In the fight between Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) and those caliphs ruling during his time; the one who became outwardly and inwardly victorious was Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.). During the Imamate of that noble Imam (P.B.U.H.) six caliphs came one after the other and then went to Hell. The last of those caliphs was Mu‘taz who martyred that noble Imam (P.B.U.H.) and he himself died shortly after. These caliphs usually died a humiliating death, one was killed by his son, another by his nephew, and the Abbasids was eradicated in the same manner, contrary to the Shi‘ites.
During the time of Imam Hādī and Imam ‘Askarī (P.B.U.T.), and under those severe hardships, the Shi‘ites were able to thrive and become stronger day by day.
Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) was forty-two years old, twenty years of which he lived in Sāmirrā. He had a farm there and he worked and lived in that city. Sāmirrā, was in fact like a garrison and was built by Mu‘taṣim so as the Turkish retainers who had been brought from Turkistān, Samarqand, and from the region of Mongolia and Eastern Asia to be kept in Sāmirrā and not to be confused with our own Turks–that is, the Turks of Azerbaijan and other places. Having been newly converted to Islam, this group did not know the Imams (P.B.U.T.) and the believers and did not know anything about Islam. For this reason they used to make trouble for the people and had some disagreement with the Arabs–the people of Baghdad. In the city of Sāmirrā, a considerable number of Shi‘ite dignitaries in the time of Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) gathered together and Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) was able to guide these recently converted Muslims and it was through these people that he was able to spread the message of the Imamate throughout the Muslim world–by way of correspondence and so on. This small number of Shi‘ites was able to spread the message of Islam in Qum, Khurāsān, Rey, Medina, Yemen, and other faraway places and all regions of the world and were able to increase the number of people who believed in this school of thought day by day. Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) was able to do all these under the shining, sharpened, and blood shedding swords of the same six caliphs, and the Imam (P.B.U.H.) did all this in spite of them. There is a famous narration about the death of Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.), from whose sentences it can be understood that a considerable number of Shi‘ite in the city of Sāmirrā were brought together in such a way that even the caliphate system did not know them, because if they had come to be known, the caliph would have killed them. However, since these few had created a very strong network so the caliphate was not able to have access to them.
One day of jihād of these noble men–the Imams (P.B.U.T.)–had the impact of so many years. One day of their blessed lives had an effect on society like a community working for years. These noble men preserved the religion of Islam this way; otherwise, it would have turned into a religion whose chief was a person like Mutawakkil, Mu‘taz, Mu‘taṣim or Ma’mūn and whose scholars were people like Yaḥyā b. Aktham, even though they were scholars in the caliph’s government, they were themselves infamously ranked as number one overt evil-doers and impious; must not stay; they should have been done away with during the very same days, everything would have been over. This struggle and effort of the Imams (P.B.U.T.) not only preserved Shi‘ism, but also the Qur’ān, Islam, and religious science. That is the nature of pure and sincere servants and friends of Allah. If Islam did not have persevering human beings who were always ready to strive, it could not have revived after one thousand and two hundred or three hundred years and the Islamic awakening could not have happened; it could have slowly been annihilated. If Islam did not have the people to institutionalize this tremendous thought in human history mindset and in the history of Islam after the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), it must have been annihilated; it would have ended and nothing of it would remain at all. Even if it would have remained, nothing of doctrinal knowledge (ma‘ārif) would have remained; like Christianity and Judaism of which nowadays almost nothing of its original ma‘ārif has remained. For the Qur’ān to remain intact, for the traditions of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) to survive and all the practical laws and ma‘ārif to survive and Islamic knowledge to prove itself after a thousand years at the top of human knowledge was not a natural task. It was an unnatural task accomplished through struggle. Of course, in the way of this endeavor there were physical assault, imprisonment, and being killed, which were considered by these great men as nothing.
There is a narration about Imam Hādī’s (P.B.U.H.) childhood stating that, when Mu‘taṣim in the year 218 A.H. brought Imam Jawād (P.B.U.H.) from Medina to Baghdad two years before his martyrdom, Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.), who was six years old at that time, stayed in Medina with his family. After Imam Jawād (P.B.U.H.) was brought to Baghdad, Mu‘taṣim asked about his family, and when he heard that the eldest son of Imam Jawād–‘Alī b. Muḥammad–(P.B.U.H.) was six years old he (Mu‘taṣim) said, “He is very dangerous and we must think of how to deal with him.” Mu‘taṣim delegated someone to go from Baghdad to Medina to find someone who was an enemy of the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.) and put Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) in his custody to act as a teacher of Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) and teach him how to become the enemy of his own family and to bring him up according to the perspectives of caliphate. This person came from Baghdad to Medina and found one of the scholars of Medina known as al-Junaidī, who was among the toughest proponents and the most formidable enemies of the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.)–in those days there was scholars like this in Medina–and said to him, “I have an assignment to make you the teacher and trainer of this child so that you do not allow anyone to associate with him and to bring him up the way we want. The name of this person–Al-Junaidī–is recorded in history. Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.)–as I said–was also six years old at that time and the command was the command of the government. Who could oppose it?
After some time one of the members of the caliphate saw Al-Junaidī and asked him about the child who was in his custody. Al-Junaidī said, “Child? Is this a child? When I explain a problem to him about morals, he explains many chapters about morals from which I benefit. Where did these [Imams (P.B.U.T.)] study?! At times when he wants to enter the room, I would say, ‘Recite one chapter from the Holy Qur’ān then enter’–wanting to pester him. He asks me, ‘Which chapter should I recite?’ Then I say, ‘A big chapter like Āl-i ‘Imrān’. He recites it and explains the difficult parts of it to me. They are scholars, memorizers of the Qur’ān and scholars of the interpretation and exegesis of the Qur’ān; Child?!” The relationship of this child–who is apparently a child but actually a Friend of Allah,
﴿وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا﴾
[And we gave him the judgment while still a child], continued with this instructor and the instructor became one of the sincere Shi‘as of the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.):
“شد غلامى كه آب جو آرد آب جوى آمد و غلام بِبُرد.”
He became a servant to bring water from the stream
The water of the stream came and took the servant.
Victory was with them in all fields and they were never defeated at any point. Di‘bil, who was against all the Abbasid caliphs and had brought them to their knees, left behind recorded documents of their cruelty in history for each of them. He has a few couplets of poetry about Mu‘taṣim in which he said we had read in books that Abbasids included seven caliphs and now they are saying that there are eight caliphs. Where is eighth one? He is like the Companions of the Cave. Their eighth one was their dog! Then he says: “What a difference there is between you and that dog? That dog did not have any sins before Allah and you are sinful from head to toe.”
2004/20/04
They brought the Imam (P.B.U.H.) from Medina to Sāmirrā in order to keep him under their closest supervision but they found out that it is of no use. If you take notice of the conditions of these three Imams (P.B.U.T.) in Manāqib and other sources you will realize that during the time of these great Imams (P.B.U.T.) the Shi‘ite communication network was more extensive than those of the time of Imam Bāqir (P.B.U.H.) and Imam Ṣādiq (P.B.U.H.). From around the world letters and money were sent and also commands were received (from the Imams (P.B.U.T.)) even though they were under restrictions. Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) came to be loved by the people in Sāmirrā. All of them respected him and there was no humiliation from these people. At the time of the deaths of Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.) and also Imam ‘Askarī (P.B.U.H.) the whole city became mournful. It was here that the rulers became aware that there is a mystery, they must uncover and resolve it. The rulers realized the notion of “sacredness”. Mutawakkil drew the Imam (P.B.U.H.) to a wine drinking assembly so that the news would spread around that ‘Alī b. Muḥammad was Mutawakkil’s guest, the setting was arranged for wine drinking and debauchery in this assembly! You see what impact this news would have had.
The Imam (P.B.U.H.) looked at the event with the insight of a combative person and withstood this conspiracy. The Imam (P.B.U.H.) went to Mutawakkil’s palace and turned this wine drinking assembly into spiritual assembly. Meaning that by telling truths and reciting condemning poems, the Imam (P.B.U.H.) defeated Mutawakkil in such a way that at the end of his talk Mutawakkil stood up, brought ghāliyeh to the Imam (P.B.U.H.) and saw him off with respect. The Imam (P.B.U.H.) told him, “You imagine that death will not clutch on you as you are sitting here?” He went on to tell him of the stages of death until the point when the worms that would attack Mutawakkil. His holiness totally changed the atmosphere of that assembly and left the court. In a battle whose initiator was the ill-tempered and powerful caliph and on the other side was a defenseless youth, who appeared to be weaker, initiated a psychological battle; a battle in which swords and arrows were of no use. If we were in his place we would have not been able to do this. It is the Imam (P.B.U.H.) who can analyze the situation and speak in such a way that he will not anger the caliph. It was possible, for example, that the Imam (P.B.U.H.) could have stood up and thrown all the cups containing alcoholic drinks onto the floor. This was not a good reaction and no good result would have come out of it; however, the Imam (P.B.U.H.) rather acted in a different manner, and this dimension of the matter is very important.
We must pay attention to this point in the lives of the Imams (P.B.U.T.) that these noble men were always struggling; a struggle whose spirit was political because the person in power also claimed to be religious and would observe the external aspects of religion. He sometimes accepted the views of the Imam (P.B.U.H.) about religion. For example, you have heard about the matters concerning Ma’mūn–in which he explicitly accepted the views of the Imam (P.B.U.H.). That is, sometimes, they did not refuse to accept a jurisprudential opinion, too. What caused this struggle and confrontation with the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.) was that the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.) considered themselves to be “Imams”. They would say, “We are Imams”. To begin with, this was the biggest struggle against the rulers, because whoever had become a ruler and considered himself to be the Imam and leader would see the proofs and evidence that were required for an Imam was present in this Imam but not in himself (i.e. the ruler) and the existence of the Imam was dangerous for the government; because they were a claimant to it. The rulers fought with this spirit of struggle and the Imams (P.B.U.T.) also stood as firmly as a mountain. It is obvious that in this struggle, the knowledge, the jurisprudential rulings, the morals, and the attitudes the Imams promoted had their own status. The training of more and more students and the relationship with the Shi‘ite increased day by day. These were the factors that maintained the Shi‘ism. You take an ideology into consideration that has turned against that government for two hundred and fifty years. Nothing must have remained of it. It must have been completely destroyed; but you see what is happening in the world today and what achievements the Shi‘ite have made.
This point can be clearly noticed in the poems that are recited about Imam Ṣādiq, Imam Hādī, and Imam ‘Askarī (P.B.U.T.). They were struggling and it was because of these struggles that they lost their lives. This is a way that continues toward a specified goal. Sometimes someone withdraws, someone goes on this path; but the goal is one. These noble men (P.B.U.T.) were more successful than Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) who laid the foundation, because after the martyrdom of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.), no one remained:
«اِرتَدّ النَّاسُ بَعدَ الحُسَينِ اِلاَّ ثَلاثَةٌ.»
[No one remained in their religion except three.] But when you look at the time of Imam Hādī (P.B.U.H.), all the Muslim world was under the domination (qabḍa) of the Imam (P.B.U.H.). Even the Abbasid caliphate was stupefied. They didn’t know what to do, they welcomed Shi‘ite.
One of the Abbasid caliphates wrote a letter and commanded to mention the name of the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.) during the sermons and said that the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.) have been in the right. This letter has been recorded in history. They have written that the court minister hastened to the caliph and said, “What are you doing?!” He didn’t have the guts to say that the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.) were not in the right but he rather said, “At this very moment some have revolted in the mountains of Ṭabaristān and other places with the slogans of the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.T.). If this word is spread around then an army could be formed and turn against you. The caliph found out that he was telling the truth, he said, “Do not circulate the letter.” That meant that they were afraid of losing their rule. Even if they happened to believe in them, the love for rule and the world would have prevented them from becoming true believers.
2001/21/09
