KNOWLEDGE AND THE SACRED

1

2

3

4

5

6

Notes

1. By man is meant not the male alone but the human state whose archetypal reality is the androgyne reflected in both the male and female. Man in English signifies at once the male and the human being as such like the Greek anthropos, the German mensch or the Arabic insan. There is no need to torture the natural structure of the English language to satisfy current movements which consider the use of the term “man” as a sexist bias, forgetting the second meaning of the term as anthropos.

2. On the Islamic conception of man and the meaning of this term see G. Eaton, King of the Castle, chap. 5; G. Durand, Science de l’homme et tradition, Paris, 1979, esp. chap. 3, entitled “Homo proximi orientis: science de l’homme et Islam spirituel”; and Nasr, “Who is Man? The Perennial Answer of Islam,” in Needleman (ed.), The Sword of Gnosis, pp. 203-17.

See also “Man as Microcosm,” in T. Izutsu, A Comparative Study of the Key Philosophical Concepts in Sufism and Taoism-Ibn ‘Arabı and Lao-Tzu, Chuang- , Tzu, Pt. 1, Tokyo, 1966, pp. 208ff., where the whole doctrine of the universal man (or khalıfah) as expounded in Ibn ‘Arabı’s Fusus al-hikam is elaborated with great clarity. In pts. 2 and 3 of this work the Taoist concept of man is likewise elucidated and finally compared in a masterly fashion with the Islamic.

3. Needless to say, the title of pontiff given to the Catholic pope symbolizes directly the central function of this office as the “bridge” between God and His church as well as between the church and the community of the faithful, but this more particular usage of the term does not invalidate the universal significance of the “pontifical” function of man as such.

4. Certain modern observers of the environmental crisis, who want at the same time to defend the misdeeds of modern man, seek to extrapolate the devastation of the planet to earlier periods of human history in order to decrease the burden of responsibility of modern man by including even goats to explain why the ecological balance is being destroyed. While one cannot deny the deforestation of certain areas or erosion of the soil during the Middle Ages or even earlier, there is no doubt that there is no comparison between the intensity, rapidity, or extent of destruction of the natural environment during the past few centuries and what occurred during the previous long periods of history when traditional man lived on the surface of the earth.

5. This is the title of a well-known essay of G. Durand. See his On the Disfiguration of the Image of Man in the West, Ipswich, U.K., 1976.

6. There is no doubt that there were many attempts to rediscover traditional teachings in the Renaissance esp. in the field of the traditional sciences. See J. F. Maillard, “Science sacrée et science profane dans la tradition ésotérique de la renaissance,” Cahiers de l’Université Saint Jean de Jérusalem, vol. I, Paris, 1974, pp. 111-26. But this fact cannot at all obliterate the truth that secularizing humanism and the rationalism connected with the notion of virtù, according to which man was able to command any situation rationally, characterize and dominate the Renaissance world view, especially as it concerns man. This conception of man based on an aggressive rationalism combined with skepticism was to enter the mainstream of European thought, both literary and scientific, through such figures as Montaigne and Galileo. On virtù and the concept of Renaissance man as “the rational artist in all things,” see A. C. Crombie, “Science and the Arts in the Renaissance: The Search for Truth and Certainty, Old and New,” History of Science, 18/42 (Dec. 1980): 233.

7. This hatred of wisdom has been combined, in what is characteristically modern philosophy, with a fear that God may somehow threaten the petty mental constructions which modern man has substituted for wisdom. “God, for the philosophic spirit, is an external menace to the human wisdom that man, deprived of Divine Intellect, contrives for himself.” Durand, op. cit., pp. 20-21.

8. On this process see S. H. Nasr, Man and Nature, chap. 2.

9. On the traditional criticism of Comte see R. Guénon, La Grande triade, Paris, 1980, chap. 20.

10. For a criticism of the positivism inherent in modern anthropology see Durand, “Hermetica ratio et science de l’homme,” in his Science de l’homme et tradition, pp. 174ff. See also the capital work of J. Servier, L’Homme et l’invisible, which, using scientific data, refutes nearly all the presumptions of modern anthropology.

11. Quoted in R. C. Zaehner, The Teachings of the Magi, London, 1956, p. 75; see also M. Molé, Le Problème zoroastrien et la tradition mazdéenne, Paris, 1963.

The alchemical significance of this passage which relates the alchemical symbolism of metals to the inner or physiological aspect of the microcosm is evident. It is also of great significance to note that according to the Bundahisën, the form of Gayomart was spherical as also asserted in Plato’s Symposium concerning the form of the primordial man. This geometric symbolism indicated that just as all geometric figures and solids are generated by and contained in the circle and the sphere which are the primordial form in two and three dimensions, primordial man is the origin of all humanity and, in fact, cosmic existence and “comprehends,” in a metaphysical sense, all cosmic existence.

See also the various works of M. Eliade dealing with sacrifice and religious rites including Patterns in Comparative Religion, trans. R. Sheed, New York, 1958; Traité d’histoire des religion, Paris, 1964; and Gods, Goddesses, and the Myths of Creation, New York, 1967.

12. The Person (Purus.a) has a thousand eyes, a thousand heads, a thousand feet:

Encompassing Earth on every side, he rules firmlye-stablished in the heart.

The Person, too, is all This, both what has been and what is to come. .

With three parts the Person is above, but one part came-into-existence here:

Thence, he proceeded everywhere, regarding Earth and Heaven.

Of him was Nature born, from Nature Person born:

When born, he ranges Earth from East toWest.

Whereas the Angels laid-out the sacrifice with the Person of their offering,. .

From that sacrifice, when the offering was all accomplished, the Verses and Liturgies were born, The Metres, and the Formulary born of it.

Therefrom were born horses, and whatso beasts have cutting teeth in both jaws.

Therefrom were born cows, and therefrom goats and sheep.

When they divided the Person, how-many-fold did they arrange him?

What was his mouth? What were his arms? How were his thighs and feet named?

The Priest was his mouth; of his arms was made the Ruler;His thighs were the Merchant-folk; from his feet was born the Servant.

The Moon was born from his Intellect; the Sun from his eye.

R.g Veda, X, 90, trans. A. K. Coomaraswamy on the basis of the translation of N. Brown. See Coomaraswamy, The Vedas, Essays in Translation and Exegesis, London, 1976, pp. 69-71.

13.

14. This is a specifically Islamic image, since Islam sees the cardinal sin of man in his forgetfulness (ghaflah) of who he is although he still carries his primordial nature (al-fit.rah) within himself, the man as such to which in fact the Islamic message addresses itself. See Schuon, Understanding Islam, pp. 13-15.

15. The term al-insan al-kamil was first used as a technical term by Ibn ‘Arabı although its reality constitutes the second Shahadah, Muh. ammadun rasulallah, and of course was present from the beginning of the Quranic revelation. After Ibn ‘Arabı the doctrine was presented in a more systematic fashion by ‘Abd al-Karım al-Jılı in his al-Insan al-kamil and also by ‘Azız al-Dın Nasafı in the work bearing the same name. See. T. Burckhardt, De l’homme universel; and M. Molé (ed.), ‘Azizoddin Nasafi, Le Livre de l’homme parfait (Kitab al-insan al-kamil), Tehran-Paris, 1962. A complete translation of the Jılı work is being prepared in English by V. Danner for the Classics ofWestern Spirituality Series being published by the Paulist Press.

16. All traditions teach of the presence of more than one self within us, and we still speak of self-discipline which means that there must be a self which disciplines and another which is disciplined. Coomaraswamy has dealt with this theme in many of his writings, for example, ¸SOn the Indian Traditional Psychology, or Rather Pneumatology,ˇT in Lipsey (ed.), Coomaraswamy 2: Selected Papers, Metaphysics, pp. 333ff.

On the traditional doctrine of the inner man see also V. Danner, ¸SThe Inner and Outer Man,ˇT in Y. Ibish and P. Wilson (eds.), Traditional Modes of Contemplation and Action, Tehran, 1977, pp. 407 ˝ U12.

17. The very fact that one of the species living on earth called man can destroy the natural environment is itself an indication that he is not simply an earthly creature and that his actions possess a cosmic dimension. This only proves, for those whose vision has not become atrophied by the limitations of modern thought, that man is more than a purely biological specimen with a somewhat larger brain than the other primates.

18. Both Jews and Muslims within the Abrahamic family of traditions and Hindus in quite another world believe that the practice of their rites and various aspects of their sacred law uphold the cosmos. In Hinduism the gradual decline of man and his natural environment through a cosmic cycle are explicitly associated with degrees of practice of the Law of Manu. The same correspondence between the practice of rites and the sustenance of the cosmic order is also emphasized in nearly every other tradition ranging from the Egyptian to the American Indian.

19. “Man is either Viceroy or else he is an animal that claims special rights by virtue of its cunning and the devouring efficiency of teeth sharpened by technological instruments, an animal whose time is up. If he is such an animal, then he has no rights-he is no more nor less than meat-and elephants and lions, rabbits and mice must in some dim recess of their being rejoice to see the usurper develop the means of his own total destruction. But if he is Viceroy, then all decay and all trouble in the created world that surrounds him is in some measure to be laid to his count.” Eaton, King of the Castle, p. 123.

20. By this assertion we do not mean that traditional man is only that half-angelic creature of a certain type of Christian piety who is alienated from nature. Traditional man who saw himself as custodian of nature nevertheless buried his dead and did not consider himself a purely natural being, although he lived in complete harmony with nature.

21. See Ibn ‘Arabı, TheWisdom of the Prophets (Fusus al-hikam), trans. from Arabic to French with notes by T. Burckhardt and trans. from French to English by A. Culme-Seymour, pp. 23 and 35; also Ibn al-‘Arabı, Bezels of Wisdom, chap.2.

22. The genesis of man and his prenatal existence in various higher states of existence is expounded in great detail in Jewish esoterism. See L. Schaya, “La genèse de l’homme,” Études Traditionnelles, no. 456-57 (Avril-Septembre 1977): 94-131, where he discusses the birth, descent, loss of original purity, and the regaining of man’s original state according to Jewish sources concluding that, “Né de Dieu, l’être humain est destiné, après ses multiples naissances et morts, à renaiître en Lui, en tant que Lui” (p. 131); and idem, The Universal Meaning of the Kabbalah, pp. 116ff. See also F. Warrain, La Théodicée de la Kabbale, Paris, 1949, pp. 73ff.; and G. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Jerusalem, 1941, lectures 6 and 7.

23. Quran VII; 172. On the significance of this verse see Nasr, Ideals and Realitites of Islam, pp. 41ff.

24. The Divan, trans. H.Wilberforce Clarke, vol. 1, Calcutta, 1891, p. 406.

25. Hermeticism as reflected in alchemical texts contains a most profound anthropology which is now attracting the attention of thoseWestern anthropologists who have realized the inadequacies of the modern science bearing this name and are in search of a science which would deal with the anthropos, not the twolegged animal that modern, secularized man envisages him to be. On the wedding between the soul and the Spirit in alchemy see T. Burckhardt, Alchemy, chap. 17.

26. Sadr al-Dın Shırazı and later Islamic metaphysicians have dealt extensively with eschatological questions centered around the doctrine of the subtle body and its relation with the soul as it is molded by human action to which this hadıth refers. See especially the commentary of Sadr al-Dın Shırazı upon the Us.ul al-kafı of Kulayrı containing the sayings of the Imams and also his commentary upon Suhrawardı’s Hikmat al-ishraq. See Corbin, “Le Thème de la résurrection chez Mollâ Sadrâ Shîrâzî (1050/1640) commentateur de Sohrawardî (587/1191),” in Studies in Mysticism and Religion presented to Gershom G. Scholem, Jerusalem, 1968, pp. 71-115.

27. On the metaphysical interpretation of the popular Indian notion of transmigration see Coomaraswamy, “On the One and Only Transmigrant,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 44, supplement no. 3, and in Lipsey, Coomaraswamy, vol. 2.

28. One must also remember the meaning of “land” in the ancient Icelandic Land-Nama-Bok, which has been compared by Coomaraswamy in certain respects to the Rg-Veda. See his The Rg Veda as Land-Nama-Bok, in his The Vedas-Essays in Translation and Exegesis, pp. 117-59.

The Rg Veda itself (I, 108, 9 and X, 59, 4) refers to the three worlds as “earths.”

Likewise, the Kabbalah speaks of not only the earthly paradise or “upper earth” (Tebel) but also of six other earths of a more fragmentary nature so that there are altogether seven earths as stated by the Zohar and the Sefer Yetsirah. See Schaya, The Universal Meaning of the Kabbalah, pp. 108-9.

29. See Corbin, Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth, trans. N. Pearson, Princeton, 1977, where these doctrines are fully expounded. Corbin even speaks of “geosophy” as a wisdom about the earth and a sacred knowledge of the earth, including the celestial earth totally distinct from what geography or geology is concerned with.

30. Traditional eschatologies, whose complex doctrines cannot be treated here, all assert that only in this life as a human being can one take advantage of the central state into which one is born and pass to the spiritual abode and that there is no guarantee that one will be born into a central state after death unless one has lived according to tradition and in conformity with the DivineWill.

31. The physiology of the “man of light” is developed within Islamic esoterism particularly in the Central Asiatic school associated with the name of Najmal-Dın Kubra. See Corbin, The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism, trans. N. Pearson, Boulder, Colo., and London, 1978; and idem, En Islam iranien, vol. 3. It is also developed fully in the Kabbala (for example, in the Zohar) as well as in the ancient Iranian religions which speak often of the cosmic dimensions of man in terms of light symbolism. See B. T. Anklesaria, Zand- Akasıh, Iranian or Greater Bundahisën, Bombay, 1956; and J. C. Coyajee, Cults and Legends of Ancient Iran and China, Bombay, 1963.

32. The title of one of Suhrawardı’s most famous works is Hayakil al-nur (The Temples of Light). The Arabic work haykal (pl. hayakil) here rendered as temple means also body; the title refers to the symbolism of the body as the temple in which is present the light of God.

33. There are of course exceptions not only in the medieval period in such figures as Dante but also in the later period in the writings of Paracelsus and even during the last century in the poetry ofWilliam Blake.

On the doctrine of the spiritual significance of the body in connection with the “subtle body” see G. R. S. Mead, The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tradition, London, 1919; and of more recent origin, C. W. Leadbeater, Man Visible and Invisible, Wheaton, Ill., 1969; and on a more popular level D. Tanseley, Subtle Body, Essence and Shadow, London, 1977.

34. One hardly need mention how important gesture is in traditional societies and how it is related to sacred symbols which manifest themselves in all facets of traditional civilizations including their art. The mudras in both Hinduism and Buddhism are a perfect example of the central role played by gesture.

On the heart, head, and body of man and their spiritual significance see Schuon, “The Ternary Aspect of the Human Microcosm,” Gnosis, DivineWisdom, pp.93-99.

35. See Schuon, Du Divin à l’humain, pt. 3.

36. The horizontal and vertical dimensions of the cross symbolize the Universal Man who contains all the possibilities of existence, both horizontal and vertical, within himself. See R. Guénon, Symbolism of the Cross.

37. Some interest has been taken in recent years on reviving the traditional doctrines concerning memory. See F. Yates, The Art of Memory, Chicago, 1966.

38. This is a term used first by Corbin in French to distinguish the positive role of the imagination from all the pejorative connotations connected with the word “imaginary.”

In recent years after three centuries of neglect, certain European philosophers and scholars have turned their attention to a serious reappraisal of the traditional teaching concerning the imagination. Among this group one must mention especially G. Durand who

has established a center in Chambéry, France, named “Centre de recherche sur l’Imaginaire” for the study of the world of imagination. See his Les Structures anthropologiques de l’Imaginaire, Paris, 1979;also Corbin, Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabı, trans. R. Manheim, Princeton, 1969. See also R. L. Hart, Unfinished Man and the Imagination, New York, 1968.

39. For modern man the sentiment of fear has come to have only a negative significance as result of the loss of the sense of majesty and grandeur associated with the Divinity. In the traditional context, however, the Biblical saying, repeated by St. Paul and the Prophet of Islam, “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God” (rd’s al-h. ikmah makhafatallah), remains of permanent significance since it corresponds to the nature of things and the most urgent and real needs of man as a being created for immortality.

40. For example, in India while in Tantrism there is reference to the androgynic figure Ardhanarı; in the ´Sivite school the androgynic state is usually represented iconographically by the union of ´Siva and Parvatı who are sometimes fused as one figure half male and half female, in which case ´Siva is known as Ardhan arı´svara.

On the significance of the androgyne and some of the contemporary applications of the meaning of its symbol see E. Zolla, The Androgyne, Fusion of the Sexes, London, 1981; also K. Critchlow, The Soul as Sphere and Androgyne, Ipswich, U.K., 1980.

41. It is not accidental that in so many sacred languages these qualities possess a feminine form such as the Arabic rahmah (“mercy”) and hikmah (“wisdom”).

42. The attempt by modern man to destroy the qualitative differences between the sexes in the name of some kind of egalitarianism is only a consequence of the further elongation of Promethean man from the archetypal reality of the human state and therefore an insensitivity to this precious qualitative difference between the sexes.

43. On the gun. as see Guénon, Man and His Becoming According to the Vedanta, chap. 4.

44. On their relation see Nasr, Islamic Science-An Illustrated Study, pp. 159ff.

45. For the traditional treatment of astrological human types see al-Bırunı Elements of Astrology, trans. W. RamseyWright, London, 1934; Burckhardt, The Mystical Astrology of Ibn ‘Arabı, London, 1977; R. Z. Zoller, The Lost Key to Prediction, New York, 1980; M. Gauguelin, The Cosmic Clocks, London, 1969; and J. A.West and J. G. Toonder, The Case for Astrology, London, 1970.

46. On the metaphysical significance of caste see Schuon, “Principle of Distinction in the Social Order,” in his Language of the Self, pp. 136ff.

47. It is possible for a human being to possess more than one caste characteristic, the most eminent example being of course the prophet-kings of the Abrahamic traditions who possessed both the sacerdotal and knightly natures in the most eminent degree, Melchizedik being the primal example of the union of these natures as well as spiritual and temporal authority.

48. See Schuon, “Understanding and Believing” and “The Human Margin,” in Needleman (ed.), The Sword of Gnosis, pp. 401ff.

49. Quran (XIV; 4-Pickthall translation).

50. We shall deal more extensively with this question in chap. 9.

51. In all traditions the significance of the “face” is emphasized since it bears the direct imprint of the Divine upon the human. In the Quran there are several references to the “face of God” which have become sources of meditation for many Muslim sages. See, for example, H. Corbin, “Face de Dieu et face de l’homme,” Eranos-Jahrbuch 36 (1968): 165-228, which deals mostly with the teachings of Qadı Sa‘ıd Qummı, on the significance of the face of God in relation to the human face and all that determines the humanity of man.

52.

Publisher’s Preface

Some years ago, while I was paying a visit to the Holy Shrine of the eighth Imam, my master, ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’, peace be on him, I asked myself: “Is it possible for me to find favor with my Imams, the guides and rightly-guided ones who have said in their traditions: ‘May Allah have mercy on him who enlivens our affairs,?” So it came to my mind that I had to find a book on the life of the eighth Imam in order to translate it into English.

After I had asked the advice of some professors, I chose the book entitled the Life of Imam al-Ridha’ by Shaykh Ba’qir Sharif al-Qarashi. Then I gave the book to Mr. Ja’sim al-Rasheed in order to translate it into English, and he agreed to this suggestion; I thank him, and praise belongs to Allah.

After an arduous effort and diligent striving, this great book has been translated into English, that it may be an important reference before those who desire to study and to inquire into the lives of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be on them. We ask Allah, the Great and Almighty, to help us enliven more works about the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be on them, and on Tashayyu‘; surely He is powerful over everything.

In the Name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate

“Surely Allah chose Adam and Noah and the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of ‘Umra’n above the nations. Offspring, one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.” Qur’an (3: 33 -34)

“Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House, and to purify you thoroughly.” Qur’an (33: 33)

“Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for my near relatives; and whoever earns good, We give him more of good therein; surely Allah is Forgiving, Grateful.” Qur’an (53:23)

Foreword

by His Eminence, Imam al-Sayyid ‘Abd al-A‘la’ al-Sabzwa’ri, may his blessings lastmay his blessings lastmay his blessings last

In the Name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate,

Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Blessing and peace be on the noblest of His creatures Muhammad and his Household, the good, the pure. The pure Imams, peace be on them, are the mediations of the Holiest Grace, the means of Divine mercy, and the testamentary trustees of Allah, may His name be exalted, on earth. Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, has endowed them with knowledge and cognition through which they set the foundations of the religion and pillars of Shari‘a. The gallant, affectionate, infallible Imam ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’, peace be on him, was unique in being able to affirm Divine knowledge through debating with the leading scientists of religions and followers of false beliefs. He established right and refuted wrong, and his holy words have become the axis of studies and foundation of perfection.

A group of scholars-may Allah, the Exalted, reward them with the best reward-has undertaken the task of collecting, interpreting, and explaining these words. Among those whom Allah, the Most High, has singled out for this great dignity is, Shaykh of traditionalists, the Hujja, Shaykh Ba’qir al-Qarashi, whom Allah, the Exalted, has endowed with His special favor and placed him among those who are guides to the righteous Imams, peace be on them, and explain their words and their characters. May Allah, the Most High, appreciate his efforts and grant him success to exalt the word of the truth and to manifest the reality. Verily, He is All-hearing, and answers to prayers!

Jama’di al Tha’niya 26th, 1412 A. H.

‘Abd al-A‘la’ al-Sabzwa’ri

Dedication

I submit this humble effort to the great position of the pioneer of the intellectual and cognitive renaissance in Islam, the Prophet’s descendant, Imam Ja‘far al-Sa’diq, peace be on him. I have made this research about his grandson Imam ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’, peace be on him, while hoping that he will kindly accept, so it would be a treasure for me on the Day of Resurrection.

The Author

Introduction

1

This is an inquiry into the life of Imam ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’, peace be on him, the eighth Imam from the Household of the Prophet. He is Allah’s light, His gift, and His treasure. He and his fathers, the leaders of Islamic Thought, are in no need of praiser’s praise and describers’ description, for Allah, the Exalted, praised them, took away uncleanness from them, and purified them from deviation. Regarding them He, the Exalted, has said:”

Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness and to purify you people of the House with a thorough purification.”1

He has also imposed love for them on all the children of Islam. Moreover He, the Exalted, has said:

“Say: I demand not of you any reward for it (the toils of preaching) except the love of my relations.”2

Their grandfather the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, associated them to the Qur’an when he said: “I am going to leave among you the thaqalayn. If you cleave to them, you will never go astray after me; one of them is greater than the other that is the Book of Allah which is a cord stretching from the sky to the earth and my offspring from my family. They will never scatter (from each other) until they come to me at the Pool (hawd). Hence, think! How will you treat them after me?”3 Also he, may Allah bless him and his family, regarded them as the life-ships of this community. He has said: “Verily my Household among you are like Noah’s Ark, which whoever embarked was safe, and whoever missed drowned. Verily my Household among you are like the gate of Hitta among the children of Isra’’il, through which whoever entered was forgiven.”4

Al-Ma’mu’n asked ‘Abd Allah b. Matar, who was an eminent thinker and poet at his time: “What is your opinion of the Household (of the Prophet)?” “What shall I say about the clay which was plunged into the water of the Message and planted in the water of the Inspiration? Nothing will spread from it except the musk of guidance and ambergris of piety,” replied ‘Abd Allah with these brilliant words.

These golden words controlled al-Ma’mu’n’s heart, hence he, and in the presence of Imam al-Ridha’, ordered the mouth of ‘Abd Allah to be stuffed with pearls.”5

All the exalted values and genuine principles of which man boasts were in the Imams of the Household (of the prophet), peace be on them, for they were some of their elements and qualities.

2

As for the inclinations and qualities of Imam al-Ridha’, they were like those of his fathers, the great Imams. He freed himself from the world, renounced its beauties, and turned away from its embellishment, dedicated himself to Allah, devoted himself to Him, and clung to obedience to Him. He had knowledge of the precepts of the religion, inclusively encompassed the law of the Lord of the messengers, helped the weak, relieved the deprived, and accomplished the needs of the needy and other qualities which placed him at the top of honor and glory in the world of Arabs and Muslims.

Imam ‘Ali al-Ridha’, peace be on him, possessed these original values in all their forms and kinds, for he completely freed himself from the world and divorced it three times, just as his grandfather Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, did. Hence, he paid no attention to its vanities and embellishment. This clearly appeared when he undertook the succession, which was the greatest office in the Islamic State, hence he was the second character after al-Ma’mu’n.

Nevertheless, he rejected all the seductions of government and authority. He intensely hated the popular festivals and all kinds of honoring and magnifying which the people would hold for their kings and rulers. He announced this when he said: “Man’s waking behind a man is a trial for the followed and abasement for the follower.”6 The narrators have said: “Imam ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’ would go to the bath-house, but the owner of the bath-house did not recognize him. It happened that there was a soldier in the bath-house and the soldier asked the Imam to rub and clean him. The Imam responded to his request. When the soldier came to know of the Imam, he became fearful and terrified. However, the Imam calmed his fear and made him know that he rendered him a human service.”

Among his high moral traits is that he would eat with his boys and retainers. He hated to distinguish himself from them. There are other high moral traits which he inherited from his grandfather, the greatest Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family.

3

The Imams of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be on them, had their own brilliant policy and method in the world of government and policy. They thought that government should be a means for establishing pure justice and truth, spreading love and friendship among men. They though that government should be a means for refreshing peoples, achieving their welfare, security, and prosperity. They thought that government was worthless if it did not achieve these noble aims through which peoples become happy. Listen to what the master of the Household (of the Prophet), Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, when he said to his helper and adviser, ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abba’s to whom he held up his sandals made of fiber and asked him:

“Ibn ‘Abba’s, how much do you value these sandals?”

“They have no value,” Ibn ‘Abba’s retorted.

“By Allah, they are more lovable to me than these affairs of yours but for the fact that I must establish (what is) true and ward off (what is) false,” explained the Imam.

The dictionary of policy has no words greater or more exalted than these words said by Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful and greatest Muslim thinker, peace be on him. Authority has no value unless it establishes fairness and justice, wards off falsehood and tyranny.

This is the path which Allah has chosen for His servants, that they may be righteous, and that they may enjoy a government which stands on neither deception nor misleading nor playing with the fates of the community.

4

Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, appeared on the arena of the political life in Islam, and he was the most brilliant politician in Islamic history. He was steadfast in his political attitudes, so he was not deceived by the bright ways and false hopes of al-Mu’mu’n, the ‘Abba’sid king, when he abdicated the throne and entrusted it to him. This abdication of the throne was not real; nor was it true at all; rather al-Ma’mu’n had decided that in order to achieve his political goals; probably the most important one of these goals is that he wanted to suppress those burning revolts which were about to burn the ‘Abba’sid government and to fold its flag. Among those revolts was that of Abu’ al-Sara’ya’. It is worth mentioning that Abu’ al-Sara’ya’ was an inspired military commander like Abu’ Muslim al-Khurasa’ni, who had overthrown the Umayyad government. Moreover al-Ma’mu’n wanted to conciliate the Iranians and all supporters of the Household (of the Prophet) whom the previous ‘Abba’sid governments had wronged, persecuted, and deprived of their natural rights.

Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, was fully aware of the political reasons which urged al-Ma’mu’n to abdicate the office of the caliphate and to hand it over to him, peace be on him. He, peace be on him, vigorously refused to undertake it. When al-Ma’mu’n was despair of him, he threatened him with death, so the Imam reluctantly responded to him according to the following conditions:

A. He (Imam al-Ridha’) would not command; nor would he prohibit.

B. He would not remove any person from his office.

C. He would not appoint any person in any of the state offices.

These conditions indicate that the Imam was the apparent successor of al-Ma’mu’n, and that the government of al-Ma’mu’n was illegal, for if it had been legal, he would not have mentioned these conditions.

Only few days ago and all the people came to know that the Imam had deep faith and that al-Ma’mu’n had nothing except cunning. They understood that al-Ma’mu’n wanted to achieve his political aims. When al-Ma’mu’n had achieved his goals, he assassinated the Imam, for he was unable to remove him from the office of regency. We will explain this matter in the chapters that follow.

5

Among the aims of this book is to give proof of the Imam’s abundant knowledge of philosophy, theology, medicine, jurisprudence, and so on. This can be indicated objectively through his debates with the great philosophers and scholars from different countries and cities. It is worth mentioning that al-Ma’mu’n had asked them to come to Khurasa’n in order to examine the Imam. He held a private and secret meeting with them and promised to give them a lot of money if they could silence the Imam with their arguments and render him incapable of answering them, that he might use this incapability as a means for slandering and defaming the Shi‘ites who believed that the Imams of the Household (of the Prophet), peace be on them, were the most knowledgeable of the community, and that Allah endowed them knowledge and excellencies just as He had endowed His prophets and His testamentary trustees.

The scholars responded to al-Ma’mu’n’s summons and asked the Imam about the vaguest and most difficult matters. The historians have said: “The scholars asked Imam ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’ more than twenty thousand questions about various matters, and he skillfully answered them. Then they admired his abundant knowledge and most of them believed in his Imamate.” As a result al-Ma’mu’n was forced to prevent the scholars and others from meeting the Imam. Meanwhile he kept him under intense observation lest the people should admire him.

It is worth mentioning that these debates were recorded by some of the Imam’s students, but we have not found them yet. Perhaps they are part of the manuscripts which Arab and Islamic world has lost.

Anyhow, the Shi‘ite historians have reported a small group of these debates which are of great importance. For they, though few in number, show the Imam’s abundant and scientific wealth, and they indicate that he was a unique thinker and scholar in the world of Islam.

6

Some books of Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, have been reported and mentioned in the books of some historians and biographers such as Ibn al-Nadim, al-Tu’si, and others. They are as follows:

A. Tibb (Dissertation) of Imam al-Ridha’

It is a great, medical account which the Imam wrote according to al-Ma’mu’n’s request and is called al-Risa’la al-Dhahabiya (the Golden Dissertation). It contains the Imam’s health programs on foods which improves man’s body and protects it from maladies. It also contains his general prescriptions such as refraining from eating too much food which gives rise to high blood pressure, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and other dangerous diseases. It is certain that if one puts into practice the Imam’s prescriptions, he will need no medicine.

As this dissertation is of great importance, some meritorious people have explained it according to modern medicine. Among them is Dr. al-Sayyid Sa’hib Zayni.

B. Imam al-Ridha’’s Musnad

It contains some traditions which the Imam, peace be on him, has reported from his grandfather, the greatest Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. It was printed in Cairo. ‘Alla’ma ‘Abd al-Wa’si’ b. Yahya’ al-Wa’simi printed and commented on it.

C. Jawa’m‘ al-Shri‘a

It contains outstanding, religious precepts and mother, juristic problems. Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, dictated it to al-Fadal b. Sahl, the prime minister of al-Ma’mu’n. That was according to al-Ma’mu’n’s request. This dissertation has been mentioned in Tuhaf al-‘Uqu’l and other Shi‘ite books. We have reported it from them and mentioned it in the book. These books are part of the Imam’s scientific wealth.

As for the jurisprudence of Imam al-Ridha’, we have indicated that it is not among his works; rather it belongs to other than him and is ascribed to him.

Anyhow, the narrators have reported from the Imam a large group of outstanding precepts and moral teachings. Islam wants its followers to adopt such precepts and teachings, that they may develop their life.

7

This book includes biographies of some great scholars and narrators who studied under the Imam, peace be on him, narrated his traditions and his wise sayings, and wrote books about them. It is certain that mentioning such biographies will enhance the research about the Imam’s life, for it shows that the scholars in that time took great care of taking knowledge and sciences from the Imam. The narrators and historians have unanimously agreed that the Imam was a unique Muslim thinker, and that he derived his own knowledge from that of his pure fore-fathers, peace be on them, who were the guardians of the knowledge of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and inheritors of his wise sayings.

8

This book contains an inquiry into the time of Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, for such a time was full of economic, scientific, social, political, and other events which had great effects on the life of the people.

Mentioning such events is necessary for every researcher. It is worth mentioning that psychology and sociology have established that events in every time have direct effects on man’s life and intellect.

The time of the Imam was full of important events of which is that Ha’ru’n al-Rashid created a conflict between his two sons al-Amin and al-Ma’mu’n. This conflict resulted in destroying Baghdad, the most beautiful capital in the Middle East, and murdering a large group of people. Another example of these events is the revolt of the inspired leader, Abu’ al-Sara’ya’, and other great revolts which were about to destroy the ‘Abba’sid government and to fold its standard.

Yet another example of the events in that time was the matter of creating the Qur’an. It was a hidden or neglected theological problem, but it was al-Ma’mu’n who moved it and it led to shedding blood without any right, spreading disorders and discords among the Muslims.

However, through his political cleverness, al-Ma’mu’n could overcame all those events he faced. Then he forced Imam al-Ridha’ the hope of the Muslim community, peace be on him to accept the succession after him and made the people busy thinking of this great event. Accordingly, he was able to suppress all those revolts against him.

9

We have deeply and inclusively probed into the characters of the ‘Abba’sid kings with whom Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, coincided. As a result we have concluded that their characters are similar to those of the Umayyads, who spent the property of Allah on themselves and enslaved His servants. After this serious research on their characters, we have come to know that they did not perform any good deed; nor did they pay attention to the interests of the Muslims. Rather, they were absorbed in satisfying their pleasures and desires. They spent on their red nights in Baghdad millions of the funds of the Muslims. They enriched singers, abusers, and the dissolutel; meanwhile they subjected the people to poverty and unhappiness.

Moreover, they ordered the innocent to be whipped, imprisoned, and killed by sword; at the head of those innocent were the ‘Alawide Sayyids who demanded nothing except establishing social justice. They ordered their tax collectors to show rudeness and brutality toward farmers, craftsmen, and manufacturers. As a result the tax collectors destroyed the people’s bodies by whip and went too far in wronging the people.

10

As for inquiring into Islamic history, it must be objective, honest, far from doctrinal and traditional trends, for this history has many subjects which have hidden the truth and concealed realities, so it is incumbent on (us) to spend more efforts in order to distinguish the right from the wrong and the true from the false. An example of these subjects is that noble attributes and great titles were given to the Umayyad and the ‘Abba’sid kings; they were given the titles as Allah’s vicegerents on earth, while this noble title represents fairness, justice, and law. I (the author) seek refuge in Allah from such titles which were given to persons like Yazid, Marwa’n, al-Walid, and other ‘Abba’sid kings who turned the life of the people into an unbearable inferno.

Some historians and authors think that the measure of one’s highness and great position is his sitting on the throne of government and his seizing the reins of general authority over a country. This is incorrect; the measure of one’s exaltedness in Islamic viewpoint is the services which he renders to his community in the fields of economy, culture, security, and prosperity. If Muslim historians and authors deprive kings of these titles and give them to those who render great services to the community, then they will render great service to Islamic history, for the orientalists and others who harbor malice against Islam have criticized Islam because of such kings who acted in a manner different from Islamic justice and fairness. They think that these kings represent Islam in their conducts and works. If those who criticize Islam probe into Islamic precepts, they will find them noble, creative, comply with justice and nature, have nothing—praise belongs to Allah—which complies with injustice. Rather they will find that Islamic precepts oppose injustice, and that the irregular behavior of some Muslim kings does not represent Islam.

11

This is not the first book to be written about the life of Imam ‘Ali b. Musa’ al-Ridha’, peace be on him. Rather many books have been written on his life in Arabic and other than it, and the most important of them is al-Sayyid Ja‘far Murtada’s the Life of Imam al-Ridha’, peace be on him, for this book is rich in information.

It is worth mentioning that all the books written on the personality of this great Imam have not encompassed its realities yet. This a far-fetched hope, for the Imam, peace be on him, had boundless intellectual wealth like that of the leading Imams, peace be on them, who were guardians of righteousness, and inheritors of the knowledge of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family.

12

Before I end this introduction to the book, I would like to thank His Eminence, our great professor, the Hujjah of Islam and Muslims, Shaykh Husayn al-Khalifa for his care, favor, and help with printing some of my books; I would particularly like to thank His Eminence al-Hujjah, the great ‘Alla’ma, my brother, Ha’di Sharif al-Qarashi for the creative efforts he rendered to me, his valuable notes on the book, his checking some of the books I made use of, and his encouraging me to serve the members of the House (Ahl al-Bayt), peace be on. I ask Allah, the Exalted, to reward him just as He rewards the righteous from among His servants. Verily He is the Supporter of purpose and success.

Holy Najaf,

Shawwa’l 14th, 1411 A. H.

Ba’qir Sharif al-Qarashi

Notes

1. Qur’an, 33, 22.

2. Ibid., 41, 23.

3. Al-Tirmidhi, Sahih, vol. 2, p. 308. Asad al-Gha’ba, vol. 2, p. 12.

4. Majjma‘ al-Zawa’’id, vol. 9, p. 68. Al-Hlya, vol. 4, p. 306. Ta’rikh Baghdad, vol. 2, p. 19.

5. Al-Majjlisi, Biha’r al-Anwa’r, vol. 12, p. 71.

6. Al-Ya‘qu’bi, Ta’rikh.