Imam Al-Rida's Qualities
- Updated On Sunday, 17 May 2015
- Written by Allamah Qurashi
- Editor Fatimah Graham
- Supervisor Sayyed Roohullah Musavi
- Published on Sunday, 17 May 2015
- Hits: 600 views
- Hits: How did Imam al-Rida attain the highest level of morals and noble characteristics?
Every noble characteristic was present in Imam al-Rida. Allah had endowed him with every outstanding quality, in the same way that He had endowed his great forefathers with them. The Imam's Unique Noble Traits With respect to his noble traits, Ibrahim b. al-Abbas stated: "I have never seen, nor have I ever heard, of a person more exemplary than Abu al-Hasan al-Rida, peace be upon him. He never turned away from anyone, nor did he interrupt anyone, nor refuse to carry out a favor for anyone that he was able to do, nor did he ever stretch out his legs in company, nor lean upon anything while his companion did not, nor did he ever refer to any of his servants or attendants in a negative manner, nor ever spit or burst into laughter; instead, his laughter was merely a smile. When he was ready to eat, he seated all his attendants, including the doorman and the groom with him. He slept little at night and spent most of the night praying or reciting the Qur'an. He donated a great deal to charity, mostly in the dark of the night." 1 Another example of his righteousness is that when he accepted regency, the most exalted office in an Islamic state, he did not order any of his supporters or servants to carry out his many affairs; instead, he carried them out himself. Narrators have stated that: "When he needed to bathe, he hated ordering anyone to prepare the bath for him, so he went to the public bath-house in the city. The owner of the bath-house was surprised that the deputy (of al-Ma'mun) would visit a public bath-house and wash in it. He presumed that kings would bathe in their own homes. When the Imam entered the bath-house, there was a soldier already there. The soldier ordered the Imam to pour water on his head, and the Imam did so. Then a man who recognized the Imam entered the bath-house and scolded the soldier, declaring: "You have ruined yourself! Why have you ordered the son of the daughter of Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, to serve you in this way?" The soldier was extremely embarrassed. He kissed the Imam's feet and apologized, saying: "O Son of Allah's Messenger, why did you obey me when I ordered you?" The Imam smiled at him and said to him gently: "This was a reward. I did not want to disobey you with my reward."2 Another example of his exalted morals was that when he was ready to eat, he always invited his servants, groom and doorman to eat with him.3 It was in this manner that he taught them that there was no color discrimination among men, and that they were all equal. Ibrahim b. al-Abbas has said: "I heard "Ali b. Musa al-Rida saying: "I would emancipate my slaves one by one until I emancipated each and everyone of them as I do not see myself as better than he (and he pointed to a black slave of his who remained in his service) on account of my kinship to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, unless I carry out a good deed, which would render me better."4 A man said to him: "By Allah, no person on the face of earth has a more noble father than you." He, peace be on him, said: "Reverential fear made them noble, and obedience to Allah preserved them." Another person said to him: "By Allah, you are the most meritorious of the people." The Imam answered him, saying: "Do not exaggerate; he who fears Allah and obeys Him is better than me. By Allah this verse has not been abrogated: 'O men! Surely we have created you of a male and female, and made you nations and tribes that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the most Allah-fearing of you; surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.'"5 His Renunciation of the World Renouncement of the world was one of Imam al-Rida's, peace be on him, most outstanding qualities. Narrators have unanimously agreed that when he became the heir apparent (of al-Ma'mun), he paid no attention to any of the aspects of authority and gestures of grandeur shown toward kings. Muhammed b. Abbad tells us about the Imam's ascetic conduct, saying: "Al-Rida used to sit on a leaf mat during the summer and on a straw sack during the winter; he used to put on coarse clothes, but when he went out to meet the public, he put on his very best." 6 His Generosity There was nothing the Imam loved more than administering kindnesses to men and women, and especially to the poor. Historians have mentioned numerous instances of his generosity. The following are a few examples: 1. When the Imam was in Khurasan, he donated everything he had to the poor on the Day of Arafa. Al-Fadl b. Sahl criticized him for this, saying: "Surely, this is a loss!" "Rather it is a profit," the Imam answered, "You do no damage when you donate something out of generosity."7 2. A man came to the Imam, greeted him, and said to him: "I am one of those who love you and your fathers. I have returned from Hajj. My money is all finished and I have nothing left with which to travel and request that you send me back to my homeland. When I arrive there, I will give what you have given to me as alms to the poor on your behalf." The Imam said to the man: "Sit down, may Allah have mercy on you." Then he turned to the people and spoke to them until they had all left except Sulayman al-Ja'fari and Herthama. The Imam excused himself and entered the house. A while later, he came out, closed the door behind him, and said: "Where is al-Khurasani?" Al-Khurasani stood up respectfully. The Imam, peace be upon him, said to him: "Take this two hundred dinars, spend it as you need, and do not give it to the poor as alms on my behalf." The man left full of happiness, because the blessing of the Imam had included him. Then Sulayman al-Ja'fari turned to the Imam: "With respect, you gave to the man a lot of money and had mercy on him, but why did you cover your face from him?" He, peace be on him, replied: "I did that less I should see the abasement of begging on his face as a result of me fulfilling his need. Have you not heard the tradition of Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family: 'He who secretly does a good deed is like him who performs the Hajj seventy times; and he who openly performs an evil deed is abandoned.' Have you not heard the statement of the poet: 'When I someday come to him in order to seek my need, I return home without losing face.'"8 His Hospitality The Imam, peace be upon him, entertained guests and was a generous host, even serving them himself. One day someone visited him late at night. When the light of the lamp started to dim, the guest hurried to set it right, but the Imam managed to get there before him and see to it himself. He turned to his guest saying: "We are the people who do not employ their guests."9 His Freeing of Slaves One of the most admirable qualities of Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, was that he released slaves and freed them from slavery. Narrators have stated that: "He (Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him) released one thousand slaves.10 His Kindness to Slaves The Imam, peace be upon him, was extremely kind and beneficent toward slaves. Abd Allah b. al-Salt, on the authority of a man from the people of Balakh, related: "I was with Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, during his journey to Khurasan. One day he called for food and then invited both his black and non-black servants to eat with him. I asked: 'With respect, could the servants not eat separately?' He reproached me saying: 'The Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, is One, the mother is one, and reward will be according to deeds.'"11 Surely, the behavior of the Imams of the Household (of the Prophet), peace be upon them, served as a good example for abolishing color discrimination among men and to show that they belonged to one mosque, with nothing discriminating one person from the next, except reverential fear and good deeds. His Knowledge Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, thoroughly embraced all branches of science and knowledge. Historians and narrators have unanimously agreed that he was the most knowledgable of the people of his time, the most admirable, and the most learned in the tenets of religion and other sciences such as philosophy and medicine. Discussing the Imam's abundant knowledge, Abd al-Salam al-Harawi said: "I have never seen a person more knowledgeable than Ali b. Musa al-Rida. When a religious scholar sees him, he bears witness for him (as being the most knowledgeable) as I do." Al-Ma'mun assembled together a number of religious scholars, specialists in Islamic law, and theologians. The imam overwhelmed them so much that they acknowledged his excellence (over them) and confessed their weaknesses before him. His Extensive Linguistic Knowledge Another example of the Imam as the most knowledgable person is that he was fluent in every language. Abu Ismail al-Sindi reported: "When I was in India, I heard that Allah had an Arab representative, so I went to seek him out. I was guided to al-Rida (peace be upon him). As I could not speak Arabic, I greeted him in Sindi, and he returned my greeting in my own language. I questioned him in Sindi, and he answered me in it. I said: 'I have heard that Allah has an Arab representative, and I have come here to seek him.' He, peace be upon him, replied: 'That is I; ask (me) about whatever you desire.' I put my questions to him, and he (peace be upon him) answered them in my own language."12 Abu al-Salt al-Hurawi explained: "Al-Rida, peace be on him, spoke to people in their own language. I asked him about this and he replied: 'O Abu al-Salt, I am Allah's representative for His creatures. Allah does not appoint a representative among a people who does not speak their language. Have you not heard the words of the Commander of the faithful: "We have been given sound judgment. Is this not his knowledge of languages?"'"13 Yasir al-Khadim (the retainer) narrated: "Abu al-Hasan (al-Rida), peace be upon him, had Byzantines and Slavs in his house. He overheard them speaking in Slavic and Romanian, saying: 'We are visited in our homeland every year, but we are not visited here.' The following morning he (al-Rida) sent someone to visit them."14 Shaykh Muhammed b. al-Hasan described this quality in verse: "And his knowledge of all languages is the clearest miracle and sign."15 His Acts of Worship and Reverential Fear One of the most notable qualities of Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, was his devotion to Allah, the Exalted, and his loyalty to Him. One of his companions explained: "When I saw him (al-Rida), I related the words of Him, the Exalted: 'They used to sleep but little in the night.'" Of all the people of his time, the Imam, peace be upon him, feared Allah the most, and out of everyone, was also the most obedient to Allah, the Most High. Al-Ma'mun sent Raja b. Abu al-Dahhak to Medina to bring the Imam to Khurasan. He accompanied him on the road from Medina to Maru and reported the following regarding the Imam's acts of worship: "By Allah, I have never seen a man more (earnest) than him in seeking protection in Allah (the Great and Almighty), mentioning Him at all his times, and fearing Him...He would say (the following) in his personal prayer: "O Allah, bless Muhammed and the Household of Muhammed. O Allah, guide us through him whom You guided, make us well through him whom You made well, attend to us through him to whom You attend, bless us with that which You have given, protect us from the evil of what You have decreed, for You decree and none decrees against You. Verily he whom You befriend is not lowly, and he toward whom You show enmity is not exalted, blessed are You and highly exalted!"16 Love for Allah dominated the Imam's heart, thoughts and feelings, so much so that it became one of his qualities. His Demeanor As for the demeanor of Imam Abu al-Hasan (al-Rida), faces were humbled in fear of it, for it was similar to that of the prophets and the appointed trustees (of authority) whom Allah clothed in His light. All who saw him respected him. An example of how his demeanor affected people was that when he sat with others or rode with them, they were unable to raise their voices, due to his special demeanor.17 It has been reported that: "When he (i.e. Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him) came to al-Ma'mun, the chamberlains and servants hurried to raise the curtain for him. When they heard that Al-Ma'mun wanted to pledge allegiance to him, they said to each other that if he (the Imam) came, they would not honor or praise him as would be expected. When the Imam arrived his demeanor so moved them that they honored him as they should. Then they began to blame one another for their actions and swore (by Allah) that if he returned that this time they would not honor him. When the Imam, peace be upon him, returned the following day, they stood up for him and greeted him, but failed to raise the curtain for him. But, a gust of wind raised it for him. When he wanted to leave, the wind raised the curtain again for him. As a result of this they said to each other: 'Surely this man is of great importance and Allah takes care of him, so return to serving him.'"18 His Love of the Holy Qur'an Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, was the companion of the Qur'an; he was always reciting it, he carefully considered its verses, and found in reciting it a unique pleasure in the world. Narrators report that: "All of his speech was directly affected by the Qur'an, and his answers and examples derived from it."19 He was so fond of the Qur'an that he completed (reading) it every three days, and he said: 'If I wanted to complete (reading) it in less than three days, I could do, but, when I arrive at a verse, I reflect on its meaning, concerning which thing and at what time it was revealed. For this reason I complete (reading) the Qur'an every three days.'20 This means that most of the time he was busy reciting the Holy Qur'an, and absorbed in interpreting it and the causes of the revelation of its verses. Historians have stated that: "He (Imam al-Rida) recited much of the Qur'an in his bed at night. When he reached a verse in which the Garden and the Fire were mentioned, he wept, asked Allah for the Garden, and sought refuge in Him from the Fire."21 ------------------------------- References: 1 Hayat al-Imam al-Jawad, p.37. 2 Nur al-Abbsar, p. 138. 3.Uyyun al-Tawarikh (photographed), vol.3, p.227. 4 Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.12, p.28. 5 Ibid. 6 Uyyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol.2, p.178. Al-Manaqib, vol.4, p.361. 7 Ibid., p.40. 8 Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.12, p.28. 9 Ibid., p.18. 10 Al-Ithaf bi Hub al-Ashraf, p.58. 11 Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.12, p.18. 12 Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.12, p.15. 13 Al-Manaqib, vol.4, p.333. 14 Ibid. 15 Nazhat al-Jalïs, vol.2, p.107. 16 Al-Bihar, vol.12, pp.26-27. 17 Hayat al-Imam al-Jawad. 18 Akhbar al-Diwal, p.114. Jawhart al-Kalam, p.145. Al-Ithaf bi Hub al-Ashraf, p.58. 19 Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol.2, p.180. 20 Ibid., p. 180. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.12, p.23. 21 Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol.2, p.180.