Imam Husain (a.s.)

It is enough to say that the world has never seen a father like Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.), a mother like Fatima and a graceful son like Husain bin Ali (a.s.). We are unable to mention even a thousandth of the noble and graceful features and high virtues of the great Imam in this book. How can we enter this field of calamities and sorrows about which thousands of writers have written volumes? History has offered a hundred thousand volumes describing the events of this great guide for the benefit of all.

Not only among Muslims, but there is not a single non-Muslim who has not heard the name of Imam Husain (a.s.). This sweet name has become the most beloved and popular name in every corner of the world in every language of the masses. This name is also considered most graceful. The entire world gives respect to the name of Imam Husain (a.s.). Judaism and Christianity also value and appreciate this name. Many famous writers have narrated the brave and self-sacrificing events of this son of the holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in many books in Asia, Africa and also America. Yes, with the passing of time, the blessed name of Husain (a.s.) gains more and more fame. This name acquires renown not by the era but by the year in the Islamic world.

There are four hundred million people in the world of Islam. Every religion, every tribe and every group observes mourning on the tenth day of the month of Muharram, the day of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s.). The learned, the common people, the citizen, the villager all cry “O HUSAIN” on this day and consider it their religious duty and obligation. Half a century ago, the Sunnis used to be indifferent in the matter of the mourning of Husain (a.s.). But with the passage of time, Islamic fervor has replaced ignorant prejudice and has made them cooperate with their religious Shia brothers in the performance of this duty. The circle of this agreement is enlarging continuously and will keep doing so in the future.

In our view, participation in the mourning of this great martyr of Islam is a must and an obligatory duty of all Muslims. We give below the commanded and the logical arguments in support of this claim.

Firstly, for 23 years the holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) endured terrible and mind- boggling calamities for the welfare of the Muslim ummah, and thereafter he had to fight a number of holy wars in defense of the noble religion of Islam. He made all relevant verses of the holy Quran and his traditions the basis of the Islamic constitution. He made it an obligatory duty of all Muslims to protect the foundations of Islam and then he departed from this world. Then, all of a sudden, the Hashimi radiance was confronted by the Umayyad darkness and the Yazidian ignorance rose to fight with the Muhammadi knowledge, thus crushing the roots of religion and defying the orders of the holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). It was in the abyss of this state that the greatest fighter and self-sacrificing warrior of Islam rose up and, confronting forty thousand armed soldiers of oppression, sacrificed the lives and everything of all his near and dear ones all of whom totaled only 72. All this was only for the spread of the light of Faith and the spirit of Quran. Not only the Islamic world but all the human beings are by the logic of mind and experience, duty-bound to honor such a true fighter in the path of God.

Yes this self-sacrificing gentleman hero is he whose noble grand father had stood up not only against the Arabs and the Quraysh, but also against the entire world just for establishing truth and justice and who never cared for his solitude and helplessness.

This great warrior for truth and justice is the one whose honorable father never feared to fight with Amr bin Abdawod, who used to frighten thousands of companions.

It is here that the Prophetic zeal and the awe of Ali (a.s.) was manifested in the personality of Husain (a.s.) so as to release the roots of Islam from the control of the Yazidi figure and he gave such extraordinary sacrifices for this noble purpose. Yes, since such a sacrifice was a necessity for the entire ummah of Islam, mourning for Imam Husain (a.s.), which is a consequence of this sacrifice, also becomes a duty of all Muslims. It is also essential that the day of birth of this great devotee should be a day of rejoicing and the day of his martyrdom a day of mourning for all as a tradition.

Just have a look at this civilized world of today. Do the people celebrate not the birthday of a national hero, a scientific or industrial inventor or a conqueror with pomp and grandeur? Yes, because it is quite logical and rational. Secondly, we are convinced that the origin of discord and disunity now prevalent among the Muslims is the disrespect shown to the holy family of the holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and not recognition of the value and rank of the holy family (a.s.). Therefore it is essential that the disunity should again be changed into unity around the holy center and the first sign of this holy intention is unison around the mourning of Husain (a.s.). For, as till today, it was a sign of difference it must now be a sign of coming together and of agreement. There are innumerable narrations describing the extraordinary calamities faced by the dearest son of Zahra (s.a.), which makes mourning obligatory and unavoidable.

For example, Ibrahim Nakhaee, a great Taabe' (the one who saw the companion of the Prophet) and a teacher of Abu Hanifa narrates that, “One day I was with Amirul Momineen when Imam Husain came. Ali (a.s.) said, “O my son! You will be killed after me and both the earth and the sky will mourn for you.”

The truth of this matter is quite obvious. Yes, the leader of the martyrs (a.s.) had, in order to relieve Islam from the apostasy of Yazid, responded to the call of the people of Kufa. He had sent, first, his cousin Muslim bin Aqueel to Kufa and then he also along with the members of his holy family and his relatives and close sympathizers proceeded to Kufa. When Muslim arrived in Kufa, all the residents of Kufa paid their allegiance to the Imam. In the mean time, Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, who was appointed as the governor of Kufa by Yazid, arrived and the treacherous and unstable Kufans, at the mere arrival of Ubaydullah, broke their oath of allegiance! As a consequence of this disloyalty, Muslim bin Aqueel was martyred along with his two young sons and his holy body was hanged in public to frighten others (from rebelling against Yazid and supporting Imam Husain (a.s.))!

During this period, Imam (a.s.) came near the bank of river Euphrates near Kufa and halted in front of the vanguard of the army of Ibne Ziyad.

At that time all those who were with the Imam were only eighteen of his close blood relatives and also forty-four followers then began the devastating battle. In the morning, forty-four lovers of the holy family got martyred one by one - Surely we are Allah's and to Him we shall surely return. In the mean time they prevented water of river Euphrates for the Imam! The progeny of the Prophet had not tasted water for three days. Then eighteen men of the holy family sacrificed their lives in the battlefield before the eyes of Imam Husain (a.s.). At last, after the martyrdom of all his companions, remained the only person alive in the Harem with the womenfolk and the children.

The great hero of the field of Karbala, the standard bearer of the Chief of the martyrs, Abul Fazl Abbas bin Amirul Momineen and Qasim bin Hasan who was Imam's nephew, and Ali Akbar who was the elder son of the Imam and other devotees, Ibrahim son of Ja'far Tayaar, all got martyred. During this time, the young son of the Imam, who had become restless due to thirst, asked his father for water. But the one who is to give the water of paradise in the Hereafter from the stream of Kausar could not give even a few drops of water from the nearby river to his six-month-old son Ali Asgar. So he took his six-month-old child to the bank of the river and uttering a few words (which the pen is unable to write and the tongue unable to quote) asked for only a handful of water! But, alas! The Ummah did not give even a drop of water to the little child of the Imam. Rather they martyred the infant by shooting him with a poisoned arrow!

Now the Imam who was the only person alive, after concluding his arguments 'proceeded to the field of martyrdom. The group of infidels killed the Imam, cut off his holy head and sent it to Yazid as a gift! Then they put the tents of the holy harem to fire, devastated the honor of the house of the holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). They lifted the head of the holy Imam on top of a lance and made the members of the family ride on the bare backs of camels and took them all to Yazid in Syria? Yes, this is the honor that the Muslims gave to the light of the eyes of their Prophet (s.a.w.a.).

And they who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back.11 In the caravan that had come from the field of Karbala, the only male member was Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.), who was ill at that time. The others were the Imam's sister Zainab and Umme Kulthum and her daughters Sakina and Fatima and the remaining relatives.

Imam Husain (a.s.) had six sons: Ali Akbar, whose mother was Laila. His is the greatest sacrifice in Karbala. Other was Ali Asgar who became a child martyr with a thirsty throat in the arms of his father by an arrow shot by the heartless enemy! The third Zainul Abedeen who remained unhappy in Karbala (for being deprived of martyrdom along with his near and dear ones) and he was to be the father of all the remaining Imams (a.s.).

The holy grave of Imam (a.s.) is in Karbala-e-Moalla, which is the second biggest place of pilgrimage for the world of Islam. Every year, millions of devotees and lovers visit this holy shrine (May God multiply its grace). Here we feel it essential to point out an important matter: How much importance does the Ahle Sunnah give to visits to the holy graves of saints (sheikhs) and how much reward do they expect from doing so? It is well known that many Sunnis go to the tomb of Bahauddin Naqshbandi in Bukhara or visit the grave of Shaikh Akbar in Egypt or to the mausoleum of Jalaluddin Rumi in Quniyah. It is also seen very often that our groups go to even Anatolia in big numbers to visit the graves of many Saalehs and Shaikhs! Now, my question is, when we visit the graves of sheikhs to earn divine reward, why do we not visit the tombs of the holy Imams (a.s.)?

Surah Shuara 26:227

Whatever radiance and grace is there at the tombs of the sheikhs is the same radiance and grace derived from Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and of Ali (a.s.) because there is no light except the light of Muhammad (s.a.w.) and no grace except that of Ali (a.s.). All sheikhs have accepted this point. Why are visits to the places of grace and fountainheads of radiance being put discouraged?

In my humble opinion, the trouble is not related to the people. It pertains to the so-called Ulema and jurists (fuqaha), who are the heads of the religion and soul of the people. Since these ulema do not encourage people to take such noble steps, it results in sinister prejudice, which is a deadly illness, hell bent on breaking Islamic unity. I hope that unity between Muslims will increase gradually and our roots will become strong and lasting. Thereafter, the common people will begin to give respect to their holy Imams (a.s.) and will help each other in the pilgrimages to the tombs of these noble personalities. We are also fully convinced that this act will also save us all from the harms of our earlier blunders.

Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.)

Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.) was born in 38 A.H. and was only two years old when Amirul Momineen (a.s.) was martyred. His mother, Shaharbano, was from the race of Nausherwan, the Iranian emperor. His name was Ali. Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.) then himself became the father of all other Imams who followed him.

If we bring together all the troubles and calamities of the entire world, and also all the sorrows and grief experienced by the whole mankind, they would not equal to those of the messengers of God (peace be on them all). Similarly if all the troubles faced by the holy Prophets (a.s.) are put together, they would not come to the extent suffered by the twelve Imams (a.s.). Then if all the pains of the twelve Imams (a.s.) were totaled they would not equal those borne by Imam Sajjad (a.s.). Troubles started raining on the head of Imam Sajjad (a.s.) ever since he was only two and thereafter the series continued on the holy family viz.

the martyrdom of Ali (a.s.), troubles faced by Imam Hasan (a.s.), the disaster in Karbala, the events in Syria, the taunting in Kufa, the despising by the enemy, all these hardships had gripped the life of this true Imam (a.s.). One of the close companions of Imam Sajjad (a.s.) narrates, “One day, I had become terribly restless on seeing the constant weeping of Imam Sajjad (a.s.). So I said, 'O, Son of the Holy Prophet (s.a.)! Kindly relax at least for a little while.' Looking at me, the holy Imam asked, 'How many sons did Prophet Yaqoob (a.s.) have?' I responded, 'He had twelve sons.' Then he asked, 'How many sons did he lose?' I said, 'One.' Imam (a.s.) retorted, 'When the eyes of Prophet Yaqoob (a.s.) had turned white due to excessive weeping for only one missing son, how can I feel at rest when eighteen members of the family of the holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) have been martyred in one day, their heads decapitated and their bodies left uncovered in dust and sand?”

Quoting this narration in Hayaatul Kaywaan, Allamah Damiri says, “One day Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.) was passing through the streets of Madinah riding a swift camel. A Syrian looked at the fine clothing of Imam (a.s.) and asked who he was. When he came to know that he was Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.), he used indecent words for him. The holy Imam responded to his indecency saying, “O gentleman! It seems you are a stranger.” The Syrian replied, “Yes, I am a stranger.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Then please come to my house, eat when you feel hungry, if you require clothes, take them. If you need a horse, ride one.” Hearing this reply the Syrian swooned and dropped down.

Abu Naeem al-Hafiz writes in his book, Hilyatul Awliyaa: “Zuhri, who was one of the close companions of Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.) said, “One day, Abdul Malik bin Marwan imprisoned chained and confined Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.) in Syria. I visited the holy Imam and said, 'I wish they had arrested me instead of you.' He said, 'O Zuhri! If I want, I can free myself from these chains.' At that moment, he freed his hands and feet from the shackles and went out of the sight of the oppressors.” Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s.) possessed thousands of such miracles, which we are unable to mention here. He expired in Madinah at the age of fifty in 95 A.H. His holy grave is with that of Imam Hasan Mujtaba (a.s.) in one mausoleum in Baqee. The graves of Imams Muhammad Baqir and Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) also are under one tomb12. How holy and radiant is the piece of land where four generous Imams (a.s.) are resting - May God increase its grace.

Imam Sajjad (a.s.) had twenty children, eleven sons and nine daughters. Imamate continued through Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.).

Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.)

Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) was born in the year 55 AH. His mother was the daughter of Imam Hasan (a.s.) - Umme Abdillah. Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) is the first Alavi, who was born of an Alavi couple. Besides being the Imam of his time, he was also the centre of religious and Quranic sciences. That is why he was addressed as Baqir Ilm al-Ilahi (means the splitter of divine knowledge). But the cruel rulers of Bani Umayyah stalled the spread of true and bright facts about this person. Therefore, he was compelled to take to a corner and was deprived of an opportunity whereby people would have benefited from his knowledge and information. So the knowledge and religious pronouncements of this Imam reached only to his family and close dependents.

“Apparently, this book was written before the destruction and desecration of the holy graves of Jannat al- Baqee at the hands of the tyrannical Wahhabi rulers. Hence, the mention of mausoleum and tombs.”- Translator. He expired at the age of 63 in the year 118 A.H. and is buried in the graveyard of Baqee (Madinah). He had six sons and three daughters. Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) in his eldest son, others being Abdullah, Ali, Zaid, Ubaidullah and Ibrahim. Imamat and successorship is in Abu Abdullah Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.).

Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s.)

The greatness and preciousness of this Imam is beyond the power of the tongue and the pen to describe. His high rank of knowledge can be imagined from the fact that Jabir Ibn Hayyan Sufi, who was one of his brilliant students, has described his sciences both orally and with pen extremely and written five hundred articles and treatises. Just see that only one of the Imam's students is such a big scholar. Then what a big collection it would become if the capabilities of all of companions and followers are counted together: Ja'far Sadiq, besides being the Imam of his time, was also an ocean of religious sciences and fountainhead of Quranic knowledge. Abdullah bin Abbas said, “Knowledge has been divided into ten parts and nine of them are exclusively with the Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) and the remaining one part is divided among all the other people.” Now we say that the knowledge of Amirul Mo-mineen was bequeathed to the successive Imams till it reached Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) and by this time it had expanded greatly and all of it was in the possession of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.).

Shaikh Abu Abdur Rahman as Sullami says in Tabaqaat al Mashaayekh: “Indeed Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s.) surpassed all his contemporaries. His religious knowledge was profound, his piety absolute, his control on the sensual desires complete and his manners in wisdom perfect.”

The leader of Sufis and the Shaykh of Tareeqat, Baayazeed Bastami states, 'I have served ninety-nine teachers fully. Yet had I not seen Imam Ja'far Sadiq, I would have died devoid of faith.' Just imagine the rank of this Imam from this statement.

Allamah Dameeri mentions in Hayat al Haivaan, “Abu Hanifa Noman bin Thabit says, 'Once I went with Rabee to Imam Ja'far. He asked me, 'Do you follow conjecture (qiyaas)?' I replied, 'Yes'. Imam retorted, 'Do not base your verdicts on conjecture because the first one to follow conjecture was Iblees (the devil).” Abu Hanifa says, “The Imam asked me some questions but I could not give reply to any of them. So he himself explained the problems and said, 'in your head there are four kinds of liquid; one in the mouth, second in nose, third in the ear and fourth in the eye. Had conjecture been proper, the flavour of all the four should have been one because all are from one matter and origin. But we see that the flavour of each of these four liquids is different. For example, the water in mouth is sweet, that in the eye is sour, that in nose salty and one in the ear acrimonious.” Noman bin Thabit Abu Hanifa says, “Imam Ja'far (a.s.), through divine wisdom, examined each and every one of the four liquids and explained their number and qualities. I was surprised by the knowledge of the Imam (a.s.).”

Despite this wide expanse of knowledge and wisdom of this great Imam, the tyrant rulers of the day came in the way of dispersion of the radiance of his intelligence. Therefore the unlimited benefits of his precious grace could not go beyond the circle of his progeny and close dependents.

Bayzeed Bastami was one of the students of Imam Ja'far (a.s.), who was the inheritor of the knowledge of Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.). The saying that Ja'far acquired knowledge of his maternal grandfather Qasim bin Muhammad is not acceptable to intellect or to history. It is true that Qasim was a very wise and learned man. But since Ja'far (a.s.) was the inheritor of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), his being taught by any one who is not an Imam is not in any way acceptable to wisdom and intelligence.

Mansur Dawaniqi, who was the caliph in the time of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) was always threatening and harassing the Imam. On one hand, he often imprisoned Imam (a.s.) in dark and narrow cells but on the other, he was awarding generously jurists like Malik bin Anas in Madinah and Abu Yusuf in Kufa. When Abu Hanifa refused to be a judicial officer in the presence of the Imam of the time, Mansur arrested him and ordered Rabee Hajib to give him one hundred lashes. Abu Hanifa died in jail under the impact of this punishment. Whenever Mansur came to know that a person had obtained a solution from Imam Ja'far (a.s.), he used to punish that man. And he forcibly propagated 'al- Mawatta' of Malik bin Anas, a jurisprudent of Madinah. The reason of this deed is obvious. The existence of the Imam and the spreading of his light of knowledge were deterrents to the lustful and unjust deeds of the greedy and cruel self-worshippers.

It is indeed amazing that the Shias who were forced to practise dissimulation (taqaiyyah), benefitted from the knowledge and wisdom of the Imam (a.s.) and enriched their books and actions with the decrees of the Imam. But unfortunately, the Ahle Sunnat, who were not forced to practise dissimulation, attached themselves to the likes of Harun Rashid, Mamoon, Mansur and Mutawakkil and could never do anything which was against the desires of the cruel rulers. For, they feared that they would meet with the same fate as Abu Hanifa Noman bin Thabit, who acted against the opinion of Mansur, was punished and killed in jail. Mansur asked Abu Hanifa to accept the post of judge. He rejected. When Abu Yusuf, a student of Abu Hanifa asked the latter the cause of not accepting Mansur's offer he replied, 'the religious commands like are like a deep ocean.' Abu Yusuf said, 'A deep ocean can be crossed with in a ship of exploration'. Abu Hanifa shot back, 'We are not the ships of explorations. It is the scholars of holy family of the messenger of God (s.a.w.a.) and its captain is Abu Ja'far Sadiq'.

Here, let me state a fact that really deserves a mention. The Ahle Sunnah scholars have written innumerable books about religious sciences. They have narrated a hundred thousand or even five hundred thousand hadiths and mentioned millions of literary works. But no tradition of narration of the holy Imams after Zainul Abideen (a.s.) has at all been included in them and not the slightest suggestion of their names.

In the books of Fiqh too, at thousands of places, we find the names of jurists (sic!) like Abu Yusuf Muhammad bin Hasan Shaibani and others but not even once do we read the name of Kazim, Sadiq and Reza! Are they not the members of the holy family of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)? There are nine thousand traditions in Sahih Bukhari and eleven thousand in Sahih Muslim we accept their correctness but from all these traditions not a single one is narrated from the holy Imams and in all these reports the names of Baqir, Kazim, Sadiq of the Aale Muhammad do not occur. Isn't it a pity? Concluding this discussion here, we leave the details to history. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) had five male children; one of them Ismail, died during the Imam's lifetime and is buried in Baqee. Another was Abdullah. He and Ismail were from the same mother. Then there was Muhammad Deebaaj and Moosa Kazim who, the legatee of Imam Sadiq (a.s.).

Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.)

Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s) was the son of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.). His mother was Hameeda. How much was this Imam harassed by his contemporary caliphs of Bani Abbas! It is a heart-rending story. It is truly said that there is a Moosa for every Pharaoh and for every righteous man, a devil.

Abbasi caliph Mahdi brought Imam Kazim (a.s.) from Madinah to Baghdad and imprisoned him. After a time, Mahdi saw Amirul Momineen (a.s.) in a dream and faced his anger. Next morning he released the Imam with a heavy heart. This despotic ruler Mahdi was, on the one hand, helping Ulama and the poor and protecting scholars but, on the other hand, he was putting the Holy Imams, who were the inheritors of Imamat and Prophethood, to various troubles. He made thousands of sycophants, who waxed eulogies in his glorification. And hundreds of jurists, who gave decrees as per his liking were busy in enjoying the royal wealth and prosperity, while he put the bud of the garden of the Holy Prophet, Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.), in narrow and damp prison cells and fettered him with heavy iron chains! And the Sunni Ulama sing the Caliph's praise! They even refer to him as Amirul Momineen. These simpletons with short memory forgot that at the end of the historical eras, such curtains of hypocrisy and flattery will be torn and all the oppressors and despots will be fetched to court to face the truth.

Once Harun Rashid went for Haj and took Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) with him. At the tomb of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), Harun saluted in these words: Assalaam Alaika Yaa Ibne Amm. (Peace be upon you, O my cousin). At that very moment, Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) also entered uttering, Assalaamu alaika Ya abata. (Peace be upon you, O my father). This made Harun furious with envy.

Imam Reza (a.s.)

After Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) his elder son Imam Reza (a.s.) was the Imam by the way of the will. His rank and greatness is so high that it cannot be explained in this small book. He was born in Madinah in 153 A.H. His mother, Umme Valad, was the most brilliant and wise among the women of her time and she was a non-Arab. Since Imam Reza (a.s.) had inherited the knowledge of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), calamities and troubles also descended on him. As you can see every Imam had faced such serious trials.

Imam Reza (a.s.) too, when his term came, bore all such hardships and difficulties facing them squarely. Yes, when the turn of his Imamat arrived, in the beginning, Mamoon was very respectful and generous to Imam Reza (a.s.) to an unbelievable extent. But Imam Reza (a.s.) was aware of the hidden secrets and he was aware of the intent behind these apparent courtesies. Finally, Mamoon sent somebody to Madinah to bring the Imam to Khurasan. The Imam rejected his demand. On Mamoon's insistence, Imam was forced to proceed to Khorasan. When he faced Mamoon, the ruler offered caliphate to the Imam, but as he was aware of the secret behind the offer, he rejected the proposal. Ultimately, he made an official offer to Imam (a.s.). Thereafter, Mamoon married his daughter Umm Habibah to the Imam. In spite of all this, Mamoon could not tolerate the spreading of the radiant knowledge of the Imam in public. So finally he poisoned him to death. Through this treachery, Mamoon demonstrated that oppression and justice, truth and falsehood, knowledge and ignorance cannot live together in one place!

Abu Sult bin Saleh says, “When the Imam made up his mind for Khorasan, I was with him. He moved from Nishapur riding a white mule. Among the scholars of Khorasan, Ishaq bin Rabuya, Ahmad bin Harb, Yahya bin Yahya attended respectfully the Imam and said, 'O son of the Prophet! Please favour us by narrating to us anything you heard from your pious predecessors.'

In response the Imam raised his head and said, “My father Moosa bin Ja'far (a.s.) has related to me from his father Ja'far bin Muhammad (a.s.) from his father Muhammad bin Ali (a.s.) from his father Ali bin Husain (a.s.) from his father Husain bin Ali (a.s.) from Amirul Momineen Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) from his brother and the son of his uncle Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) from Jibraeel from the Almighty that He said,

“The Kalimah (phrase) there is no god except Allah is my fort, whoever enters My fort is safe from my wrath.” Then he (a.s.) added, “(But) there are conditions attached to it and I am one of those conditions.” Imam Reza (a.s.) was martyred by mixing poison with pomegranate or grapes at the age of 49 in the year 203 A.H. (Certainly we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return).

The exalted tomb of Imam Reza (a.s.) is in the holy city of Mashhad. It is one of the great places for pilgrimage of the world of Islam. Its dome is golden with no parallel in the world - May God enhances its grace. After him the Imamat went to his son and heir, Muhammad Taqi (a.s.).

Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.)

Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.) was born in the year 195 A.H. Abbasi caliph Motasim was his contemporary. He called the Imam from Madinah to Baghdad. Since he was, like all Imams, a picture of Imamate and prophethood, it was impossible that he could continue his life in the circle of oppression and injustice. His wife, who poisoned him and went to the harem of the caliph, martyred him through vicious infidelity. “So Allah's curse is on the unjust people.”

His holy grave is in the graveyard of his great grandfather Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) in Baghdad. After him Imamat passed on to his great son Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.).

Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.)

Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) was born in Madinah in the year 214 A.H. and his mother was a slave girl named Samaanah. Contemporary Abbasi caliph Mutawakkil was very cruel and unjust. He was more evil than all other Abbasi caliphs were and his ill will towards the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was greater than that of others. His envy and enmity can be imagined from the fact that he razed to ground the great tomb built on the holy grave of Imam Husain in Karbala.

Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) was forcibly brought from Madinah to Samarrah and was kept under arrest for 21 years, during which he faced the worst forms of oppression.

In one year Mutawakkil arranged a party of joy and pleasure and brought the Imam there bound in chains and handcuffs and obliged him to sit in that assembly of vice, brought a glass of wine to him and put pressure on him to drink it. The Imam replied, “God Almighty has purified our family of all uncleanness and filth.” Then in his intoxication Mutawakkil forced Imam (a.s.) to sing some song. But the memorial of the Household of the Prophet also rejected that demand.

Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) passed away in 256 A.H. in Samarra at the age of forty bearing all kinds of pains and trouble. He left two sons, Abu Muhammad Hasan and Ja'far who is called Ja'far the liar for making a false claim to Imamate because the true legatee of Imam Naqi (a.s.) was Abu Muhammad Hasan.

Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.)

Imam Hasan was given the title 'Askari' due to constant oppression meted out to him by the caliphs of the Abbasi dynasty. He was forced to remain in Saamarra, which was a military cantonment (askar). He was born in 231 A.H. About the greatness of this holy Imam, it is enough to state that Allah the Almighty granted to him a son who is awaited by all the jinns and human beings in the earth and the heavens. Yes, Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) is the father of that personality whose reappearance will fill the entire world with justice and equity, as it would be fraught with injustice and oppression. This is what the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said about him,

“His name is my name and his agnomen is my agnomen.”

Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) expired in 260 A.H. and he is buried in Saamarra near his noble father. His only son is Wali-e-Asr-o-Zaman Al Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).

Imam-e-Zamana (a.s.)

Imam Abul Qasim Muhammad al-Mahdi was born in 255 A.H. on the fifteenth of Sha'ban. The name of his mother was Umm Walad Narjis Khatoon. When he was five years old, his father passed away. He had two occultations, the first called Ghaibat-e-Sughra (Lesser occultation) and another Ghaibat-e- Kubra (Greater occultation). The Imam (a.s.) is still living and shall reappear to fill the earth with justice and equity, as and when Allah so desires. Since the reappearance of the Imam (a.s.) is a fact on which the entire Ummah has agreed, we need not explain its arguments in this book. As a token we quote here a part of a long article written by a great Sufi Shaykh Muhiyuddin Arabi about this Imam-e-Hujjat (a.t.f.s.):

“Imam Mahdi Qaem Muntazar will appear and he is the Hujjat (proof) and caliph of Allah. He is to appear in Makkah between Rukn and Maqam. Most lucky are the people of Kufa because of their relation with him. He will distribute wealth judiciously, will decide disputes, and enact justice and fair play among people. He will rebel when religion will be discarded. Whoever will defy him will be killed and whoever will compete with him will be vanquished. Those who will pay allegiance to him will be those who know Allah. His associates will spread his message and assist him and they will be his ministers who will take up important responsibilities. Their number will in one day reach to 313 and all of them will be non-Arabs yet they will be speaking only Arabic.” He says in some couplets:

“He is the Caliph, who converses with animals. And men and jinn will see his justice very soon.” He also said, Do not equate any creature with Ahle Bayt. Ahle Bayt are people of testimony. Hatred against them is a great loss. And love for them is worship.

Yet another Sufi poet Shaykh Abdul Karim al Yamani has written these Arabic couplets about the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.): “In the bounty of that peace whose creatures are blessed Till the time they see the advent of the light of guidance With the M of Majid from the progeny of Haider And from the purified and lofty status of Aale Ahmad He is that Mahdi with truth manifest He would rule on the sunnat of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) for the first time”

Shaykh Abdur Rahman al-Bustami, in his book Dairatul Maa'rif, writes about Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.): “And M will emerge of Majd of Aale Ahmad And Justice will be established for men for the first time As we have seen in the time Ali Ar Reza It has become known in the knowledge of the alphabets When he will appear after the Sheen of Shar (mischief?) From Makkah near Ka'ba and by help he will reach to great heights This is the true Mahdi who has appeared with truth Who will come from the Beneficent for establishing truth, And fill the whole earth with justice by becoming a mercy for all And destroy the darkness of polytheism and tyranny first of all His authority for this rule is from Allah He is the Caliph of the best of the Prophets from the high heavens Sadruddin Qoonavi in his book Mashaaikhe Sufi writes about the holy Imam thus:

He will rise by the order of Allah openly In spite of the presence of Shaitan he will destroy infidelity. He will support the Shariat of Mustafa at that time. And he would be the last of the person from their family. He is coming from meem and he knows fully about the Ahkam of Shariat.

If we intend to write in detail about Imam Mahdi (a.s.), many more books will be required besides this but we do not want to narrate all the accounts of the holy family. Our aim is to put to scrutiny what has been written in history books about this holy family and to call for the judgement of reason and intellect. There is no disagreement among the Muslims regarding the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and hence it requires no explanation. There is a tradition of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.),

“One who dies without recognising the Imam of his age dies the death of ignorance.” All the Shia and Sunni Ulama accept this tradition. Hence there is no Muslim who does not believe in the existence of Mahdi (a.s.) We believe that Imam Mahdi (a.s.), the Master of the age and time, is alive and that ever since his father's demise in Saamarra, Imamat has reached him. And that by divine will, his Imamat will safely continue till the day of judgement because it is essential that after the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), there should be twelve Imams (a.s.) and that the number can neither increase nor decrease as authentically recorded in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, “After me there are twelve caliphs and all of them are from Bani Hashim.”

That is why God has kept Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) secretly safe from the treacheries of enemies. His absence (occultation) is of two kinds: first, short occultation wherein he had contacts with his close dependents and followers and second, the long occultation, which will extend till his re-appearance. Even in this absence some persons have been able to approach him and will still approach in the future. Currently he has his general viziers and naqeebs. When their number will reach 313 the time of his Zuhoor or reappearance will arrive. He will appear in Mecca at a place between Rukn and Muqaam. He will fill the world with truth and justice, as it is replete with untruth and injustice. He will invite the entire world to truth and righteousness and will hear the voice of 'LABBAIK' (we accept) from all corners of the world. In his finger will be the seal of Sulaiman (a.s.) and he will be holding the staff of Moosa (a.s.) in his hand. He will move from Mecca toward Madinah. He will remove all the innovations, which were introduced in Islam after the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Then he will arrive in Kufa and build the Masjid of Kufa. Prophet Isa (a.s.) will come on earth and will pray behind him, and then he will fill the whole world with the light of guidance.

Yes, we suffice with this much explanation and pray to God Almighty that He may raise us along with those about whom the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had said to Amirul Momineen, “O Ali! From the viewpoint of Faith and trust the highest are those who will arrive in the world in the last period and from whom the arguments and proofs will be hidden. Those very persons will, by the Grace of Allah, will believe only through pen and paper (i.e. by reading the books).” Yes, we are earnestly waiting the appearance of the Qaem Aale Muhammad (a.t.f.s.). I conclude this book here and submit it as an insignificant and humble presentation at his holy feet. We hope our defective deeds and perfect sincerity will be acceptable to the holy Imam.

Zangazuri Qazi Bohlool Bahjat