam Jawad (as) and about his personality which was a clear interpretation of the lives of his forefathers (as); who were without doubt beacons of guidance after the Prophet (sawas).

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION. 13

HIS BIRTH AND UPBRINGING. 18

HIS NOBLE LINEAGE. 18

HIS FATHER. 18

HIS MOTHER. 18

THE GREAT NEWBORN. 19

THE DELIGHT OF IMAM AR-REDHA (A.S) 19

CEREMONIES OF THE BIRTH. 20

HIS EPITHETS. 20

HIS FEATURES. 20

HIS BIRTHDAY. 20

THE FIGURE ON HIS RING (SEAL) 21

HIS UPBRINGING. 21

HIS INTELLIGENCE AND GENIUS. 21

IMAM AR-REDHA PRAISES IMAM AL-JAWAD. 22

GLORIFICATION. 22

IMPRESSIONS OF HIS PERSONALITY. 23

1. ATH-THAHABI 23

2. IBN TAYMIYA. 23

3. AS-SAFADI 23

4. IBN AL-JAWZI 24

5. MAHMOOD BIN WUHAYB. 24

6. AZ-ZARKALI 24

7. KAMALUDDEN. 24

8. ALI BIN EESA AL-ARBALI 24

UNDER THE WING OF HIS FATHER  25

HIS MORALS. 25

HIS ASCETICISM.. 26

HIS GENEROSITY. 26

HIS KNOWLEDGE. 27

HIS WORSHIPPING. 28

HIS DIGNITY. 28

OPINIONS AND WORDS. 28

1. AL-MA’MOON. 28

2. IBRAHIM BIN AL-ABBAS. 28

3. AARIF TAMIR. 29

1. AS-SOULI 29

2. ABU NU’ASS. 29

3. ABDULLAH BIN AL-MUBARAK. 29

FORCING HIM TO ACCEPT THE POSITION OF HEIR APPARENT. 29

THE SERMON OF AL-MA'MOON. 30

JOYOUS CELEBRATIONS. 30

WITH IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 30

CARRYING OUT HIS FATHER’S AFFAIRS. 31

THE LETTER OF IMAM AR-REDHA TO IMAM AL-JAWAD. 31

IMAM AR-REDHA DECLARES AL-JAWAD AS THE IMAM AFTER HIM   31

1. MUHAMMAD AL-MAHMOORI 31

2. SAFWAN BIN YAHYA. 32

3. MA’MAR BIN KHALLAD. 32

4. ABDULLAH BIN JA’FAR. 32

5. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU ABBAD. 32

THE TREACHERY OF AL-MA'MOON AGAINST IMAM AR-REDHA. 33

1. ENVY. 33

2. PLEASING THE ABBASIDS. 33

3. IMAM AR-REDHA DID NOT FLATTER AL-MA'MOON. 34

4. THE PRAYER OF EID. 34

THE ASSASSINATION OF IMAM AR-REDHA. 35

AL-MA'MOON ANNOUNCES THE IMAM’S DEATH. 36

PREPARING THE HOLY CORPSE. 36

IN HIS LAST ABODE. 36

THE MERITS OF VISITING HIS HOLY SHRINE. 37

MUSLIMS CONSOLE IMAM AL-JAWAD. 37

THE CONFUSION OF THE SHIA. 37

DELEGATIONS OF JURISPRUDENTS AND ULAMA. 38

FROM HIS HIGH IDEALS. 40

IMAMATE. 40

ITS GOALS. 40

THE QUALITIES OF THE IMAM.. 41

KNOWLEDGE. 41

INFALLIBILITY. 42

HIS WORSHIP. 43

HIS OFFERING RECOMMENDED WORSHIPS (NAFILA) 43

HIS HAJJ 43

HIS SUPPLICATIONS. 44

HIS ASCETICISM.. 44

HIS GENEROSITY. 45

DOING GOOD TO PEOPLE. 46

HIS COMFORTING THE PEOPLE. 46

HIS KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCES  48

THE HADITH. 48

HIS NARRATIONS FROM THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH. 48

HIS NARRATIONS FROM IMAM ALI 48

HIS NARRATIONS FROM IMAM AS-SADIQ. 49

HIS NARRATIONS FROM HIS FATHER. 49

MONOTHEISM.. 50

JURISTIC QUESTIONS. 53

THE PRAYER. 53

THE ZAKAT. 54

THE KHUMS. 54

THE HAJJ 55

VOW.. 56

EXPIATION OF BREAKING THE OATH. 56

ENTAILMENT. 56

MARRIAGE. 57

DIVORCE. 58

SUCKLING. 58

LAWFULNESS OF THE MARRIAGE OF AN ADULTERER TO THE WOMAN HE COMMITS ADULTERY WITH. 58

DEPRIVATION OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF INHERITANCE. 59

SHUF’A. 59

INHERITANCE. 59

CAUSES OF THE VERDICTS. 60

GIVING GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE COMING OF IMAM AL-MAHDI 61

FROM THE REALITY OF FAITH. 62

1. TRUSTING IN ALLAH. 62

2. BEING SATISFIED WITH ALLAH. 62

3. DEVOTION TO ALLAH. 62

4. TURNING TO ALLAH WITH THE HEART. 62

NOBILITIES OF CHARACTER. 63

SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE. 63

MANNERS OF BEHAVIOR. 63

HIS CALL TO THE DOING OF FAVOR. 64

FROM HIS SERMONS. 64

HIS LETTERS. 64

REPENTANCE. 66

FROM THE REVELATION OF ALLAH TO SOME OF HIS PROPHETS  66

WHAT A BELIEVER NEEDS. 66

WONDERFUL MAXIMS AND ARTS. 66

HIS COMPANIONS AND THE NARRATORS OF HIS TRADITIONS  72

HIS COMPANIONS. 72

1. IBRAHIM BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOOBI 72

2. IBRAHIM BIN MUHAMMAD AL-HAMADANI 72

3. IBRAHIM BIN MAHZIYAR ABU ISAAQ AL-AHWAZI 73

4. IBRAHIM BIN MIHRWAYH. 73

5. AHMED BIN HAMMAD AL-MIRZAWI 73

6. AHMED BIN ISAAQ AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 74

7. AHMED BIN ABDULLAH AL-KUFI AL-KARKHI 74

8. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN ABU NASR AL-BIZENTI 74

10. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN UBAYDA AL-QUMMI AL-ASH’ARI 75

11. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN KHALID AL-BARQI 75

His works 75

Criticism against him. 75

12. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN BINDAR AL-AQRA’ 76

13. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN UBAYDILLAH AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 76

14. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN EESA AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 76

His works 76

His class in narrations 76

15. AHMED BIN MO’AFA. 76

16. ABUL QASSIM IDRIS AL-QUMMI 76

17. ISAAQ AL-ANBARI 76

18. ISAAQ BIN IBRAHIM BIN HASHIM AL-QUMMI 77

19. ISAAQ BIN MUHAMMAD BIN IBRAHIM AL-HUDHAYNI 77

20. UMAYYA BIN ALI AL-QABASI ASH-SHAMI 77

21. JA’FAR BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOOBI 77

22. JA’FAR BIN MUHAMMAD BIN YOUNUS AL-AHWAL AS-SAYRAFI 77

23. JA’FAR BIN MUHAMMAD AL-HASHIMI 77

24. JA’FAR BIN YAHYA BIN SA’D AL-AHWAL. 77

25. JA’FAR AL-JAWHARI 77

26. ABU ALI AL-HASAN BIN RASHID AL-BAGHDADI 77

27. AL-HASAN BIN SA’EED AL-AHWAZI 78

28. ABU ALI AL-HASAN BIN AL-ABBAS IBN AL-HAREESH AR-RAZI 78

29. AL-HASAN BIN ABBASBIN KHARASH. 79

30. ABU MUHAMMAD AL-HASAN BIN ALI BIN ABU UTHMAN. 79

31. AL-HASAN BIN YASAR. 79

32. AL-HUSAYN BIN ASAD. 79

33. AL-HUSAYN BIN SA’EED BIN HAMMAD AL-AHWAZI 79

34. AL-HUSAYN BIN SAHL BIN NOAH. 79

35. AL-HUSAYN BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOOBI 79

36. AL-HUSAYN BIN ALI AL-QUMMI 79

37. AL-HUSAYN BIN MUHAMMAD AL-QUMMI 79

38. AL-HUSAYN BIN MUSLIM.. 79

39. AL-HUSAYN BIN IMAM MUSA BIN JA’FAR (A.S) 80

40. AL-HUSAYN BIN YASAR. 80

41. HAFS AL-JAWHARI 80

42. HAMZA BIN YA’LA AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI ABU YA’LA. 80

43. KHALAF AL-BASRI 80

44. KHAYRAN AL-KHADIM AL-QARATEESSI 80

45. ABU HASHIM DAWOOD BIN AL-QASSIM BIN ISAAQ BIN ABDULLAH BIN JA’FAR BIN ABU TALIB AL-JA’FARI 81

46. DAWOOD BIN MAFANNA AS-SARMI 81

47. DAWOOD BIN ALI AL-KHUZA’IY. 81

48. DAWOOD BIN MAHZIYAR. 82

49. ZAKARIYYA BIN ADAM BIN ABDULLAH BIN SA’D AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 82

50. SA’D BIN SA’D BIN AL-AHWAS AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 82

51. SAHL BIN ZIYAD AR-RAZI 82

52. SHATHAN BIN AL-KHALIL AN-NAYSHABORI 82

53. ABUL KHAYR SALIH BIN ABU HAMMAD AR-RAZI 82

54. SALIH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SAHL. 83

55. SALIH BIN MUHAMMAD AL-HAMADANI 83

56. SAFWAN BIN YAHYA AL-BAJALI 83

1. His reliability. 83

2. His worship. 83

3. His piety. 83

4. His covenant with his companions 83

5. His asceticism in life 84

6. His obedience to the infallible imams 84

7. His jurisprudence 84

8. His works 84

9. His death. 84

57. AL-ABBAS BIN UMAR AL-HAMADANI 84

58. ABDUL JABBAR BIN MUBARAK AN-NAHAWANDI 84

59. ABDURRAHMAN BIN ABU NAJRAN. 84

60. ABU TALIB ABDULLAH BIN AS-SALT. 85

61. ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD AR-RAZI 85

62. ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN HUSSAYN AL-KHUDHAYNI AL-AHWAZI 85

63. ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SAHL BIN DAWOOD. 85

64. ALI BIN ASBAT BIN SALIM.. 85

65. ALI BIN BILAL. 85

66. ALI BIN HADID BIN HAKEEM AL-MADA’INI AL-AZDI AS-SABATI 85

67. ALI BIN HASSAAN AL-WASITY AL-MUNAMMIS. 86

68. ALI BIN AL-HUSAYN BIN ALI BIN UMAR BIN AL-HUSAYN BIN ALI BIN ABU TALIB  86

69. ALI BIN AL-HAKAM.. 86

70. ALI BIN KHALID. 86

71. ALI BIN ABDULLAH AL-QUMMI 86

72. ALI BIN ABDULLAH AL-MADA’INI 86

73. ALI BIN ABDUL MELIK. 86

74. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SULEIMAN AN-NAWFALI 86

75. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD BIN HARUN BIN MAHBOB. 86

76. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD AL-ALAWI AL-HASANI 86

77. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD AL-QALANISI 87

78. ALI BIN MAHZIYAR. 87

1. His converting to Islam. 87

2. His piety. 87

3. His reliability in narrations 87

4. His works 87

5. The letters of Imam al-Jawad (a.s) to him. 87

6. His narrations 89

79. ALI BIN MUYASSAR. 89

80. ALI BIN NASR. 89

81. ABUL HUSAYN ALI BIN YAHYA. 89

82. AL-QASSIM BIN AL-HUSAYN AL-BIZENTI 89

83. MUHAMMAD BIN IBRAHIM AL-HUDHAYNI AL-AHWAZI 89

84. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU ZAYD AR-RAZI 89

85. MUHAMMAD BIN ABUL SAHBAN. 89

86. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU QURAYSH. 89

87. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU NASR. 89

88. ABU ALI MUHAMMAD BIN AHMED BIN HAMMAD AL-MAHMODI 89

89. MUHAMMAD BIN ISMA’EEL BIN BAZEE’ 90

His relation with Imam ar-Redha (a.s) 90

With Imam al-Jawad (a.s) 90

His works 90

90. MUHAMMAD BIN ISMA’EEL AR-RAZI 90

91. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN ABU KHALID AL-ASH’ARI 90

92. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN AMMAR. 90

93. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN MAHBOB. 91

94. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN AL-WASITI 91

95. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN SHAMMON AL-BASRI 91

96. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HUSAYN AL-ASH’ARI 91

97. ABU JA’FAR MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HUSAYN BIN ABUL KHATTAB AZ-ZAYYAT AL-HAMADANI 91

98. MUHAMMAD BIN HAMZA AL-ALAWI 91

99. ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD BIN KHALID AL-BARQI 92

100. MUHAMMAD BIN SALIM BIN ABDUL HAMEED. 92

101. ABU JA'FAR MUHAMMAD BIN SINAN AZ-ZUHRI AL-KHUZA’IY  92

102. ABU AS-SAHBAN MUHAMMAD BIN ABDUL JABBAR AL-QUMMI 93

103. MUHAMMAD BIN ABDULLAH AL-MADA’INI 93

104. ABU JA'FAR MUHAMMAD BIN ABDULLAH BIN MIHRAN AL-KARKHI 93

105. ABU BASHIR MUHAMMAD BIN ABDA. 93

106. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-FARAJ AR-RAKHJI 93

107. MUHAMMAD BIN NASR AN-NAB. 93

108. MUHAMMAD BIN NASR. 93

109. MUHAMMAD BIN NOAH. 93

110. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-WALEED AL-KHAZZAZ AL-KIRMANI 93

111. MUHAMMAD BIN YOUNUS BIN ABDURRAHMAN. 93

112. AL-MUKHTAR BIN ZIYAD AL-ABDI AL-BASRI 94

113. MARWAK BIN UBAYD BIN ABU HAFSAH. 94

114. MUSADDIQ BIN SADAQA AL-MADAYINI 94

115. MO’AWIYA BIN HAKEEM BIN AMMAR AD-DUHNI 94

116. MUNTHIR BIN QABOS. 94

117. ABUL HUSAYN MANSOR BIN AL-ABBAS AR-RAZI 94

118. MUSA BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOBI 94

119. MUSA BIN DAWOOD AL-MINQARI 95

120. MUSA BIN ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL MELIK BIN HISHAM.. 95

121. MUSA BIN UMAR BIN BAZEE’ 95

122. MUSA BIN AL-QASSIM BIN MO’AWIYA BIN WAHAB AL-BAJALI 95

123. NOAH BIN SHU’AYB AL-BAGHDADI 95

124. HARUN BIN AL-HASAN. 95

125. YAZDAD. 95

126. ABU JA'FAR AL-BASRI 95

127. ABUL HUSSAYN. 95

128. ABU KHIDASH AL-MIHRI AL-BASRI 95

129. ABU SARA. 96

130. ABU SUKAYNA AL-KUFI 96

131. ZAYNAB BINT MUHAMMAD BIN YAHYA. 96

132. ZAHRA’ UMM AHMED. 96

THE AGE OF IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 97

CULTURAL LIFE. 97

CULTURAL CENTERS. 97

1. YATHRIB. 97

2. KUFA. 97

3. BASRA. 98

4. BAGHDAD. 98

PREVAILING SCIENCES. 98

1. SCIENCES OF THE QUR’AN. 98

A. Recitation. 98

B. Tafsir (interpretation) 99

2. HADITH. 99

3. JURISPRUDENCE. 100

4. USOOL. 100

5. GRAMMAR. 100

6. THEOLOGY. 100

7. MEDICINE. 100

8. CHEMISTRY. 100

TRANSLATION. 101

INSTITUTES AND LIBRARIES. 101

MAPS AND OBSERVATORIES. 101

POLITICAL LIFE. 102

THE SYSTEM OF THE RULE. 102

THE CALIPHATE AND HEREDITY. 102

UNUSUAL CONDUCTS. 103

VIZIERATE. 103

THE SEDITION BETWEEN AL-AMEEN AND AL-MA’MOON. 104

DEPOSING AL-MA’MOON. 105

DESTRUCTIVE WARS. 105

BLOCKADE OF BAGHDAD. 105

THE MURDER OF AL-AMEEN. 106

THE CALIPHATE OF IBRAHIM THE DISSOLUTE. 106

THE REVOLT OF ABU AS-SARAYA. 106

THE ABBASIDS PAY HOMAGE TO THE ALAWIDS. 107

SEIZING THE AUTHORITY. 108

DISAPPOINTMENT OF MUSLIMS. 108

PERSECUTING THE ALAWIDS. 109

THE CREATION OF THE QUR'AN. 109

ECONOMICAL LIFE. 110

THE INCOME OF THE STATE. 110

STRIVING TO COLLECT WEALTH. 111

ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH. 111

THE EXPENDITURES OF AL-MA’MOON’S MARRIAGE. 111

GIFTS AND DONATIONS. 112

POSSESSION OF MAIDS. 112

DIVERSITY IN BUILDING. 112

FURNITURE OF HOUSES. 113

CLOTHES. 113

FOODS. 113

THE WEALTH LEFT FROM THE ABBASIDS. 113

1. Al-Mansor 113

2. Ar-Rasheed. 113

3. Al-Khayzuran. 113

4. Amr bin Su’da 114

THE LIFE OF AMUSEMENT AND DIVERSION. 114

ASCETICISM.. 114

AT THE AGE OF AL-MA'MOON. 115

THE ASPECTS AND TENDENCIES OF AL-MA'MOON. 115

1. CUNNING. 115

2. SEVERITY. 115

3. TREACHERY. 116

4. HIS TENDENCY FOR AMUSEMENT AND PLAY. 116

CLAIMING SHIISM.. 116

1. GIVING FADAK BACK TO THE ALAWIDS. 116

2. PREFERRING IMAM ALI TO OTHER COMPANIONS. 116

3. APPOINTING IMAM AR-REDHA AS THE HEIR APPARENT. 116

WITH IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 117

THE FIRST MEETING. 117

THE MARRIAGE OF IMAM AL-JAWAD TO AL-MA'MOON’S DAUGHTER  118

THE MOTIVES OF THIS MARRIAGE. 118

THE FEAR OF THE ABBASIDS. 119

THE MEETING OF THE ABBASIDS WITH AL-MA'MOON. 119

DELEGATING YAHYA TO TRY IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 120

THE QUESTIONS OF YAHYA. 121

ENGAGEMENT. 121

EXPLAINING THE QUESTION. 122

IMAM AL-JAWAD ASKING YAHAY. 124

GIFTS ON THE OCCASION OF MARRIAGE. 124

THE MASSES HONORING IMAM AL-JAWAD. 124

HIS LECTURES IN BAGHDAD. 125

HIS TRAVEL TO YATHRIB. 125

HIS WEDDING. 125

CONGRATULATION. 125

LEAVING BAGHDAD. 126

A MIRACLE. 126

UMMUL FADHL COMPLAINS OF IMAM AL-JAWAD. 127

THE ANNUAL SALARY OF IMAM AL-JAWAD. 127

THE DEATH OF AL-MA'MOON. 127

THE END. 129

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AL-MU’TASIM.. 129

DISLIKE OF KNOWLEDGE. 129

HIS HATRED TO THE ARABS. 129

HIS LOYALTY TO THE TURKS. 129

WITH IMAM AL-JAWAD. 129

BRINGING IMAM AL-JAWAD TO BAGHDAD. 130

BETRAYING THE IMAM.. 130

IMAM AL-JAWAD PREDICTS HIS DEATH. 131

ANNOUNCING THE IMAMATE TO HIS SON. 132

THE ASSASSINATION OF IMAM AL-JAWAD. 132

THE MOTIVES OF THE ASSASSINATION. 132

TO THE BEST WORLD. 133

FUNERALS AND BURIAL. 133

HIS AGE. 133

THE DATE OF HIS DEATH. 133

ZIYARAH OF IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 134

REFERENCE BOOKS. 141

Endnotes 144

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION. 13

HIS BIRTH AND UPBRINGING. 18

HIS NOBLE LINEAGE. 18

HIS FATHER. 18

HIS MOTHER. 18

THE GREAT NEWBORN. 19

THE DELIGHT OF IMAM AR-REDHA (A.S) 19

CEREMONIES OF THE BIRTH. 20

HIS EPITHETS. 20

HIS FEATURES. 20

HIS BIRTHDAY. 20

THE FIGURE ON HIS RING (SEAL) 21

HIS UPBRINGING. 21

HIS INTELLIGENCE AND GENIUS. 21

IMAM AR-REDHA PRAISES IMAM AL-JAWAD. 22

GLORIFICATION. 22

IMPRESSIONS OF HIS PERSONALITY. 23

1. ATH-THAHABI 23

2. IBN TAYMIYA. 23

3. AS-SAFADI 23

4. IBN AL-JAWZI 24

5. MAHMOOD BIN WUHAYB. 24

6. AZ-ZARKALI 24

7. KAMALUDDEN. 24

8. ALI BIN EESA AL-ARBALI 24

UNDER THE WING OF HIS FATHER  25

HIS MORALS. 25

HIS ASCETICISM.. 26

HIS GENEROSITY. 26

HIS KNOWLEDGE. 27

HIS WORSHIPPING. 28

HIS DIGNITY. 28

OPINIONS AND WORDS. 28

1. AL-MA’MOON. 28

2. IBRAHIM BIN AL-ABBAS. 28

3. AARIF TAMIR. 29

1. AS-SOULI 29

2. ABU NU’ASS. 29

3. ABDULLAH BIN AL-MUBARAK. 29

FORCING HIM TO ACCEPT THE POSITION OF HEIR APPARENT. 29

THE SERMON OF AL-MA'MOON. 30

JOYOUS CELEBRATIONS. 30

WITH IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 30

CARRYING OUT HIS FATHER’S AFFAIRS. 31

THE LETTER OF IMAM AR-REDHA TO IMAM AL-JAWAD. 31

IMAM AR-REDHA DECLARES AL-JAWAD AS THE IMAM AFTER HIM   31

1. MUHAMMAD AL-MAHMOORI 31

2. SAFWAN BIN YAHYA. 32

3. MA’MAR BIN KHALLAD. 32

4. ABDULLAH BIN JA’FAR. 32

5. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU ABBAD. 32

THE TREACHERY OF AL-MA'MOON AGAINST IMAM AR-REDHA. 33

1. ENVY. 33

2. PLEASING THE ABBASIDS. 33

3. IMAM AR-REDHA DID NOT FLATTER AL-MA'MOON. 34

4. THE PRAYER OF EID. 34

THE ASSASSINATION OF IMAM AR-REDHA. 35

AL-MA'MOON ANNOUNCES THE IMAM’S DEATH. 36

PREPARING THE HOLY CORPSE. 36

IN HIS LAST ABODE. 36

THE MERITS OF VISITING HIS HOLY SHRINE. 37

MUSLIMS CONSOLE IMAM AL-JAWAD. 37

THE CONFUSION OF THE SHIA. 37

DELEGATIONS OF JURISPRUDENTS AND ULAMA. 38

FROM HIS HIGH IDEALS. 40

IMAMATE. 40

ITS GOALS. 40

THE QUALITIES OF THE IMAM.. 41

KNOWLEDGE. 41

INFALLIBILITY. 42

HIS WORSHIP. 43

HIS OFFERING RECOMMENDED WORSHIPS (NAFILA) 43

HIS HAJJ 43

HIS SUPPLICATIONS. 44

HIS ASCETICISM.. 44

HIS GENEROSITY. 45

DOING GOOD TO PEOPLE. 46

HIS COMFORTING THE PEOPLE. 46

HIS KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCES  48

THE HADITH. 48

HIS NARRATIONS FROM THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH. 48

HIS NARRATIONS FROM IMAM ALI 48

HIS NARRATIONS FROM IMAM AS-SADIQ. 49

HIS NARRATIONS FROM HIS FATHER. 49

MONOTHEISM.. 50

JURISTIC QUESTIONS. 53

THE PRAYER. 53

THE ZAKAT. 54

THE KHUMS. 54

THE HAJJ 55

VOW.. 56

EXPIATION OF BREAKING THE OATH. 56

ENTAILMENT. 56

MARRIAGE. 57

DIVORCE. 58

SUCKLING. 58

LAWFULNESS OF THE MARRIAGE OF AN ADULTERER TO THE WOMAN HE COMMITS ADULTERY WITH. 58

DEPRIVATION OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF INHERITANCE. 59

SHUF’A. 59

INHERITANCE. 59

CAUSES OF THE VERDICTS. 60

GIVING GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE COMING OF IMAM AL-MAHDI 61

FROM THE REALITY OF FAITH. 62

1. TRUSTING IN ALLAH. 62

2. BEING SATISFIED WITH ALLAH. 62

3. DEVOTION TO ALLAH. 62

4. TURNING TO ALLAH WITH THE HEART. 62

NOBILITIES OF CHARACTER. 63

SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE. 63

MANNERS OF BEHAVIOR. 63

HIS CALL TO THE DOING OF FAVOR. 64

FROM HIS SERMONS. 64

HIS LETTERS. 64

REPENTANCE. 66

FROM THE REVELATION OF ALLAH TO SOME OF HIS PROPHETS  66

WHAT A BELIEVER NEEDS. 66

WONDERFUL MAXIMS AND ARTS. 66

HIS COMPANIONS AND THE NARRATORS OF HIS TRADITIONS  72

HIS COMPANIONS. 72

1. IBRAHIM BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOOBI 72

2. IBRAHIM BIN MUHAMMAD AL-HAMADANI 72

3. IBRAHIM BIN MAHZIYAR ABU ISAAQ AL-AHWAZI 73

4. IBRAHIM BIN MIHRWAYH. 73

5. AHMED BIN HAMMAD AL-MIRZAWI 73

6. AHMED BIN ISAAQ AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 74

7. AHMED BIN ABDULLAH AL-KUFI AL-KARKHI 74

8. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN ABU NASR AL-BIZENTI 74

10. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN UBAYDA AL-QUMMI AL-ASH’ARI 75

11. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN KHALID AL-BARQI 75

His works 75

Criticism against him. 75

12. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN BINDAR AL-AQRA’ 76

13. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN UBAYDILLAH AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 76

14. AHMED BIN MUHAMMAD BIN EESA AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 76

His works 76

His class in narrations 76

15. AHMED BIN MO’AFA. 76

16. ABUL QASSIM IDRIS AL-QUMMI 76

17. ISAAQ AL-ANBARI 76

18. ISAAQ BIN IBRAHIM BIN HASHIM AL-QUMMI 77

19. ISAAQ BIN MUHAMMAD BIN IBRAHIM AL-HUDHAYNI 77

20. UMAYYA BIN ALI AL-QABASI ASH-SHAMI 77

21. JA’FAR BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOOBI 77

22. JA’FAR BIN MUHAMMAD BIN YOUNUS AL-AHWAL AS-SAYRAFI 77

23. JA’FAR BIN MUHAMMAD AL-HASHIMI 77

24. JA’FAR BIN YAHYA BIN SA’D AL-AHWAL. 77

25. JA’FAR AL-JAWHARI 77

26. ABU ALI AL-HASAN BIN RASHID AL-BAGHDADI 77

27. AL-HASAN BIN SA’EED AL-AHWAZI 78

28. ABU ALI AL-HASAN BIN AL-ABBAS IBN AL-HAREESH AR-RAZI 78

29. AL-HASAN BIN ABBASBIN KHARASH. 79

30. ABU MUHAMMAD AL-HASAN BIN ALI BIN ABU UTHMAN. 79

31. AL-HASAN BIN YASAR. 79

32. AL-HUSAYN BIN ASAD. 79

33. AL-HUSAYN BIN SA’EED BIN HAMMAD AL-AHWAZI 79

34. AL-HUSAYN BIN SAHL BIN NOAH. 79

35. AL-HUSAYN BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOOBI 79

36. AL-HUSAYN BIN ALI AL-QUMMI 79

37. AL-HUSAYN BIN MUHAMMAD AL-QUMMI 79

38. AL-HUSAYN BIN MUSLIM.. 79

39. AL-HUSAYN BIN IMAM MUSA BIN JA’FAR (A.S) 80

40. AL-HUSAYN BIN YASAR. 80

41. HAFS AL-JAWHARI 80

42. HAMZA BIN YA’LA AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI ABU YA’LA. 80

43. KHALAF AL-BASRI 80

44. KHAYRAN AL-KHADIM AL-QARATEESSI 80

45. ABU HASHIM DAWOOD BIN AL-QASSIM BIN ISAAQ BIN ABDULLAH BIN JA’FAR BIN ABU TALIB AL-JA’FARI 81

46. DAWOOD BIN MAFANNA AS-SARMI 81

47. DAWOOD BIN ALI AL-KHUZA’IY. 81

48. DAWOOD BIN MAHZIYAR. 82

49. ZAKARIYYA BIN ADAM BIN ABDULLAH BIN SA’D AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 82

50. SA’D BIN SA’D BIN AL-AHWAS AL-ASH’ARI AL-QUMMI 82

51. SAHL BIN ZIYAD AR-RAZI 82

52. SHATHAN BIN AL-KHALIL AN-NAYSHABORI 82

53. ABUL KHAYR SALIH BIN ABU HAMMAD AR-RAZI 82

54. SALIH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SAHL. 83

55. SALIH BIN MUHAMMAD AL-HAMADANI 83

56. SAFWAN BIN YAHYA AL-BAJALI 83

1. His reliability. 83

2. His worship. 83

3. His piety. 83

4. His covenant with his companions 83

5. His asceticism in life 84

6. His obedience to the infallible imams 84

7. His jurisprudence 84

8. His works 84

9. His death. 84

57. AL-ABBAS BIN UMAR AL-HAMADANI 84

58. ABDUL JABBAR BIN MUBARAK AN-NAHAWANDI 84

59. ABDURRAHMAN BIN ABU NAJRAN. 84

60. ABU TALIB ABDULLAH BIN AS-SALT. 85

61. ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD AR-RAZI 85

62. ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN HUSSAYN AL-KHUDHAYNI AL-AHWAZI 85

63. ABDULLAH BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SAHL BIN DAWOOD. 85

64. ALI BIN ASBAT BIN SALIM.. 85

65. ALI BIN BILAL. 85

66. ALI BIN HADID BIN HAKEEM AL-MADA’INI AL-AZDI AS-SABATI 85

67. ALI BIN HASSAAN AL-WASITY AL-MUNAMMIS. 86

68. ALI BIN AL-HUSAYN BIN ALI BIN UMAR BIN AL-HUSAYN BIN ALI BIN ABU TALIB  86

69. ALI BIN AL-HAKAM.. 86

70. ALI BIN KHALID. 86

71. ALI BIN ABDULLAH AL-QUMMI 86

72. ALI BIN ABDULLAH AL-MADA’INI 86

73. ALI BIN ABDUL MELIK. 86

74. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SULEIMAN AN-NAWFALI 86

75. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD BIN HARUN BIN MAHBOB. 86

76. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD AL-ALAWI AL-HASANI 86

77. ALI BIN MUHAMMAD AL-QALANISI 87

78. ALI BIN MAHZIYAR. 87

1. His converting to Islam. 87

2. His piety. 87

3. His reliability in narrations 87

4. His works 87

5. The letters of Imam al-Jawad (a.s) to him. 87

6. His narrations 89

79. ALI BIN MUYASSAR. 89

80. ALI BIN NASR. 89

81. ABUL HUSAYN ALI BIN YAHYA. 89

82. AL-QASSIM BIN AL-HUSAYN AL-BIZENTI 89

83. MUHAMMAD BIN IBRAHIM AL-HUDHAYNI AL-AHWAZI 89

84. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU ZAYD AR-RAZI 89

85. MUHAMMAD BIN ABUL SAHBAN. 89

86. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU QURAYSH. 89

87. MUHAMMAD BIN ABU NASR. 89

88. ABU ALI MUHAMMAD BIN AHMED BIN HAMMAD AL-MAHMODI 89

89. MUHAMMAD BIN ISMA’EEL BIN BAZEE’ 90

His relation with Imam ar-Redha (a.s) 90

With Imam al-Jawad (a.s) 90

His works 90

90. MUHAMMAD BIN ISMA’EEL AR-RAZI 90

91. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN ABU KHALID AL-ASH’ARI 90

92. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN AMMAR. 90

93. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN MAHBOB. 91

94. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN AL-WASITI 91

95. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HASAN BIN SHAMMON AL-BASRI 91

96. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HUSAYN AL-ASH’ARI 91

97. ABU JA’FAR MUHAMMAD BIN AL-HUSAYN BIN ABUL KHATTAB AZ-ZAYYAT AL-HAMADANI 91

98. MUHAMMAD BIN HAMZA AL-ALAWI 91

99. ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD BIN KHALID AL-BARQI 92

100. MUHAMMAD BIN SALIM BIN ABDUL HAMEED. 92

101. ABU JA'FAR MUHAMMAD BIN SINAN AZ-ZUHRI AL-KHUZA’IY  92

102. ABU AS-SAHBAN MUHAMMAD BIN ABDUL JABBAR AL-QUMMI 93

103. MUHAMMAD BIN ABDULLAH AL-MADA’INI 93

104. ABU JA'FAR MUHAMMAD BIN ABDULLAH BIN MIHRAN AL-KARKHI 93

105. ABU BASHIR MUHAMMAD BIN ABDA. 93

106. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-FARAJ AR-RAKHJI 93

107. MUHAMMAD BIN NASR AN-NAB. 93

108. MUHAMMAD BIN NASR. 93

109. MUHAMMAD BIN NOAH. 93

110. MUHAMMAD BIN AL-WALEED AL-KHAZZAZ AL-KIRMANI 93

111. MUHAMMAD BIN YOUNUS BIN ABDURRAHMAN. 93

112. AL-MUKHTAR BIN ZIYAD AL-ABDI AL-BASRI 94

113. MARWAK BIN UBAYD BIN ABU HAFSAH. 94

114. MUSADDIQ BIN SADAQA AL-MADAYINI 94

115. MO’AWIYA BIN HAKEEM BIN AMMAR AD-DUHNI 94

116. MUNTHIR BIN QABOS. 94

117. ABUL HUSAYN MANSOR BIN AL-ABBAS AR-RAZI 94

118. MUSA BIN DAWOOD AL-YA’QOBI 94

119. MUSA BIN DAWOOD AL-MINQARI 95

120. MUSA BIN ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL MELIK BIN HISHAM.. 95

121. MUSA BIN UMAR BIN BAZEE’ 95

122. MUSA BIN AL-QASSIM BIN MO’AWIYA BIN WAHAB AL-BAJALI 95

123. NOAH BIN SHU’AYB AL-BAGHDADI 95

124. HARUN BIN AL-HASAN. 95

125. YAZDAD. 95

126. ABU JA'FAR AL-BASRI 95

127. ABUL HUSSAYN. 95

128. ABU KHIDASH AL-MIHRI AL-BASRI 95

129. ABU SARA. 96

130. ABU SUKAYNA AL-KUFI 96

131. ZAYNAB BINT MUHAMMAD BIN YAHYA. 96

132. ZAHRA’ UMM AHMED. 96

THE AGE OF IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 97

CULTURAL LIFE. 97

CULTURAL CENTERS. 97

1. YATHRIB. 97

2. KUFA. 97

3. BASRA. 98

4. BAGHDAD. 98

PREVAILING SCIENCES. 98

1. SCIENCES OF THE QUR’AN. 98

A. Recitation. 98

B. Tafsir (interpretation) 99

2. HADITH. 99

3. JURISPRUDENCE. 100

4. USOOL. 100

5. GRAMMAR. 100

6. THEOLOGY. 100

7. MEDICINE. 100

8. CHEMISTRY. 100

TRANSLATION. 101

INSTITUTES AND LIBRARIES. 101

MAPS AND OBSERVATORIES. 101

POLITICAL LIFE. 102

THE SYSTEM OF THE RULE. 102

THE CALIPHATE AND HEREDITY. 102

UNUSUAL CONDUCTS. 103

VIZIERATE. 103

THE SEDITION BETWEEN AL-AMEEN AND AL-MA’MOON. 104

DEPOSING AL-MA’MOON. 105

DESTRUCTIVE WARS. 105

BLOCKADE OF BAGHDAD. 105

THE MURDER OF AL-AMEEN. 106

THE CALIPHATE OF IBRAHIM THE DISSOLUTE. 106

THE REVOLT OF ABU AS-SARAYA. 106

THE ABBASIDS PAY HOMAGE TO THE ALAWIDS. 107

SEIZING THE AUTHORITY. 108

DISAPPOINTMENT OF MUSLIMS. 108

PERSECUTING THE ALAWIDS. 109

THE CREATION OF THE QUR'AN. 109

ECONOMICAL LIFE. 110

THE INCOME OF THE STATE. 110

STRIVING TO COLLECT WEALTH. 111

ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH. 111

THE EXPENDITURES OF AL-MA’MOON’S MARRIAGE. 111

GIFTS AND DONATIONS. 112

POSSESSION OF MAIDS. 112

DIVERSITY IN BUILDING. 112

FURNITURE OF HOUSES. 113

CLOTHES. 113

FOODS. 113

THE WEALTH LEFT FROM THE ABBASIDS. 113

1. Al-Mansor 113

2. Ar-Rasheed. 113

3. Al-Khayzuran. 113

4. Amr bin Su’da 114

THE LIFE OF AMUSEMENT AND DIVERSION. 114

ASCETICISM.. 114

AT THE AGE OF AL-MA'MOON. 115

THE ASPECTS AND TENDENCIES OF AL-MA'MOON. 115

1. CUNNING. 115

2. SEVERITY. 115

3. TREACHERY. 116

4. HIS TENDENCY FOR AMUSEMENT AND PLAY. 116

CLAIMING SHIISM.. 116

1. GIVING FADAK BACK TO THE ALAWIDS. 116

2. PREFERRING IMAM ALI TO OTHER COMPANIONS. 116

3. APPOINTING IMAM AR-REDHA AS THE HEIR APPARENT. 116

WITH IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 117

THE FIRST MEETING. 117

THE MARRIAGE OF IMAM AL-JAWAD TO AL-MA'MOON’S DAUGHTER  118

THE MOTIVES OF THIS MARRIAGE. 118

THE FEAR OF THE ABBASIDS. 119

THE MEETING OF THE ABBASIDS WITH AL-MA'MOON. 119

DELEGATING YAHYA TO TRY IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 120

THE QUESTIONS OF YAHYA. 121

ENGAGEMENT. 121

EXPLAINING THE QUESTION. 122

IMAM AL-JAWAD ASKING YAHAY. 124

GIFTS ON THE OCCASION OF MARRIAGE. 124

THE MASSES HONORING IMAM AL-JAWAD. 124

HIS LECTURES IN BAGHDAD. 125

HIS TRAVEL TO YATHRIB. 125

HIS WEDDING. 125

CONGRATULATION. 125

LEAVING BAGHDAD. 126

A MIRACLE. 126

UMMUL FADHL COMPLAINS OF IMAM AL-JAWAD. 127

THE ANNUAL SALARY OF IMAM AL-JAWAD. 127

THE DEATH OF AL-MA'MOON. 127

THE END. 129

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AL-MU’TASIM.. 129

DISLIKE OF KNOWLEDGE. 129

HIS HATRED TO THE ARABS. 129

HIS LOYALTY TO THE TURKS. 129

WITH IMAM AL-JAWAD. 129

BRINGING IMAM AL-JAWAD TO BAGHDAD. 130

BETRAYING THE IMAM.. 130

IMAM AL-JAWAD PREDICTS HIS DEATH. 131

ANNOUNCING THE IMAMATE TO HIS SON. 132

THE ASSASSINATION OF IMAM AL-JAWAD. 132

THE MOTIVES OF THE ASSASSINATION. 132

TO THE BEST WORLD. 133

FUNERALS AND BURIAL. 133

HIS AGE. 133

THE DATE OF HIS DEATH. 133

ZIYARAH OF IMAM AL-JAWAD (A.S) 134

REFERENCE BOOKS. 141

Endnotes 144