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Imam Hadi (PBUH)
We begin this
article with a precious statement from Imam Hadi (AS), who was born in
Medina in the year 212 AH:
“You are
never immune from the evil of the one who attaches no value to himself
or herself.”
What a
wonderful saying from the Imam who was a boy of seven years when he was
orphaned when the evil Abbasid Caliph, Mu’tasem martyred through
poisoning his Illustrious Father, Imam Mohammad Taqi (AS) in Baghdad. It
was the will of God that the boy should be entrusted with the divinely
ordained leadership of the Ummah in the manner of Prophet Jesus (peace
upon him), who as the Holy Qur’an says proclaimed his mission from the
cradle. For the next 34 years he ably discharged his duties despite the
political and social hurdles thrown in his way by evil persons who
attach no value to their own miserable lives as well. Imam Hadi (AS)
also known as an-Naqi or the Pure for his spotless character, strove to
make clear to the Muslim masses the genuine principles of Islam and at
the same time to unmask the deviated policies of the usurper regime. He
spared no efforts, through use of logic and rational reasoning, to
correct the thoughts of the scholars and philosophers who had erred in
being influenced by dangerous and divisive doctrines. He actually
strengthened the scientific and cultural foundations of the Islamic
society and in doing so, built an elaborate foolproof system of wikala
or representation that would greatly benefit Muslims during the minor
occultation of his Grandson, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his
reappearance to rid the earth of all oppression and exploitation and
fill it with the global government of peace and justice).
In Medina,
despite the harassment of the authorities the faithful would never cease
to come to Imam Hadi (AS) to benefit from his God-given knowledge. When
the tyrant Mutawakkel became the caliph, he increased pressures on the
Prophet’s 10th infallible successor. Several times he ordered
his agents in Medina to search the house of the Imam for money and
weapons which he alleged was being collected in order to launch uprising
against Abbasid rule. He couldn’t find anything despite his feverish
efforts to link the revolts that frequently erupted from Egypt and Yemen
to Qom, Kufa and Khorasan against the regime. Yahya bin Harsamah the
caliph’s Agent in Medina says after one futile instance of searching the
house of the 10th Imam: I found nothing in the house except
for the holy Quran and scientific books. This was proof the Imam’s great
position to me since I had heard that he was the most pious and honest
of persons but I had not met him personally. He was completely detached
from the material world and was a picture of spiritual glory, a fact
that fascinated me more. For this reason when the Imam was forced to
leave Medina for Iraq, I decided to accompany him as a sing of respect
for him.
In those
critical days when the tyrant Mutawakkel had destroyed the shrine of the
Prophet’s grandson Imam Hussein (AS) in Karbala and had issued orders in
Egypt that no descendant of the Prophet should ever be permitted to ride
a horse, the enthusiasm with which the people received Imam Hadi (AS) in
Baghdad was a slap in the face of the caliph. The same warm reception
awaited the Imam when he arrived in Samarra the new Abbasid capital.
This was against the expectations and imagination of Mutawakkel among
whose tyrannical orders were the instructions to the judges to always
issue the verdict against the descendants of the Prophet if any case
concerning was presented to the law courts. Here in Samarra, he thought
he would create a gap between the Imam and the Ummah by keeping Imam
Hadi (AS) under virtual house arrest. Although, the cultural and other
related activities that were the regular occurrences in Medina for the
progress of the Islamic society, were curtailed in the Abbasid capital,
the people’s attention was never distracted. From places as far apart as
North Africa in the west and Khorasan in the east, the faithful would
come to visit the Prophet’s rightful successor even at the risk of
dangers to their life. It was obvious that the caliph’s plot against the
Imam had miserably failed.
However,
Mutawakkel never left any stone unturned to try to undermine the
brilliant personality of Imam Hadi (AS). One day he called the Imam to
the court and insisted that he recite a piece of poem. At first the Imam
asked to be excused but when pressures increased, the Imam boldly
spelled out in eloquent verse the fate of oppressive rulers. The meaning
of the one of these poems reads: "They adopted high mounts as
palaces for themselves and placed armed men to guard them. But none of
these measures could save them from death. What long years they spent in
building their palaces in the hope of averting disasters. However, death
made them leave their palaces. With the passage of time many palaces
were razed to the ground.,
The eloquent
words of Imam Hadi (AS) penetrated deep into the hearts of the courtiers
to the extent that Mutawakkel had no other choice but to let the Imam
depart in peace and respect. The truth of the words of the Imam is
evident today when let alone the palaces that have long vanished in
Baghdad and Samarra, there is not even any trace of the graves and
tombstones of the tyrannical caliphs. In contrast their victims
including Imam Hadi repose in eternal peace and rule the hearts of
people all over the world from the capitals of their erstwhile captors.
The sprawling golden domed mausoleum of Imam Hadi (AS) towers
majestically over the skyline of Samarra with people flocking to glorify
God Almighty and supplicate for boons for the sake of the Prophet’s
infallible successors. The words of Imam Hadi (AS) like those of his
illustrious ancestors remain eternally wise today, passing through
generations providing food for thought. One of these perfect pieces of
advice from the 10th Imam, who was martyred in 254 AH at the
age of 42 years by Mutawakkel’s son and successor, Mo’taz, says:
Selfishness leads to annihilation.
He also said:
"In compensation of the trials and hardships of the world God will
shower rewards in the Hereafter."
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