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Newsletter for August 2016
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The Ninth Imam: Muhammad ibne
Ali (AS)
The Ninth Imam: Muhammad
ibne Ali (AS)
Name: Muhammad
Title: at-Taqi (also Jawad)
Epithet: Abu Ja'far
Father: Ali ibne Musa
Mother: Khaizran (also Sabikah Nubia)
Date of Birth: Rajab 10, 195 AH (April 8, 81 1
AD)
Place of Birth: Madinah
Progeny: From Umm ul-Fadhl binte Mamoon ar-Rashid
None
From
Summana Khatoon
Two
sons: Ali, Musa
Two
daughters: Fatirna, Amama
Date of Death: Zi Qa'd 29,
220AH ( November 25, 835AD
)
He
lived for only 24 years
Place of Death: Kazimain
Place of Burial: Kazimain
THE TIMES AND LIFE OF IMAM
MUHAMMAD TAQI
Muhammad (Taqi) was only about
five years of age when his
father was called away from
Madinah by the Caliph Mamoon ar-Rashid,
never to return home alive. He
was only eight years of age when
he received the sad news of the
martyrdom of his father at the
hands of the Caliph.
Although, by having Imam All ar-Reza
killed, Mamoon was able to win
back the confidence of his
Abbasid kinsmen, he lost his
trust among the followers of the
Imam. He succeeded to play his
cards again, and summoned the
young Imam Muhammad Taqi to
Baghdad but he did not seethe
youth for a long period of time.
The Imam's first contact
with the Caliph:
Once, on his way to a hunting
trip, Marnoon passed through
that part of the city where the
young Imam was staying. He saw
some children playing in the
street with his peers. When
they saw the callph's entourage,
all but the Imam ran away. The
caliph approached the Imam and
asked Imam why he was not one of
those who had run away from
there. The Imam was cool in his
demeanor. He said that the
street was wide, and that he was
not making it any narrower; and
that he had not committed any
crime for which he would be
afraid; and that he believed
that the Caliph would take the
path of justice and not harm an
innocent bystander.
The reply impressed the
Caliph. He asked the Imam who
he was. When the Imam told him
who he was, the Caliph felt
ashamed. He suddenly remembered
having sent for him but not
having granted him audience for
such a long time.
The Imam's Second contact with
the Caliph:
On his way back from the
hunting trip, the Caliph hid a
fish in his hands and asked the
Imam what he was carrying. The
Imam said that his hawk flew in
the skies, but found his prey in
the waters. He had a fish in
his hand and was now testing the
Imam for his knowledge. The
Caliph was dumb founded at both
these encounters with the Imam
and took him along with him to
his palace.
He declared his intentions to
his kinsmen that he was so
impressed with the child. He
decided to give his daughter
Unnne Fadhl in marriage to
him. They were unhappy at the
possibility of repetition of the
story of his father Imam Ali ar-Reza. Mammon
said that the youth was no
ordinary person and that they
all had already seen his
courage, knowledge and mannerism
which was no match with any one
of them. In order to obtain an
upper hand over Mamoon's
decision, they proposed that a
contest be held with the chief
Kadhi Yahya bin Aktham.
The Imam's Contest with the
Chief Kadhi of Baghdad:
In the contest, Yahya bin
Aktharn asked the Imam on the
penalty for man who hunted while
in ahram, (the state of purity,
also applied to a body wrap of
white cloth used by the
pilgrims). The Imam said that
his question was incomplete and
that he should complete it
before the correct answer could
be given. Yahya requested that
the Imam complete the question
for him. The Imam asked:
(i) Was the hunting done
within the holy precinct or
outside it?
(ii) Was the hunter aware of
the religious law concerning the
hunt?
(iii) Was the hunting done with
intention or was it an accident?
(iv) Was the hunter a free man
or a slave?
(v) Was the hunter of age or
was he under-age in the
religious law?
(vi) Was the hunting done for
the first time or was a repeated
act?
(vii) Was the prey a bird or
was it some other animal?
(viii) Was the prey young of age
or was it of an age allowed for
hunting?
(ix) Was the hunter repentant
on his act or was he defiant?
(x) Was the hunting done at
night or was it an act of the
day?
(xi) Was the ahram for Haj
or was it for Umra?
The Imam then further elaborated
the significance of these
circumstances concerning the
question to qualify for an
appropriate answer! They all
were flabbergasted at the
details offered by the Imam, and
accepted his completion of the
question, followed by his
answer. Mamoon was very pleased
to see his own arrogant kinsmen
being beaten in the contest.
Mamoon then asked the Imam to
pose his question. Even before
the Imam could pose his
question, Yahya apologized. He
said that he would try to answer
Imarn's question, but if he
could not find an answer, he
would have to ask the Imam to
answer it himself.
The Imam asked, on what four
conditions would one woman be
legal and illegal for marriage
for the same
individual. Neither Yahya nor
any one else in the audience had
any answer to this
question. The Imam then
detailed the four conditions
concerning his question and made
the puzzle seem easy to solve:
(i) The woman was
a slave-girl of another man, so
it was illegal for this
man. When he paid her price to
her master, she became legal for
him;
(ii) (ii) When he
freed her she was no longer
legal for him. However he got
married to her, and thus she
became legal for him. (iii) He
reckoned her like his mother,
making her illegal for him
again, but on paying the penalty
for such an act, she became
legal for him again. (iv) He
then divorced her, making her
illegal for him, but before
saying the third talaq, they
made up again, making her legal
again.
They acknowledged the uncommon
depth of the Imam's knowledge,
and agreed on Mamoon's decision
to give his daughter in marriage
to the Imam. Mamoon offered the
Imam to stay in Baghdad and be
declared his successor, but the
Imam declined to have any thing
to do with the heirship to the
Caliphate, or on staying in the
palace in Baghdad. He requested
the Caliph to allow him to
return home to Madinah. Mamoon
did not force the Imam to stay,
and allowed him to leave with
his wife.
Umme Fadhl was a princess. She
had lived a life of luxury. She
had no concept of what her life
style would be in Madinah with
material deprivation compared
with the luxury of her father's
palace. She was miserable and
made it no secret to the
Imam. She wrote letters to her
father complaining bitterly
about her predicament, but he
took no action.
Furthermore, there was no
progeny issued from this
relationship. When the Imam
manied Sumana Khatoon, the
jealousy of Umme Fadhl reached
its heights, but her father
still did nothing.
Mamoon died in 218 AH, and his
brother Mu’tasim Billah
succeeded to the throne. Umme
Fadhl started writing letters to
her uncle, the new caliph in
Baghdad to get her back to
Baghdad. Since the Abbasids
were no friends of the Alkyds,
and with the constant complaints
of Umme Fadhl, the Imam was
summoned to Baghdad and put in
jail. Finally,he was given
poison in jail and killed in 220
AH at the young age of only
twenty-five years.
The Imam appointed his son Ali
Hadi to follow him as the next
Imam before he left for his
second and last trip to
Baghdad. Ali Hadi was also only
eight years of age when he was
appointed to the position of
leadership of Islam.
REFLECTIONS FROM THE LIFE OF
IMAM MUHAMMAD TAQI
The Imam was deprived the
patronage of his father at a
tender age of five, and when he
learnt of his martyrdom he was
only eight years of age. He was
the youngest Imam who was also
killed at the youngest age
compared with the others. He
was only twenty-five years when
he was killed by poisoning.
As detailed above, the
Imam, at a very young age
demonstrated unusual courage,
knowledge and presence of mind
in the circle of his
aristocratic adversaries in the
court of Marnoon ar-Rashid. In
addition to the constant
pressures from the government,
he had a considerable trouble at
home from his wife, the Abbasid
princess. Despite these
difficulties, the Imam made his
lasting impression with examples
of exceptional tolerance,
superior conduct, and advice to
his followers and many sagacious
sayings.
Selected Quotes:
1. Bolster your conduct with
forbearance, be content during
deprivation, refrain from
lust, and antagonize
temptation. Remember that you
are neither far nor hidden from
your Lord.
2. Refrain from friendship of
the mischievous, for his
likeness is that of a sharp
dagger: beautiful to behold but
deadly in action.
3 . Do not show animosity
to someone until you have
assessed his, relationship with
the Lord, for if the person is
good, the Lord will not hand him
over to you; and if he is bad,
then suffice it for him that you
do not be his enemy.
4. Make early an
amendment of a matter before it
deteriorates, for then you would
repent. Beware, lest years add
to your life and your heart
hardens.
5 . Do not pretend to be
a friend of the Lord in the open
while you have doubts about Him
in your heart.
6. Be thankful to the
Lord for what He has granted
you, lest you desire for
something that would drag you
towards temptation.
7. Do not delay in
repentance, for the delay in
doing so is equivalent to
defiance.
Offering excuses to justify
a bad deed would make you lose
fear of the Lord and invoke His
anger.
Selected Sayings:
1. Dependence on the
Gracious Lord is the true value
in all the precious things and
in all heights of achievement.
2. The respect of a
believer is in his independence
from others.
3. All believers need
three things:
(i) Help from the Lord;
(ii) Awakened conscience;
(iii) Ability to listen to
good advice given by others.
4. Obedience and
remembrance of the Lord from the
depths of your heart is superior
to the toils of rituals.
5. How can that (thing)
go waste whose guarantor is the
Lord, and how can that (person)
escape who is sought by the
Lord. One who sells himself to
other (deity) than the Lord, the
Lord relinquishes that to his
chosen deity.
6. One who falls for his
desires, fulfills the alms of
his sworn enemy (Satan), and
cannot escape from wrongdoing.
7. One who takes an
action without prior knowledge,
could do more damage than good.
8. The tyranny of the
rulers forestalls their
downfall.
9. When the hour (i.e.
death) comes, the environs tend
to shrink.
10. There is no additional danger in the anger of
the tyrant. |
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