Martyrdom anniversary of Imam Reza (PBUH)

Today on the 30th of the month of Safar Iran is in a state of grief with a public holiday in commemoration of the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Over three million pilgrims from all over Iran have assembled at the sprawling golden-domed shrine in Mashhad, northeastern Khorasan, to pay their homage to Imam Reza (AS). Pilgrims from several other countries have also converged at the most blessed spot in Iran, where a couple of days ago they commemorated the passing away anniversary of the Prophet, and also of Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS). Today, the last day of Safar ends the two-month mourning period for the Immortal Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), with observation of the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Reza (AS), who once on the advent of the month of Muharram had taught his disciple Rayyan ibn Shabeeb to properly mourn his illustrious ancestor:

“O Ibn Shabeeb! Muharram is the month in which the people of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyya) had forbidden the committing of any oppression as well as armed conflicts. Yet, this Ummah did not respect the sanctity of this month or the dignity of their own Prophet. In this month, they killed the Prophet’s offspring… God will never forgive them.

"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you wish to cry, then cry for Husain (AS) who was slaughtered, and was martyred along with the members of his household. Eighteen people were martyred along with him who had no equal on Earth. The seven heavens and the earths mourned in his martyrdom.

"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you cry for Husain (AS) in such a way that tears flow down your cheeks, then God will forgive all the sins that you have committed whether minor or major, whether they be a few instances or a lot…

"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you would like to meet the God, the Exalted without having any sins then visit (the shrine of) Husain (AS).

"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you would like have the company of the Prophet in the halls of Paradise, then curse the murderers of Husain (AS).

"O Ibn Shabeeb! If you would like to be in the same high ranks in Paradise with us, then be sad when we are sad and be happy when we are happy."

Please stay tuned for a special feature on glimpses of the life of Imam Reza (AS).
In verse 38 of Surah Anaam of the Holy Qur’an the Almighty informs mankind: “…We have not neglected anything in this Book.”

The words of God are beyond an iota of doubt. The All-Merciful Creator does not leave humanity in the dark. In other words, it is blasphemy to think that the Last Messenger to mankind, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), departed from the world without explicitly naming his vicegerent to guide the Ummah towards the eternal bliss of paradise and away from the blazing fire of hell.

Let us cast a glance at what Imam Reza (AS) has said in this regard. During a debate in the city of Marv in Khorasan, where he was forced to come from his hometown Medina by the Abbasid caliph, Mamoun, when the issue of the Prophet’s succession came up, the 8^th Imam said:

“Indeed God did not take the soul of His Messenger without explaining everything about the Divine Creed…With its rich contents, the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet. The Imamate is therefore the sign of perfection of religion. Before passing away, the Prophet left guides for his companions and his followers. He showed them the straight path. The Prophet managed everything properly so that the Ummah might not suffer lack of anything it needs. If somebody imagines that religion has not been perfected by God, he is actually rejecting the Divine Book (that is, the holy Qur’an). Such a person is but a heathen.”    

The discourse of Imam Reza (AS) does not end here. It is lengthy. Interested listeners can refer to such authoritative books as al-Kafi and Tuhaf al-Oqoul in this regard. The discourse of the Imam cites different verses of the Holy Qur’an to prove the dynamism of the Imamate, including God’s answer to the request of Prophet Abraham (PBUH) after making him “Imam of mankind” that this Divine Trust will never be granted to the unjust and the oppressors. On listening to this rational argument, the reaction of a crafty tyrant like Mamoun, whose forbears had usurped the caliphate and were persecuting the Prophet’s rightful successors, was one of anguish and alarm. It was obvious he had miserably miscalculated in bringing the 8^th Imam to his court and forcing upon him the position of the heir-apparent in the belief that this would tarnish the immaculate image of Imamate and drive a wedge between the Imam and the Ummah. He thought that the people could be misled to think that the Ahl al-Bait had succumbed to the trappings of worldly pomp. He was mistaken. Like all blundering dictators the Abbasid caliph had unwittingly provided a much larger public forum for the Imam to spell out the Divine Authority of Wilayah or succession to Prophethood. Whatever he plotted backfired. It was the era of influx of new sciences and ideas due to the translation into Arabic of Greek and Sanskrit works. Mamoun accordingly arranged debates between Imam Reza (AS) and the scholars of other religions and schools of philosophical thought, on the assumption that they would outsmart the Prophet’s heir. But to his indignation he found that it was he and the scholars who were outsmarted.

The convincing discourses of Imam Reza (AS) on a wide variety of topics and his clearing of doubts made the non-Muslim religious leaders, as well as the intellectuals priding on the new sciences, realize their own waywardness in the face of the rationality of genuine Islam. His knowledge was God-given and covered every topic under the sun. It ranged from spiritual and cultural issues to the realm of science. There is a book attributed to the 8^th Imam in the medical field titled Tibb ar-Reza. It has been translated into several languages and contains important prescriptions and valuable guidelines, including cure for different ailments and proper dietary and hygienic habits.

Once when a Christian bishop insisted that Jesus (PBUH) was the ‘son’ of God, Imam Reza (PBUH) pointed out the absurdity of such a belief by saying Jesus was a Prophet, since the Almighty Creator is far glorious to have human characteristics and the need for a son. The latter challenged him to prove this from the Bible. The Imam referred to the Gospel of St. John where Jesus gives tidings of the Prophet to come after him. The bishop was amazed at the Imam’s mastery of the Christian scriptures, but still stuck to his misconstrued belief by focusing on the miracle of Jesus in reviving the dead. Imam Reza (AS) said such miracles were also performed by the Will of God by other Divine Messengers including the Last and the Greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). The bishop felt enlightenment in his heart, acknowledged the truth of Islam, and became a Muslim.

But the pull of usurped power was so blinding for the sick and polluted heart of Mamoun that it sank further into the dark corridors of malice and rancour. After a series of incidents that endeared the 8^th Imam more than ever to the masses, including the famous incident of the Eid Prayer in Marv, which we have to leave out because of shortage of time, the Abbasid usurper decided to martyr the Prophet’s rightful heir. While in the city of Tous, he forced him to eat poisoned grapes, as a result of which Imam Reza (AS) left the world and was laid to rest in that city whose fame as Mashhad continues to attract pilgrims from all over the globe today. No wonder Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) had made explicitly clear as to who his righteous heirs were and how they will suffer hardships and martyrdom to guide the Ummah in every age and era until the 12^th one will rise as Mahdi al-Qa’em to cleanse the world of all traces of corruption and exploitation and establish the global government of peace and justice! 

Thus, Imam Reza (AS), who was born in 148 AH in Medina and who was laid to rest in Mashhad in 203 AH, on his martyrdom for the cause of monotheism, spared no efforts to enlighten mankind. No doubt, Iran, his resting place, was destined to become the Islamic Republic and the harbinger to the world of the pristinely pure monotheistic global government of peace and justice of Imam Mahdi (God hasten his reappearance).

Towards the end of our programme we once again offer you our heartfelt condolences on this doleful day, and present you excerpts of some of the characteristics of an Infallible Imam by Imam Reza (AS):

“The Imam is a kind father, a helper brother, (could be likened to) a compassionate mother to a minor child, and a refuge for creatures of God in severe calamities.”

“The Imam is the flourishing root of Islam and its prime branch. The Imam is an honest friend, a kind and friendly father, a truly-loyal brother and companion, just like an affectionate and selfless mother towards her young child, and a refuge for Allah’s servants.”

AS/ME