Birthday of the deliverer from oppression
Mar 28, 2018 05:25 UTC
Heartiest felicitations to you all on a very auspicious occasion. Today is the 10th of the month of Rajab, the birth anniversary of a person who was the repository of wisdom and knowledge, the bezels of which he brilliantly displayed while only a child. He was none other than the 9th Infallible Heir of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to all mankind, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
Before we present you a special feature on the life and times of Imam Mohammad Taqi al-Jawad (AS), here is a wise saying from him to ponder upon.
“The one who hears about oppression, and the one who aids oppression, and the one who smiles on hearing about oppression; all of them are partners of the oppressor.”
This gem of a saying, though reflecting the present situation of our world, are not the words of any contemporary thinker – sick of the state terrorism of the US around the globe, attempts to justify US state terrorism by Washington’s comrades-in-crimes in the West and in the Muslim states, and the United Nations’ ignoring of American state terrorism with a crooked smile on the faces of those who run the so-called World Body and use it as a pressure lever against independent countries.
To be precise, these bezels of wisdom were expressed by the person who was born in the holy city of Medina this day in 195 AH, corresponding to 811 AD, over a millennium and two centuries ago when the Great Satan of those days was the Abbasid caliphate – an ephemeral power like the US of our times, which before ending up in the dustbin of history with no trace left of its military and economic might, oppressed humanity, turned others into oppressors, and made oppression the norm for the gutless; with all of them ending up as partners in the bowels of hell.
Today, the person whose birthday we are celebrating remains immortal. He continues to rule the hearts, minds, and souls of the seekers of truth all over the world, while the rich and powerful rulers of his time, as well as of the subsequent centuries, have vanished into oblivion.
No wonder, we hail the Prophet of Islam’s namesake and his 9th divinely-designated successor as “at-Taqi” or the “Most Pious” and the “al-Jawad” or the “Most Generous”. Since he was not just the embodiment of knowledge and wisdom, but set practical precedents for all humanity in this regard, we strive to follow the spectacular trail of faith, sincerity, self-dignity, justice, and welfare of humanity, blazed by him.
It is now clear that the person to whom we are referring was not an ordinary human being. He was the Chosen of God and his birth was called “the greatest honour for the Ahl al-Bayt and our followers” by no less a person than his illustrious father, Imam Reza (AS).
Not that Imam Reza (AS) had become a father late in life at the age of 45, but because of the crucial role Imam Mohammad at-Taqi al-Jawad (AS) was to play in the molding of the society and of the School of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, by becoming the Imam of his time at the tender age of eight years.
Ibn Qulawaih, the Iranian scholar who flourished a millennium ago, has cited on the authority of the famous Shaikh Kulaini, who in turn quoting the trustworthy Hussain bin Mohammad, has narrated an eyewitness account by Khariani and his father:
“I (i.e. Khayrani's father) was standing in front of Abul-Hassan Imam ar-Reza (AS), in Khorasan, when someone asked him: My master, if something happens (to you), to whom will authority belong? The Imam, answered: “To Abu Ja'far (that is, his young son the future Imam Mohammad al-Jawad)”.
The questioner indicated that the age of the boy was too young. In reply, Imam Reza (AS) said: “Allah, may He be praised, sent Jesus, son of Mary, to be a messenger, a prophet, the bringer of a revealed law (Shari'a), to begin (his mission) when his age was younger than that of (my son) Abu Ja'far.”
In view of this confirmation from the 8th Imam himself, of his son’s divinely-decreed authority, it would be repetitive to proof the imamate of the 9th Infallible Imam of the Ahl al-Bayt by citing ayahs of the holy Qur'an, especially from Surah al-Maryam, where God says how He entrusted the Boy-Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) with Book and Wisdom, and how He made the Virgin-Born Prophet Jesus (AS), while still an infant in the cradle to speak to the Israelites, vouching the chastity of his mother Mary (SA), and announcing his prophethood and the heavenly scripture entrusted to him.
The 17-year mission of Imam Jawad (AS) that ended in 220 AH, as a result of his martyrdom through poisoning in the prime of youth at the age of 25 years, was instrumental in enlightening the seekers of truth with sciences no scholar of the age could impart. He was fully acquainted with the correct meaning and purpose of revelation of the divine ayahs of the holy Qur'an. And moreover, he was not just well versed in the genuine "Sunnah" and "Seerah" (i.e. behaviour and practice) of the Prophet of Islam, but showed practicability in this regard to the Muslims in those days of Abbasid tyranny when the rulers lived a life of debauchery, far removed from the teachings of Islam, while the people mired in poverty were confounded and misled by pseudo scholars pretending to possess the knowledge of the ancient Greek philosophers, but in fact knowing nothing.
There are several momentous scenes, whether in Baghdad or in Medina, when during his 17-year mission, the young Imam Jawad (AS) expounded to grey-bearded scholars and simplified for them as well as for lay persons, jurisprudential issues, such as his lively debate as a beardless boy in the court of the self-styled caliph, Mamoun, with the Mu’tazalite ideologue, Yayha bin Aksam – on the rules of the Hajj pilgrimage, on the laws of hunting birds or animals, and the precepts of lawful and healthy relations between husband and wife.
Volumes would be required to go into details of such encounters, including, how the 9th Imam astutely checked Abbasid oppression; how he transmitted to the ummah the genuine teachings of his ancestor the Prophet; how he expounded the exact meanings of the Revealed Word of God; and on this firm basis how he unravelled the dynamism of the shari’ah, ranging from social norms to the correct form of punishment for habitual thieves, whose four fingers ought to be cut off – after due warning and proper probing of the case – and not the entire hand as some misconstrue. The culprit, after all, is a creature of God, in need of Divine mercy and therefore cannot be deprived of the right way to pray, which requires the placing of both the palms on the ground during prostration.
It is outside the scope of a brief radio programme to go into details of the life and times of Imam Jawad (AS). To be brief, it is worth recalling one of the vivid scenes from his eventful life that is further proof of the divine trust he shouldered.
The place was the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. A serious discussion on religious issues was in progress. The centre of the gathering was a venerable old man. He was Ali ibn Ja’far, the son of the Prophet’s 6th Infallible Successor, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS). At that moment a lad entered the mosque. To the astonishment of the gathering of scholars, the elderly gentleman instantly stood to his feet, and without bothering to put the cloak on his shoulders as is customary, he came forward barefoot and kissed the lad on his forehead. He then addressed him in the most respectful manner and escorted him to his own seat in the centre of the academic gathering.
When the scholars and students questioned the motives of Ali ibn Ja’far for behaving in such a humble way towards the young grandson of his late brother Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the venerable old man rebuked them, saying:
“How can I not respect this boy, when it is God Almighty, Who has placed Divine Trust in him?”
Before bidding you goodbye, we present you a couple of wise sayings from the 9th Imam:
“Turning to God with the deep of the heart is much better than tiring the organs (through inattentive performance of rituals).”
“People are brothers. The brotherhood that is not in the way of Allah turns into enmity, for Allah says (in ayah 67 of Surah Zukhruf), “Friends on that day (of Judgment) will be foes of one another, except for the Godwary.”
AS/ME
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