Al-Huda
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Newsletter for August 2012
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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF IMAM MUSA AL-KAZIM
by late Dr. Haider Hussain Shamsi
Imam Musa Al-Kazim was born during the waning glow of the
Umayyad dynasty. He was only three years of age when the
Abbasids established themselves in a new dynasty. Before his
death, Imam Ja'far asSaadiq appointed his son Musa as the next
Imam. Musa took up the responsibility of the Imamate at the age
of twenty years, and carried it out through a troubled period of
thirty-five years. He endured about ten years of the remaining
rule of the Abbasid caliph al-Mansoor Dwaneeqi, about ten years
of the caliph al-Mahdi, about one year of al-Hadi and the
initial thirteen years of the caliph Haroon ar-Rashid.
The caliphs kept their stcm watch over the Aliyyids and their
followers for their refusal to accept the caliphs as their
religious leaders in addition to being their kings. Whereas
during the Umayyad dynasty, the Aliyyid and their followers had
gone underground to safe guard their survival, they were no
longer hidden from the Abbasids. In fact, the Abbasids had
achieved their success with assistance from the Aliyyids and
their Shiite followers. The caliphs knew the strength of the
Shiites, and took every opportunity to keep them under check in
the empire. They did not grant the Imams any immunity against
this policy.
Imam Musa Kazim spent fourteen years of his life in the darkness
of several of the Abbasid jails of Basra and Baghdad,
interspersed with only brief periods of reprieve in his native
Madinah. Because of the harmless nature of the Imam who spent
his time either in payers or preaching other intenis, many of
the jail wardens were unable to carry out the caliph's orders to
kill the Imam while under in captivity.
As regards the conduct of the leaders of the Muslims, the
Abbasid caliphs were no better than their Umayyad predecessors.
The reign of Haroon ar-Rashid is regarded in history as the
golden era of the Abbasid dynasty regarding leaming, trade and
stability, but for the Imam and his followers, the same era was
that of darkness and gloom.
During the brief periods of reprieve that the Imam had from his
internships in the jails, he used to be called back to Baghdad
from Madinah to the court of the caliphs for debates that were
in fact intended to slight his personality. The scope of this
book makes it impossible to describe these debates here, but
suffice it to say that the caliphs were unsuccessful in their
attempts due to the vast knowledge and the wit of the Imam.
Haroon ar-Rashid became increasingly impatient, and became
determined either to have unconditional submission from the
Imam, or have him killed. As the huam could not submit to the
demands of the caliph, he was ultimately given poisoned dates in
the jail in 183 AH. As a result, the Imam died while he was
still tied in chains and shackles. To further show his spite,
the caliph ordered the body of the Imam be left on the main
bridge leading in and out of Baghdad for all to see. This was
intended to show to the people that the caliph wielded absolute
power, and that the Alkyds were just ordinary human beings.
However, some devotees took the body of the hnam away and buried
it in Kaziznain, near Baghdad.
At his last summons to Baghdad, the Imam knew that his time had
come, and that he would never return to Madinah alive. He was so
certain that the caliph would have him lolled in that
trip that he wrote a will appointing his son Ali to succeed him
after his death. In order to make his decision reach wide
circulation among his followers, the Imam wrote his will in the
presence of seventeen of his chosen companions, and had it
witnessed by sixty others. This is an example of extreme
foresight and caution the Imam had exercised in order to prevent
confusion among his friends and foes alike.
REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE AND CONDUCT OFIMAM MUSA BIN JA'FAR
While surrounded by wealth of the new Abbasid regime, the Imam
spent a life of simplicity and piety. In his personality,
he manifested a living example of tolerance and forbearance.
Even when he was intemed injails, he never missed his devout
worship of Allah. Many of his supplications were recorded by his
devotees and are available to the supplicant today.
There were many instances from his daily life that illustrated
his nature and popularity among the people of Hijaz. The poor
and needy of Madinah badly missed the Imam. Among many other
things he did, he used to get involved with the people in their
daily lives, and help fulfill their needs in the matter of Faith
and in the ritual practice of Islam. People particularly
remembered the little pouches of money he used to hand out to
those who asked for monetary assistance or to those whom he felt
to be in need.
Many of the letters he wrote to his followers and companions,
contained a world of wisdom and advice, which can still guide
the seekers of the Truth. He addressed his sons when
giving general advice towards an ideal conduct in life. There is
a large collection of his sayings which, if followed today,
would mold any human being into a picture of virtue.
The contents of his replies to complicated questions and the
debates held in the court of the caliphs further provides
glimpses of the wisdom and sagacity of Imam Musa bin
Ja'far. He used a sweet and poetical language in his
conversation, and his written word had a haunting rhyme in it.
Selected Sayings:
1. The status of your understanding can be judged from four
things:
(i) recognition of the Beneficent Allah;
(ii) recognition of the your benefactor;
(iii) recognition of what is expected of you;
(iv) recognition of the things that would throw you out of your
faith.
2. Try and divide your time into four portions:
(i) one portion for prayers and supplications;
(ii) one portion for livelihood;
(iii) one portion for social activities between friends and
family;
(iv) one portion for the permissible indulgences while you
maintain control over your other portions.
3. When good deeds seem to be large in number, consider them to be not enough; but when bad deeds seem to be just a few, consider them far too many. Bad deeds, even if trivial, tend to accumulate fast.
4. If one who was bom poor acquires wealth and plenty, it would
tends to make him arrogant and headstrong.
5. It is not that people throw abuses at the one who rises high by ill begotten means, but that he would also see his downfall.
6. The pain and suffering of tyranny is felt worst by the one
who has been targeted for it.
7. The one who invalidates three things with three others, has wasted his gift of intelligence:
(i) one who has extended his expectations but does not ponder on
the ways and means for himself,
(ii) one who loses sagacity by wile talk;
(iii) one who loses his salvation by uncontrolled lust.
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