Shah Cheragh, the brother of Imam Reza (AS)
Jul 09, 2019 05:11 UTC
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, we celebrate the first ten days of the sacred month of Zil-Qa’dah as Dah-e Karamat or Ten Days of Munificence, in honour of the blessed birthday of Our Innocent Lady of Qom, Hazrat Fatema al-Ma’soum (peace upon her) on the first of this month, and the auspicious birth anniversary of her eldest brother, Imam Reza (AS) on the 11th of Zil-Qa’dah.
In between these days, special commemoration ceremonies are held in the various cities of Iran which house the shrines of the other sons of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS) – the 7th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
Thus, the 6th of Zil-Qa’dah is associated with Seyyed Ahmad, who is venerated throughout Iran as Shah Cheragh or King of Lights, because of a miraculous incident, and his holy mausoleum is situated in the city of Shiraz.
Seyyed Ahmad was the second son of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS) and the younger brother of Imam Reza (AS) – respectively the 7th and 8th Infallible Heirs of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Born in Medina, he was loyal to Imam Reza (AS) and along with his friends and followers, pledged allegiance to him as the rightful Imam on the martyrdom of his father. He was known for his erudite knowledge.
The scholar Shaykh al-Mufid who flourished a thousand years ago has referred to him as a great figure, saying: "Ahmad bin Musa was a man of dignity, highly respected, and pious, and was loved by his father and preferred by him over his other children. Imam al-Kazem (AS) gave him his farm, known as 'Yasira'.
Another famous scholar al-Kashshi has referred to Seyyed Ahmad as a knowledgeable person in his time and as a hadith transmitter who transmitted many hadiths from his father and ancestors. He wrote that Seyyed Ahmad transcribed the whole Qur'an with his handwriting.
In 203 AH, Seyyed Ahmad was on his way to Khorasan, along with some of his brothers, when news reached him in Shiraz of the martyrdom of Imam Reza (AS). Mamoun the self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime, who had martyred Imam Reza (AS) through a fatal dose of poison, ordered the governor of Fars, Qutlugh, to confront and kill Seyyed Ahmad and his entourage. A battle ensued and lasted for three days at the end of which the noble defenders were martyred. Seyyed Ahmad was buried in his armour in the public graveyard of Shiraz. Years later when this son of the 7th Imam was almost forgotten, people began to see light emanating from the graveyard. When a scholar of repute was notified about the matter, he resolved to investigate it. One night he traced the light to a grave and the following morning gave permission for its exhumation. To the pleasant surprise of all those assembled at the site, the corpse that emerged was of bright visage, remarkably fresh, and clad in armour, with a ring on a finger of the right hand bearing the inscription “al-Izzatu-Lillah, Ahmad bin Musa” (All Dignity belongs to God – Ahmad son of Musa).
In the 1130s AD, over two centuries after the martyrdom of this venerable figure, the Seljuqid Turkish vizier, Atabeg Abu Sa’eed Zangi, built the tomb chamber, the dome, and a colonnaded porch over the grave. Roughly 200 years later, Queen Tash Khatoun, the mother of the local Mongol Muslim ruler of Fars, Shah Abu Ishaq Inju, during the years 1344-1349 AD (745-750 AH), carried out repairs, built a hall of audience, a college, a tomb for herself on the southern side, and presented to the mausoleum a unique Qur'an written in golden Sols characters by the calligraphist, Yahya Jamali. This Qur'an is preserved in the Pars Museum. Shah Ismail I who established the Safavid Dynasty ordered expansion of the mausoleum of Shah Cheragh in 1506 AD. Later, the Qajarids embellished it. Today, thanks to the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, the shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa has been reconstructed on a grand scale to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims, and enclosed within its precincts is the shrine of another son of Imam Kazem (AS), named Seyyed Mohammad, who also has been endowed with miraculous powers by God Almighty to answer to the needs of the faithful.
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