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A Brief History
of

The Fourteen Infallibles

\A/OFIS

World Organization for Islamic Services
Tehran -Iran

English translation:

First edition 1404/1984

Second edition 1413/1992.

Third edition 1422/2001

R-mni1- wofis(5)wofis mm
http: //www. wofis. com

Published by

World Organization for Islamic Services,

P.O. Box 11365-1545,

Tehran- 15837,

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.

In the Name of Allah,
The All-compassionate, The All-merciful

Praise belongs to A llah, the Lord of all being,

the A ll-compassionate; the A ll-merciful;

the Master of the Day of Judgement;

Thee only, y^e serve, and to Thee alone we pray

for succour;

Guide us in the straight path;

the path of those whom Thou hast blessed,

not of those against whom Thou art wrathful,

nor of those who are astray.

O' Allah! send your blessings to the head of

your messengers and the last of

yourprophets,

Muhammad and his pure and cleansed progeny .

A Iso send your blessings to all your

prophets and envoys.

CONTENTS

Page

TRANSLITERATION xv

A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE FOURTEEN

INFALLIBLES xvi

PREFACE:

In A.rat)ic xix

English translation xxi

THE SPIRITUAL MESSAGE OF SHFISM xxiii

THE GLORIOUS QURAN xxvii

ISLAM AND MUSLIM xxxi

THE FIRST INFALLIBLE

THE HOLY PROPHET OF ISLAM
MUHAMMAD IBN ABDULLAH (PEACE BE ON HIM

AND HIS PROGENY) 3

Lineal Chart of the Prophets 3

Lineage 5

Abdu ^1-IVIuttalib 5

IVIvihammaci 5

IChadij ah 6

The Prophet 6

C aliph 7

Islanci^ 8

Tragedies 11

CONTENTS

nVEiasliiTX Era 11

Uhuci 13

:iVIut>ahiilahi 14

Hviciayt>iyyahi 15

ICtLa,yt>a,i~ 15

]^/[e^oca 16

Tl^atouk 17

^W^ix^es 17

K:ing 18

The Five Purified Ones (Ahlu l-Kisa') 19

Last Pilgriinage 20

Haditti of Cjhaciir 21

l^eatti 23

Some of the Ahadith of the Holy Prophet 25

THE SECO N D IN FALLIBLE
THE DAUGHTER OF THE HOLY PROPHET

FAXIIMAH AZ-ZAHRA' 37

IVIarriage^ 40

Her Ethical Attributes 41

Xhe Property of Fadak 41

Death 42

IS/L. H. Shakir writes: 43

Hadrat Fatimah, peace be on her, said: 44

TWELVE APOSTOLIC IMAMS :

The Imams 47

LINEAL CHART OF THE TWELVE APOSTOLIC IMAMS ... 48

THETHIRD INFALLIBLE
THE FIRST IM kM

ALI IBN ABI TALIB, AMIR AL-MU'MININ 51

]V[arriage 55

De^atti 55

CONTENTS

THE IMAMS AND LEADERS OF ISLAM 57

The First Imam 57

]VI. J^. Shiakir writes: 62

:Birth 62

Successor and Caliph 63

Happy Days 63

Perseciation 64

Hijrah (Emigration) 64

"V^/^a^rrior 64

:B adr 65

lUtiuci 65

ICtiandaq 66

ICtLayt>ar 67

StatesrrLan 68

]V[arriage 68

Haditti 69

Death of the Prophet . . 69

^A.t>ia ^akr 69

l^rxxar 70

XJttiman 70

Wli 71

:iS/[urcier 72

Chief of the Friends of Allah (Sayyid Awliya' Allah) 72

THE FOURTH INFALLIBLE
THESECOND IMAM

AL-HASAN IBN ALi AL-MUJTABA 81

Ctiildtiooci 81

Remembrance of Allah 82

His Piousness and Contentment 82

Imamate 83

IVtarty rcioiTi 84

al- AUamah at-Tabataba'i writes : 85

al-Imam al-Hasan, peace be on him, said: 87

CONTENTS

THE FIFTH IN FALLIBLE
THETHIRD IMAM

AL-HUSAYN IBN ALi SAYYIDU'SH-SHUHADA' 91

The Day of Ashira ( 1 0th ofMuharram ) 95

Some Sayings of the Holy Prophet During his

Lifetime with Reference to Imam Husayn 96

Ibn Sa'd narrates from ash-Sha'bi 97

Anas ibn Haritb narrates 97

Sir JVluhammad Iqbal says: 98

Khwaja IMu'inu 'd-Din Chisti says: 98

^vowninhis A Literary History of Persia writes: ... 98

al- Allamah at-Tabataba'i writes : 99

al-Imam al- Husayn ibn Ali, peace be on him, said: 106

THE SIXTH INFALLIBLE
THE FOURTH IMAM

ALI IBN AL - HUSAYN ZA YNUL- ABIDIN 109

al- Allamah at-Tabataba'i vv^rites: 112

al-Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be on him, said: 113

THE SEVENTH INFALLIBLE

THE FIFTH IMAM

MUHAMMAD IBN ALI AL-BAQIR 117

al- Allamah at-Tabataba'i writes: 120

al-Imam al-Baqir, peace be on him, said: 121

THE EIGHTH INFALLIBLE
THE SIXTH IMAM

JAFAR IBN MUHAMMAD AS-SADIQ 125

Political C^onciition 126

I^eligious Condition 127

Teactiirrgs 128

al-" Allamah at-Tabataba'i writes: 129

Death 131

al-Imam as-Sadiq, peace be on him, said: 131

CONTENTS

THE NINTH INFALLIBLE

THE SEVENTH IMAM

IMUSA IBN JA'FAR AL-KAZLM 135

F^aretnts 136

C:hiilcihiooci 136

Ima^ma^te^ 137

Political C^onciition 137

WLoral and Ethical Excellence 138

Literary Attainments 139

D^ath 139

al-Imam al-Kazim, peace be on him, said: 139

THETENTH INFALLIBLE
THE EIGHTH IMAM

ALI IBN MUSA AR-RIDA 143

SiaccessiorL 143

Ima^ma^te 144

al-Imam ar-Rida, peace be on him, said: , ,, , , .149

THE ELEVENTH INFALLIBLE
THE NINTH IMAM

MUHAMMAD IBN ALI AL-JAWAD (AT-TAQI) 153

C:hiilcihiooci 153

Incrancratet 154

Literary Attainments and Excellence 154

IVIigration to Iraq 155

L^^atti 158

al-Imam al-Jawad, peace be on him, said: 158

THE TWELFTH INFALLIBLE
THE TENTH IMAM

ALI IBN MUHAMMAD AL-HADI (AN-NAQI) 161

al-Imam al-Hadi, peace be on him, said: , . . , 164

CONTENTS

THE THIRTEENTH INFALLIBLE
THE ELEVENTH IMAM

AL-HASAN IBN ALi AL-ASKARi 167

al-Imam al-Hasan al-Askari, peace be on him,
said: 169

THE FOURTEENTH INFALLIBLE
THE TWELFTH IMAM
MUHAMMAD AL-MAHDI 173

On the Appearance of the JMahdi 175

al-Imam al-Hujjah, peace be on him, said: 180

Symbol

z
t

e
t

TRANSLITERATION

Transliteration Symbol Transliteration

gh
f

Long Vowels

Short Vowels

-=^

Persian Letters

jU^J js-^ ^jU (Uj-^zj^ jLf^ ^jSf >rj-J^ ^_;^^) ^LiiJ^ iJ^J

^jl iLJi ^tJU; ^ l^Uj i^ ^^jJl ul}\ *b^ J^v;^^ ti:^-*^^ **^>-

L)l J i V i^j^^*l iS-^^ ia-^^1 A^VJ Ort-dij Uj^^^V ^iir-*' ^^
iyl^jLTjl ^Ljfcla^^ J* C-^l^V^ OUJJlj^ ^^J^ V«y^^ -UJJL *^fX^

-(•-fr>*i>^J tp*^^'j "-fi-fr^^^^J

iL^Vl wJ^Tj i^li. jb--^ <«^ £/^j*J^ L> ^t4=5^-? /^'Ll^Lyi
J_j-^ j^ ^'•i^. ^^ JJLlii fji^.j iJsJb-j^UJl* 27^[y Ji J--P J
^,.4i4>- Jjp^_j i-i'VVj-iUiJi jji £j^-r'^ l/^^ *>ii:;-^ ^^J ^t*.wN

PREFACE

The Book: A Brief History of the Fourteen Infallible s
has a concise history also. In brief, one of our brothers
who is Hving in an EngHsh speaking country used to suffer
from the isolation of his fellow Shi'ites and their poor
knowledge of their history, their Imams, their school of
thought and other related religious matters. This is due to
the lack of information available in the English language
and their own deficiencies in Arabic or other Islamic lan-
guages which could provide them with the necessary back-
ground and references.

This dear brother of ours was so dedicated to Islam
and keen on finding a solution to help his Muslim brothers
that he thought of compiling a concise book about the
history of the Fourteen Infallible s, (i. e. the Prophet, his
daughter az-Zahra' and the Twelve Imams, peace be on
them). For his research he depended on three main works:
the first, Shi'ite Islam by the late al-Allamah at-Taba-
taba'i, and, another booklet of Mr. Shakir and some works
of Mr. Yousuf N. Lalljee. The author very ably found the
necessary materials. He then made appropriate selections
from them and classified these writings to meet the im-
mediate need of those Shi'ahs who do not have access to
these original sources.

xxi

xxu

PREFACE

He, may Allah protect him, gave us his work for cri-
tique. We found it interesting and relevant to aims that
he and we are pursuing. We decided to publish the book
after looking at his suggestions, and the sections of the
book, adding some notes, deleting some sections, reshaping
and editing to make it as perfect as possible.

Lastly, we pray to Allah to bless this work and those
who shared in making contributions of all kinds by all
means and methods: writing the original texts, selecting
suitable sections, editing the work, and publishing the
book.

We pray to Allah to guide our steps and to lead us in
the right path, for He is the Best Master and the Best
Helper.

WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR ISLAMIC SERVICES
(Board of Writing, Translation and Publication)

1/10/1404
1/7/1984
Tehran - IRAN.

THE SPIRITUAL MESSAGE OF SHI'ISM

The message of Shi'ism to the world can be sum-
marized in one sentence: "To know God." Or in other
words, it is to instruct man to follow the path of Divine
realization and the knowledge of God in order to gain
felicity and salvation. And this message is contained in
the very phrase with which the Holy Prophet commenced
his prophetic mission when he said: "Oh men! Know God
in His Oneness (and acknowledge Him) so that you will
gain salvation."

As a summary explanation of this message we will
add that man is attached by nature to many goals in
this worldly life and to material pleasures. He loves tasty
food and drink, fashionable dress, attractive palaces and
surroundings, a beautiful and pleasing wife, sincere friends
and great wealth. And in another direction he is attracted
to political power, position, reputation, the extension of
his rule and dominion and the destruction of anything
that is opposed to his wishes. But in his inner and primor-
dial God-given nature, man understands that all these are
means created for man, but man is not created for all these
things. These things should be subservient to man and
follow him and not vice versa. To consider the stomach

xxiii

xxiv SPIRITUAL MESSAGE

and the region below it as a final end of life is the logic
of cattle and sheep. To' tear up, cut and destroy others
is the logic of the tiger, the wolf and the fox. The logic
inherent in human existence is the attainment of wisdom
and nothing else.

This logic based upon wisdom with the power which
it possesses to discern between reality and the unreal,
guides us toward the truth and not toward things our
emotions demand or toward passions, selfishness and
egoism. This logic considers man as a part of the totality
of creation without any separate independence or the
possibility of a rebellious self-centeredness. In contrast
to the current belief that man is the master of creation
and tames rebellious nature and conquers it to force it
to obey his wishes and desires, we find that in reality
man himself is an instrument in the hand of Universal
Nature and is ruled and commanded by it.

This logic based upon wisdom invites man to con-
centrate more closely upon the apprehension he has of
the existence of this world until it becomes clear to him
that the world of existence and all that is in it does not
issue from itself but rather from an Infinite Source. He
will then know that all this beauty and ugliness, all these
creatures of the earth and the heavens, which appear out-
wardly as independent realities, gain reality only through
another Reality and are manifested only in Its Light, not
by themselves and through themselves. In the same way
that the "realities" as well as the power and grandeur of
yesterday have no greater value than tales and legends
of today, so are the "realities" of today no more than
vaguely remembered dreams in relation to what will ap-
pear as "reality" tomorrow. In the last analysis, every-
thing in il'self is no more than a tale and a dream. Only
God is Reality in the absolute sense, the One Who does

SPIRITUAL MESSAGE xxv

not perish. Under the protection of His Being, everything
gains existence and becomes manifested through the Light
of His Essence.

If man becomes endowed with such vision and power
of apprehension, then the tent of his separative existence
will fall down before his eyes like a bubble on the surface
of water. He will see with his eyes that the world and all
that is in it depend upon an Infinite Being who possesses
life, power, knowledge and every perfection to an infinite
degree. Man and every other being in the world are like so
many windows which display according to their capacity
the world of eternity which transcends them and lies
beyond them.

It is at this moment that man takes from himself
and all creatures the quality of independence and primacy
and returns these qualities to their Owner. He detaches
himself from all things to attach himself solely to the One
God. Before His Majesty and Grandeur he does nothing
but bow in humility. Only then does he become guided
and directed by God so that whatever he knows he knows
in God. Through Divine guidance he becomes adorned
with moral and spiritual virtue and pure actions which
are the same as Islam itself, the submission to God, the
religion that is in the primordial nature of things.

This is the highest degree of human perfection and
the rank of the perfect man (the Universal Man; insan-e
kamel), namely the impeccable Imam who has reached
this rank through Divine grace. Furthermore, those who
have reached this rank through the practice of spiritual
methods, with the different ranks and stations that they
possess, are the true followers of the Imam. It becomes
thus clear that the knowledge of God and of the Imam are
inseparable in the same way that the knowledge of God
is inextricably connected to the knowledge of oneself.

XXVI SPIRITUAL MESSAGE

For he who knows his own symbolic existence has already
come to know the true existence which belongs solely to
God who is independent and without need of anything
whatsoever. (at-Tabataba'i, S. M. H., ShiMte Islam, Lon-
don, 1975,pp.215-217.)

THE GLORIOUS QURAN

The Glorious Qur'an (Qur'anu 'l-Majid) is the Word
of Allah as revealed to His Prophet, Muhammad, peace
be on him and his progeny.

From the time of its revelation till today, people have
tried to cast doubt about the Divinity of the Holy Qur'an,
but they have not succeeded because of its inherent truth.
The Book itself gives guidance and wisdom, and it has
a lot of good to offer to humanity. Every right minded
reader, can derive a lot of benefit from it.

The Book of Allah constantly appeals to one to think,
ponder and understand; and forbids one to drown one's
reason or believe blindly. About six-hundred million
Muslims believe in it, live and die by it.

To every prophet, Allah gave some miracle, but gone
are the prophets and their miracles. The Holy Prophet
Muhammad, peace be on him and his progeny, is the Last
Prophet of Allah Who gave him an unperishable miracle
and that miracle is the Holy Qur'an.

The Word of Allah (Kalamu 'llah, i.e., the Holy
Qur'an) is a wonderful piece of poetry and Arabic litera-
ture, full of wisdom and guidance. On reading it one is at
once convinced that it is the Word of Allah, for no man
can write such perfect guidance on so many subjects.

xxvii

xxviii THE GLORIOUS QUR'AN

The Holy Qur'an says that no man will be able to forge
even a part of it and that no corruption shall touch it from
any side. It is a miracle that the Holy Qur'an has remained
unchanged and unaltered during all these 1400 years and
it shall remain so till the Day of Resurrection, for Allah,
has taken it on Himself to protect it.

The Book of Allah is like an ocean. The less learned,
like children, collect pebbles and shells from its shores.
The scholars and thinkers, like pearl divers, bring out
from it the highest philosophy, wisdom and rules of a
perfect way of living.

In order to understand the Glorious Qur'an, it is
necessary to know the lives of Muhammad, " Ali, Fatimah,
Hasan and Husayn, who translated every command and
order of Allah into action. Muhammad being the perfect
example for men, Ali for youths, Fatimah for women
and Hasan and Husayn for children.

It is not necessary to refer to, or quote scholars,
translators, commentators and narrators to prove the
existence of Allah and His Prophet Muhammad.

Allah is the Creator, and He exists whether one believes
it or not. The proof of His existence is His creation. The
proof of Muhammad's prophethood is the Holy Qur'an.

For those w^ho want to believe, these proofs are
enough, and those who do not want to believe, will never
believe, no matter what proofs or arguments, however
strong they may be, are brought before them.

For easy daily recitation, the Qur'an is divided into
thirty equal parts. One part takes only twenty-four reading
minutes, and the whole Book requires twelve reading
hours. There are 114 chapters, and 6,226 verses, contain-
ing 99,464 words made up of 330,1 13 letters.

Millions of Muslims read the Qur'an daily. Imam Ja'far
as-Sadiq has said that, the minimum daily reading of the

THE GLORIOUS QUR'AN xxix

Qur'an should be fifty verses or one-fourth of the part,
about five minutes reading.

Historical and scholarly footnotes have been specially
avoided to keep the volume from becoming cumbersome.
Those interested in deeper studies, should have recourse
to several libraries. (Shakir, M. A. ; Islamic History)

ISLAM AND MUSLIM

The word Hslam' means, submission to the will of
Allah, and a muslim', is he who submits to the will of
Allah.

Islam is a religion, which can be followed easily by
everyone, everywhere, in a day to day life.

It is the religion of every prophet of Allah from Adam
to Muhammad, and is as old as humanity. In fact, every
child that is born, is a Muslim. It is the parents that make
him a Jew, Christian or Hindu, etc.

Allah has sent numerous prophets to all the nations
and races. As the human race progressed, the prophets were
sent with laws that suited the requirements of that time.
Each new prophet, brought a new Divine Law (shari^ah),
which abrogated or cancelled the previous law.

Muhammad is the Last Prophet of Allah and he has
brought the last and the most perfect law, in the Holy
Qur'an. History shows us, that this law has suited the
requirements of the people for the last 1400 years and
shall continue to do so, till the Day of Resurrection.

Islam is a way of life. It is a simple and uncomplicated
religion, giving one maximum freedom without encroach-
ing on the freedom of others. It enjoins one to believe
in One God, and do good; to keep up prayers and pay
the poor-rate; to fast during the month of Ramadan;

xxxi

xxxii ISLAM AND MUSLIM

to perform the hajj and to fight for the sake of Allah,
whenever necessary; to believe in the Justice of Allah,
in the life after death, in the Prophethood of Muhammad
and the teachings of the twelve Apostolic Imams. Islam
forbids evil and tyranny, prohibits intoxicants and games
of chance, adultery and indecencies, and blood and flesh
of swine and dead animals.

There is no compulsion in religion (2:256) ; and there
is no harsh and hard rituals or unreasonable dogmas in
Islam.

Among many reforms, which the Holy Prophet of
Islam, gave to the world, he taught, that all human beings
whether brown, black, red, white or yellow, are sons of
Adam, and no man has any superiority over another man,
because of his colour, rank or riches. He taught:

The most honourable man, in the sight of Allah, is
he, who is most careful of his duty to Allah and that
man has rights only to the extent of the duties, he
performs.

(Shakir, M.A.: Islamic History)

THE FIRST INFALLIBLE

THE HOLY PROPHET

OF
ISLAM

MUHAMMAD IBN ^ABDULLAH

(Peace be on him and his progeny)

Name: Muhammad

Title: al-Mustafa.

Agnomen: Abu '1-Qasim.

Father's name: Abdullah ibn Abdi '1-Muttalib.

Mother's name: Aminah bint Wahb.

Birth: Born in Mecca on Friday, 17th Rati ^u 'l-awwal, in

the Year of Elephant.
Death: Died at the age of 63 in Medina on Monday, 28th

Safar, 11 AH; buried in his apartment adjoining the

mosque, in Medina.

Lineal Chart of the Prophets

Adam

Nub

Ibrahim

Isma^il

Banu Hashim

I
Ishaq

I
Banu Isra'il

Musa
I

Muhammad

III

THE HOLV KA'BAH, MECCA.

LINEAGE

The Holy Prophet said:

The first thing God created was my nur (hght).

The oldest and noblest tribe in the whole of Arabia
was Ban& Hashim. They were the descendants of Ibrahim
through his son Isma'il. The Arabs respected and loved
them for their goodness, knowledge and bravery.

'ABDU L-MUTTALIB

Abdu ' 1 -Muttalib was the chieftain of Banu Hashim
and lie was also the guardian of the Ka'bah.

Among his ten sons, "Abdullah was the father of the
Holy Prophet and Abu Talib was the father of " Ali.

MUHAMMAD

In Mecca, baby boy Muhammad was born on 17th
Rabi ^u 'l-awwal, 570 AD. His father "Abdullah, son of
Abdul '1 -Muttalib, died before he was born and when
he was six, he lost his loving mother Aminah bint Wahb.

6 A BRIEF HISTORY

His grandfather, "Abdu '1-Muttalib, took the respon-
sibility of bringing up the orphan. At the age of ten, he
was berefted of his venerable grandfather. On his death
bed, he appointed his son Abu Talib as the guardian of
Muhammad.

Gentle, soft spoken, tall and handsome boy, Muham-
mad, accompanied the trading caravans of Abu Talib,
across the deserts, giving him deep insight into nature
and man.

In his youth, Muhammad participated in Hilf (Confed-
eration of) al-Fudul for helping the widows and orphans
and protecting the oppressed.

KHADIJAH

The wealthy noble widowed lady Khadijah, looking
for a manager for her rich mercantile caravans, selects
Muhammad, the Trustee. Able and fair dealing, Muham
mad is a tremendous success. Khadijah already an admirer,
made him an offer of marriage, Muhammad was twenty-
five and Khadijah forty. In spite of this disparity in age,
the marriage proved to be a very happy one.

THE PROPHET

Lover of nature and quite, worried about human
sufferings, Muhammad very often retired to Mount Hira'
for meditations. One night, laylatu 'I-qadr (the Night of
Majesty) a voice addressing him, commanded "Recite in
the Name of thy Lord. " Deeply excited by the strange
phenomena of Divine Visitation, Muhammad hurried home
to his wife, Khadijah, who listened to him attentively and

FIRST INFALLIBLE 7

said that "I bear witness that you are the Apostle of God."
After an interval, the voice from heaven spoke again
"6> thou shrouded in thy mantle, arise, and warn, and
magnify thy Lord. " This was a signal for him to start
preaching the gospel of truth of One God. In the begin-
ning Muhammad invited only those near him, to accept
the new Faith. The first to embrace Islam among women
was Khadijah and among men "Ali. Soon after, Zayd ibn
al-Harithah became a convert to the new Faith followed
by Abu Bakr and "Uthman. "Umar hitheto a violent op-
ponent of Islam, notorious for the persecution of the
Muslims and a bitter enemy of the Prophet, embraced
Islam, later.

CALIPH

For three long years, he laboured quietly to wean his
people from the worship of idols and drew only thirty
followers. Muhammad now decided to appeal publicly to
the Quraysh to give up idol worship and embrace Islam.

He invited forty of his kinsmen to a feast. At the
gathering, Muhammad stated that he had lived a lifetime
among them and asked if they had ever found him lying?
The general response was "We have never found you lying,
O al-Amin! " The Prophet of Islam asked if he were to tell
them that their enemies had collected beyond the sarid-
hills to attack them, would they believe? The reply was,
"Yes." "Will you believe anything I will now say?" Again
the reply was, "Yes." The Prophet addressed them:

I know no man in all Arabia, who can offer his kin-
dreds, a more excellent thing than I now do. I offer
you happiness both in this life and that which is to
come. God Almighty has commanded me to call

8 A BRIEF HISTORY

unto Him. Who, therefore, among you will assist me
herein shall become my Brother and my Caliph?

All of them hesitatingly declined the matter. " Ali
( who was then given the title of "Amiru '1-Mu'minin" -
the Commander of the faithful - by the Prophet) stood
up and declared that he would assist the Prophet and
vehemently threatened those who \vould oppose him.
Muhammad with great demonstration of affection, em-
braced "Ali and declared to all, to hear and obey "Ali as
his Deputy and Caliph. The gathering broke out into
laughter, taunting Abu Talib that now he will have to
obey his son.

ISLAM

Muhammad is the founder of the great religion of
Islam, meaning submitting (oneself or one's person to
Allah). The adherent of Islam is usually designated by
the corresponding adjective Muslim. The Persians adopted
a different adjective Musalman, from which are derived
the Anglo-Indian Mussulman. But Muslims, certainly, dis-
like the terms Mohammedan and Mohammedanism, which
seem to them to carry the implication of worship of
Muhammad, as Christian and Christianity imply the wor-
ship of Christ.

The new Faith, is simple without complications,
practical and useful for every day life. It commands to
believe and do good, keep up prayer and pay the poor
rate. Two orders giving four principles of a successful
way of life.

The new Creed had set in motion a terrific revolution,
shaking the very foundations of the world. The vested
interests, kings, priests, racketeers, and tyrants all were

FIRST INFALLIBLE 9

against, and they united to crush the movement of Islam.

The keepers of Ka'bah and owners of the idols, came
to Abu Talib to stop Muhammad from saying, "There is
no god but ALLAH (/a ilaha ilia Allah). " The guardian
uncle conveyed the request of the delegation to give
Muhammad fortune larger than possessed by any, to
make him a chief and even a king, if he agreed to give
up his mission. Muhammad refused. Angry Arab chief-
tains threatened social boycott, destruction and death.
Abu Talib (who actually became Muslim but did not
announce his faith so that he may be able to defend the
Prophet) promised to defend Muhammad.

Boys and louts of Mecca started pelting stones and
abuses on Muhammad. Brave and loyal " Ali, son of Abu
Talib, stopped this by his strong fists. The harrassment
and tortures, which the Prophet and his small band of
faithful followers suffered at the hands of Quraysh were
excruciating in the extreme. Some of the believers were
dragged over burning sand, imprisoned, flogged and
starved, but they firmly held to their Faith till death.
Umayyah, master of Bilal, took Bilal to the desert and
exposed him bare-back with his face, to the noon-day
sun and placed a big stone on his chest and said, "There
you shall remain, until thou art dead or thou hast adjured
Islam." Dying with thirst in the heat he would only answer
"Ahadun! Ahadun! (One [God] ! One!)."

Almost ten years of hard work and preaching, in spite
of all persecution, produced over a hundred followers.
Physical cruelties and social boycott made life unbearable
in Mecca. The Holy Prophet of Islam advised his fol-
lowers, to seek refuge in the neighbouring country of
Eithopia. Eighty-eight men and eighteen women sailed
to the hospitable shores of the Negus, under the leader-
ship of Ja'far at-Tayyar (brother of " Ali) and the cousin

10 A BRIEF HISTORY

of the Holy Prophet. Arab chieftains pursued them and
demanded their extradition.

Ja'far pleading the cause of the refugees said to the
king

O King ! we were plunged in the depth of ignorance
and barbarism; we worshipped idols, we lived in un-
chastity, we ate dead bodies and we spoke abomin-
ations; we disregarded every feeling of humanity and
the duties of hospitality and neighbourhood; we knew
no law, but of the strong (power), when God raised
among us a man, of whose birth, truthfulness, honesty
and purity we are aware; and he called us to the Unity
of God and taught us not to associate anything with
Him; he forbade us the worship of idols; and enjoined
on us to speak the truth, to be faithful to our trusts,
to be merciful and to regard the rights of neighbours;
he forbade us to speak evil of women or to eat the sus-
tenance of orphans; he ordered us to fly from vice and
to abstain from evil; to offer prayers, to render alms,
to observe the fast. We have believed in him, we have
accepted his teachings and his injunction to worship
God and not associate anything with Him. For this
reason our people have risen against us, have perse-
cuted us in order to make us forego the worship of
God and return to the worship of idols of stone and
wood and other abominations. They tortured and
injured us, until finding no safety among them, we
have come to thy country and hope wilt protect us
from their oppression.

The demand of the Quraysh were rejected and they
returned to Mecca.

Several times the chieftains came to Abu Talib saying,
"We respect your age and rank, but we have no further pa-
tience with your nephew. Stop him or we shall fight you."

FIRST INFALLIBLE 11

Abu Talib asked Muhammad for his decision. With tears
in his eyes the Apostle firmly replied, "O my uncle!
if they place the sun on my right hand and the moon
on my left, to force me to renounce my mission, I will
not desist until God manifests His cause or I perish in
the attempt."

TRAGEDIES

In a period of troubles, trials and tribulations two
major tragedies afflicted Muhammad. First the venerable
guardian uncle Abu Talib died and shortly afterwards his
noble wife Khadijah died, leaving behind her daughter
Fatimah (peace be on her) - the only child she had from
the Holy Prophet - the daughter who looked after her
father so much so that the Prophet called her Umm abiha
(the mother of her father).

MUSLIM ERA

With the death of the old patriarch Abu Talib, the
Meccans planned to assassinate the Prophet. Under Divine
guidance, he asked "Ali to sleep in his bed and Muhammad
put his green garment on "Ali. While the murderers mis-
took Ali for Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam
escaped to Medina. (See photo on p. 12 )

The Muslim era of Hijrah (Emigration) is named
after this incident and dated from 17th Rabi ^u 'l-awwal,
622 AD.

From the time he came to Medina, he was the grand-
est figure upon whom the light of history has ever shone.
We shall now see him as, the king of men, the ruler of

.•f*

^^^H - 1 , HI

pi ^^ i^ J^ >#\ :A:

I^I^Hv^i ^^^^hIH^^hI^B^SVa^^s IBHI^hI^I^HI^^I^II

EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE PROPHET'S MOSQUE, MEDINA.

FIRST INFALLIBLE 13

human hearts, chief law-giver and supreme judge. The
Preacher who went without bread, was mightier than
the mightiest sovereigns of the earth. No emperor with
his tiaras was obeyed, as this man in a cloak of his own
clothing.

He laid the foundation of the Muslim commonwealth
and drew up a charter which has been acknowledged as
the work of highest statemanship, a master-mind not only
of his age, but of all ages.

Unlike the Arabs, the Prophet, had never wielded a
weapon, but now he was forced to defend Islam by force
of arms. Commencing from the battle of Badr, a series
of eighty battles had to be fought, which the infant
community defended successfully.

One day Muhammad was sleeping under a tree, away
from his camp. He was awakened by his enemy Du'thur
ibn al-Harith with sword, standing over him. "O Muham
mad! Who is there now to save you? " "God! " replied the
Apostle. The wild Bedouin suddenly began to shiver and
dropped his sword. The Prophet picked the sword and
asked, "Who is there now to save you?" "Alas, no one!"
"Then learn from me to be merciful." The Arab's heart
was overcome and he embraced Islam.

UHUD

Nex year, Abu Sufyan the famous long-lived enemy
of Islam, again attacked the Muslims at Uhud. Hamzah,
the first flag-bearer of Islam and uncle of the Prophet,
was killed in action. In spite of strict instructions from
the Prophet, a few Muslim soldiers deserted their post
when victory was in sight. This changed the course of
the battle. Khalid ibn al-Walid attacked the Prophet and

14 A BRIEF HISTORY

the grave situation was saved by the timely arrival of " Ali.
The enemies ran away and the issue was decided. Muham-
mad was deeply grieved at the death of Hamzah.

MUBAHILAH

In the 10th year AH a Christian deputation from
Najran came to the Prophet at Medina for religious dis-
cussions. Even after convincing arguments the Christians
refused to believe, because they were not willing to give
up their religion for the religion of Islam.

According to Divine instructions in the Holy Qur'an:

And whoso disputes with thee concerning him, after
the knowledge that has come to thee, say: "Come
now, let us call our sons and your sons, our women
and your women, our selves and your selves, then
let us humbly pray and so lay A llah's curse upon
the ones who lie. " (3:61)
Muhammad suggested that next morning, the Christians
should bring their women, sons and near ones and the
Prophet would bring his, and they should pray, to in-
voke the curse of God on the liars, in order to end the
argument.

At dawn Muhammad entered the may dan (field) with
his grandsons, leading Hasan by the hand, carrying Husayn
in his arms, his beloved daughter Fatimah following him
and Ali walking behind her, with the banner of Islam. The
Christians watching this procession from far, came to the
conclusion that Muhammad was the true Prophet of God,

FIRST INFALLIBLE 15

for he had brought with him his dearest and nearest ones.

The Christians came to the Prophet and informed him
that they were not willing to pray for the curse on the
liars, instead they were willing to pay the jVzja/z* and to
come to a settlement. The Prophet referred them to Ali
for terms.

HUDAYBIYYAH

The Muslims had been in self exile for six years and
began to feel a keen yearning for their homeland, Mecca.
The Prophet desired to perform a pilgrimage to Ka'bah.
When he forsook his home town he was weak, but when
he wanted to return, he was strong. He did not use his
strength to force an entry into the sacred city. Finding
the Quraysh hostile, Muhammad entered into a treaty
known as the Peace of Hudaybiyyah, appearing not very
advantageous to the Muslims, but which revealed the
Islamic character of moderation and magnanimity. For
the strong to excercise restraint and toleration is true
courage. Having reached upto the door of their birth
place with hearts over-flowing with impatient longing
to enter it, the Muslims retraced their steps peacefully
to Medina, under the terms of the treaty, which allowed
them to perform the pilgrimage next year.

KHAYBAR

The harassment and murders by the Jews, forced
the Prophet into leading an army against Khaybar in

* Jizyah: poll-tax or tithes, payable by non-Muslims in the
realm of Islam.

16 A BRIEF HISTORY

the 7th year AH. The MusUms under the command of
'Umar and others turned back and were in despair. The
Prophet said: "Tomorrow I shall assign the command
of the Muslim force to a person who will be crowned
by God with victory." The daybreak saw the Islamic
banner waving gallantly in the hand of " Ali. The fateful
battle began with Jewish champion warrior Marhab.
With soul stirring shout of A llahu A kbar, the Dhulfiqar
(sword) of " Ali descended on Marhab, piercing his skull.
In the general encounter that followed, the Jews were
defeated. The great victory of Islam was won and made
Ali the immortal conqueror of Khaybar.

MECCA

Towards the end of the year, Muhammad with his
followers availed of the truce of Hudaybiyyah to accom-
plish the pilgrimage to Mecca. For three days, the Quraysh
evacuated the city and watched the Muslims perform the
pilgrimage. The strict observance of the terms of treaty,
the self restraint and regard for their pledged word dis-
played by the believers, created a great impression on
the idolators. Struck by Muhammad's kindness of heart
and nobility of nature many Qur ay shite chieftains adopted
the Faith.

In the 8th year AH, the idolators violated the peace
of Hudaybiyyah by attacking the Muslims. The enemies
were defeated and Mecca was conquered.

The Prophet who fled from Mecca as a fugitive, now
returned home as a mighty conqueror. The Rahmatun HI
'alamin (mercy unto all beings, i.e., the Prophet) entered
the city with his head bowed low in thankfulness to the
Almighty (Allah) and ordered a general amnesty, instead

FIRST INFALLIBLE 17

of the mass massacre of those who persecuted him and
his followers.

TABUK

In the middle of the 9th year AH, the Prophet had to
lead an expedition to Tabuk near the border of Syria,
owing to the threatening attitude of the Roman Emperor.
The hypocrites and holders back out of spite, taunted " Ali,
who was left in charge of Medina in the absence of the
Prophet. Unable to bear the taunts of the hypocrites, the
brave and faithful "Ali mounted a fast camel and reached
the Muslim army. Ali related to the Prophet the taunts
of the hypocrites that "Ali was frightened and that the
Prophet was displeased with him. Muhammad smiled and
said: "O "Ali! do you not wish that your position with
me should be like Harun's position with Musa, with this
difference only, that after me there will be no prophet?"
The pacified Ali returned to Medina. The Muslim army
on reaching Tabuk found, the Romans had diverted to
other fields of action. The Prophet returned to Medina
without having to fight.

WIVES

A great number of Muslim soldiers were killed in
battles at Badr, Uhud, Khaybar, Hunayn and other places,
leaving behind young wives and children. The serious prob
lem of taking care of the widows and orphans, threatened
to break up the moral fabric of the Muslim Society.
Muhammad decided to marry these widows and set an
example for his followers to do likewise.

18 A BRIEF HISTORY

Before the advent of Islam, a man could marry any
number of wives but the Holy Prophet of Islam was
different in every way. History bears out, the unimpeach
able character of Muhammad upto the age of twenty-
five, when he married the widowed lady Khadijah. She
remained his one and only wife till she died when Muham-
mad was fifty. At the ripe age of fifty-five when the blood
cools down, in order to solve the problem of war, widows
and orphans, he started marrying one wife after another
in quick succession, even though he was old and burdened
with the responsibilities of Prophethood and the affairs
of the Islamic State.

The conditions for marrying more than one wife, are
so strict, that hardly anybody can fulfil them, in times
of peace. The Qur'an says:

And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards
orphans then marry such women as seem good to you,
two, three and four, but if y ou fear that y ou cannot
do justice between them, then marry only one . . .
(4:3)

KING

Though a Prophet and a King, Muhammad was the
man of the common man. He sat and ate \vith them.
Shared their joys and sorrows, helped the weak, widows
and orphans and sympathized with the distressed. He
found the world sunk deep in degrading ignorance, super-
stition, vice and cruelty; he saw people disunited and en-
gaged in perpetual wars, practising most revolting cruelties;

FIRST INFALLIBLE 19

the daughters were buried alive and the widows of their
fathers were inherited or sold by the eldest son. Among
all this chaos, Muhammad established order and inspired
in them the belief of One God; prohibited idolatory and
made them think, not only of this world, but beyond the
grave on a higher, purer and diviner plain, asking them to
practise charity, goodness, justice, reasonableness and
universal love. The whole mission was achieved in his
lifetime.

THE FIVE PURIFIED ONES

(Ahlu 'l-Kisa')

A llah only desires to keep away the uncleanliness
from you, O People of the House! and purify you

a (thorough) purifying. (Qur'an, 33:33)

The Five Purified Ones - Muhammad , Ali, Fatimah,
and their two sons Hasan and Husayn- became perfect
examples of human conduct. They lived a life of extreme
devotion, loyalty, utility, goodness, trust and charity,
giving a standard of human values to every action of
humanity. Their record of life is that of a work nobly
and faithfully done, preaching the Unity of God, the
equality of men and obliterating the tyranny of priests
and rulers, breaking the shackles of wrangling creeds,
oppressive rituals, soul crushing dogmas; he broke down
the barriers of caste, exclusive privileges and tyranny of
vested interest. He proclaimed the importance of know-
ledge learning and hard work.

Though the Holy Prophet was occupied in looking
after the affairs of people, but he used to pay special

20 A BRIEF HISTORY

attention to his family too. Some believers, requested
him to allow them to buy lands and build houses for him.
The reply wa^ revealed by God: . ,

Say: "I do not ask of you any reward, but love for

my relatives ... ; surely Allah is Forgiving, Grateful. "

(42:23)

Thereupon, the believers asked the Prophet whose
love was made incumbent on them? Muhammad answered
"Love for "Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn."

LAST PILGRIMAGE

Under the Divine intuition of his approaching end,
Muhammad prepared to make the farewell pilgrimage to
Mecca.

Before completing all the ceremonies of hajj, he ad-
dressed a huge multitude from the top of mount 'Arafat
on 8th Dhi 'l-hajjah, 1 1 AH in words which shall ever ring
and live in the atmosphere

O ye people! listen to my words, for I know^ not,
if another year will be vouchsafed to me after this
year, to find myself amongst you at this place. Your
lives and property are sacred and inviolable to one
another, until ye appear before the Lord, as this day
and this month is sacred for all, and remember ye shall
have to appear before your Lord, Who shall demand
an account of all your actions. O ye people, ye have
rights over your wives and your wives have rights over
you. . . Treat your wives with kindness and love.
Verily, ye have taken them on the security of God
and made their persons lawful unto you by the Words
of God. Keep faithful to the trust reposed in you and

FIRST INFALLIBLE 21

avoid sins. Usury is forbidden. The debtor shall return
only the principal and the beginning will be made with
the loan of my uncle Abbas son of " Abdul- Muttalib.
Henceforth the vengeance of blood practised in the
days of ignorance is prohibited; and all blood feuds
abolished, commencing with the murder of Ibn Ra-
bi'ah son of al-Harith son of Abdul-Muttalib.
And your slaves! see that ye feed them with such food
as ye eat yourselves, and clothe them with the stuff
ye wear; and if they commit a fault which ye are not
inclined to forgive, then part from them, for they are
the servants of the Lord and are not to be harshly
treated.

O ye people ! listen to my words and understand the
same, know all Muslims are brothers unto one another.
Ye are one brotherhood, nothing which belongs to
another is lawful unto his brother, unless freely given
out of goodwill. Guard yourselves from committing
injustice.

Let him that is present tell it unto him that is absent.
Haply he that shall be told may remember better than
he who hath heard it.

HADITH OF GHADIR

Soon after finishing the hajj the Holy Prophet started
for Medina. On his way, at 'Ghadir Khumm' the Voice from
Heaven cried:

O Apostle! deliver what has been revealed to you from
your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not

22 A BRIEF HISTORY

delivered His message and Allah will protect you
from the people, surely Allah will not guide the

unbelieving people^ (5:67).

Muhammad immediately ordered Bilal to recall the
Muslims, who had gone ahead, who were behind and
who were proceeding to their homes at the junction, to
assemble. The famous Sunni mutakallim and commen-
tator, Fakhru 'd-Din ar-Razi in his at-Tafsiru 'l-kabir,
(vol. 12, pp. 49 - 50), writes that the Prophet took 'Ali
by the hand and said:

Whoever whose mawla (master) I am, 'AH is his master.
O Allah! love him who loves "Ali, and be the enemy
of the enemy of " Ali; help him who helps " Ali, and
forsake him who forsakes "Ali.

He (ar-Razi) writes further that Abu Bakr and "Umar
congratulated "Ali in the following words:

Congratulations, O son of Abu Talib! This morning
you became my mawla and mawla of every believing
man and woman.
Once again the voice from Heaven proclaimed:

, hi i f^)ii^ c^j J ^: >cu ^iiiji J ^^:^ *^ UiH 0i

This day have I perfected your religion and com-
pleted My favour on you and chosen for you Islam

* The hcdith ofGhadiris mwfawaf/r to Shi' ahs and Sunnis,
because it has been narrated through so many chains of transmission
by both sects that no doubt can be entertained. As, for the Shiite
transmission of this hadith see al-Bihar, vol. 37, pp. 108 -253; and
as for others see the book of Imamate, by S . S . A . Rizvi, part 2,
pp. 39 - 105, 1985, WOF IS, Tehran - IRAN.

FIRST INFALLIBLE 23

as a religion (5:3).

DEATH

On Muhammad's return to Medina, he got busy settHng
the organization of the provinces and the tribes which
had adopted Islam. His strength rapidly failed and the
poison (administered at Khaybar by a Jewess) took its
deadly toll. So ended the life dedicated to the service
of God and humanity from first to last, on 28th Safar,
11 AH.

The humble Preacher had risen to be the ruler of
Arabia. The Prophet of Islam not only inspired reverence,
but love owing to his humility, nobility, purity, austerity,
refinement and devotion to duty. The Master inspired all
who came into contact with him. He shared his scanty
food; he began his meals in the Name of Allah and finished
them uttering thanks; he loved the poor and respected
them, he would visit the sick and comfort the heart bro-
ken; he treated his bitterest enemies with clemency and
forbearance, but the offenders against society were ad-
ministered justice; his intellectual mind was remarkably
progressive and he said that man could not exist without
constant efforts.

There is no god but One God and Muhammad is the
Apostle of God, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
and his descendants.

The lives of Muhammad and " Ali are so interwoven
that one cannot think, read or write without mentioning
both.

Imam Ali said:

"I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify
that Muhammad is the servant and Prophet of God sent

24 A BRIEF HISTORY

with the famous Faith and the written Book with strong
commands and prohibitions to remove the doubts and
superstitions of the people and to give reasonings and
proofs.

"He was sent to make the people fear the signs of
God and His punishment. God has done us a big favour
by giving us such a Prophet, so that we may follow him.

"Then Allah deputed Muhammad, peace be upon him
and his progeny, as a witness, giver of good tidings and
warner, the best in the universe as a child and the most
chaste as a grown up man, the pcrest of the purified in
conduct, the most generous of those who are approached
for generosity.

"The hearts of the virtuous and good people turn to
him. He has established brotherhood. His word is the
Word of God. He gave them the Message of God without
minimizing or magnifying it.

"He gives eyes to those who earnestly seek guidance
and be recited the Holy Qur'an. He is the Fountain of
Knowledge and Light of the World.

"He is a great Physician. The ointment of his know-
ledge is very effective and unfailing. He searches for houses
where there is no peace and confusion reigns.

"May Allah give height to his (the Prophet's) construc-
tion above all other constructions, heighten his position
with Thee, grant perfection to his effulgence and perfect
for him his light. In reward for his discharging Thy proph-
etship, grant that his testimony be admitted and his speech
be liked for his speech is just, and his judgments are clear-
cut. May Allah put us and him together in the pleasures
of life, continuance of bounty, satisfaction of desires, en-
joyment of pleasures, ease of living, peace of mind and
gifts of honour.

"He is Thy Trustee and knows Thy secrets. He shall

FIRST INFALLIBLE 25

testify on the Day of Judgment. Reward him handsomely.
Let him intercede for his followers, for he is just and can
distinguish between right and wrong.

"All praise is due to Allah, who cannot even be im-
agined. No person, however, wise he may be, can under-
stand Him.

"Muhammad is the last of all the prophets. There
shall be no prophet after him. Revelation came to an
end on his passing away. The sons of the Holy Prophet
are the best sons and his Ahlu 'l-bayt, are the best ahlu-
l-bayt. Follow your Apostolic Imams." (See photo p. 26)

SOME OFTHE AHADITH OF
THE HOLY PROPHET

The Apostle of Allah was the handsomest of men
and the most liberal and the most brave. He said:

1. Convey to others no words of mine save, those
you know for a certainty.

2. Whosoever ascribes doctrines or precepts to me,
and they are not mine, the same shall go to hell.

Backbiters:

3. A slanderer and backbiter shall be shut out from
Paradise.

C harity:

4. Charity averts impending calamities.

5. The tax of Charity should be collected from the
rich and given away to the poor.

6. A man giving in alms one piece of silver in his life-
time is better for him than giving one hundred when
about to die.

INTERIOR VIEW OF THE COMPOUND OF THE
PROPHET'S MOSQUE, MEDINA.

FIRST INFALLIBLE 27

7. To meet friends cheerfully and invite them to a
feast are charitable acts.

8. To extend consideration towards neighbours and
send them presents are charitable acts.

Death:

9. Wish not for death, before its time comes.

10. Speak well of your dead and refrain from speaking
ill of them.

1 1. To commit suicide is one of the mortal crimes.

Dignity of Labour

12. Whoever is able and fit and does not work for him-
self or for others, Allah is displeased with him.

13. Those who can earn an honest living are the
beloved of Allah.

14. Allah is Gracious to him who earns his living by
his own labour and not by begging.

15. Whosoever opens unto himself the door of begging,
Allah will open unto him the door of poverty.

16. O Allah! Keep me from inability and laziness.

17. Whoever monopolizes trade is a transgressor.

Education:

18. To acquire knowledge is binding upon all Muslims,
whether male or female.

19. Man has free will and is responsible for his actions.

20. The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood
of the martyr.

21. He who travels in search of knowledge, to him
Allah shows the way to Paradise.

22. Seek after knowledge though it be in China.

23. Acquire knowledge, because he who acquires it,
in the way of the Lord, performs an act of piety; who

28 A BRIEF HISTORY

speaks of it praises the Lord; who seeks it, adores Allah;
who dispenses instruction in it, bestows alms; and who
imparts it to its fitting objects, performs an act of devotion
to Allah. Knowledge enables its possessor to distinguish
what is forbidden from what is not; lights the way to
Heaven; it is our friend in the desert, our companion in
solitude, our companion, when bereft of friends; it guides
us to happiness; it sustains us in misery; it is our ornament
in the company of friends; it serves as an armour against
our enemies. With knowledge the creature of Allah rises
to the heights of goodness and to noble position, associates
with sovereigns in this world and attains the perfection of
happiness in the next.

24. The worst of men is, a bad learned man and a
good learned man is the best.

25. He dies not who takes to learning.

Enemies of Allah:

26. The greatest enemies of Allah are those who pro-
fess Islam and do acts of infidelity and who without cause,
shed man's blood.

27. The Prophet said: "The mortal crimes are to asso-
ciate another with Allah, to vex your father and mother,
to murder your own species, to commit suicide and to
swear to a lie."

Envy:

28. Do not look for the faults of others and do not
envy others.

29. Keep yourselves far from envy, because it eats up
and takes away good actions, like the fire that eats up and
burns wood.

Fasting

30. A keeper of fast, who forsakes not lying and

FIRST INFALLIBLE 29

slander, Allah cares naught for his leaving off eating and
drinking.

Favoured of Allah:

3 1 . Who is the most favoured of Allah? He from whom
the greatest good comes to His creatures.

32. Verily Allah loves a Muslim who is poor with a
family and withholds himself from what is unlawful and
from begging.

Forgiveness

33. Whoever suppresses his anger, when he has in his
power to show it, Allah will give him a great reward.

34. The person is most esteemed in the sight of Allah
who pardons, when he has in his power, him who shall
have injured him.

35. He is not strong and powerful, who throws people
down, but he is strong who withholds himself from anger.

36. Thus said Allah: Verily, those who excercise pa-
tience under trials and forgive wrongs are righteous.

Hypocrites:

37. He is a hypocrite who when he speaks, speaks
untruth; who making a promise breaks it; and who, when
trust is reposed in him, fails in his trust.

38. Muslims are those who perform their trust, fail
not in their word and keep their pledge.

Islam and Others:

39. One of the followers of the Prophet asked him
to curse the infidels. The Prophet said: "I am not sent
for this, nor was I sent but as a mercy to mankind."

40. Every child is born with a disposition towards
the natural religion (Islam). It is the parents who make

30 A BRIEF HISTORY

it a Jew, a Christian or a Magian.

41. Deal gently with people, and be not harsh; cheer
them and condemn not.

M anners:

42. Much silence and a good disposition; there are no
two works better than these.

43. The best of friends is he who is best in behaviour
and character.

44. The exercise of religious duties will not atone for
the fault of an abusive tongue.

M arriage:

45. Marriage is incumbent on all who can afford or
who possess the ability.

Modesty

46. One who does not practise modesty and does not
refrain from shameless deeds is not a Muslim.

47. The adultery of the eye is to look with an eye of
lust on the wife of another; and the adultery of the tongue
is to utter what is forbidden.

48. 1 swear by Allah, there is not anything, which
Allah so condemns, as his male and female servants com-
mitting adultery.

49. The person who drinks liquor, commits adultery
and steals, calls upon himself severe punishment.

M usiims and M usiim Brotherhood:

50. A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands
Muslims are safe.

51. A true Muslim is thankful to Allah in prosperity
and resigned to His will in adversity.

52. It is not worthy of a speaker of truth to curse

FIRST INFALLIBLE 31

people.

53. That person is not a perfect Muslim who eats his
full and leaves his neighbours hungry.

54. No man has believed perfectly, until he wishes
for his brother that which he wishes for himself.

55. All Muslims are like one wall, some parts strength-
ening others; in such a way they must support each other.

56. Muslims are brothers in religion, and they must
not oppress one another nor abandon assisting one another
nor hold one another in contempt; and all things of one
Muslim are unlawful to another, his blood, property and
reputation.

57. To abuse a Muslim is disobedience to Allah and
it is infidelity to fight with one.

58. The duties of Muslims to each other are six

i. When you meet a Muslim salam (greet) him;
ii. When he invites you to dinner, accept it;
iii. When he asks you for advice give it to him;
iv. When he sneezes and says "al-Hamdu li 'llah"
(Praise be to Allah), you should say "Rahimaka-
'llah ( may Allah have mercy on you) ;
v. When he is sick visit him; and
vi. When he dies, follow his bier.

Oppression:

59. Allah loves not the tyrants and he desires not
tyranny in the world.

Orphans:

60. The best Muslim house, is that in which an orphan
is well cared for.

61.1 and the guardian of orphans will be in one place
in the next world like my two fingers, touching each
other.

32 A BRIEF HISTORY

Qur'an, Prophet and His Near Relatives:

62. O Lord! grant to me the love of Thee; grant that
I love those that love Thee; grant that I may do the deeds
that win Thy love; make Thy love dearer to me than self,
family or wealth.

63. Verily Allah instructs me to be humble and lowly
and not proud, and that no one should oppress another.

64. The Prophet would go out in advance to receive
his daughter Fatimah, when she came from her husband's
house.

65. I have left two Precious Things among you and
you will not go astray as long as you hold fast to them
- one is the Book of Allah (Qur'an), and the other is
my near relatives (Ahlu '1-bayt).

66. 1 and "Ali are created from one nur (light).
67. 1 am the City of Knowledge and "Ali is its Gate.

68. O "Ali! your position with me is the same as
Harun's was with Musa, with this difference only that
there will be no prophet after me.

69. Whoever believes me to be his mawla, "Ali is also
his mawla. O Lord! befriend him who befriends "Ali and
be the enemy of the enemy of " Ali.

70. Fatimah is a piece of my heart.

7L Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn.

72. Hasan and Husayn are the leaders of youths of
Paradise.

Paradise:

73. A person will not enter into Paradise, who has
one atom of pride in his heart.

74. Hell is veiled in delights and Heaven in hardships
and miseries.

75. They will enter the garden of Bliss who have a true,
pure and merciful heart.

FIRST INFALLIBLE 33

76. Guard yourselves from five things and I am your
surety for Paradise:

i. When you speak, speak the truth;
ii. Perform when you promise;
iii. Discharge your trust;
iv. Withhold your hand from striking; and
V. From taking that which is unlawful and bad.

Parents and Family:

77. Paradise lies at the feet of thy mother.

78. Allah's pleasure is in father's pleasure and Allah's
displeasure is in father's displeasure.

79. He who wishes to enter Paradise must please his
father and mother.

80. It is a pity, young persons may not attain Paradise
by not serving their old parents.

81. A man must do good to his parents, although
they may have injured him.

82. Kindness is a mark of faith and whoever has not
kindness has no faith.

83. No father has given his children anything better
than good manners.

84. Treat children with a view to inculcate self respect
in them.

85. Whoever does good to daughters will be saved
from Hell.

86. He is of the most perfect of Muslims, whose dis-
position is most liked by others.

Pride

87. No one who keeps his mind focussed entirely
upon himself, can grow large, strong and beautiful in
character.

88. A community must desist from boasting of their

34 A BRIEF HISTORY

ancestors. Mankind are all sons of Adam and he was from
earth.

Reason:

89. The first thing created was my nur (light).

90. Honourable thoughts create honourable results.

Recommendations:

91. The grQSitQSi jihad is that for the conquest of self.

92. The best of acts in Allah's sight, is that which is
constantly attended to, though it be in a small degree.

93. Trust in Allah but tie your camel.

94. The best of acts are found in the golden mean.

Remembrance of Allah:

95. A good disposition, deliberation in works and
to adopt the golden mean in all affairs, are of the qualities
of prophets.

96. There is a polish for everything and the polish
for the heart is the remembrance of Allah.

97. Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet
him.

98. The five stated prayers erase the sins which have
been committed during the intervals between them, if
they have not been mortal sins.

99. Say your prayers standing. If you are not able,
do it sitting and if not sitting, do it in bed.

100. Order your children to say the stated prayers,
when they are seven years of age and punish them if
they do not do so when they are ten years old; and when
they reach ten years, divide their beds.

Suspicion:

101. Suspicion is the blackest lie.

FIRST INFALLIBLE 35

Sympathy:

102. Allah is not merciful to him who is not so to man-
kind. He who is not kind to Allah's creation and to his
own children, Allah will not be kind to him.

103. He who will do good to the needy, Allah will do
good to him in this world and the next.

104. Whosoever visits a sick person, an angel calls from
Heaven: "Be happy in the world and happy be your walk-
ing; and take your habitation in Paradise.

Women:

105. A virtuous wife is a man's best treasure.

106. Do you beat your wife, as you would a slave?
That must you not.

107. A Muslim must not hate his wife. If he is dis-
pleased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased
with another, which is good.

108. The things which is lawful but disliked by Allah
is divorce.

109. Do not prevent your women from coming to
mosque; but their homes are preferable for them.

110. When a woman observes the five times of prayer,
fasts during the month of Ramadan and is chaste and is
not disobedient to her husband, then tell her to enter
Paradise by whichever door she pleases.

World

111. The love of the world, is the root of all evils.

112. Wealth properly employed is a blessing; and a
man may lawfully endeavour to increase it by honest
means.

THE SECOND INFALLIBLE

THE DAUGHTER

THE HOLY PROPHET

INSIDE VIEW OF THE PROPHET'S MOSQUE, MEDINA.

FATIMAH AZ-ZAHRA'

(Peace be on her)

Name: Fatimah

Title: az-Zahra'.

Agnomen: Ummu '1-A'immah.

Father's name: Muhammad ibn "Abdillah.

Mother's name: Khadijah bint KhuwayHd.

Birth: Born in Mecca on Friday, 20th Jumadi 'th-thaniyah
in the fifth year after the declaration of the Prophet-
hood (615 AD).

Death: Died at the age of 18 in Medina on 14th Jumadi-
'1-ula 11 AH (632 AD); buried in the graveyard
called Jannatu '1-Baqi' in Medina.

HADRAT FATIMAH was the only daughter of the Holy
Prophet and Hadrat Khadijah. The circumstances of her
birth are described by Hadrat Khadijah as follows:

At the time of the birth of Hadrat Fatimah, I sent
for my neighbouring Quray shite women to assist me.
They flatly refused, saying that I had betrayed them
by supporting Muhammad. I was pertubed for a while,
when, to my great surprise, I sighted four strange
tall women with halos around them, approaching me.

40 A BRIEF HISTORY

Finding me dismayed, one of them addressed me
thus, "O Khadijah! I am Sarah, the mother of Ishaq,
and the other three are, Mary the mother of Christ,
Asiyah the daughter of Muzahim, and Umm Kulthixm,
the sister of Moses. We have all been commanded by
God to put our nursing knowledge at your disposal."
Saying this, all of them sat around me and rendered
the services of midwifery till my daughter Fatimah
was born.

The motherly blessings and affection received by
Hadrat Fatimah were only for five years, after which
Hadrat Khadijah left for her heavenly home. Hereafter
the Holy Prophet brought her up.

M arriage

When Fatimah came of age, there came forward
a number of aspirants to ask for her hand in marriage.
The Holy Prophet was awaiting the Divine order in this
respect, till Imam "Ali approached him and asked for her
hand in marriage.

The Holy Prophet came to Hadrat Fatimah and asked,
"My daughter! Do you consent to be wedded to "Ali, as
I am so commanded by Allah? "

Hadrat Fatimah thereupon bowed her head in modesty.
Umm Salamah narrates: "The face of Fatimah bloomed
with joy and her silence was so suggestive and conspicuous
that the Holy Prophet stood up reciting A llahu A kbar'
(Allah is most great). Fatimah's silence is her acceptance."

On Friday, 1st Dhi 'l-hijjah 2 AH, the marriage cer-
emony took place. All the Muhajirun (Emigrants) and
A nsar (Helpers) of Medina assembled in the mosque while
Imam "Ali was seated before the Holy Prophet with all the
ceremonious modesty of a bridegroom. The Holy Prophet
first recited an eloquent sermon and then announced:

SECOND INFALLIBLE 41

I have been commanded by Allah to get Fatimah
wedded to "All, and so I do hereby solemnize the
matrimony between "Ali and Fatimah on a dower
of four hundred m ithqal of silver.
Then he asked Imam Ali, "Do you consent to it, O
Ali? " "Yes, I do, O Holy Prophet of Allah! " replied Imam
Ali. Then the Holy Prophet raised his hands to pray thus:
O my God! bless both of them, sanctify their progeny
and grant them the keys of Thy beneficence, Thy
treasures of wisdom and Thy genius; and let them
be a source of blessing and peace to my ummah.
Her children; Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, Zaynab and
Umm Kulthum, are well-known for their piety, goodness
and generosity. Their strength of character and action
changed the course of history and fortified Islam which
otherwise would have been lost to mankind.

Her Ethical Attributes:

Hadrat Fatimah inherited the genius and wisdom,
the determination and will-power, the piety and sanctity,
the generosity and benevolence, the devotion and worship
of Allah, the self-sacrifice and hospitality, the forbearance
and patience, and the knowledge and nobility of dis-
position of her illustrious father, both in words and
deeds. "I often witnessed my mother," says Imam Husayn,
"absorbed in prayer from dusk to dawn." Her generosity
and compassion for the poor was such that no destitute
or beggar ever returned from her door unattended.

The Property of Fadak:

The Holy Prophet during his lifetime gave Hadrat
Fatimah a gift of very extensive farm land, known
as Fadak, which was documented in her name as her
absolute property.

42 A BRIEF HISTORY

The death of the Holy Prophet affected her very much
and she was very sad and grief- stricken and wept her heart
out crying all the time. She was confronted, after the
demise of her father, with the deprivement of the rightful
claim of leadership of her husband Imam Ali, and the
usurpation of her inheritance, the Fadak. Throughout
her life, she never spoke to those who had oppressed her
and deprived her of her rightful claims. She requested that
her oppressors should be kept away even from attending
her funeral.

Her ill-wishers even resorted to physical violence.
Once the door of her house was pushed on her, and the
child she was carrying was hurt and the baby-boy was
still born. Her house was set on fire.

Having been molested and stricken with grief, which
crossed all limits of forbearance and endurance, she ex-
pressed her sorrows in an elegy composed by herself to
mourn her father the Holy Prophet. A couplet of the
elegy, with particular reference to her woeful plight,
she expressed thus:

O my father! after your death I was subjected to such
tortures and tyranny that if they had been inflicted
on the "Day', it would have turned into "Night'.

Death

Hadrat Fatimah did not survive more than seventy-
five days after the demise of her father. She breathed her
last on the 14th Jumdi '1-ula 1 1 AH. Before her demise
she bequeathed the following as her will to Imam "Ali:

1. Ali, you will personally perform my funeral rites.

2. Those who have displeased me should not be al-
lowed to attend my funeral.

3. M y corpse should be carried to the graveyard at
night.

SECOND INFALLIBLE 43

Thus Imam "Ali, in compliance with her will, per-
formed all the funeral rites and accompanied exclusively
by her relatives and sons carried her at night to Jan-
natu '1-Baqi ", where she was laid to rest and her wishes
fulfilled.

The Holy Prophet said:

Whoever injures (bodily or sentimentally) Fatimah,
injures me; and whoever injures me injures Allah; and
whoever injures Allah practises unbelief. O Fatimah!
If your wrath is incurred, it incurs the wrath of Allah;
and if you are happy, it makes Allah happy too.

M. H. Shakir writes:

Fatimah, the only daughter of the Holy Prophet of
Islam, was born in Mecca on 20th Jumadi 'th-thaniyah
18 BH.

The good and noble lady Khadijah and the Apostle
of Allah bestowed all their natural love, care and devotion
on their lovable and only child Fatimah, who in her turn
was extremely fond of her parents.

The Princess of the House of the Prophet, was very
intelligent, accomplished and cheerful. Her sermons,
poems and sayings serve, as an index to her strength of
character and nobility of mind.

Her virtues gained her the title "Our Lady of Light".
She was tall, slender and endowed with great beauty,
which caused her to be called "az-Zahra' " (the Lady of
Light). She was called az-Zahra' because her light used
to shine among those in Heaven.

After arriving in Medina, she was married to "Ali, in
the first year Hijrah, and she gave birth to three sons and
two daughters.

Her children, Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab and Umm Kul-

44 A BRIEF HISTORY

thum are well-known for their piety, goodness and gener-
osity. Their strength of character and actions changed the
course of history.

The Holy Prophet said, "Fatimah is a peace of my
heart". He would go out to receive his daughter when-
ever she came from her husband's house. Every morning
on his way to the Mosque, he would pass by Fatimah's
house and say, "as-Salamu ^alaykum yaahlaBayti 'n-
nubuwwah wa madani 'r-risalah " (Peace be on you O
the Household of Prophethood and the Source of Mess-
engership).

Fatimah is famous and acknowledged as the "Sayyi-
datu nisa 'l-"alamin" (Leader of all the women of
the world for all times) because the Prophethood of
Muhammad would not have been everlasting without
her. The Prophet is the perfect example for men, but
could not be so for women. For all the verses revealed
in the Holy Qur'an for women, Fatimah is the perfect
model, who translated every verse into action. In her
lifetime, she was a complete woman, being Daughter,
Wife and Mother at the same time.

Muhammad during his lifetime, gave Fatimah a gift
of very extensive farm lands, famous as Fadak, which
were documented in her name, as her absolute personal
property.

An heiress to the remainder of her mother's wealth,
a princess who was the only daughter of the Holy Prophet
who was also a ruler, a lady whose husband was the con
queror of Arab tribes and second only to her father in
rank and position, Fatimah could have led a luxurious life.
But in spite of her wealth and possessions, she worked,
dressed, ate and lived very simply. She was very generous;
and none who came to her door, went away empty handed.

SECOND INFALLIBLE 4 5

Many times she gave away her all and herself went with-
out food.

As a daughter, she loved her parents so much, that
she won their love and regard to such an extent that the
Holy Prophet used to rise, whenever she came near him.

As a wife, she was very devoted. She never asked "Ali
for anything in her whole life.

As a mother, she cared for and brought up wonderful
children; they have left their marks on the face of the
world, which time will not be able to eraze.

The death of the Apostle, affected her very much
and she was very sad and grief-striken and wept her heart
out crying all the time.

Unfortunately, after the death of the Prophet, the
Government confiscated her famous land of Fadak and
gave it to the State. Fatimah was pushed behind her
home door (when they attacked the house of " Ali and
took him to force him accept the caliphate of Abu Bakr),
so that the child, she was carrying was hurt and the baby-
boy Muhsin was still born. Her house was set on fire by
the Government.

The tragedy of her father's death and the unkind-
ness of her father's followers, were too much for the
good, gentle and sensitive lady and she breathed her last
on 14th Jumdi '1-ula 1 1 AH, exactly seventy-five days
after the death of her father, the Holy Prophet of Islam.

Fatimah died in the prime of her life at the age of
eighteen, and was buried in Jannatu '1-Baqi', Medina.

46 A BRffiF HISTORY

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ikiA.^:!;!^^ ,^ij j»i;kJ^>V^j (...) ii^ii^>>^ Vij r^>^'

ji- Alii l>ijti) ,3lj>o] b 4l L^ ^i iJjijI ^''^fj'" J < ■ ■ ) L^J*^ J* *#ip .A^' .H'j-^

Allah has made faith (Iman) [the means] to purify one
from polytheism (shirk); and [made] prayer (salat) to
guard one from arrogance; and [prescribed] alms (zakat)
to chasten one's self and increase one's sustenance; and
[prescribed] the fast (sawm) to strengthen sincere devo-
tion [to Allah] ; and [prescribed] the pilgrimage (hajj) to
elevate the religion (din); and [enjoined] justice (adl) to
harmonize the hearts; and [ enjoined ] obedience to us
(Ahlu 'l-bayt) to organize the Islamic community (millah);
and our Leadership (imamah) as a trust to avoid disunity;
and [prescribed] holy war (jihad) to honour Islam and
denounce the unbelievers and hypocrites; and the bidding
of good (amrbi '1-ma'ruf) and forbidding of evil (naky
ani 'l-munkar) for the benefit of the people in general;
and kindness to parents as a shield against the anger [of
Allah] ; and strengthening one's ties with near kin to pro-
long [one's] life: .. . and the forbiddance of alcoholic
drink to guard one from filth; and Allah has prohibited
polytheism for the sincere devotion to His Divinity; so
[O you who believe!] fear Allah as you should, and [see
that] you die not but as Muslims [3:102]. (An excerpt
from a lengthy speech delivered at the Mosque of the
Prophet [at Medina] in defence of her right of inheritance).

TWELVE APOSTOLIC IMAMS

The Apostle of Allah said:

After me there will be Twelve Imams or Caliphs:

and
The first of us is Muhammad;
The last of us is Muhammad;
In between us are Muhammad;
And all of us are Muhammad;
For all of us are from One Nur (Light).

THE IMAMS

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him and
his progeny) said: "I shall be succeeded by twelve relig-
ious leaders, all of whom will be of Qurayshite origin."
(al-Bukhari, as-Sahih)

The twelve Imams are these sacred personages and
spiritual leaders about whom the Holy Prophet had proph-
esied. Pointing them out as the source and means of guid
ance for mankind, the Holy Prophet remarked: "So long
as my twelve successors will continue to govern, this
religion (Islam) will exist (in this world)." (Abu Dawud,
as-Sunan)

On a request from his well-known companion, Jabir
ibn Abdillah al-Ansari, the Holy Prophet explained the
names of his twelve successors thus: "They are my twelve
successors, O Jabir, who will come after me. First of them
will be Ali, who will be followed, one after the other, by
Hasan, Husayn, Ali ibn al-Husayn, Muhammad ibn "Ali,
JaTar ibn Muhammad, Musa ibn JaTar, Ali ibn Musa,
Muhammad ibn "Ali, "Ali ibn Muhammad, Hasan ibn Ali
and lastly by Muhammad al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im (peace be
on them)."

LINEAL CHART OF THE TWELVE APOSTOLIC IMAMS

Banu Hashim

Abd al- Muttalib

\ .

Abdullah

Muhammad

(The Prophet)

Fatimah

al-Hasan
(2nd Imam)

Abu Talib

Ali, Amir al-Mu'minin

(1st Imam)

al-Husayn
(3rd Imam)
I
Ali Zaynu 'l-"Abidin

(4th Imam)

Muhammad al-Baqir
(5th Imam)

Ja'far as-Sadiq

(6th Imam)

Musa al-Kazim

(7th Imam)

Ali ar-Rida

(8th Imam)

Muhammad al-Jawad (at-Taqi)

(9th Imam)

Ali al-Hadi (an-Naqi)
(10th Imam)

al-Hasan al-"Askari

(11 thimam)

Muhammad al-Mahdi
(12th Imam)

THE THIRD INFALLIBLE

THE FIRST IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF AMIR AL-MU'MININ 'ALI IBN
ABI TALIB (A.S.), AN-NAJAF AL-ASHRAF (IRAQ).

ALI IBN ABI TALIB, AMIR AL-MU'MININ

(Peace be on him)

Name: All.

Title: al-Murtada.

Agnomen. Abu, '1-Hasan.

Father's name: Abu Talib ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.

Mother's name: Fatimah bint Asad.

Birth: In the Holy Ka'bah in Mecca on Friday, 13th Rajab
23 BH.

Death: Died at the age of 63, in Kufah (Iraq) on Monday,
21st Ramadan 40 AH; murdered by an assassin who
mortally wounded him with a poisoned sword in the
mosque of Kufah during the morning prayer on 19th
Ramadan; buried in an-Najaf al-Ashraf (Iraq).

IMAM ALI was the cousin of our Holy Prophet. He was
born in the Sacred House (Ka'bah). Providence alone had
a hand in bringing his mother towards the Ka'bah. When
his mother came to Ka'bah, she felt weighed down by
intense pain of pregnancy. She knelt down before the
Holy Structure and prayed humbly to God. "Abbas ibn

52 A BRIEF HISTORY

Abd al-Muttalib, saw All's mother praying to God. No
sooner had she raised her head from supplication, then
the wall of the Sacred House split by a solemn miracle.
Fatlmah entered the Ka'bah and that portion returned
to Its normal position. "Abbas and his companions flocked
at the gate of the Sacred House which was locked, and
tried to open It, but In vain. They then decided to give
It up, considering the miraculous nature of the event
and the Divine Will In action. The news of this miraculous
Incident soon spread like wild fire In Mecca.

All was born within the Ka'bah with his eyes closed
and his body In humble prostration before the Almighty.
Fatlmah stayed In the Ka'bah for three days and as the
fourth day approached she stepped out, carrying her
gem In her arms. To her great surprise, she found the
Holy Prophet awaiting to receive the newly-born child
In his anxious arms. Imamate feeling the subtle touch of
prophethood. All opened his eyes and saluted the Divine
Prophet: ''as-Salamu alaykayaRasula 'llah" (Peace be
on you, O Messenger of Allah).

'All's birth In the Ka'bah Is unique In the history of
the world. Neither a prophet nor a Divine saint was ever
blessed with such an honour.

He was brought up under the care and affection of the
Holy Prophet. As All says: "The Holy Prophet brought
me up In his own arms and fed me with his own morsel. I
followed him wherever he went like a baby-camel follow-
ing Its mother. Each day a new aspect of his character
would beam out of his noble person and I would accept
It and follow It as a command." (Nahju '1-balaghah)

Ten years In the company of the Holy Prophet had
kept him so close and Inseparable, that he was one with
him In character, knowledge, self- sacrifice, forbearance,
bravery, kindness, generosity, oratory and eloquence.

THIRD INFALLIBLE 53

From his very infancy, he prostrated before God along
with the Holy Prophet. As he himself said: "I was the
first to pray to God along with the Holy Prophet. "

"Ali preserved in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet,"
says al-Mas'udi, "all along his childhood." Allah created
him pure and holy and kept him steadfast on the right
path. Though Ali is undisputably the first to embrace
Islam when the Holy Prophet called upon his listeners
to do so, yet by the very fact that since his infancy he
was brought up by the Holy Prophet and followed him
in every action and deed including prostration before
Allah, he can be said to be born a Muslim, just like the
Holy Prophet himself.

Ali, at all times, accompanied the Holy Prophet to
help and protect him from his enemies. He used to write
down the verses of the Holy Qur'an and discuss them with
the Prophet as soon as they were revealed by the Holy
Messenger, the Gabriel. He was so closely associated with
the Holy Prophet that as soon as a verse was revealed to
him during the day or night, Ali was the first to hear it.

The Holy Prophet has said of "Ali:

"Ali, you are my brother in this world as well as in
the Hereafter.

1 am the city of knowledge and Ali is the gate.
Nobody knows Ali except Allah and I.
Nobody know me except Allah and "Ali.

If you want to see the knowledge of Adam, the piety
of Noah, the devotion of Abraham, the awe of Moses,
and the service and abstinence of Christ, look at the
bright face of "Ali.

When the Holy Prophet reached Yathrib (Medina) and
met his followers who had come from Mecca at his call, he
immediately appointed for each such followers a person
from the people of Yathrib known as Ansar (Helpers),

54 A BRIEF HISTORY

who had accepted his prophethood, to be a brother to
him. His appointment of brothers was a great act of help
for the refugees known as Muhajirun (Emigrants), who
left their home and come to Yathrib. He made brothers
of people who followed the same trade so that the Muha-
jirun could be usefully employed immediately. While the
Prophet was appointing an Ansar a brother to di Muhajirun,
'Ali who was present there, was not appointed as a brother
to any Ansar. On being questioned as to why he had not
appointed a brother for Ali, the Prophet said: "He shall
be a brother to me. "

The character and calibre of "Ali as judged by al-
Mas'udi is, "If the glorious name of being the first Muslim,
a comrade of the Prophet in exile, his faithful compan
ion in the struggle for faith, his intimate associate in
life, and his kinsman; if a true knowledge of the spirit
of his teachings and of the Book; if self-abnegation and
practice of justice; if honesty, purity, and love of truth;
if a knowledge of law and science, constitute a claim to
pre-eminence, then all must regard "Ali as the foremost
Muslim. We shall search in vain to find, either among his
predecessors (save one) or among his successors, those
attributes. "

Gibbon says: "The birth, the alliance, the character
of "Ali which exalted him above the rest of his country-
men, might justify his claim to the vacant throne of
Arabia. The son of Abu Talib was in his own right the
chief of Banu Hashim and the hereditary prince or guard-
ian of the city and the Ka'bah."

" "Ali had the qualifications of a poet, a soldier, and
a saint; his wisdom still breathes in a collection of moral
and religious sayings; and every antagonist, in the combats
of the tongue or of the sword, was subdued by his elo-
quence and valour. From the first hour of his mission to

THIRD INFALLIBLE 55

the last rites of his funeral, the Apostle was never forsaken
by a generous friend, whom he delighted to name his
brother, his vicegerent, and the faithful Aaron of a second

Moses."

M arriage:

Under Divine instruction, the Apostle of Allah married
his beloved daughter Fatimah to Ali, though others vainly
tried for her hand.

Among their children. Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn,
Zaynab and Umm Kulthum have left their marks on the
history of the world.

After the death of Hadrat Fatimah, "Ali married Ummu
'1-Banin. "Abbas was born out of this wedlock and was so
handsome that, he was fondly called Qamar Banu Hashim.
He personified loyalty and bravery and proved it in the
battlefield at Karbala'.

Death

In the 40th year of Hijrah, in the small hours of the
morning of 19th Ramadan, Ali was struck with a poisoned
sword by a Kharijite while offering his prayers in the
mosque of Kufah. (See photo on p. 56)

The Lion of God, the most brave-hearted and fentle
Muslim that ever lived began his glorious life with devotion
to Allah and His Apostle and ended it in the service of
Islam.

And do not speak of those who are slain in A llah's
way as dead; nay they are alive hut you do not per-
ceive. (Qur'an, 2:154)

INTERIOR VIEW OF THE MOSQUE OF KUFAH AND
THE DOME OF MUSLIM IBN AQIL, KUFAH (IRAQ).

THIRD INFALLIBLE 57

THE IMAMSAND LEADERSOF ISLAM

(By al-"Allamah at-Tabataba'i )

The previous discussions lead us to the conclusion
that in Islam, after the death of the Holy Prophet, there
has continuously existed and will continue to exist with
in the Islamic community (ummah), an Imam (a leader
chosen by God). Numerous prophetic hadiths have been
transmitted in Shi'ism concerning the description of the
Imams, their number, the fact that they are all of the
Quraysh and of the Household of the Prophet, and the
fact that the promised Mahdi is among them and the last
of them. Also, there are definitive words of the Prophet
concerning the Imamate of " Ali and his being the first
Imam and also definitive utterances of the Prophet and
Ali concerning the Imamate of the Second Imam. In the
same way the Imams before have left definitive statements
concerning the Imamate of those who were to come after
them. According to these utterances contained in Twelve-
Imam Shi'ite sources the Imams are twelve in number
and their holy names are as follows: (1) "Ali ibn Abi Talib;
(2) al-Hasan ibn 'AU; (3) al-Husayn ibn 'AU; (4) 'AU ibn
al- Husayn; (5) Muhammad ibn "Ali; (6) Ja'far ibn Muham-
mad; (7) Musa ibn JaTar; (8) "Ali ibn Musa; (9) Muham-
mad ibn Ali; (10) "Ali ibn Muhammad; (11) al-Hasan ibn
AU; and (12) the Mahdi.

The First Imam:

Amir al-Mu'minin, "Ali (upon whom be peace) was
the son of Abu Talib, the Shaykh of the Banu Hashim.
Abu Talib was the uncle and guardian of the Holy Prophet
and the person who had brought the Prophet to his house
and raised him like his own son. After the Prophet was
chosen for his prophetic mission. Abu Talib continued

58 A BRIEF HISTORY

to support him and repelled from him the evil that came
from the infidels among the Arabs and especially the
Quraysh.

According to well-known traditional accounts, "Ali
was born ten years before the commencement of the
prophetic misssion of the Prophet. When six years old, as
a result of femine in and around Mecca, he was requested
by the Prophet to leave his father's house and come to
the house of his cousin, the Prophet. There he was placed
directly under the guardianship and custody of the Holy
Prophet.

A few years later, when the Prophet was endowed
with the Divine Gift of prophecy and for the first time
received the Divine Revelation in the cave of Hira', as he
left the cave to return to town and his own house he met
'Ali on the way. He told him what had happened and
Ali accepted the new faith. Again in a gathering when
the Holy Prophet had brought his relatives together
and invited them to accept his religion, he said the first
person to accept his call would be his vicegerent and
inheritor and deputy. The only person to rise from
his place and accept the faith was Ali and the Prophet
accepted his declaration of faith. Therefore, "Ali was the
first man in Islam to accept the faith and is the first among
the followers of the Prophet to have never worshipped
other than the One God.

Ali was always in the company of the Prophet until
the Prophet emigrated from Mecca to Medina. On the
night of the emigration to Medina (hijrah) when the
infidels had surrounded the house of the Prophet and
were determined to invade the house at the end of the
night and cut him to pieces while he was in bed. Ali slept
in place of the Prophet while the Prophet left the house
and set out for Medina. After the departure of the Prophet,

THIRD INFALLIBLE 59

according to his wish "Ali gave back to the people the
trusts and charges that they had left with the Prophet.
Then he went to Medina with his mother, the daughter
of the Prophet, and two other women. In Medina also
'Ali was constantly in the company of the Prophet in
private and in public. The Prophet gave Fatimah, his sole,
beloved daughter from Khadijah, to "Ali as his wife and
when the Prophet was creating bonds of brotherhood
among his companions, he selected "Ali as his brother.

Ali was present in all the wars in which the Prophet
participated, except the battle of Tabuk when he was
ordered to stay in Medina in place of the Prophet. He
did not retreat in any battle nor did he turn his face away
from any enemy. He never disobeyed the Prophet, so that
the Prophet said: " "Ali is never separated from the Truth
nor the Truth from Ali."

On the day of the death of the Prophet, Ali was thirty-
three years old. Although he was foremost in religious
virtues and the most outstanding among the companions
of the Prophet, he was pushed aside from the caliphate
on the claim that he was too young and that he had
many enemies among the people because of the blood of
the polytheists he had spilled in the wars fought alongside
the Prophet. Therefore, "Ali was almost completely cut
off from public affairs. He retreated to his house where
he began to train competent individuals in the Divine
sciences and in this way he passed the twenty-five years
of the caliphate of the first three caliphs who (came to
power after the Prophet; the first by election of few
Muslims; the second appointed by the first; and the third,
chosen out of six unequal candidates nominated by the
second caliph. . .?!). When the third caliph was killed,
people gave their allegiance to him and he was chosen
as Caliph.

60 A BRIEF HISTORY

During his caliphate of nearly four years and nine
months, " Ali followed, exactly, the way of the Prophet
and gave his caliphate the form of a spiritual movement
and renewal and began many different types of reforms.
Naturally, these reforms were against the interests of
certain parties that sought their own benefit. As a result,
a group of the companions (foremost among whom were
Talhah and az-Zubayr, who also gained the support of
A'ishah, and especially Mu'awiyah) made a pretext of
the death of the third caliph to raise their heads in oppo-
sition and began to revolt and rebel against "Ali.

In order to quell the civil strife and sedition, "Ali
fought successfully a war near Basrah known as the "Battle
of the Camel," against Talhah and az-Zubayr in which
A'ishah, "the Mother of the Faithful," was also involved.
He fought another war against Mu'awiyah on the border
of Iraq and Syria which lasted for a year and a half and
is famous as the "Battle of Siffin". He also fought the
Khawarij at Nahrawan, in a battle known as the "Battle
of Nahrawan". Therefore, most of the days of "All's
caliphate were spent in overcoming internal opposition.
Finally, in the morning of the 19th Ramadan in the year
40 AH, while praying in the mosque of Kufah, he was
wounded by one of the Khawarij and died as a martyr
during the night of the 21st.

According to the testimony of friend and foe alike,
Ali had no shortcomings from the point of view of human
perfection. And in the Islamic virtues he was a perfect
example of the upbringing and training given by the Holy
Prophet. The discusssions that have taken place concerning
his personality and the books written on this subject by
Shiites, Sunnis and members of other religions, as well
as the simply curious outside any distinct religious bodies,
are hardly equalled in the case of any other personality

THIRD INFALLIBLE 6 1

in history. In science and knowledge "Ali was the most
learned of the companions of the Prophet, and of Muslims
in general. In his learned discourses he was the first in
Islam to open the door for logical demonstration and
proof and to discuss the "divine science" or metaphysics
(ma'arif-e ilahiyyah). He spoke concerning the esoteric
aspect of the Qur'an and devised Arabic grammar in order
to preserve the Qur'an's form of expression. He was the
most eloquent Arab in speech (as has been mentioned
in the first part of this book).

The courage of " Ali was proverbial. In all the wars
in which he participated during the lifetime of the Holy
Prophet, and also afterward, he never displayed fear or
anxiety. Although in many battles such as those of Uhud,
Hunayn, Khaybar and Khandaq, the aides to the Prophet
and the Muslim army trembled in fear or dispersed and
fled, he never turned back to the enemy. Never did a
warrior or soldier engage Ali in battle and come out of
it alive. Yet, with full chivalry he would never slay a weak
enemy nor pursue those who fled. He would not engage
in surprise attacks or in turning streams of water upon
the enemy. It has been definitely established historically
that in the Battle of Khaybar in the attack against the
fort he reached the ring of the door and with sudden
motion tore off the door and cast it away. Also, on the
day when Mecca was conquered the Prophet ordered
the idols to be broken. The idol "Hubal" was the largest
idol in Mecca, a giant stone statue placed on the top of
the Ka'bah. Following the command of the Holy Prophet,
Ali placed his feet on the Prophet's shoulders, climbed
to the top of the Ka'bah, pulled "Hubal" from its place
and cast it down.

Ali was also without equal in religious asceticism
and the worship of God. In answer to some who had

62 A BRIEF HISTORY

complained of All's anger toward them, the Holy Prophet
said: "Do not reproach 'All for he is in a state of Divine
ecstasy and bewilderment." Abu 'd-Darda', one of the
companions, one day saw the body of 'All in one of the
palm plantations of Medina lying on the ground as stiff
as wood. He went to "All's house to inform his noble
wife, the daughter of the Prophet, and to express his
condolences. The daughter of the Prophet said: "My
cousin ("All) has not died. Rather, in fear of God he
has fainted. This condition overcomes him often."

There are many stories told of "All's kindness to the
lowly, compassion for the needy and the poor, and gener-
osity and munificence toward those in misery and poverty.
All spent all that he earned to help the poor and the
needy, and himself lived in the strictest and simplest man-
ner. 'Ali loved agriculture and spent much of his time
digging wells, planting trees and cultivating fields. But
all the fields that he cultivated or wells that he built he
gave in endowment (waqf) to the poor. His endowments,
known as the "alms of "Ali," had the noteworthy income
of twenty-four thousand gold dinars towards the end of
his life. (Shi'ite Islam)

M. A. Shakir writes:

'All is the son of Abu Talib and cousin of the Apostle
of Allah.

Birth

He was born in the House of God, the Ka'bah on 13th
Rajab 23 years before Hijrah.

On the death of "Abdu 1-Muttalib, Abu Talib was ap-
pointed the guardian of Muhammad and was charged with
the responsibility of bringing him up. Muhammad and 'All

THIRD INFALLIBLE 63

grew up in the same house. The Prophet was considerably
older and he looked after and trained 'Ali with great love
and care.

The Apostle of Allah said that he and "Ali were two
pieces of the same Nur (Light).

Successor and Caliph

According to the Holy Qur'an, Prophets and Apostolic
Imams are chosen by Allah and not elected, selected,
nominated or appointed by men.

1. When under Divine instructions the Prophet invited
fourty Arab chieftains and delivered the message of Islam,
he proclaimed Ali as his Successor and Caliph.

2. When the Holy Prophet of Islam was returning to
Medina after his last pilgrimage to Mecca in 11 AH, he,
under Divine instruction, stopped at Ghadir Khumm and
in the midst of about 124,000 Muslims, he officially and
finally proclaimed Ali as his Successor and Caliph.

(Besides these two occasions, the Holy Prophet has on
hundreds occasions, either directly or indirectly, appointed
Ali as his Successor and Caliph.)

Happy Days

The infant Ali passed very happy days in the laps
of his mother Fatimah bint Asad, father Abu Talib and
cousin Muhammad.

Under love, care and happiness, 'Ali flowered into a
handsome, eloquent, strong and courageous young boy
of thirteen.

At this time Muhammad started preaching Islam.
Naturally, 'Ali was the first to declare his belief in Allah
and His Apostle.

64 A BRIEF HISTORY

Persecution

Gone were the days of tranquillity and peace. The un-
believers started persecuting the Prophet in numerous
ways, for no fault other than that of delivering to them
the message of God. 'Ali helped and supported the Prophet
whenever necessary.

The unbelievers made the boys and the riffraffs of
Mecca abuse the Holy Prophet and pelt stones at him.
Loyal and brave 'Ali always defended the Prophet. With
his strong fists, he gave the rascals severe beatings, after
that none of them dare molest the Prophet.

Hijrah (Emigration)

In Mecca, life for the believers and the Apostle became
unbearable owing to the cruelties and persecution of
the unbelievers; so the Holy Prophet decided to emigrate
to Medina.

On the night of his departure from Mecca, the Holy
Prophet asked "Ali to sleep in his place on his bed, so he
could leave for Medina without the unbelievers having
any knowledge of his absence. Though 'Ali knew that
the house was surrounded with forty armed enemies, he
dauntlessly slept the whole night and said that he had
never slept better. The Holy Prophet reached Medina
safely and soon after, "Ali joined the Apostle at Medina.

Warrior

'Ali executed every order, command and injunction
of the Holy Qur'an and the Apostle, as it should be done
and none was his equal.

THIRD INFALLIBLE 65

Badr

The idolaters of Mecca would not allow Islam to grow
and spread in peace.

Abu Sufyan, the chieftain of the Umayyad tribe, a
bitter enemy of the Holy Prophet and Islam marched
to Medina at the head of one-thousand well-armed and
trained fighters with the intention of killing the Apostle
of Allah and the believers.

The Holy Prophet collected his small band of three-
hundred and thirteen faithful followers. The defence was
made up of ill- equipped fighters, including young boys
and old men.

Instead of waiting for the attackers, the Prophet
decided to meet them at a little distance from Medina
at a place called Badr (150 Km from Medina).

The fighting was fast and furious and the unbelievers
were defeated. " Ali made a name for himself for his brav-
ery. It was his sword that routed the enemy.

Uhud

Next year Abu Sufyan came again with 10,000 men.
The Prophet met him at Uhud with a 1 ,000 believers who
were posted at various strategic places of defence.

A few Muslims were given specific instruction not
to leave their position, no matter what happened.

The battle began and w^ith the help of Allah, the
believers inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, who began
to flee. In spite of the strict instructions of the Holy
Prophet, a few Muslims deserted their post and ran after
the enemy to loot.

Khalid ibn al-Walid, one of the officers of Abu Sufyan,
seeing the position occupied by Muslims undefended.

66 A BRIEF HISTORY

attacked the believers. Many believers were killed including
Hamzah, the brave uncle of the Prophet and winning fight
began to become a losing one. "Ali came to the rescue (of
the life of the Prophet) and beat off the attack.

After Hamzah and Ja'far, 'Ali was the flag bearer of
Islam. Ali was the only commander of the Holy Prophet
during his life and no other person was given the command
of the Prophet's armies in the battles in which the Holy
Prophet was himself taking part.

The wife of Abu Sufyan, cut open the liver of Ham-
zah and drank his blood. Then she made a necklace of the
ears and noses of the martyrs and wore it round her neck.

When the Muslims returned to Medina to weep and
mourn for their dead, the Apostle ordered that the mourn-
ing of Hamzah be observed before the mourning of their
own dead.

Khandaq

The battle of Khandaq took place because Abu Suf-
yan collected many infidel tribes against the Prophet and
invaded Medina. To make Medina safe the Prophet ordered
a trench (khandaq) to be dug around a part of the City,
and therefore this battle is called the Battle of the Trench.
In this battle the enemy warrior Amr ibn "Abdawad
challenged the Muslims to a single combat. All the com-
panions of the Prophet were present, yet none stirred
except "Ali. But Muhammad restrained him. The challenge
was repeated for the second time, even then no one moved
to accept it but All Again the Apostle stopped him. When
they were challenged for the third time and again there
was a silence from all, and again Ali offered to face "Amr,
the Prophet gave him the permission. The Lion of Allah
jumped to the battlefield and accepted the challenge.

THIRD INFALLIBLE 67

The Holy Prophet of Islam said:

Total Imanrfaith) is now going to fight total kufr
(disbelief) and one Stroke of A 11' s sword is better
than all the prayers and worship of those in heaven
and earth.
'Ali with one stroke of his sword, Dhu '1-Faqar, killed

the warrior. In the general encounter the enemy was

defeated.

Khaybar

The Jews of Khaybar breached their agreement with
the Prophet and started harassing and killing the Muslims.

An army led by the Apostle surrounded the fortresses
of Khaybar. "Ali was at Medina because of pain in his eyes.

For many days, the Muslims attacked the fort but
were unsuccessful. After some days the Holy Prophet
declared:

Tomorrow, I will give the flag to one who will not

run away. He will attack repeatedly and Allah will

crown him with victory. Allah and the Apostle are

his friends and he is their friend.

Next morning soon after prayers, a horseman came
galloping, a cloud of dust flying behind him. It was "Ali
and when he dismounted, Muhammad asked him about
his eyes. When 'Ali said that they were still paining, the
Prophet applied his saliva. The pain vanished and "Ali
said that his vision had never been better.

Muhammad gave the flag of Islam to Ali and prayed
for him. Ali dauntlessly marched to the fort.

Marhab, the brave enemy warrior, came out to meet
Ali in a single combat. According to the Arab custom,
Marhab talked of his deeds of bravery and said that his
mother called him Marhab (frightful). 'Ali retorted that

68 A BRIEF HISTORY

his mother called him Haydar (Furious Lion).

Ali cut Marhab into two pieces and the fort of Khay-
bar was conquered by Yadu 'llah (Ali).

Statesman

At Hudaybiyyah, Ali was asked by the Holy Prophet
to draft and write the peace treaty.

On the occasion of Mubahilah with the Christians of
Najran, the Holy Prophet asked Ali to give them the terms
of settlement.

'Ali is the founder of the land revenue system which
protected the rights of the tillers of the soil. He gave the
world this system, for it was unknown before.

Ali is the father of the Arabic Grammar. He gave the
language its grammar.

The Chapter of Repentance (al-Bara'ah or at -Tawbah)
had to be recited to the people of Mecca, Abu B alo-
of fered to do so and started on his way. The angel Gabriel
came with a message from God, asking the Prophet to
recall Abu Bakr and to go himself or to send a person
like him. As the Holy Prophet could not go, he decided
to send 'Ali and "Ali represented the Holy Prophet to
carry this Chapter to the Quraysh.

M arriage

Under Divine instruction, the Apostle of Allah married
his beloved daughter Fatimah to "Ali.

Among their children. Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn,
Zaynab and Umm Kulthum have left their marks on the
history of the world.

By his other wife, Ummu '1-Banin, Allah gave him
Abbas who was so handsome that he was fondly called

THIRD INFALLIBLE 69

Qamar Bani Hashim (The Moon of Banu Hashim) and he
personified his loyalty and bravery in the battlefield of
Karbala'.

Hadith

When the Apostle led his army to Tabuk, he left "Ali
in charge of Medina as his Deputy, Vicegerent and Caliph.
On this occasion the Apostle of Allah said:

All's position with me is the same as Harun's was

with Musa, with only this difference that there will

be no prophet after me.

He (the Prophet) said:

I leave behind Two Precious Things; one is the Holy
Qur'an and the other are my descendants. Hold fast
to them both, then you will not go astray.
And he (the Prophet) again said:

I, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn are from the
same Nur (Light).

But like the ever- shifting sands, the people of Arabia
disregarded the sayings of the Holy Prophet and intro-
duced innovations which irretrievably divided the Muslims.

Death of the Prophet

During the last days of the month of Safar, the Proph-
et of Islam was very ill. The Companions saw that the
Apostle would soon pass away.

Abu Bakr

The Arabs (some of the A nsar and at the end of the
meeting three of the Muhajimn) immediately collected
in the Saqifah to appoint a caliph (while the holy body of

70 A BRIEF HISTORY

the Prophet was still unburied) ; and finally appointed
Abu Bakr as caliph in 1 1 AH.

Banu Hashim and the true believers could not join
the meeting at the Saqifah as they could not leave their
ailing Prophet, who passed away on 28th Safar 1 1 AH.
While the meetings were going on, the Banu Hashim and
the true believers had to perform their sacred duty of
burying the Apostle of Allah (after all, the Prophet had
already appointed "Ali as his caliph).

The reason for this astounding happening was the
desire to rule the State. In course of about eighty battles,
there was not a tribe or family, whose members were not
killed by Ali in jihad, though Allah and His Apostle had
chosen Ali as the successor and caliph.

When Abu Bakr became the caliph, he said that now he
was charged with the cares of the Government, though he
was not the best among them. As death approached him,
he nominated "Umar as his successor and caliph in 13 A H.

' Umar

For about ten years "Umar was the caliph, and before
his death, he nominated a group of six (unequal in rank
and knowledge) to select, under force, one (among the
six) as a caliph, and if they fail they should be killed.
Imam "Ali being one of the six nominated persons, having
refused to abide with the group's condition to rule on
the footsteps of the two passed caliphs (Abu Bakr and
Umar), the group then selected "Uthman, who was from
the tribe of Umayyad, as the third caliph in 23 AH.

^ Uthman

When "Uthman became the caliph, his near kin the

THIRD INFALLIBLE 71

Umayyads, became the actual rulers of the Islamic terri-
tories. The caliphate of "Uthman with the governors he
had like Mu'awiyah, son of Abu Sufyan (the first and long-
lived enemy of Islam), was first appointed by "Umar as the
governor of Syria, and was responsible for the murders
of Imam 'Ali and Imam Hasan. Mu'awiya's son Yazid
butchered Imam Husayn (the grandson of the Prophet)
at Karbala'. And like al-Walid ibn "Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt,
the governor of Kufah; and Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh, the
governor of Egypt, and above all, his close councillor
and vizier Marwan ibn al-Hakam he had, the affairs of
the caliphate reached to such an extent that led the
Islamic ummah to revolt against 'Uthman and killed him
in 35 AH.

'Ali

Among sufferings and chaos, the Muslims clamoured
to elect 'Ali as the successor of the Holy Prophet and
caliph of Allah.

Looking to the condition of the society, how every-
one was running after this world, "Ali at first refused to
accept the responsibility of the State, but on the third
day with great reluctance, he agreed to take up the charge
and to accept their oath of allegiance as a caliph.

Following the footsteps of the Holy Prophet, 'Ali
established the Islamic tolerance and justice, brother-
hood and goodness. He re-lit the torch of Islamic learning
and progress.

All's famous sermons and lectures given from the
minbar (pulpit) of the mosque of Kufah and on other
occasions, have been published in a book called Nahju
'1-balaghah are worth reading.

In his old age, 'Ali had to make three more jihads

72 A BRIEF HISTORY

in the battles of Camel, Nahrawan and Siffin against the
hypocrites, who rebelled and revolted against the com-
mands of the Holy Qur'an and the Apostle of Allah.

Murder

All's effort to establish the Kingdom of Allah on
earth, was cut short by the assassin's sword.

Ibn Muljam, the tool of Mu'awiyah, murdered 'Ali
while he was saying his morning prayer and was crowned
with martyrdom on 21st Ramadan 40 AH, and was
buried in an-Najaf al-Ashraf (Iraq). (See photo on p. 50)

Born in the House of Allah, the Ka'bah and was killed
in the House of Allah, the Mosque of Kufah, the Lion of
Allah, the most brave-hearted and gentle Muslim that
ever lived, began his glorious life with devotion to Allah
and His Apostle and ended it in the Service of Islam.

And do not speak of those who are slain in A llah's

way as dead; nay (they are) alive, hut you do not

perceive. (2:154)

Chief of the Friends of Allah

{Sayy id Awliya' A llah)

Every God-fearing and pious Muslim knows "Ali, the
Friend of Allah (waliyyu 'llah) In every place 'Ali is ac-
knowledged as the Chief of the Friends of Allah. "All's
benevolent powers are known and experienced even today,
by those who love him and they will continue to be felt
till the end of time.

'Ali, the Friend of Allah, does what pleases Allah
and Allah grants what pleases Ali.

^ ^ ^

THIRD INFALLIBLE 73

Ali, the fierce and furious fighter of Khandaq, cou-
rageous and dauntless conqueror of Khaybar, was the
tender helper of the sick and the benefactor of widows
and orphans.

Ali, the Prince of charity- givers, working very hard
to earn money, overshadowed Hatim Ta'i, by giving away
a laden caravan to a beggar when he asked for a piece of
bread (for the sake of Allah).

Ali, who himself ate dry barley bread and salt,would
spread a banquet for the poor and the beggars.

Ali, the Ocean of knowledge, would not speak unless
asked.

In order to give dignity to honest labour, 'Ali rolled
up his sleeves and worked on the farms of Jews and
Muslims as a labourer.

The mighty Caliph of the Islamic Empire and Con-
queror of eighty- three jihads would mend his, as well as
the Apostle's shoes.

There were many phrases of 'Ali and no man ever
knew him well.

The Holy Prophet of Islam said:

Nobody knows Allah except I and Ali.

Nobody knows me except Allah and Ali.

Nobody knows 'Ali except Allah and I.

If you want to see the knowledge of Adam, the piety

of Nuh, the devotion of Ibrahim, the awe of Musa and

the service and abstinence of "Isa look at the bright

face of "Ali.

'AM said:

"The descendants of the Prophet are his confidants,
the shelter of his commands, the trustees of his know-
ledge, the stronghold of the Qur'an and the mountains
of his faith.

74 A BRIEF HISTORY

"It is they who have made the bent back of Islam
straight. The Mushms were afraid of the unbehevers, but
they made them bold and brave.

"None of the followers of Muhammad can be com-
pared with the descendants of the Prophet. The recipients
cannot be equal to the bestowers of blessings.

"The Ahlu '1-bayt are the Foundation of Islam and
the Pillars of Faith.

"Every Muslim is dependant upon them for help and
guidance to attain salvation.

"They enjoy the privilege and right of Imamate and
caliphate, which they retain. Now he who was the rightful
and deserving heir to the caliphate has got it.

"The worshippers and followers of falsehood have
always been in majority and the supporters of Truth have
always been few in number.

"When the Prophet passed away, many people left
the progeny of the Prophet and helped others. They left
those whom they were ordered to love.

"The caliphate was handed over to other persons,
who were worldly wise, with the usual human failings.
They never had nor claimed any spiritual powers, nor
were they sinless.

"O people! Let it be known to you that we are the
descendants of the Holy Prophet. Angels come to us.
We are the fountains of learning. We are the springs of
wisdom and knowledge of Allah.

"He who is our friend and helper deserves the Mercy
of Allah, and he who is our enemy, waits for the punish-
ment of Allah. They speak lies against us and do injustice
to us.

"Allah has elevated our position and he has made
them inferior to us. He has opened the eyes of the people
through us.

THIRD INFALLIBLE 75

"Verily, the Imams shall be from Quraysh, who are
the descendants of Banu Hashim. None but the Banu
Hashim deserve Imamate.

"I advise you not to associate anything with Allah
and do not spoil the sunnah of the Prophet. Keep these
two pillars and you will be safe from blame and sins.

"Your religion is straight and your Imam wise. I
was your friend during the lifetime of the Prophet. Know
it well that the Imams are appointed caliphs by Allah.
They rule over the people for Allah. Know it well that
we are the true Companions of the Holy Prophet. We
are the doors of his learnings. It is not lawful to enter
houses, but through its doors. He who disregards this
rule is a thief.

"Only those people who obey Allah and His Apostle
shall go to Paradise and those who do otherwise shall go
to Hell. Verily, Allah made you Muslims and He wants
you to be sincere Muslims. He who recognizes Allah, His
Prophet and his Ahlu 'l-bayt and even if he dies in bed
and not in jihad he will be a martyr (shahid).

"O people! ask me (any question) before you miss
me, because certainly I am acquainted with the passages
of the sky more than the passages of the earth, and before
that mischief springs upon its feet which would trample
even the nose- string and destroy the wits of the people.

"Now, I bid you goodbye; you will find my place
vacant and realize my worth. You will remember me when
others succeed me to caliphate." (Nahju 'l-baldghah)

^ ^ ^

When Imam "Ali was fatally wounded by the poisoned
sword of "Abdu 'r-Rahman ibn Muljam (the curse of Allah
be on him), he ("Ali) made the following will to Imam

76 A BRIEF HISTORY

Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be on them):

"I advise you (both) to fear Allah and that you should
not hanker after the (pleasure of this) world even though
it may run after you. Do not be sorry for anything of this
world that you have been denied. Speak the truth and act
(in expectation) for reward. Be an enemy of the oppressor
and helper of the oppressed.

"I advise you (both) and all my children and members
of my family and everyone whom my writing reaches, to
fear Allah, to keep your affairs in order, and to maintain
good relations among yourselves for I have heard your
grandfather (the Holy Prophet) saying: "Improvement
of mutual differences is better than general prayers and
fastings.'

"(Fear) Allah (and) keep Allah in view in the matter
of orphans. So do not allow them to starve and they
should not be ruined in your presence.

"(Fear) Allah (and) keep Allah in view in the mat-
ter of your neighbours, because they were the subject
of the Prophet's advice. He went on advising in their
favour till we thought he would allow them a share in
inheritance.

"(Fear) Allah (and) keep Allah in view in the mat-
ter of the Qur'an. No one should excel you in acting
upon it.

"(Fear) Allah (and) keep Allah in view in the matter
of prayer, because it is the pillar of your religion.

"(Fear) Allah (and) keep Allah in view in the matter
of your Lord's House (Ka'bah). Do not forsake it so long
as you live, because if it is abandoned you will not be
spared.

"(Fear) Allah (and) keep Allah in view in the matter
of jihad with the help of your property, lives and tongues
in the way of Allah.

THIRD INFALLIBLE 77

"You should keep to a respect for kinship and spend-
ing for others. Avoid turning away from one another
and severing mutual relations. Do not give up bidding
for good and forbidding from evil lest the mischievous
gain positions over you, and then if you will pray, the
prayers will not be granted."

MIHRAB (PRAYER NICHE) OF THE MOSQUE OF KUFAH
\A/HERE AMIR AL-MU'MININ 'ALI IBN ABI TALIB (A.S.)
WAS STRUCK WITH SWORD

THE FOURTH INFALLIBLE

THE SECOND IMAM

THE BURIAL PLACE OF IMAM HASAN IBN 'ALI (A.S.)
ATAL-BAQI', MEDINA.

AL-HASAN IBN ALI AL-MUJTABA

(Peace be on him)

Name: al-Hasan.
Title: al-Mujtaba.
Agnomen: Abu Muhammad.
Father's name: Ah Amir al-Mu'minin.
Mother's name: Fatimah (daughter of the Holy Prophet).
Birth: In Medina on Tuesday, 15th Ramadan 3 AH.
Death: Died at the age of 46, in Medina on Thurday, 28th
Safar 50 AH; buried in Jannatu '1-Baqi', in Medina.

IMAM HASAN was the eldest son of Imam 'Ah and Hadrat
Fatimah. When the Holy Prophet received the happy news
of the birth of his grandson, he came to the house of his
beloved daughter, took the newly born child in his arms,
recited adhan and iqamah in his right and left ears respect-
ively, and in compliance with Allah's command named
him al-Hasan.

Childhood:

The first phase of seven years of his infancy was
blessed with the gracious patronage of the Holy Prophet,
who gifted him all his great qualities and adorned him

82 A BRIEF HISTORY

with Divine knowledge, tolerance, intelligence, bounty
and valour. Being infallible by birth and decorated with
heavenly knowledge by Allah, his insight had an access
to al-lawhu 'l-maf^uz (the Guarded Tablet on which
the transactions of mankind have been written by Allah
for all eternity).

The Holy Imam immediately became conversant with
all the contents of any wahy (Qur'anic verses) revealed
when the Holy Prophet would disclose it to his associates.
To the great surprise of the Holy Prophet, Hadrat Fatimah
would often recite the exact text of a newly revealed
wahy before he disclosed it personally to her. When he
inquired, she would inform him that it was Hasan through
whom she had learned the Revelation.

Remembrance of Allah:

The Holy Imam devoted himself to prayers in such
abundance, that all the limbs employed in prostration
bore scars and impressions of his sajdah (prostration).
Most of the nights were spent on the prayer-carpet. The
sense of his absorption and humiliation in prayers to
Allah were in such earnest that he would shed tears pro-
fusely out of fear of Allah. While performing ablution,
he trembled with the fear of Allah and his face grew pale
at the time of prayers. His earnest meditation in the offer-
ing of prayers and his extreme absorption in communion
with Allah would render him entirely unconscious of his
environments.

His Piousness and Contentment:

Imam Hasan had the worldly possessions at his dis-
posal and could have well enjoyed a luxurious life, but
he utilized all of it in the betterment of the condition
of the poor.

FOURTH INFALLIBLE 83

He was so courteous and humble that he never hesi-
tated to sit along with the beggars in the lanes and on the
thoroughfares of Medina to reply to some of their religious
queries. Through his cordial attitude and hospitality he
never let the poor and the humble feel inferior to him
when they visited his abode.

Imamate:

The demise of the Holy Prophet was followed by an
eventful era when the Islamic world (under the false ruling
bodies) came in the grip of the fever of expansionism and
conquest. But even under such a revolutionary phase,
Imam Hasan kept devoting himself to the sacred mission
of peacefully propagating Islam and the teachings of the
Holy Prophet along with his great father Imam 'Ali.

The martyrdom of Imam Ali on the 21st Ramadan
marked the inception of Imam Hasan's Imamate. The
majority of Muslims pledged their allegiance to him and
finalized the formality of bay 'ah (oath of allegiance).
No sooner had he taken the reins of leadership into his
hands than he had to meet the challenge of Mu'awiyah,
the Governor of Syria, who declared a war against him.
In compliance with the Will of Allah and with a view to
refrain from causing the massacre of Muslims however,
he entered into a piece treaty with Mu'awiyah on terms
(though not totally respected and carried out by Mu'awi-
yah), yet saved Islam and stopped a civil war. But this
peace treaty was never meant as a surrender by him of
the permanent leadership to Mu'awiyah. It was meant
only as an interim transfer of the administration of the
Islamic kingdom, subject to the condition that the ad-
ministration would be surrendered bact to Imam Hasan
after Mu'awiyah' s death and then it would in turn be
inherited by Imam Husayn. Having relieved himself of

84 A BRIEF HISTORY

the administrative responsibilities, Imam Hasan kept the
religious leadership with himself and devoted his life to
the propagation of Islam and the teachings of the Holy
Prophet in Medina.

Martyrdom:

Mu'dwiyah's malice against Imam Hasan led him to
conspire with the Imam's wife Ja'dah, the daughter of
Ash'ath. She was made to give the Imam some poison
which affected his liver. Imam Hasan thus succumbed
to Mu'dwiyah's fatal mischief and attained his martyr-
dom on 28th Safar 50 AH. His funeral was attended
by Imam Husayn and the members of the Hashimite
family. His bier while being taken for burial to the Holy
Prophet's tomb was shot at with arrows by his enemies,
(under direct supervision and consent of A'ishah), and
it had to be diverted for burial to the Jannatu'I-Bagi"
at Medina. His tomb was demolished along with others
on 8th Shawwdl 1344 (21st April 1926) by the Saudi
rulers when they came to power in Hijaz.

The terms of the peace treaty were soon violated,
but earned only a short-lived glory for Mu'dwiyah. Its
aftermath proved disastrous and doomed the fate of his
son Yazid and dealt a fatal blow to the entire family of
Umayyads. After the death of Mu'awiyah, Imam Husayn
emerged as the insurmountable mountain of truth and
determination. In the gruesome tragedy of Karbala', by
sheer force of numbers, and by isolating the seventy-two
members of Imam Husayn' s party and stopping them
from even getting water to drink for three days, Yazid
succeeded in annihilating the seventy-two persons includ-
ing members of the Imam's family who were with him.

This dastardly success of Yazid was, however, short-
lived. The Muslims turned against him on learning of the

FOURTH INFALLIBLE 85

heinous act he had committed and this resulted in the
downfall of Yazid and the extinction of the Umayyad
power from the face of the earth.

al-"Allamah at-Tabataba'i writes:

Imam Hasan Mujtaba, upon whom be peace, was the
second Imam. He and his brother Imam Husayn were the
two sons of Amir al-Mu'minin " Ali and Hadrat Fatimah,
the daughter of the Prophet. Many times the Prophet had
said, "Hasan and Husayn are my children." Because of
these same words "Ali would say to his other children,
"You are my children and Hasan and Husayn are the
children of the Prophet."

Imam Hasan was born in the year 3 AH, in Medina
and shared in the life of the Prophet for somewhat over
seven years, growing up during that time under his loving
care. After the death of the Prophet which was no more
than three, or according to some, six months earlier than
the death of Hadrat Fatimah, Hasan was placed directly
under the care of his noble father. After the death of
his father, through Divine Command and according to
the will of his father. Imam Hasan became Imam; he also
occupied the outward function of caliph for about six
months, during which time he administered the affairs
of the Muslims. During that time Mu'Swiyah, who was
a bitter enemy of " Ali and his family and had fought for
years with the ambition of capturing the caliphate, first
on the pretext of avenging the death of the third caliph
and finally with an open claim to the caliphate, marched
his army to Iraq, the seat of Imam Hasan's caliphate. War
ensued during which Mu'awiyah gradually subverted the
generals and commanders of Imam Hasan's army with
large sums of money and deceiving promises until the
army rebelled against Imam Hasan. Finally, the Imam

86 A BRIEF HISTORY

was forced to make peace and to yield the caliphate to
Mu'awiyah, provided it would again return to Imam Hasan
after Mu'awiyah' s death and the ImSm's Household and
partisans would be protected in every way.

In this way Mu'awiyah captured the Islamic caliphate
and entered Iraq. In a public speech he officially made
null and void all the peace conditions and in every way
possible placed the severest pressure upon the members
of the Household of the Prophet and the Shi'ah. During
all the ten years of his Imamate, Imam Hasan lived in
conditions of extreme hardship and under persecution,
with no security even in his own house. In the year 50 AH,
he was poisoned and martyred by one of his own House-
hold who, as has been accounted by historians, had been
motivated by Mu'awiyah.

In human perfection Imam Hasan was reminiscent
of his father and a perfect example of his noble grand-
father. In fact, as long as the Prophet was alive, he and
his brother were always in the company of the Prophet
who even sometimes would carry them on his shoulders.
Both Sunni and Shi'ite sources have transmitted this
saying of the Holy Prophet concerning Hasan and Husayn:
"These two children of mine are Imams (leaders) whether
they stand up or sit down" (allusion to whether they
occupy the external function of caliphate or not). Also,
there are many traditions of the Holy Prophet and " Ali
concerning the fact that Imam Hasan would gain the func-
tion of Imamate after his noble father. (Shi'ite Islam)

FOURTH INFALLIBLE 87

■ All- >

al-Imam al-Hasan ibn Ali, peace be on him, said:

^ If you fail to obtain something of worldly benefit,
take it as if the thought of it had never crossed your mind
at all.

* Never did a nation resort to mutual counsel except
that they were guided by it towards maturity.

* It is love which brings closer those who are remote
by ancestry, and it is (the absence of) love which causes
dissociation between those who are related by ancestry.

* Opportunity is something which is quick to vanish
and late to return.

THE FIFTH INFALLIBLE

THE THIRD IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM HUSAYN (A.S.)
AT KARBALA' (IRAQ).

AL-HUSAYN IBN ALI SAYYIDU'SH-SHUHADA'
(Peace be on him)

Name: al-Husayn
Title: Sayyidu 'sh-Shuhada'.
Agnomen: Abu "Abdillah.
Father's name: Ali Amir al-Mu'minin.
Mother's name: Fatimah (daughter of the Holy Prophet).
Birth: In Medina on Thursday, 3rd Sha'ban 4 AH.
Death: Martyred in Karbala' (Iraq) at the age of 57, on
Friday, 10th Muharram 61 AH and buried there.

IN THE house of the Holy Prophet, which presented the
best image of both the worlds - the heaven and the earth
- a child who benefited humanity as if he was a Divine
Impression reflecting the earth, was born on one of the
nights of the month of Shaban. His father was Imam Ali,
the best model of kindness towards his friends and the
bravest against the enemies of Islam, and his mother was
Hadrat Fatimah, the only daughter and child of the Holy
Prophet, who had as unive sally acknowledged, inherited
the qualities of her father.

Imam Husayn, is the third Apostolic Imam. When
the good news of his birth reached the Holy Prophet, he

92 A BRIEF HISTORY

came to his daughter's house, took the newly-born child
in his arms, recited adhan and iqamah in his right and left
ears respectively, and on the 7th day of his birth, after
performing the rites of aqiqah, named him al-Husayn,
in compliance with Allah's command.

'Abdullah ibn Abbas relates: "On the very day when
Imam Husayn was born, Allah ordered angel Gabriel to
descend and congratulate the Holy Prophet on His Behalf
and on his own. While descending, Gabriel passed over
an island where the angel Futrus had been banished
due to his delay in executing a commission assigned by
Allah. He was deprived of his wings and expelled to the
island where he remained for several years praying and
worshipping Allah and asking for His forgiveness.

"When the angel Futrus saw Gabriel, he called out,
'Where are you going, O Gabriel?' To this he replied,
'Husayn, the grandson of Muhammad is born, and for
this very reason Allah has commanded me to convey
His congratulations to His Apostle.' Thereupon, the
angel said, " Can you carry me also along with you? May
Muhammad recommend my case to Allah.' Gabriel took
the angel along with him, came to the Holy Prophet,
offered congratulations to him on behalf of Allah and
himself and referred the case of the angel to him. The
Holy Prophet said to Gabriel, "Ask the angel to touch
the body of the newly-born child and return to his place
in Heaven.' On doing this, the angle re-obtained his wings
instantly and praising the Holy Prophet and his newly-
born grandson, ascended towards the Heaven."

Hasan and Husayn, the two sons of the Holy Imam
Ali ibn Abi Talib and Hadrat Fatimah, our Lady of Light,
were respected and revered as the "Leaders of the Youths
of Paradise' as stated by the Holy Prophet.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him and

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 93

his progeny, had openly prophesied that the faith of Islam
would be rescued by his second grandson Husayn, when
Yazid, son of Mu'awiayh, would endeavour to destroy it.

Yazid was known for his devilish character and brutish
conduct. He was known as the most licentious of men. The
people having known and understood the character of
Yazid, formed a covenant by which Mu'awiyah could not
appoint Yazid as his successor. This undertaking was given
by Mu'awiyah to Imam Hasan from whom Mu'awiyah had
snatched power. Mu'awiyah violated this undertaking and
nominated Yazid who succeded his father.

Immediately as he came to power, Yazid began acting
in full accordance with his known character. He started
interfering in the fundamentals of the faith and ,practised
every vice and wickedness freely with the highest degree
of impunity and yet held himself out as the successor of
the Holy Prophet, demanding allegiance to himself as
the leading guide of the faith. Paying allegiance to Yazid
was nothing short of acknowledging the devil as God. If
a divine personality like the Holy Imam Husayn had agreed
to his authority, it would be actually recommending
the devil to humanity in place of God. Yazid demanded
allegiance from the Holy Imam Husayn, who could have
never agreed to it at any cost. The people fearing death
and destruction at the hands of the tyrant had yielded
to him out of fear. Imam Husayn said that come what-
ever may, he would never yield to the devil in place of
God and undo what his grandfather, the Holy Prophet
had established.

The refusal of the Holy Imam to pay allegiance to
this fiend, marked the start of the persecution of the
Holy Imam. As a result he had retired to Medina where
he led a secluded life. Even here he was not allowed to
live in peace, and was forced to seek refuge in Mecca -

94 A BRIEF HISTORY

where also he was badly harassed, and Yazid plotted to
murder him in the very precincts of the great sanctuary
of Ka'bah.

In order to safeguard the great sanctuary. Imam
Husayn decided to leave Mecca for Kufah just a day
before the hajj pilgrimage. When asked the reason for
the mysterious departure from Mecca foregoing the pilgrim-
age which was only the next day, Imam Husayn said that
he would perform this year's pilgrimage at Karbala',
offering the sacrifice not of any animals, but of his kith
and kin and some faithful friends. He enumerated the
names of his kith and kin who would lay down their lives
with him in the great sacrifice at Karbala'.

The people of Kufah getting tired of the tyrannic
and Satanic rule of Yazid, had written innumerable letters
and sent emissaries to Imam Husayn to come over and
give them guidance in faith. Although Imam Husayn knew
the ultimate end of the invitations, he as the divinely
chosen Imam could not refuse to give the guidance sought
for. When the Holy Imam with his entourage had reached
Karbala', his horse mysteriously stopped and would not
move any further. Upon this the Holy Imam declared:
"This is the land, the land of sufferings and tortures."
He alighted from his horse, and ordered his followers
to encamp there saying: "Here shall we be martyred
and our children be killed. Here shall our tents be burned
and our family arrested. This is the land about which
my grandfather the Holy Prophet had foretold, and his
prophecy will certainly be fulfilled. "

On the 7th of Muharram water supply to the Imam's
camp was cut and the torture of thirst and hunger started.
The Holy Imam's camp consisted of ladies, innocent child
ren including babies and some male members of the Holy
Prophet's family; along with a small band of some faith-

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 95

ful friends of Imam Husayn who had chosen to die with
the Holy Imam, fighting against the devil for the cause
of Allah.

The Day of "Ashura (10th of Muharram):

At dawn the Imam glanced over the army of Yazid
and saw "Umar ibn Sa'd ordering his forces to march to-
wards him. He gathered his followers and addressed them
thus: "Allah has, this day, permitted us to be engaged in
a Holy War and He shall reward us for our martyrdom.
So prepare yourselves to fight against the enemies of
Islam with patience and resistance. O sons of the noble
and self-respecting persons, be patient! Death is nothing
but a bridge which you must cross after facing trials and
tribulations so as to reach Heaven and its joys. Which of
you do not like to go from this prison (world) to the
lofty palaces (Paradise)?"

Having heard the Imam's address, all his companions
were overwhelmed and cried out, "O our Master! We are
all ready to defend you and your Ahlu '1-bayt, and to
sacrifice our lives for the cause of Islam."

Imam Husayn sent out from his camp one after an-
other to fight and sacrifice their lives in the way of the
Lord. Lastly, when all his men and children had laid down
their lives. Imam Husayn brought his six-month old baby
son "Ali al-Asghar, and offering him on his own hands,
demanded some water for the baby, dying of thirst. The
thirst of the baby was quenched by a deadly poisoned
arrow from the brute's forces, which pinned the baby's
neck to the arm of the helpless father. At last when
the six-month old baby also was killed. Imam Husayn
addressed Allah: "O Lord! Thy Husayn has offered in
Thy way whatever Thou hath blessed him with. Bless Thy
Husayn, Lord! with the acceptance of this sacrifice.

96 A BRIEF HISTORY

Everything Husayn could do till now was through Thy
help and by Thy Grace." Lastly, Imam Husayn came into
the field and was killed, the datails of which merciless
slaughter are heart rending. The forces of Yazid having
killed Imam Husayn, cut and severed his head from his
body and raised it on a lance. The severed head of the
Holy Imam began glorifying Allah from the point of
the lance saying, 'A llahu Akbar'. "All glory be to Allah
Who is the Greatest!"

After the wholesale, merciless and most brutal slaugh-
ter of the Holy Imam with his faithful band, the help-
less ladies and children along with the ailing son of Imam
Husayn, Imam "Ali Zaynu 'l-"Abidin, were taken captives.

Some Sayings of the Holy Prophet During his
Lifetime with Reference to Imam Husayn:

1. Hasan and Husayn are the Leaders of the Youths
of Paradise.

2. Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn, Allah
befriends those who befriend Husayn and He is the enemy
of those who bear enmity to him.

3. Whosoever wishes to see such a person who lives
on earth but whose dignity is honoured by the Heaven-
dwellers, should see my grandson Husayn.

4. O my son! thy flesh is my flesh and thy blood is
my blood; thou art a leader, the son of a leader and the
brother of a leader; thou art a spiritual guide, the son
of a spiritual guide and the brother of a spiritual guide;
thou art an Apostolical Imam, the son of an Apostolical
Imam and the brother of an Apostolical Imam; thou art
the father of nine Imams, the ninth of whom would be
the Qa'im (the last infallible spiritual guide).

5. The punishment inflicted on the murderer of
Husayn in Hell would be equal to half of the total punish-

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 97

ment to be imposed on the entire sinners of the world.

6. When the Holy Prophet informed Hadrat Fatimah
of the martyrdora in store for his grandson, she burst
into tears and asked, "O my father! when would my
son be martyred?" "In such a critical moment," replied
the Holy Prophet, "When neither I nor you, nor " Ali
would be alive." This accentuated her grief and she in-
quired again, "Who then, O my father, would commem-
orate Husayn's martyrdom? " The Holy Prophet said,
"The men and the women of a particular sect of my
followers, who will befriend my Ahlu '1-bayt, will mourn
for Husayn and commemorate his martyrdom each year
in every century."

Ibn Sa'd narrates from ash-Sha'bi:

Imam Ali, while on his way to Siffin, passed through
the desert of Karbala', there he stopped and wept very
bitterly. When interrogated regarding the cause of his
weeping, he commented that one day he visited the Holy
Prophet and found him weeping. When he asked the
Apostle of Allah as to what was the reason which made
him weep, he replied, "O Ali, Gabriel has just been with
me and informed me that my son Husayn would be
martyred in Karbala', a place near the bank of the River
Euphrates. This moved me so much that I could not help
weeping."

Anas ibn Harith narrates:

One day the Holy Prophet ascended the pulpit to
deliver a sermon to his associates while Imam Husayn and
Imam Hasan were sitting before him. When his address was
over, he put his left hand on Imam Husayn and raising his
head towards Heaven, said: "O my Lord! I am Muhammad
Thy slave and Thy Prophet, and these two are the distin-

98 A BRIEF HISTORY

guished and pious members of my family who would
fortify my cause after me. O my Lord! Gabriel has in-
formed me that my son Husayn would be killed. O my
Lord! bless my cause in recompense for Husayn's martyr-
dom, make him the leader of the martyrs, be Thou his
helper and guardian and do not bless his murderers."

Sir Muhammad Iqbal says:

Imam Husayn uprooted despotism forever till the
Day of Resurrection. He watered the dry garden of free-
dom with the surging wave of his blood, and indeed he
awakened the sleeping Muslim nation.

If Imam Husayn had aimed at acquiring a worldly
empire, he would not have travelled the way he did (from
Medina to Karbala'). Husayn weltered in blood and dust
for the sake of truth. Verily he, therefore, became the
bed-rock (foundation) of the Muslim creed; la ilaha ilia
A llah (There is no god but Allah).

Khwaja Mu'inu 'd-Din Chishti says:

He gave his head, but did not put his hand into the
hands of Yazid. Verily, Husayn is the foundation of la
ilaha ilia Allah. Husayn is lord and the lord of lords.

Husayn himself is Islam and the shield of Islam.
Though he gave his head (for Islam) but never pledged
Yazid. Truly Husayn is the founder of "There is no Deity
except Allah."

Brown in his A Literary History of Persia writes:

As a reminder, the blood-stained field of Karbala'
where the grandson of the Apostle of- God fell at length,
tortured by thirst and surrounded by the bodies of his
murdered kinsmen, has been at any time since then suffi-
cient to evoke, even in the most lukewarm and heedless.

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 99

the deepest emotion, the most frantic grief and the exal-
tation of spirit before which pain, danger, and death
shrink to unconsidered trifles. Yearly, on the tenth day
of Muharram, the tragedy is rehearsed in Persia, in India,
in Turkey, in Egypt, wherever a Shi "ite community or
colony exists; . . . As I write it all comes back; the wailing
chant, the sobbing multitudes, the white raiment red with
blood from self-inflicted wounds, the intoxication of
grief and sympathy.

al-AUamah at-Tabataba'i writes:

Imam Husayn (Sayyidu'sh-Shuhada', "the lord among
martyrs"), the second child of "Ali and Fatimah, was born
in the year 4 AH, and after the martyrdom of his brother.
Imam Hasan Mujtaba, became Imam through Divine Com-
mand and his brother's will. Imam Husayn was Imam for
a period of ten years, all but the last six months coinciding
with the caliphate of Mu'awiyah. Imam Husayn lived
under the most difficult outward conditions of suppression
and persecution. This was due to the fact that, first of all,
religious laws and regulations had lost much of their
weight and credit, and the edicts of the Umayyad govern-
ment had gained complete authority and power. Secondly,
Mu'awiyah and his aides made use of every possible means
to put aside and move out of the way the Household of
the Prophet and the Shi 'ah, and thus obliterate the name
of Ali and his family. And above all, Mu'awiyah wanted
to strengthen the basis of the caliphate of his son, Yazid,
who because of his lack of principles and scruples was
opposed by a large group of Muslims. Therefore, in order
to quell all opposition, Mu'awiyah had undertaken newer
and more severe measures. By force and necessity Imam
Husayn had to endure these days and to tolerate every
kind of mental and spiritual agony and affliction from

1 00 A BRIEF HISTORY

Mu'awiyah and his aides - until in the middle of the year
60 AH, Mu'awiyah died and his son Yazid took his place.

Paying allegiance (bay 'ah) was an old Arab practice
which was carried out in important matters such as that
of kingship and governorship. Those who were ruled, and
especially the well-known among them, would give their
hand in allegiance, agreement and obedience to their king
or prince and in this way would show their support for his
actions. Disagreement after allegiance was considered as
disgrace and dishonour for a people and, like breaking
an agreement after having signed it officially, it was con-
sidered as a definite crime. Following the example of
the Holy Prophet, people believed that allegiance, when
given by free will and not through force, carried authority
and weight.

Mu'awiyah had asked the well-known among the
people to give their allegiance to Yazid, but had not im-
posed this request upon Imam Husayn. He had especially
told Yazid in his last will that if Husayn refused to pay
allegiance he should pass over it in silence and overlook
the matter, for he had understood correctly the disastrous
consequences which would follow if the issue were to be
pressed. But because of his egoism and recklessness, Yazid
neglected his father's advice and immediately after the
death of his father ordered the governor of Medina either
to force a pledge of allegiance from Imam Husayn or send
his head to Damascus.

After the governor of Medina informed Imam Husayn
of this demand, the Imam, in order to think over the ques-
tion, asked for a delay and overnight started with his
family toward Mecca. He sought refuge in the sanctuary
of God which in Islam is the official place of refuge and
security. This event occurred toward the end of the
month of Rajab and the beginning of Sha'ban of 60 AH.

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 101

For nearly four months Imam Husayn stayed in Mecca in
refuge. This news spread throughout the Islamic world. On
the one hand many people who were tired of the iniquities
of Mu'awiyah's rule and were even more dissatisfied when
Yazid became caliph, corresponded with Imam Husayn
and expressed their sympathy for him. On the other hand,
a flood of letters began to flow, especially from Iraq and
particularly the city of Kufah, inviting the Imam to go
to Iraq and accept the leadership of the populace there
with the aim of beginning an uprising to overcome injus-
tice and iniquity. Naturally, such a situation was dangerous
for Yazid.

The stay of Imam Husayn in Mecca continued until
the season for pilgrimage when Muslims from all over the
world poured in groups into Mecca in order to perform
the rites of the hajj. The Imam discovered that some of
the followers of Yazid had entered Mecca as pilgrims
(hajj is) with the mission to kill the Imam during the rites
of hajj with the arms they carried under their special
pilgrimage dress (ihram).

The Imam shortened the pilgrimage rites and decided
to leave. Amidst the vast crowd of people he stood up in
a short speech announced that he was setting out for Iraq.
In this short speech he also declared that he would be
martyred and asked Muslims to help him in attaining the
goal he had in view and to offer their lives in the path of
God. On the next day he set out with his family and a
group of his comapanions for Iraq.

Imam Husayn was determined not to give his allegiance
to Yazid and knew full well that he would be killed. He
was aware that his death was inevitable in the face of the
awesome military power of the Umayyads, supported as it
was by corruption in certain sectors, spiritual decline, and
lack of will power among the people, especially in Iraq.

102 A BRIEF HISTORY

Some of the outstanding people of Mecca stood in the
way of Imam Husayn and warned him of the danger of
the move he was making. But he answered that he refused
to pay allegiance and give his approval to a government
of injustice and tyranny. He added that he knew that
wherever he turned or went he would be killed. He would
leave Mecca in order to preserve the respect for the House
of God and not allow this respect to be destroyed by
having his blood spilled there.

While on the way to Kufah and still a few days journey
away from the city, he received news that the agent of
Yazid in Kufah had put to death the representative of the
Imam in that city and also one of the Imam's determined
supporters who was a well-known man in Kufah. Their
feet had been tied and they had been dragged through
the streets. The city and its surroundings were placed
under strict observation and countless soldiers of the
enemy were awaiting him. There was no way open to
him but to march ahead and to face death. It was here
that the Imam expressed his definitive determination
to go ahead and be martyred; and so he continued on
his journey.

Approximately seventy kilometres from Kufah in a
desert named Karbala', the Imam and his entourage were
surrounded by the army of Yazid. For eight days they
stayed in this spot during which the circle narrowed and
the number of the enemy's army increased. Finally the
Imam, with his Household and a small number of com-
panions were encircled by an army of thirty thousand
soldiers. During these days the Imam fortified his position
and made a final selection of his companions. At night he
called his companions and during a short speech stated
that there was nothing ahead but death and martyrdom.
He added that since the enemy was concerned only with

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 103

his person he would free them from all obligations so that
anyone who wished could escape in the darkness of the
night and save his life. Then he ordered the lights to be
turned out and most of his companions, who had joined
him for their own advantage, dispersed. Only a handful
of those who loved the truth about forty of his close
aides and some of the Banu Hashim remained.

Once again the Imam assembled those who were left
and put them to a test. He addressed his companions
and Hashimite relatives, saying again that the enemy was
concerned only with his person. Each could benefit from
the darkness of the night and escape the danger. But this
time the faithful companions of the Imam answered each
in his own way that they would not deviate for a moment
from the path of truth of which the Imam was the leader
and would never leave him alone. They said they would
defend his Household to the last drop of their blood and
as long as they could carry a sword.

On the ninth day of the month the last challenge to
choose between "allegiance or war" was made by the
enemy to the Imam. The Imam asked for a delay in order
to worship overnight and became determined to enter
battle on the next day.

On the tenth day of Muharram of the year 61 (680)
the Imam lined up before the enemy with his small band
of followers, less than ninety persons consisting of forty
of his companions, thirty some members of the army
of the enemy that joined him during the night and day
of war, and his Hashimite family of children, brothers,
nephews, nieces and cousins. That day they fought from
morning until their final breath, and the Imam, the young
Hashimites and the companions were all martyred. Among
those killed were two children of Imam Hasan, who were
only thirteen and eleven years old; and a five-year-old

104 A BRIEF HISTORY

child and a suckling baby of Imam Husayn.

The army of the enemy, after ending the war, plun-
dered the haram of the Imam and burned his tents. They
decapitated the bodies of the martyrs, denuded them and
threw them to the ground without burial. Then they
moved the members of the haram, all of whom were
helpless women and girls, along with the heads of the
martyrs, to Kufah. Among the prisoners there were three
male members: a twenty-two years old son of Imam
Husayn who was very ill and unable to move, namely, "Ali
ibn al- Husayn, the fourth Imam; his four years old son,
Muhammad ibn Ali, who became the fifth Imam; and
finally Hasan al-Muthanna, the son of the second Imam
who was also the son-in-law of Imam Husayn and who,
having been wounded during the war, lay among the dead.
They found him near death and through the intercession
of one of the generals did not cut off his head. Rather,
they took him with the prisoners to Kufah and from there
to Damascus before Yazid.

The event of Karbala', the capture of the women
and children of the Household of the Prophet, their
being taken as prisoners from town to town and the
speeches made by the daughter of "Ali, Zaynab, and the
fourth Imam who were among the prisoners, disgraced the
Umayyads. Such abuse of the Household of the Prophet
annulled the propaganda which Mu'awiyah had carried
out for years. The matter reached such proportions that
Yazid in public disowned and condemned the actions
of his agents. The event of Karbala' was a major factor
in the overthrow of Umayyad's rule although its effect
was delayed. It also strengthened the roots of Shi'ism.
Among its immediate results were the revolts and rebel-
lions combined with bloody wars which continued for
twelve years. Among those who were instrumental in the

FIFTH INFALLIBLE 105

death of the Imam not one was able to escape revenge and
punishment.

Anyone who studies closely the history of the life
of Imam Husayn and Yazid and the conditions that pre-
vailed at that time, and analyses this chapter of Islamic
history, will have no doubt that in those circumstances
there was no choice before Imam Husayn but to be killed.
Swearing allegiance to Yazid would have meant publicly
showing contempt for Islam, something which was not
possible for the Imam, for Yazid not only showed no
respect for Islam and its injunction but also made a public
demonstration of impudently treading under foot its basis
and its laws. Those before him, even if they opposed
religious injunctions, always did so in the guise of religion,
and at least formally respected religion. They took pride
in being companions of the Holy Prophet and the other
religious figures in whom people believed. From this it
can be concluded that the claim of some interpreters of
these events is false when they say that the two brothers,
Hasan and Husayn, had two different tastes and that one
chose the way of peace and the other the way of war, so
that one brother made peace with Mu'awiyah although
he had an army of forty thousand while the other went
to war against Yazid with an army of forty. For we see
that this same Imam Husayn, who refused to pay alle-
giance to Yazid for one day, lived for ten years under the
rule of Mu'awiyah, in the same manner as his brother
who also had endured for ten years under Mu'awiyah,
without opposing him.

It must be said in truth that if Imam Hasan or Imam
Husayn had fought Mu'awiyah they would have been
killed without there being the least benefit for Islam. Their
deaths would have had no effect before the righteous
appearing policy of Mu'awiyah, a competent politician

106 A BRIEF HISTORY

who emphasized his being a companion of the Holy
Prophet, the "scribe of the revelation," and "uncle of
the faithful" and who used every stratagem possible to
preserve a religious guise for his rule. Moreover, with
his ability to set the stage to accomplish his desires he
could have had them killed by their own people and then
assumed a state of mourning and sought to revenge their
blood, just as he sought to give the impression that he was
avenging the killing of the third caliph. (Shi'ite Islam)

_ ^ ¥>

al-Imam al-Husayn ibn 'Ali, peace be on him, said:

* Beware of your apologies; for a true believer does
not sin and does not have to apologize, whereas the hyp-
ocrite commits sins everyday and apologizes everyday.

* When other people turn to you in need, consider it
a favour of Allah. Do not be wearied of this favour, or it
will move on to someone else.

* Experience enhances the intellect.

THE SIXTH INFALLIBLE

THE FOURTH IMAM

THE BURIAL PLACE OF IMAM ^ALI IBN HUSAYN
ZAYNU 'L-^ABIDIN (A.S.) AT AL-BAQI', MEDINA.

ALI IBN AL-HUSAYN ZAYNU'L- ABIDIN

(Peace be on him)

Name: Ali.

Title: Zaynu 'l-"Abidin.

Agnomen: Abu Muhammad.

Father's name: al-Husayn Sayyidu 'sh-Shuhada'.

Mother's name: Shahr Banu, daughter of Yazdeger III,
the King of Persia.

Birth: In Medina, on Saturday, 15th Jumadi l-ula 36 AH.

Death: Died at the age of 58, in Medina; poisoned by
al-Wahd ibn 'Abdi'1-Mahk ibn Marwan on 25th Muhar-
ram 95 AH; buried in Jannatu '1-Baqi', in Medina..

THE HOLY Imam ^Ah Zaynu '1-Abidin is the Fourth Apos-
tolic Imam. His epithet was Abu Muhammad and was
popularly titled as "Zaynu '1-Abidin". The mother of
this Holy Imam was the royal personage, Shahr Banu, the
daughter of King Yazdegerd, the last pre-Islamic Ruler
of Persia.

Imam Zaynu 'l-"Abidin spent the first two years of
his infancy in the lap of his grandfather "Ali ibn Abi Talib
and then for twelve years he had the gracious patronage
of his uncle, the second Holy Imam al-Hasan ibn "Ali. In

109

110 A BRIEF HISTORY

61 AH, he was present in Karbala', at the time of the
gruesome tragedy of the wholesale massacre of his father,
his uncles, his brothers, his cousins and all the godly com-
rades of his father; and suffered a heartless captivity and
imprisonment at the hands of the devilish forces of Yazid.

When Imam Husayn had come for the last time to his
camp to bid goodbye to his family, "Ali Zaynu 'l-"Abidin
was lying semi- conscious in his sickbed and hence he
escaped the massacre in Karbala'. Imam Husayn could
only manage a very brief talk with the inmates of his camp
and departed nominating his sick son as Imam.

The Holy Imam Zaynu 1- Abidin lived for about
thirty-four years after his father and all his life he passed
in prayers and supplication to Allah and in remembrance
of his martyred father. It is for his ever being in prayers
to Allah, mostly lying in prayerful prostration, that this
Holy Imam was popularly called "Sajjad".

The know^ledge and piety of this Holy Imam was
matchless. az-Zuhri, al-Waqidi and Ibn "Uyaynah say that
they could not find any one equal to him in piety and
godliness. He was so mindful of Allah that whenever he
sat for ablution for prayers, the complexion of his face
would change and when he stood at prayer his body
was seen trembling. When asked why this was, he replied,
"Know ye not before whom I stand in prayer, and with
whom I hold discourse?"

Even on the gruesome day of Ashura when Yazid's
forces had massacred his father, his kith and kin and his
comrades and had set fire to the camp, this Holy Imam
was engrossed in his supplications to the Lord.

When the brutal forces of Yazid's army had taken
the ladies and children as captives, carrying them seated
on the bare back of the camels, tied in ropes; this Holy
Imam, though sick, was put in heavy chains with iron

SIXTH INFALLIBLE 111

rings round his neck and his ankles, and was made to walk
barefooted on the thorny plains from Karbala' to Kufah
and to Damascus; and even then this godly soul never was
unmindful of his prayers to the Lord and was always
thankful and supplicative to Him.

His charity was unassuming and hidden. After his
passing away, the people said that hidden charity ended
with the departure of this Holy Imam. Like his grand
father Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ali Zaynu l-Abidin used to
carry on his own back at night bags of flour and bread
for the poor and needy families in Medina and he so
maintained hundred of poor families in the city.

The Holy Imam was not only hospitable even to his
enemies but also used to continually exhort them to the
right path.

Imam Zaynu 'l-"Abidin along with the Ahlu 'l-bayt
passed through dreadful and very dangerous times, for
the aggressions and atrocities of the tyrant rulers of the
age had reached a climax. There was plunder, pillage, and
murder everywhere. The teachings of Islam were observed
more in their breach. The heartless tyrant al-Hajjaj ibn
Yusuf ath Thagafi was threatening every one who pro-
fessed allegiance or devotion to the Ahlu 'l—bayt; and those
caught were mercilessly put to death. The movement
of the Holy Imam was strictly restricted and his meeting
with any person was totally banned. Spies were employed
to trace out the adherents of the Ahlu 'l-bayt. Practically
every house was searched and every family scrutinized.

Imam Zaynu 'l-Abidin was not given the time to offer
his prayers peacefully, nor could he deliver any sermons.
This God's Vicegerent on earth therefore, adopted a third
course which proved to be very beneficial to his followers.
This was in compiling supplicative prayers for the daily use
of man in his endeavour to approach the Almighty Lord.

112 A BRIEF HISTORY

The invaluable collection of his edited prayers are known
as as-Sahifah al-Kamilah or as-Sahifah as-Sajjddiyyah; it is
known also as az-Zabur (Psalm) of A al Muhammad. The
collection is an invaluable treasury of wonderfully effec-
tive supplications to the Lord in inimitably beautiful
language. Only those who have ever come across those
supplications would know the excellence and the ben-
eficial effect of these prayers. Through these prayers
the Imam gave all the necessary guidance to the faithful
during his seclusion.

On the 25th of Muharram 95 AH when he was in
Medina, al-Walid ibn Abdi T-Malik ibn Marwan, the then
ruler got this Holy Imam martyred by poison. The funeral
prayers for this Holy Imam were conducted by his son the
Fifth Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir and his body was laid
to rest in the cemetery of Jannatu '1-Bagi ' in Medina.

al-'AUamah at-Tabataba'i writes:

Imam Sajjad (Ali ibn al-Husayn entitled Zaynu 1-
Abidin and Sajjad) was the son of the Third Imam and
his wife, the queen among women, the daughter of Yaz
degerd the King of Iran. He was the only son of Imam
Husayn to survive, for his other three brothers "Ali Akbar,
aged twenty-five, five-year-old JaTar and "Ali al-Asghar
(or Abdullah) who was a suckling baby were martyred
during the event of Karbala'. The Imam had also accom-
panied his father on the journey that terminated fatally
in Karbala', but because of severe illness and the inability
to carry arms or participate in fighting he was prevented
from taking part in the holy war and being martyred.
So he was sent with the womenfolk to Damascus. After
spending a period in imprisonment he was sent with
honour to Medina because Yazid wanted to conciliate
public opinion. But for a second time, by the order of

SIXTH INFALLIBLE 113

the Umayyad caliph, "Abdu '1-Malik, he was chained and
sent from Medina to Damascus and then again returned
to Medina.

The Fourth Imam, upon returning to Medina, retired
from public life completely, closed the door of his house
to strangers and spent his time in worship. He was in con-
tact only with the elite among the Shiites such as Abu
Hamzah ath-Thumali, Abu Khalid Kabuli and the like.
The elite disseminated among the Shi' ah the religious
sciences they learned from the Imam. In this way Shi'ism
spread considerably and showed its effects during the
Imamate of the Fifth Imam. Among the works of the
Fourth Imam is a book called Sahifah Sajjadiyyah. It con-
sists of fifty- seven prayers concerning the most sublime
Divine sciences and is known as "The Psalm of the House-
hold of the Prophet."

The Fourth Imam died (according to some Shiite
traditions poisoned by al-Walid ibn " Abdi '1-Malik ibn
Marwan through the instigation of the Umayyad caliph
Hisham) in 95/712 after thirty-five years of Imamate.

al-Imam 'Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be on him, said:

* Refrain from lying in all things, big or small, in
seriousness or in jest. For when one starts lying in petty
matters, soon he will have the audacity to lie in important

114 A BRIEF HISTORY

matters (also).

* A man need not fear Allah except on account of
his own sins, and should place his hopes only with his
Lord. When about something one does not know, one
should not be ashamed of having to learn about it. And
patience is to faith what the head is to the body; one who
does not have patience also lacks faith.

THE SEVENTH INFALLIBLE

THE FIFTH IMAM

THE BURIAL PLACE OF IMAM MUHAMMAD AL-BAQIR (A.S.;
JANNAT AL-BAQI', MEDINA.

MUHAMMAD IBN ALI AL-BAQIR

(Peace be on him)

Name: Muhammad

Title: al-Baqir.

Agnomen: Abu Ja'far.

Father's name: Ali Zaynu 'l-"Abidin.

Mother's name: Fatimah bint al-Hasan, known as Umm

Abdillah.
Birth: In Medina, on Tuesday, 1st Rajab 57 AH.
Death: Died at the age of 57, in Medina on Monday, 7th
Dhi 'l-hijjah 114 AH; poisoned by Hisham ibn "Abdi

'1-Malik; buried in Jannatu '1-Baqi', in Medina.

THE HOLY Imam Muhammad al-Baqir is the Fifth Apos-
tolic Imam. His epithet was Abu Ja'far and he was popu-
larly titled "al-Baqir". His mother was the daughter of
Imam Hasan. Thus, he was the only Imam who was con-
nected with Hadrat Fatimatu 'z-Zahra', both from his
paternal and maternal sides.

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir was brought up in the holy
lap of his grandfather Imam Husayn, for three years. For
thirty-four years he was under the gracious patronage of
his father, "Ali Zaynu 'l-"Abidin.

117

118 A BRIEF HISTORY

The Holy Imam was present in Karbala' at the time
of the gruesome tragedy of the wholesale massacre of
his grandfather Imam Husayn and his companions. He
also suffered with his father and the ladies of the House
of the Prophet (Ahlu '1-bayt) the heartless captivity and
imprisonment at the hands of the devilish forces at the
command of Yazid ibn Mu'dwiyah. After the tragedy of
Karbala', the Imam passed his time peacefully in Medina
praying to Allah and guiding the people to the right path.

The downfall of the Umayyads had begun since
Yazid, the son of Mu'awiyah, had slaughtered Imam
Husayn. Yazid himself had completely realized the evil
consequences of his deeds even during the short period
of his rule. His son Mu'awiyah, the second, refused to
accept the caliphate saying

I cannot favour such a throne which has been erected

on the basis of oppression and tyranny.

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, a famous scholar belonging to
the Sunnite School says: "Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
has disclosed the secrets of knowledge and wisdom and
unfolded the principles of spiritual and religious guidance.
Nobody can deny his exalted character, his God-given
knowledge, his divinely-gifted wisdom and his obligation
and gratitude towards spreading of knowledge. He was
a sacred and highly talented spiritual leader and for this
reason he was popularly titled 'al-Baqir' which means
"the exponder of knowledge'. Kind of heart, spotless
in character, sacred by soul and noble by nature, the
Imam devoted all his time in submission to Allah (and
in advocating the teachings of the Holy Prophet and
his descendants). It is beyond the power of a man to
count the deep impression of knowledge and guidance
left by the Imam on the hearts of the faithful. His sayings
in devotion and abstinence, in knowledge and wisdom.

SEVENTH INFALLIBLE 1 19

and in religious exercise and submission to Allah are so
great in number that the volume of this book is quite in-
sufficient to cover them all." {as-Sawaiqu 'l-muhriqah,
p. 120)

The Holy Imam managed to collect the teachings and
reforms of the Holy Prophet and his Ahlu 'l-bayt in the
form of books. His pupils compiled books on different
branches of science and arts under his instructions and
guidance.

In the excellence of his personal purity and godly
traits, the Holy Imam Muhammad al-Baqir was a model
of the Holy Prophet and his great grandfather, " Ali ibn
Abi Talib. His admonitions created a spiritual sensation
among the Muslims in general. He was not only hospitable
even to his worst enemies but also used to continually
exhort them to the right path. He urged people to earn
their livelihood by their own hard work.

The Holy Imam gave much importance to convening
majalis (meetings) in commemoration of the martyrdom
of Imam Husayn. Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi, one of the
most famous and highly talented poets of that time,
used to recite the elegy of Imam Husayn in those majalis.
Such type of majalis were also greatly encouraged by
Imam JaTar as-Sadiq and Imam "Ali ar-Rida, the Sixth
and the Eighth Imams.

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir continued his preaching
peacefully till 114 AH. On the 7th Dhi 'I-hijjah when
he was fifty- seven years old, Hisham ibn "Abdi '1-Malik
ibn Marwan, the then ruler, got him martyred through
poison. The funeral prayers for this Holy Imam were
conducted by his son Imam JaTar as-Sadiq, the Six
Imam, and his body was laid to rest in Jannatu '1-Baqi'
in Medina.

120 A BRIEF HISTORY

al- AUamah at-Tabataba'i writes:

Imam Muhammad ibn All al-Baqir (the word baqir'
meaning he who cuts and dissects, a title given to him
by the Prophet) was the son of the Fourth Imam and was
born in 57/675. He was present at the event of Karbala'
when he was four years old. After his father, through
Divine Command and the decree of those who went before
him, he became Imam. In the year 1 14/732 he died,
according to some Shiite traditions, he was poisoned
by Ibrahim ibn al-Walid ibn "Abdillah, the nephew of
Hisham, the Umayyad caliph.

During the Imamate of the Fifth Imam, as a result
of the injustice of the Umayyads, revolts and wars broke
out in some corner of the Islamic world every day. More
over, there were disputes within the Umayyad family it-
self which kept the caliphate busy and to a certain extent
left the members of the Household of the Prophet alone.
From the other side, the tragedy of Karbala' and the
oppression suffered by the Household of the Prophet,
of which the Fourth Imam was the most noteworthy
embodiment, had attracted many Muslims to the Imam.
These factors combined to make it possible for people
and especially the Shiites to go in great numbers to
Medina and to come into the presence of the Fifth Imam.
Possibilities for disseminating the truth about Islam and
the sciences of the Household of the Prophet, which had
never existed for the Imams before him, were presented
by the Fifth Imam. The proof of this fact is the innumer-
able traditions recounted from the Fifth Imam and the
large number of illustrious men of science and Shi'ite
scholars who were trained by him in different Islamic
sciences. These names are listed in books of biographies
of famous men in Islam. (Shi^ite Islam)

SEVENTH INFALLIBLE 1 2 1

al-Imam al-Baqir, peace be on him, said:

* The height of perfection is excellence in the under-
standing of the religion, endurance in hardships and
administration of the affairs of life according to one's
means, in the right measure.

* The scholar {'alim) who derives benefit from his
knowledge is better than seventy thousand devotees

i'abid).

* One who disobeys Allah has no knowledge of Him.

THE EIGHTH INFALLIBLE

THE SIXTH IMAM

THE BURIAL PLACE OF IMAM JA'FAR AS-SADIQ (A.S.)
AT AL-BAQI', MEDINA.

JA FAR IBN MUHAMMAD AS-SADIQ

(Peace be on him)

Name: Ja'far

Title: as-Sadiq.

Agnomen: Abu Abdillah.

Father's name: Muhammad al-Baqir.

Mother's name: Umm Farwah.

Birth: In Medina, on Monday, 17th RabVu 'l-awwal 83

A.H.
Death: Died at the age of 65, in Medina on Monday, 25th

Shawwal 148 AH; poisoned by al-Mansur ad-Dawa-

niqi, the "Abbasid caUph.

THE HOLY Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was the sixth in the
succession of the twelve Apostolic Imams. His epithet
was Abu "Abdillah and his famous titles were as-Sadiq,
al-Fadil and at-Tahir. He was the son of Imam Muhammad
al-Baqir, the Fifth Imam, and his mother was the daughter
of al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was brought up by his grand-
father. Imam Zaynu ' 1 - Abidin in Medina for twelve years
and then remained under the sacred patronage of his
father Imam Muhammad al-Baqir for a period of nine-
teen years.

125

1 26 A BRIEF HISTORY

Imamate:

After the death of his holy father in 1 14 AH, he suc-
ceeded him as the Sixth Imam, and thus the sacred trust
of Islamic mission and spiritual guidance was relayed down
to his custody right from the Holy Prophet through the
succession of the preceding Imams.

Political Condition:

The period of his Imamate coincided with the most
revolutionary and eventful era of Islamic history which
saw the downfall of the Umayyad Empire and the rise of
the Abbasid caliphate. The internal wars and political up-
heavals were bringing about speedy reshufflements in
government. Thus, the Holy Imam witnessed the reigns
of various kings starting from "Abdu '1 -Malik down to
the Umayyad ruler Mar wan al-Himar. He further survived
till the time of Abu '1- Abbas as-Saffah and al-Mansur
among the "Abbasids. It was due to the political strife
between two groups viz., the Umayyads and "Abbasids for
power that Imam was left alone undisturbed to carry out
his devotional duties and peacefully carry on his mission
to propagate Islam and spreading the teachings of the
Holy Prophet.

In the last days of the Umayyad rule, their Empire
was tottering and was on the verge of collapse, and a
most chaotic and demoralized state of affairs prevailed
throughout the Islamic State. The "Abbasids exploited
such an opportunity and availing themselves of this pol-
itical instability, assumed the title of "Avengers of Banu
Hashim". They pretended to have stood for the cause
of taking revenge on the Umayyads for shedding the
innocent blood of the Holy Imam Husayn.

The common people who were groaning under the
yoke of the Umayyads were fed up with their atrocities

EIGHTH INFALLIBLE 1 27

and were secretly yearning for the progeny of the Holy
Prophet to take power. They realized that if the leader-
ship went to the Ahlu 'l-bayt, who were its legitimate
heir, the prestige of Islam would be enhanced and the
Prophet's mission would be genuinely propagated. How-
ever, a group of the Abbdsids secretly dedicated their
lives to a campaign for seizing power from the hands of
the Umayyads on the pretext that they were seizing it
only to surrender it to the Banu Hashim. Actually, they
were plotting for their own ends. The common people
were thus deceived into supporting them and when these
Abbasids did succeed in snatching the power from the
Umayyads, they turned against the Ahlu 'l-bayt.

Religious Condition:

The downfall of the Umayyads and the rise of the
Abbasids constituted the two principal plots in the drama
of Islamic history. This was a most chaotic and revolution
ary period when the religious morals of Islam had gone
down and the teachings of the Holy Prophet were being
neglected, and a state of anarchy was rampant. It was
amidst such deadly gloom that the virtuous personage of
Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq stood like a beacon of light shedding
its lustre to illuminate the ocean of sinful darkness around.
The world got inclined towards his virtuous and admirable
personality. Abu Salamah al-Khallal also offered him the
throne of the caliphate. But the Imam keeping up the
characteristic tradition of his ancestors flatly declined
to accept it, and preferred to content himself with his
devotional pursuits and service to Islam. On account of
his many debates with the priests of rival orders like
Atheists, Christians, Jews, etc.

128 A BRIEF HISTORY

Teachings:

The versatile genius of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq in all
branches of knowledge was acclaimed throughout the
Islamic world, which attracted students from far-off
places towards him till the strength of his disciples had
reached four thousand. The scholars and experts in Divine
Law have quoted many ahadith (traditions) from Imam
JaTar as-Sadiq. His disciples compiled hundred of books
on various branches of science and arts. Other than figh
(Islamic jurisprudence), hadith (tradition), taf sir (exegesis
of the Holy Qur'an), etc., the Holy Imam also imparted
mathematics and chemistry to some of his disciples. Jabir
ibn Hayyan at-Tusi, a famous scholar of matehmatics,
was one of the Imam's disciples who benefited from the
Imam's knowledge and guidance and was able to write
four hundred books on different subjects.

It is an undeniable historical truth that all the great
scholars of Islam were indebted for their learning to the
very presence of the Ahlu 'l-bayt who were the fountain
of knowledge and learning for all.

al- AUamah ash-Shibli writes in his book Siratu 'n-
Nu^man: "Abu Hanifah remained for a considerable period
in the attendance of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, acquiring from
him a great deal of precious research on fiqh and hadith.
Both the sects - Shi'ah and Sunni - believe that the
source of Abu Hanifah's knowledge was mostly derived
from his association with Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq."

The Imam devoted his whole life to the cause of relig-
ious preaching and propagation of the teachings of the
Holy Prophet and never strove for power. Because of his
great knowledge and fine teaching, the people gathered
around him, giving devotion and respect that was his due.
This excited the envy of the Abbasid ruler al-Mansur
ad-Dawaniqi, who fearing the popularity of the Imam,

EIGHTH INFALLIBLE 1 29

decided to do away with him.

al-'Allamah at-Tabataba'i writes:

Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad, the son of the Fifth
Imam, was born in 83/702. He died in 148/765 accord-
ing to Shiite tradition, poisoned and martyred through
the intrigue of the Abbasid caUph al-Mansur. After the
death of his father he became Imam by Divine Command
and decree of those who came before him.

During the Imamate of the Sixth Imam greater possi-
bihties and a more favourable climate existed for him to
propagate religious teachings. This came about as a result
of revolts in Islamic lands, especially the uprising of the
Muswaddah to overthrow the Umayyad caliphate, and
the bloody wars which finally led to the fall and extinction
of the Umayyads. The greater opportunities for Shiite
teachings were also a result of the favourable ground the
Fifth Imam had prepared during the twenty years of his
Imamate through the propagation of the true teachings of
Islam and the sciences of the Household of the Prophet.

The Imam took advantage of the occasion to propagate
the religious sciences until the very end of his Imamate,
which was contemporary with the end of the Umayyad
and beginning of the Abbasid caliphates. He instructed
many scholars in different fields of the intellectual and
transmitted sciences, such as Zurarah ibn A'yan, Muham-
mad ibn Muslim, Muminu 't-Taq, Hisham ibn al-Hakam,
Aban ibn Taghlib, Hisham ibn Salim, Hurayz, Hisham al-
Kalbi an-Nassabah and Jabir ibn Hayyan (the alchemist).
Even some important Sunni scholars such as Sufyan ath-
Thawri, Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi school
of law, al-Qadi as-Sukuni, al-Qadi Abu '1-Bakhtari, and
others, had the honour of being his students. It is said
that his classes and sessions of instructions produced four

130 A BRIEF HISTORY

thousand scholars of hadith and other sciences. The
number of traditions preserved from the Fifth and Sixth
Imams is more than all the hadith that have been recorded
from the Prophet and the other ten Imams combined.

But toward the end of his life the Imam was subjected
to severe restrictions placed upon him by the " Abbasid
caliph al-Mansur, who ordered such torture and merciless
killing of many of the descendants of the Prophet who
were Shi'ite that his actions even surpassed the cruelty
and heedlessness of the Umayyads. At his order they were
arrested in groups, some thrown into deep and dark
prisons and tortured until they died, while others were be-
headed or buried alive or placed at the base of or between
walls of buildings, and walls were constructed over them.

Hisham, the Umayyad caliph, had ordered the Sixth
Imam to be arrested and brought to Damascus. Later, the
Imam was arrested by as-Saffah, the Abbasid caliph, and
brought to Iraq. Finally, al-Mansur had him arrested again
and brought to Samarrah where he had the Imam kept
under supervision, was in every way harsh and discour-
teous to him, and several times thought of killing him.
Eventually the Imam was allowed to return to Medina
where he spent the rest of his life in hiding, until he was
poisoned and martyred through the intrigue of al-Mansur.

Upon hearing the news of the Imam's martyrdom,
al-Mansur wrote to the governor of Medina instructing
him to go to the house of the Imam on the pretext of
expressing his condolences to the family, to ask for the
Imam's will and testament and read it. Whoever was
chosen by the Imam as his inheritor and successor should
be beheaded on the spot. Of course, the aim of al-Mansur
was to put an end to the whole question of the Imamate
and to Shl'ite aspirations. When the governor of Medina,
following orders, read the last will and testament, he saw

EIGHTH INFALLIBLE 1 3 1

that the Imam had chosen four people rather than one
to administer his last will and testament: the caliph him-
self, the governor of Medina, "Abdullah Aftah, the Imam's
older son, and Musa, his younger son. In this way the plot
of al-Mansur failed. {ShVite Islam)

Death:

On 25th Shawwal 148 AH, the governor of Medina
by the order of al-Mansur, got the Imam martyred through
poison. The funeral prayer was conducted by his son Imam
Musa al-Kazim, the Seventh Imam, and his body was laid
to rest in the cemetery of Jannatu '1-Baqi'.

:j^ '^ u] j .j»> (4iii^) 'Ja lijj ijsi (li^ ^1^) ^f ^ii; ,-i^\

al-Imam as-Sadiq, peace be on him, said:

* One who has these five characteristics is the choicest
of men: one who feels joyous when he does something
good; one who repents when he does something bad; one
who is grateful when he receives something from Allah;
one who patiently endures Allah's trials; one who forgives
when he is done some injustice or wrong.

132 A BRIEF HISTORY

closer to Allah: forgiving one who has wronged him; being
generous to one who had deprived him; being kind to a
kinsman who has not observed his rights of kinship.

* The true believer does not transgress the limits of
fairness in a fit of anger; he does not do anything unjus-
tifiable for the sake of favour to some; neither does he
take more than his due share, though he may have the
power.

THE NINTH INFALLIBLE

THE SEVENTH IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM MUSA AL-KAZIM (A.S.)
AT AL-KAZIMIYYAH, BAGHDAD.

MUSA IBN JA'FAR AL-KAZIM

(Peace be on him)

Name: Musa

Title: al-Kazim.

Agnomen: Abu Ibrahim.

Father's name: Ja'far as-Sadiq.

Mother's name: Hamidah al-Barbariyyah.

Birth: In Abwa' (between Mecca and Medina) on Sunday,

7th Safar 128 AH.
Death: Died at the age of 55, in Baghdad, on 25th Rajab

183 AH; poisoned by Harun ar-Rashid; buried in al-

Kazimiyyah, Baghdad.

THE HOLY Imam Musa al-Kazim is the Seventh Apos-
tolic Imam. His epithet was Abu '1-Hasan and his famous
title was al-Kazim. His matchless devotion and worship
of God has also earned him the title of " al-'abdu 's-Salih"
(virtuous slave of God). Generosity was synonymous
with his name and no beggar ever returned from his door
empty handed. Even after his death, he continued to be
obliging and was generous to his devotees who came to
his holy tomb with prayers and behests which were invari-
ably granted by God. Thus, one of his additional titles is
also "Babu '1-Hawaij" (the door to fulfilling needs).

135

136 A BRffiF HISTORY

Parents:

The Holy Imam Musa al-Kazim was the son of Imam
Ja'far as-Sadicl, the Sixth Imam. The name of his mother
was Hamidah, the daughter of a noble man hailing from
the States of Barbary.

Childhood:

Imam Musa al-Kazim passed twenty years of his sacred
life under the gracious patronage of his holy father. His
inherent genius and gifted virtues combined with the
enlightened guidance and education from the Holy Imam
JaTar as-Sadiq, showed in the manifestation of his future
personality. He was fully versed with the Divine Know-
ledge even in his childhood.

al-"Allamah al-Majlisi relates that once Abu Hanifah
happened to call upon the holy abode of Imam Ja'far as-
Sadiq to ask him about some religious matters (masa 'il).
The Imam was asleep and so he kept waiting outside till
the Imam's awakening. Meanwhile, Imam Musa al-Kazim,
w^ho w^as then five years old, came out of his house.
Abu Hanifah, after offering him his best compliments,
enquired:

"O the son of the Holy Prophet! what is your opinion
about the deeds of a man? Does he do them by himself
or does God make him do them?"

"O Abu Hanifah", the five years old Imam replied
at once, in the typical tone of his ancestors, "the doings
of a man are confined to three possibilities. First, that
God alone does them while the man is quite helpless.
Second, that both God and the man do equally share
the commitment. Third, that man does them alone. Now,
if the first assumption is true, it obviously proves the un-
justness of God who punishes His creatures for sins which
they have not committed. And if the second condition be

NINTH INFALLIBLE 1 37

acceptable, even then God becomes unjust if He punishes
the man for the crimes in which He is equally a partner.
But the undesirability of both these conditions is evident
in the case of God. Thus, we are naturally left with the
third alternative to the problem that men are absolutely
responsible for their own doings."

Imamate:

The Holy Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq breathed his last on
25th Shawwdl 148 AH, and with effect from the same
date Imam Musa al-Kazim succeeded the holy office of
Imamate as the Seventh Imam. The period of his Imam-
ate continued for thirty-five years. In the first decade of
his Imamate, Imam Musa al-Kazim could afford a peaceful
execution of the responsibilities of his sacred office and
carried on the propagation of the teachings of the Holy
Prophet. But soon after, he fell a victim to the ruling kings
and a greater part of his life passed in prison.

Political Condition:

Imam Musa al-Kazim lived under the most crucial
times in the regimes of the despotic " Abbasid kings who
were marked for their tyrannical and cruel administra-
tion. He witnessed the reigns of al-Mansur ad-Dawaniqi,
al-Mahdi and Harun ar-Rashid. al-Mansur and Harun
ar-Rashid were the despotic kings who put a multitude
of innocent descendants of the Holy Prophet to the sword.
Thousands of these martyrs were buried alive inside walls
or put into horrible dark prisons during their lifetime.
These depraved caliphs knew no pity or justice and they
killed and tortured for the pleasure they derived from
human sufferings.

The Holy Imam was saved from the tyranny of al-
Mansur because the king, being occupied with his project

138 A BRIEF HISTORY

of constructing the new city of Baghdad, could not get
time to turn towards victimizing the Imam. By 157 AH
the city of Baghdad was built. This was soon followed
by the death of its founder a year later. After al-Mansur,
his son al-Mahdi ascended the throne. For a few years he
remained indifferent towards the Imam. When in 1 64 AH
he came to Medina and heard about the great reputation
of the Imam, he could not resist his jealousy and the
spark of his ancestral malice against the Ahlu '1-bayt was
rekindled. He somehow managed to take the Imam along
with him to Baghdad and got him imprisoned there. But
after a year he realized his mistake and released the Imam
from jail. al-Mahdi was succeeded by al-Hadi who lived
only for a year. No\v, in 170 AH, the most cruel and
tyrannical king Harun ar-Rashid appeared at the head
of the " Abbasid Empire. It was during his reign that the
Holy Imam passed the greater part of his life in a miser-
able prison till he was poisoned.

Moral and Ethical Excellence:

As regards his morality and ethical excellence, Ibn
Hajar al-Haytami remarks: "The patience and forbearance
of Imam Musa al-Kazim was such that he was given the
title of "al-Kazim' (one who swallows down his anger).
He was the embodiment of virtue and generosity. He
devoted his nights to the prayers of God and his days to
fasting. He always forgave those who did wrong to him."

His kind and generous attitude towards the people
was such that he used to patronize and help the poor and
destitutes of Medina and provide for them cash, food,
clothes and other necessitities of sustenance secretly. It
continued to be a riddle for the receivers of gifts through-
out the Imam's lifetime as to who their benefactor was,
but the secret was not revealed until after his death.

NINTH INFALLIBLE 1 39

Literary Attainments:

Time and circumstances did not permit the Holy
Imam Musa al-Kazim to establish institutions to impart
religious knowledge to his followers as his father, Imam
Ja'far as-Sadiq and his grandfather, Imam Muhammad
al-Baqir had done. He was never allowed to address a
congregation. He carried on his mission of preaching and
guiding people quietly.

Death:

In 179 AH, Harun ar-Rashid visited Medina. The
fire of malice and jealousy against the A /z/i^ 'l-bayt was
kindled in his heart when he saw the great influence and
popularity which the Holy Imam enjoyed amongst the
people there. He got the Imam arrested while he was busy
in prayer at the tomb of the Holy Prophet and kept him
in prison in Baghdad for a period of about four years. On
the 25th Rajab 183 AH, he got the Imam martyred by
poison. Even his corpse was not spared humiliation and
was taken out of the prison and left on the Bridge of
Baghdad. His devotees, however, managed to lay the
holy body of the Imam to rest in al-Kazimiyyah (Iraq).

al-Imam al-Kazim, peace be on him, said:

* No charity is superior to giving a helping hand to
the weak.

1 40 A BRIEF HISTORY

* Never bother to learn something not knowing which
does not do you any harm, and never neglect to learn
something whose negligence will increase your ignorance.

THETENTH INFALLIBLE

THE EIGHTH IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM ^ALI AR-RIDA (A.S.)
ATMASHHAD (IRAN).

ALI IBN MUSA AR-RIDA

(Peace be on him)

Name: "Ali.

Title: ar-Rida.

Agnomen: Abu '1-Hasan.

Father's name: Musa al-Kazim.

Mother's name: Ummu '1-Banin Najmah.

Birth: In Medina, on Thursday, 11th Dhu 'l-qi'dah 148
AH.

Death: Died at the age of 55, in Mashhad (Khurasan), on
Tuesday, 17th Safar 203 AH; poisoned by al-Ma'mun,
the Abbasid cahph; buried in Mashhad, Iran.

IMAM ALI ar-Rida was brought up under the holy guid-
ance of his father for thirty-five years. His own insight
and brilliance in religious matters combined with the
excellent training and education given by his father made
him unique in his spiritual leadership. Imam ar-Rida was
a living example of the piety of the great Prophet and the
chivalry and generosity of Imam " Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Succession:

Imam Musa al-Kazim was well aware of the aggressive
designs of the government in power against the Imamate

143

144 A BRIEF HISTORY

and therefore, during his lifetime he declared Imam
ar-Rida as his successor in the presence of hundred and
seventy-one prominent religious divines and called upon
his sons and his family to submit to him and refer to him
in all matters after him. He also left behind a written
document declaring the succession of Imam ar-Rida duly
signed and endorsed by not less than sixteen prominent
persons. All these necessary steps were taken by the
great Imam to avoid any confusion that may have arisen
after his death.

Imamate:

Imam Musa al-Kazim was poisoned while he was still
in prison and expired on 25th Rqjab 183 AH, and on the
same day Imam ar-Rida was declared as the Eighth Imam
of the Muslim world. Imam ar-Rida had the great task
before him of coming out with the correct interpretation
of the Holy Qur'an; specially under the most unfavourable
circumstances prevailing under the government of Harun
ar-Rashid. Many belonging to the faith were imprisoned
and those who were free and could not be jailed faced
untold atrocities and sufferings. Imam ar-Rida, of course,
stamped his impression upon his age by carrying on the
mission of the Great Prophet in a peaceful manner even
during the most chaotic periods, and it was mostly due to
his efforts that the teachings of the Holy Prophet and his
descendants became widespread.

Imam ar-Rida had inherited great qualities of head
and heart from his ancestors. He was a versatile person
and had full command over many languages. Ibnu '1-Athir
al-Jazari penned very rightly that Imam ar-Rida was
undoubtedly the greatest sage, saint and scholar of the
second century (AH).

TENTH INFALLIBLE 145

Once, on his way to Khurasan, when he (the Imam)
was brought by force by the guards of al-Ma'mun from
Medina, he arrived on horseback at Naysabur. Myriads
of people gathered round him and all roads were over-
crowded as they had come to meet and see their great
Imam. Abu Dhar'ah ar-Razi and Muhammad ibn Aslam
at-Tusi, the two great scholars of the day, stepped out
of the crowd and begged the Imam to halt there for a
moment so that the faithful may be able to hear his voice.
They also requested the Imam to address the gathering.
The Imam granted the request and in his brief address
told the mammoth gathering the real interpretation of
la ilaha ilia Allah. Quoting Allah, he continued to say
that the kalimah is the fortress of Allah and whoever
entered the fortress saved himself from His wrath.

He paused for a moment and continued that there
were also a few conditions to entitle the entrance to the
fortress and the greatest of all conditions was sincere
and complete submission to the Imam of the day; and
very boldly and frankly explained to the people that any
disloyalty to the Prophet and his descendants would
withdraw the right of the entrance to the fortress. The
only way to earn Almighty Allah's pleasure was to obey
the Prophet and his progeny and that was the only path
to salvation and immortality.

The above-mentioned incident speaks clearly of the
great popularity of Imam ar-Rida, and the love, loyalty
and respect the Muslims gave their beloved Imam. al-
Ma'mun, the king, was conscious of the fact that he would
not survive for long if he also did not express his loyalty
to the great leader and his intelligence department had
made it clear to him that the Iranian people were truly and
sincerely loyal to the Imam and he could only win them
over if he also pretended to give respect and sympathetic

146 A BRIEF HISTORY

consideration to Imam "Ali ar-Rida. al-Ma'mun was a very
shrewd person. He made a plan to invite Imam ar-Rida
and to offer him the heirship to the throne. The Imam
was summoned by a royal decree and was compelled,
under the circumstances, to leave Medina - where he was
living a quiet life - and present himself at the royal court
of al-Ma'mun.

On his arrival, al-Ma'mun showed him hospitality
and great respect, then he said to him: "I want to get
rid of myself of the caliphate and vest the office in you."
But ar-Rida refused his offer. Then al-Ma'mun rOpeated
his offer in a letter saying: "If you refuse what I have
offered you, then you must accept being the heir after
me." But again ar-Rida refused his offer vigorously.
al-Ma'mun summoned him. He was alone with al-Fadl
ibn Sahl, the man with two offices (i.e., military and
civil). There was no one else in their gathering. al-Ma'mun
said to ar-Rida, "I thought it appropriate to invest auth-
ority over the Muslims in you and to relieve myself of
the responsibility by giving it to you." When again ar-Rida
refused to accept his offer, al-Ma'mun spoke to him as
if threatening him for his refusal. In his speech he said,
" 'Umar ibn al-Khattab made a committee of consultation
(shird) (to appoint a successor). Among them was your
forefather, the Commander of the faithful, " Ali ibn Abi
Talib. ("Umar) stipulated that any of them who opposed
the decision should be executed. So there is no escape
for you from accepting what I want from you. I will ignore
your rejection of it."

In reply, ar-Rida said: "I will agree to what you want
of me as far as succession is concerned on condition that
I do not command, nor order, nor give legal decisions, nor
judge, nor appoint, nor dismiss, nor change anything from
how it is at present." al-Ma'mun accepted all of that.

TENTH INFALLIBLE 1 4 7

On the day when al-Ma'mun ordered to make the
pledge of allegiance to ar-Rida, one of the close associates
of ar-Rida, who was present, narrates, "On that day I
was in front of him. He looked at me while I was feeling
happy about what had happened. He signalled me to come
closer. I went closer to him and he said so that no one
else could hear, "Do not occupy your heart with this
matter and do not be happy about it. It is something
which will not be achieved.' "

Quoting al-" Allamah ash- Shibli from his book al-
Ma'mun, we get a very clear picture of how al-Ma'mun
decided to offer his leadership to Imam ar-Rida.

"Imam ar-Rida was the Eighth Imam and al-Ma'mfrn
could not help holding him in great esteem because of the
Imam's piety, wisdom, knowledge, modesty, decorum and
personality. Therefore, he decided to nominate him as
the rightful heir to the throne. Earlier in 200 AH he had
summoned the Abbasids. Thirty-three thousand "Abbasids
responded to the invitation and were entertained as royal
guests. During their stay at the capital he very closely ob-
served and noted their capabilities and eventually arrived
at the conclusion that not one of them deserved to succeed
him. He therefore spoke to them all in an assembly in 201
AH telling them in categorical terms that none of the
'Abbasids deserved to succeed him. He demanded alle-
giance to Imam ar-Rida from the people in this very meet-
ing and declared that royal robes would be green in future,
the colour which had the unique distinction of being that
of the Imam's dress. A Royal decree was published saying
that Imam ar-Rida will succeed al-Ma'mun.

Even after the declaration of succession when there
was every opportunity for the Imam to live a splendid
worldly royal life, he did not pay any heed to material
comforts and devoted himself completely to imparting the

148 A BRIEF HISTORY

true Islamic conception of the Prophet's teachings and
the Holy Qur'an. He spent most of his time praying to
God and serving the people.

Taking full advantage of the concessions given to
him by virtue of his elevated position in the royal court,
he organized the majdlis (meetings) commemorating the
martyrdom of the martyrs of Karbala'. These majdlis were
first held during the days of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
and Imam JaTar as-Sadiq, but Imam ar-Rida gave the
majdlis a new impetus by encouraging those poets who
wrote effective poems depicting the moral aspects of
the tragedy and the suffering of Imam Husayn and his
companions.

al-Ma'mun had been very scared of the growing popu-
larity of the Imam and he had appointed him as his heir
to the throne only for the fulfilment of his ow^n most
ambitious and sinister designs and getting the Imam's
endorsement to his tricky plans. But the Imam naturally
refused to give his endorsement to any such plans which
were against the teaching of Islam. al-Ma'mun therefore
became very disappointed with him and decided once and
for all to check his growing popularity and ensuring his
own survival by acting according to the old traditions
of killing the Imam. Wanting to do it in a more subtle
manner, he invited the Imam to dinner, and fed him poi-
soned grapes. The Imam died on 17th Safar 203 AH, he
was buried in Tus (Mashhad) and his Grand Shrine speaks
well for the great personality the Imam possessed. Myriads
of Muslims visit his Shrine every year to pay their homage
to this Imam.

TENTH INFALLIBLE 1 49

al-Imam ar-Rida, peace be on him, said:

* Doing seven things without doing the seven other
things is self- mockery: asking for forgiveness from Allah
verbally without repenting w^ith the heart; asking for
Allah's help without undertaking any effort; making a
firm resolution to do something w^ithout taking due
precautions; asking Allah for Paradise without enduring
the related hardships; beseeching deliverance from the
Hell-fire without refraining from lusts; remembering
Allah without anticipating to encounter Him.

THE ELEVENTH INFALLIBLE

THE NINTH IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM MUHAMMAD AL-JAWAD (A.S.]
AT AL-KAZIMIYYAH, BAGHDAD.

MUHAMMAD IBN ALI AL-JAWAD (AT-TAQI)

(Peace be on him)

Name: Muhammad

Title: al-Jawad or at-Taqi.

Agnomen: Abu Ja'far.

Father's name: "AU ar-Rida.

Mother's name: Sabikah (or Khayzuran).

Birth: In Medina, on Friday, 10th Rajab 195 AH.

Death: Died at the age of 25, in al-Kazimiyyah on Wednes-
day, 29th Dhi 'l-qVdah 220 AH, poisoned by Mu'ta-
sim, the "Abbasid caliph; buried in al-Kazimiyyah,
Baghdad.

IMAM MUHAMMAD al-Jawad (or at-Taqi) is the Ninth
Apostolic Imam. His epithet was Abu Ja'far and his famous
titles were al-Jawad and at-Taqi. Since Imam Muhammad
al-Baqir, the Fith Imam was called Abu Ja'far, historians
have mentioned this Imam as Abu Ja'far the Second.

Childhood:

Imam Muhammad al-Jawad was brought up by his
Holy father Imam "Ali ar-Rida for four years. Under the
force of circumstances Imam " Ali ar-Rida had to migrate

153

154

A BRIEF HISTORY

from Medina to Khurasan (Iran), leaving his young son
behind him. The Imam was fully aware of the treacherous
character of the ruling king and was sure that he would
return to Medina no more. So before his departure from
Medina he declared his son Muhammad al-Jawad as his
successor, and imparted to him , all his stores of Divine
knowledge and spiritual genius.

Imamate:

Imam "Ali ar-Rida was poisoned on 17th Safar 203 AH
and with effect from the same date Imam Muhammad al-
Jawad was commissioned by Allah to hold the responsi
bility of Imamate. At the tender age of eight there was no
apparent chance or means of the young Imam reaching
great heights of knowledge and practical achievements.
But after a few days he is known not only to have debated
with his contemporary scholars on subjects pertaining to
fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), hadith (tradition), tafsir
(Qur'anic exegesis), etc. and outwitted them, but also
to exhort their admiration and acknowledgment of his
learning and superiority. Right from then the w^orld
realized that he possessed Divine knowledge and that
the knowledge commanded by the Holy Imam was not
acquired, but granted by Allah.

Literary Attainments and Excellence:

The span of the life of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad
was shorter than that of his predecessors as well as his
successors. He became Imam at the age of eight years
and was poisoned at the age of twenty-five; yet his literary
attainments were many and he commanded great respect
and esteem.

The Holy Imam al-Jawad was the symbol of Prophet
Muhammad's affability and Imam "All's attainments.

ELEVENTH INFALLIBLE 155

His hereditary qualities comprised of gallantry, boldness,
charity, learning, forgiveness and tolerance. The brightest
and most outstanding phases of his nature and character
were to show hospitality and courtesy to all without
discrimination, to help the needy; to observe equality
under all circumstances, to live a simple life; to help the
orphans, the poor and the homeless; to impart learning
to those interested in the acquisition of knowledge and
guide the people to the right path.

Migration to Iraq:

For the consolidation of his empire, it was realized
by al-Ma'mun, the "Abbasid king, that it was necessary
to win the sympathy and support of the Iranians who had
always been friendly to the Ahlu '1-bayt. Consequently,
al-Ma'mun was forced, from a political point of view, to
establish contacts with the tribe of Banu Fatimah at the
expense of the ties with Banu Abbas and thereby win the
favour of the Shi'ah. Accordingly, he declared Imam " Ali
ar-Rida as his heir even against the Imam's will and got
his sister Umm Habibah marrried to him. al-Ma'mun
expected that Imam Ali ar-Rida would lend him his
support in political affairs of the State. But when he
discovered that the Imam was little interested in political
matters and that the masses were more and more sub-
mitting themselves to him due to his spiritual greatness,
he got him poisoned. Yet the exigency which directed
him to nominate Imam "Ali ar-Rida as his heir and suc-
cessor still continued. Hence he desired to marry his
daughter Ummu '1-Fadl to Muhammad al-Jawad, the
son of Imam "Ali ar-Rida and with this object in view,
he summoned the Imam from Medina to Iraq.

The Banu "Abbas were extremely disconcerted when
they came to know that al-Ma'mun was planning to marry

156 A BRIEF HISTORY

his daughter to Imam Muhammad al-Jawad. A delegation
of some leading persons waited on him in order to dis-
suade him from his intention. But al-Ma'mun continued
to admire the learning and excellence of the Imam. He
would say that though Imam Muhammad al-Jawad was
still young, yet he was a true successor to his father in all
his virtues and that the profoundest scholars of the Islamic
world could not compete with him. When the Abbasids
noticed that al-Ma'mun attributed the Imam's superiority
to his learning they chose Yahya ibn Aktham, the greatest
scholar and jurist of Baghdad, to contend with him.

al-Ma'mun issued a proclamation and organized a
grand meeting for the contest which resulted in a huge
gathering of people from all parts of the kingdom. Apart
from noble and high officials, there were as many as nine
hundred chairs reserved for scholars and learned men
only. The world wondered how a young child could con-
test with the veteran judge in religious laws {qadi l-qudat)
and the greatest scholar of Iraq.

Imam Muhammad al-Jawad was seated beside al-
Ma'mun on his throne face to face with Yahya ibn Ak-
tham, who addressed the Imam thus:

"Do you permit me to ask you a question? "

"Ask me whatever you wish," said the Imam in the
typical tone of his ancestors.

Yahya then asked the Imam, "What is your verdict
about a man who indulges in hunting while he is in the
state of ihrdm." (In the code of religious law hunting is
supposed to be forbidden for a pilgrim.)

The Imam at once replied, "Your question is vague
and misleading. You should have definitely mentioned
whether he hunted within the jurisdiction of the Ka'bah
or outside; whether he was literate or illiterate; whether
he was a slave or a free citizen; whether he was a minor

ELEVENTH INFALLIBLE 1 5 7

or a major; whether it was for the first time or he had
done it previously; also whether, that victim was a bird
or some other creature; whether the prey was small or big;
whether he hunted in the day or at night; whether the
hunter repented for his action or persisted in it; whether
he hunted secretly or openly; whether the ihram was for
umrah or for hajj. Unless all these points are explained
no specific answer can be given to this question."

al-Qadi Yahya was staggered in listening to these
words of the Imam and the entire gathering was dumb-
founded. There was no limit to al-Ma'mun's pleasure.
He expressed his sentiments of joy and admiration thus,
"Bravo! well done! O Abu Ja'far! {Ahsanta, ahsantaya
Aba Ja'far), your learning and attainments are beyond
all praises."

As al-Ma'mun wanted that the Imam's opponent be
fully exposed, he said to the Imam, "You may also put
some question to Yahya ibn Aktham."

Then Yahya also reluctantly said to the Imam,
"Yes, you may ask me some questions. If I know the
answer, I will tell it; otherwise, I shall request you to
give its answer."

Thereupon, the Imam asked a question to which
Yahya could not reply. Eventually, the Imam answered
his question.

Then al-Ma'mun addressed the audience thus: "Did
I not say that the Imam comes of a family which has
been chosen by Allah as the repository of knowledge
and learning? Is there any one in the world who can match
even the children of this family? "

All of them shouted, "Undoubtedly there is no one
parallel to Muhammad ibn "Ali al-Jawad."

In the same assembly al-Ma'mun wedded his daugh-
ter Ummu '1-Fadl to the Imam and liberally distributed

158 A BRIEF HISTORY

charity and gifts among his subjects as a mark of rejoicing.
One year after his marriage the Imam returned to Medina
from Baghdad with his wife and there he set about preach-
ing the Commandments of Allah.

Death:

When after the death of al-Ma'mun, al-Mu'tasim as-
cended the throne, he got an opportunity to persecute
the Imam and to ventilate spite and malice against him.
He summoned the Imam to Baghdad. The Imam arrived
at Baghdad on 9th Muharram 220 AH and al-Mu'tasim
got him poisoned in the same year. He died on 29th Dhi 7-
qi'dah 220 AH and was buried beside his grandfather,
Imam Musa al-Kazim the Seventh Imam, in al-Kazimiy-
yah, in the suburb of Baghdad (Iraq).

. 6^ jr j[ ^i jii jkj ^ 4kl^ S^u

al-Imam al-Jawad, peace be on him, said:

* The trust in Allah is the price of everything that is
precious and the ladder to every goal which is high and
sublime.

* One who follows his desires, concedes to the wishes
of his enemy.

* Do not be an apparent friend of Allah in open and
a secret enemy of His in private.

THE TWELFTH INFALLIBLE

THE TENTH IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM ^ALI AL-HADI (A.S.)
ATSAMARRA' (IRAQ).

ALI IBN MUHAMMAD AL-HADI (AN-NAQI)

(Peace be on him)

Name: Ali.

Title: al-Hadi or an-Naqi.

Agnomen: Abu '1-Hasan.

Father's name: Muhammad al-Jawad (at-Taqi).

Mother's name: Sumanah.

Birth: In Suryah (in the environs of Medina), on Friday,

2nd Rajab, 212 AH.
Death: Died at the age of 42, in Samarra, on Monday,

26th Jumada 'th-thaniyah 254 AH; poisoned by al-

Mu'tazz, the "Abbasid caliph; buried in Samarra';

North of Baghdad (Iraq).

THE TENTH Holy Imam, like his father, was also elevated
to the rank of Imam in his childhood. He was six years old
when his father Imam Muhammad al-Jawad died. After
the death of al-Ma'mun, al-Mu'tasim succeeded him, and
was later followed by the caliph al-Wathiq. In the first
five years of the reign of al-Wathiq, Imam "Ali al-Hadi
(an-Naqi) lived peacefully. After al-Wathiq, al-Mutawak-
kil came to power. Being too occupied in State affairs,
al-Mutawakkil did not get any time to harass the Imam

161

162 A BRIEF HISTORY

and his followers for four years. But as soon as he freed
himself from State affairs, he started to molest the Imam.
The Holy Imam devoted himself to the sacred mission of
preaching in Medina and did thus earn the faith of the
people as well as their allegiance and recognition of his
great knowledge and attributes. This reputation of the
Imam evoked the jealousy and malice of al-Mutawakkil
against him.

The governor of Medina wrote to al-Mutawakkil
that Imam Ali al-Hadi had been manoeuvring a coup
against the government and a multitude of Shiites were
pledged to his support. Although enraged by this news
al-Mutawakkil still preferred the diplomacy of not arrest-
ing the Holy Imam. Under the garb of pretended respect
and love towards the Imam, he planned to put him under
life imprisonment after inviting him to his palace.

Prior to his imprisonment, in a series of correspon-
dence with the Imam, he expressed the view that he was
convinced of all the claims of the Imam and was ready to
settle them amicably. He wrote to the Imam that having
been acquainted with his great personality, his matchless
knowledge and his peerless attributes, he was impatiently
looking forward to the honour of seeing him, and he most
cordially invited him to Samarra'. Although the Imam
was well aware of al-Mutawakkil' s treacherous intentions,
he anticipating the fatal consequences of refusing the
offer, reluctantly decided to leave Medina. But when the
Imam arrived at Samarra' and al-Mutawakkil was informed
about it, he took no notice of the Imam's arrival. When
asked about where the Imam should stay, he ordered that
the Imam should be put up in the inn meant for beggars,
destitutes and homeless people.

al-Mutawakkil who was a deadly enemy of the Ahlu
'1-bayt, removed the Imam from this inn and entrusted

TWELFTH INFALLIBLE 1 63

him to the custody of a stone-hearted brute named
Zurafah. But, by the grace of Allah, his enmity was, in
a short time, transformed into love and devotion for the
Imam. When al-Mutawakkil learnt about it, he shifted
the Imam into the custody of another cruel man called
Said. The Imam remained under his strict vigilance for
a number of years, during which he was subjected to
boundless tortures. But even in this miserable imprison-
ment, the Imam kept devoting himself at all times to
the worship of Allah. The watchman of the prison used
to comment that Imam Ali al-Hadi seemed to be an
angel in human garb.

When Fat-h ibn Khaqan became the vizier of al-Muta-
wakkil, he being a Shi'ah could not stand the idea of the
Imam's captivity. He endeavoured to have him released
from imprisonment and arranged for his comfortable
residence in a personally purchased house at Samarra'.
Still al-Mutawakkil could hardly refrain from his antagon-
ism to the Imam and he appointed spies to watch the
Imam and his connections. But, through all these attempts,
his hope of creating some fabrication to prove the Imam's
activity against himself could not be realized.

In the time of al-Mutaw^akkil there w^as a w^oman
named Zaynab who claimed to be a descendant of Imam
Husayn. al-Mutawakkil sought the confirmation of Zay-
nab's claim from the Imam and said: "That as the beasts
are prohibited to eat the flesh of the descendants of
Imam Husayn he would throw Zaynab to the beasts
and test her claim." On hearing this, Zaynab began to
tremble and confessed that she was a fake. al-Mutawakkil
then ordered the Imam to be thrown to the beasts to test
the claim. To his great surprise, he witnessed the beasts
prostrating their heads before the Imam.

Once al-Mutawakkil happened to suffer from a serious

164 A BRIEF HISTORY

malady which was eventually declared incurable by his
physicians. When the Imam was approached for some
remedy, he prescribed an application which resulted in
a spontaneous cure.

Once al-Mutawakkil was informed that the Imam
was preparing a revolt against him. Thereupon, he ordered
a detachment of the army to launch a raid on the Imam's
residence. When the soldiers entered his house, they found
him sitting on a mat, reciting the Holy Qur'an.

Not only al-Mutawakkil, but his successors' opposi-
tion to the Imam was fierce. After the death of al-Muta-
wakkil, al-Mustansir, al-Musta'in and al-Mu'tazz carried
on the same mission of harassment against the family of
the Imam.

al-Mu'tazz, understanding the uncontrollable and
intense devotion of the people towards the Imam, event-
ually contrived the Imam's assassination. He got him
poisoned through an ambassador which resulted in the
Imam's death within a few hours. The martyrdom oc-
curred on 26th Jumada 'th-thaniyah 254 AH, and his
funeral prayer was conducted by his son. Imam Hasan
al-Askari. The Imam was only forty-two years old at
the time of death. The period of his Imamate was thirty-
five years. He was buried in Samarra', Iraq.
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al-Imam al-Hadi, peace be on him, said to al-Mutawakkil,
the "Abbasid caliph:

* Do not expect honesty and purity of intention
from someone who has suffered from your malice; do not
expect loyalty from one to whom you have been disloyal;
do not expect goodwill from someone whom you regard
with ill-will: his heart towards you is the same as your
heart towards him.

THETHIRTEENTH INFALLIBLE

THE ELEVENTH IMAM

THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM HASAN AL-ASKARI (A.S.)
ATSAMARRA' (IRAQ).

AL-HASAN IBN ALI AL-ASKARI

(Peace be on him)

Name: al-Hasan
Title: al-Askari.
Agnomen: Abu Muhammad.
Father's name: 'Ah al-Hadi (an-Naqi).
Mother's name: Hadithah (or Susan).
Birth: In Medina,on Friday, 8th RabVu 'th-thani 232 AH.
Death: Died at the age of 28, in Samarra', on Friday, 8th
RabVu 'l-awwal 260 AH; poisoned by al-Mu'tamid, the
Abbasid ruler; buried in Samarra' (Iraq).

THE HOLY Imam Hasan al-Askari spent twenty-two
years of his life under the patronage of his father. Imam
Ali al-Hadi (an-Naqi) after whose martyrdom he became
his divinely commissioned Imam.

Imam Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari, the son of the Tenth
Imam, was born in 232/845 and according to some Shiite
sources was poisoned and killed in 260/872 through
the instigation of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tamid. The
Eleventh Imam gained the Imamate, after the death of
his noble father, through Divine Command and through
the decree of the previous Imams. During the seven years

167

168 A BRffiF HISTORY

of his Imamate, due to untold restrictions placed upon
him by the caliphate, he lived in hiding and dissimulation
(taqiyyah). He did not have any social contact with even
the common people among the Shi'ite population. Only
the elite of the Shi'ah were able to see him. Even so, he
spent most of his time in prison.

There was extreme repression at that time because
the Shi "ite population had reached a considerable level
in both numbers and power. Everyone knew that the
Shi'ah believed in the Imamate, and the identity of the
Shiite Imams was also known. Therefore, the caliphate
kept the Imams under its close supervision more than
ever before. It tried through every possible means and
through secret plans to remove and destroy them. Also,
the caliphate had come to know that the elite among
the Shi'ah believed that the Eleventh Imam, according
to traditions cited by him as well as his forefathers, would
have a son who was the promised Mahdi. The coming of
the Mahdi had been foretold in authenticated hadith of
the Prophet in both Sunni and Shi'ite sources.. For this
reason the Eleventh Imam,, more than other Imams, was
kept under close watch by the caliphate. The caliph of
the time had decided definitely to put an end to the
Imamate in Shi'ism through every possible means and
to close the door to the Imamate once and for all.

Therefore, as soon as the news of the illness of the
Eleventh Imam reached al-Mu'tamid, he sent a physician
and a few of his trusted agents and judges to the house
of the Imam to be with him and observe his condition
and the situation within his house at all times. After
the death of the Imam, they had the house investigated
and all his female slaves examined by the midwife. For
two years the secret agents of the caliph searched for
the successor of the Imara until they lost all hope.

THIRTEENTH INFALLIBLE 1 69

The Eleventh Imam was buried in his house in Samarra'
next to his noble father.

Here it should be remembered that during their life-
time the Imams trained many hundreds of scholars of
religion and hadith, and it is these scholars who have
transmitted to us information about the Imams. In order
not to prolong the matter, the list of their names and
works and their biographies have not been included here.

al-Imam al-Hasan al-"Askari, peace be on him, said:

* Generosity has a limit, which when crossed becomes
extravagance; caution has a limit which when crossed
becomes cowardice; thriftiness has a limit, which when
crossed becomes miserliness; courage has a limit, which
when crossed becomes fool-hardiness. Let this moral
lesson suffice: refrain from doing anything which you
would disapprove of if done by someone else.

THE FOURTEENTH INFALLIBLE

THE TWELFTH IMAM

THE SACRED CELLAR (SARDAB) AT SAMARRA' (IRAQ).

MUHAMMAD AL-MAHDI

(Peace be on him)

Name: Muhammad.

Title: al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im, al-Hujjah, al-Gha'ib, Sahibu'z-

Zaman, Sahibu '1-Amr.
Agnomen: Abu '1-Qasim.
Father's name: al-Hasan al-"Askari.
Mother's name: Narjis.
Birth: In Samarra', on Friday, 15th Sha'ban 255 AH.

He is still living and will appear before the end of the

world.
Minor Occultation: 8th RabVu l-awwal 260 AH.
Major Occultation: 10th Shawwal 329 AH.

THERE EXISTED a good deal of harmony and uniformity
between the aspects pertaining to the births of Prophet
Muhammad, the last Apostle of Allah and Imam al-Mahdi,
the last Apostolic Imam. Just as the coming of the Holy
Prophet was prophesied well in advance by the preceding
prophets, similarly the impending news of the gracious
birth of Imam al-Mahdi was foretold by the Holy Prophet.

173

174 A BRIEF HISTORY

Innumerable traditions in this context, quoted right
from the Holy Prophet, from the glowing contents of
many books of Mas anid, Sihah and Akhbar, and of Shiite
scholars (ulama') existed. Many Sunni scholars have
accumulated these traditions in complete volumes also,
e.g.: al-B ay an fi akhbar Sahibi 'z-Zaman by al-Hafiz
Muhammad ibn Yusuf ash-Shafi'i and Dhikriyyatu 7-
Mahdi by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani as well as
as-Sahih of Abu Dawud and as-Sunan of Ibn Majah. All
of the above books record the traditions bearing evidence
of the coming of this Holy Imam.

The promised Mahdi, who is usually mentioned by
his title of Imamu 'l-^Asr (the Imam of the Period) and
Sahibu 'z-Zaman (the Lord of the Age), is the son of the
Eleventh Imam. His name is the same as that of the Holy
Prophet. He was born in Samarra' in 255/869 and until
260/874 when his father was martyred, lived under his
father's care and tutelage. He was hidden from public
view and only a few of the elite among the Shi' ah were
able to meet him.

After the martyrdom of his father he became Imam
and by Divine Command went into occultation (ghaybah).
Thereafter, he appeared only to his deputies (na'ib) and
even then only in exceptional circumstances.

The Iraara chose as a special deputy for a time
'Uthman ibn Said al-"Amri, one of the companions of
his father and grandfather who was his confident and
trusted friend. Through his deputy the Imam would
answer the demands and questions of the Shi'ah. After
'Uthman ibn Said, his son Muhammad ibn "Uthman al-
'Amri was appointed the deputy of the Imam. After
the death of Muhammad ibn "Uthman, Abu '1-Qasim al-
Husayn ibn Ruh an-Nawbakhti was the special deputy,
and after his death Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samuri was

FOURTEENTH INFALLIBLE 1 75

chosen for this task.

A few days before the death of All ibn Muhammad
as-Samuri in 329/939 an order was issued by the Imam
stating that in six days "Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samuri
would die. Henceforth the special deputation of the
Imam would come to an end and the major occultation
(ghaybatu l-kubra) would begin and would continue
until the day God grants permission to the Imam to
manifest himself.

The occultation of the Twelfth Imam is, therefore,
divided into two parts: the first, the minor occultation
(ghaybatu 's-sughra) which began in 260/872 and ended
in 329/939, lasting about seventy years; the second, the
major occultation which commenced in 329/939 and
will continue as long as God wills it. In a hadith upon
whose authenticity everyone agrees, the Holy Prophet
has said, "If there were to remain in the life of the world
but one day, God would prolong that day until He sends
in it a man from my community and my household. His
name will be the same as my name. He will fill the earth
with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression
and tyranny."

On the Appearance of the Mahdi:

In the discussion on prophecy and the Imamate it was
indicated that as a result of the law of general guidance
which governs all of creation, man is of necessity endowed
with the power of receiving revelation through prophecy,
which directs him toward the perfection of the human
norm and the well-being of the human species. Obviously,
if this perfection and happiness were not possible for
man, whose life possesses a social aspect, the very fact
that he is endowed with this power would be meaningless
and futile. But there is no futility in creation.

176 A BRIEF HISTORY

In Other words, ever since he has inhabited the earth,
man has had the wish to lead a social life filled with happi-
ness in its true sense and has striven toward this end. If
such a wish were not to have an objective existence it
would never have been imprinted upon man's inner nature,
in the same way that if there were no food there would
have been no hunger. Or, if there were to be no water
there would be no thirst and if there were to be no re-
production there would have been no sexual attraction
between the sexes.

Therefore, by reason of inner necessity and deter-
mination, the future will see a day when human society
will be replete with justice and when all will live in peace
and tranquillity, when human beings will be fully pos-
sessed of virtue and perfection. The establishment of such
a condition will occur through human hands but with
Divine succour. And the leader of such a society, who
will be the saviour of man, is called in the language of
the hadith, the Mahdi.

In the different religions that govern the world such as
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrian-
ism and Islam there are references to a person who will
come as the saviour of mankind. These religions have
usually given happy tidings of his coming, although there
are naturally certain differences in detail that can be
discerned when these teachings are compared carefully.
The hadith of the Holy Prophet upon which all Muslims
agree, "The Mahdi is of my progeny," refers to this
same truth.

There are numerous hadiths cited in Sunni and Shi'ite
sources from the Holy Prophet and the Imams concern-
ing the appearance of the Mahdi, such as that he is of the
progeny of the Prophet and that his appearance will en-
able human society to reach true perfection and the full

FOURTEENTH INFALLIBLE 1 7 7

realization of spiritual life. In addition, there are numerous
other traditions concerning the fact that the Mahdi is the
son of the Eleventh Imam, Hasan al-Askari. They agree
that after being born and undergoing a long occupation
the Mahdi will appear again, filling with justice the world
that has been corrupted by injustice and iniquity.

As an example, "Ali ibn Musa ar-Rida (the Eighth
Imam) said, in the course of a hadith, "The Imam after me
is my son, Muhammad, and after him his son "Ali, and after
Ali his son, Hasan, and after Hasan his son Hujjatu 7-
Qa'im, who is awaited during his occupation and obeyed
during his manifestation. If there remain from the life of
the world but a single day, Allah will extend that day until
he becomes manifest, and fill the world with justice in the
same way that it had been filled with iniquity. But when?
As for news of the "hour;' verily my father told me, having
heard it from his father who heard it from his father who
heard it from his ancestors who heard it from "Ali, that it
was asked of the Holy Prophet, "Oh Prophet of God, when
will the "support" (al-Qa'im) who is from thy family
appear?' He said, "His case is like that of the Hour (of the
Resurrection). He alone will manifest it at its proper
time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh
not to you save unawares (Qur'an, 7:187).' "

Saqr ibn Abi Dulaf said, "I heard from Abu Ja'far
Muhammad ibn "Ali ar-Rida (the Ninth Imam) who said,
'The Imam after me is my son, Ali; his command is my
command; his word is my word; to obey him is to obey
me. The Imam after him is his son, Hasan. His command
is the command of his father; his word is the word of
his father; to obey him is to obey his father.' After these
words the Imam remained silent.' I said to him, "Oh son
of the Prophet, who will be the Iraam after Hasan?'
The Imam cried hard, then said, "Verily after Hasan his

178 A BRIEF HISTORY

son is the awaited Imam who is ''al-Qa'im hi 'l-haqq''
(He who is supported by the Truth). '"

Musa ibn Ja'far Baghdadi said, "I heard from Imam
Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn "Ah (the Eleventh Imam)
who said, "I see that after me differences will appear
among you concerning the Imam after me. Whoso accepts
the Imams after the Prophet of God but denies my son is
like the person who accepts all the prophets but denies
the prophethood of Muhammad, the Prophet of God,
upon whom be peace and blessing. And whoso denies
( Muhammad) the Prophet of God is like one who has
denied all the prophets of God, for to obey the last of us
is like obeying the first and to deny the last of us is like
denying the first. But beware! Verily, for my son there
is an occultation during which all people will fall into
doubt except those whom Allah protects."

The opponents of Shi'ism protest that according to
the beliefs of this school the Hidden Imam should by
now be nearly twelve centuries old, whereas, this is im
possible for any human being. In answer it must be said
that the protest is based only on the unlikelihood of
such an occurrence, not its impossibility. Of course, such
a long lifetime or a life of a longer period is unlikely. But
those who study the hadiths of the Holy Prophet and the
Imams will see that they refer to this life as one possessing
miraculous qualities. Miracles are certainly not impossible
nor can they be negated through scientific arguments. It
can never be proved that the causes and agents that are
functioning in the world are solely those that we see and
know and that other causes which we do not know or
whose effects and actions we have not seen nor understood
do not exist. It is in this way possible that in one or several
members of makind there can be operating certain causes
and agents which bestow upon them a very long life of a

FOURTEENTH INFALLIBLE 1 79

thousand or several thousand years. Medicine has not even
lost hope of discovering a way to achieve very long life
spans. In any case, such protests from "Peoples of the
Book" such as Jews, Christians and Muslims are most
strange for they accept the miracles of the prophets of
God according to their own sacred scriptures.

The opponents of Shi" ism also protest that, although
Shi'ism considers the Imam necessary in order to expound
the injunctions and verities of religion and to guide the
people, the occultation of the Imam is the negation of
this very purpose, for an Imam in occultation who cannot
be reached by mankind cannot be in any way beneficial
or effective. The opponents say that if God wills to bring
forth an Imam to reform mankind. He is able to create
him at the necessary moment and does not need to create
him thousands of years earlier. In answer it must be said
that such people have not really understood the meaning
of the Imam, for in the discussion on the Imamate it
became clear that the duty of the Imam is not only the
formal explanation of the religious sciences and exoteric
guidance of the people. In the same way that he has the
duty of guiding men outwardly, the Imam also bears the
function of waldyah and the esoteric guidance of men.
It is he who directs man's spiritual life and orients the
inner aspect of human action toward God. Clearly, his
physical presence or absence has no effect in this matter.
The Imam watches over men inwardly and is in com-
munion with the soul and spirit of men even if he be
hidden from their physical eyes. His existence is always
necessary even if the time has not as yet arrived for his
outward appearance and the universal reconstruction
that he is to bring about.

A BRIEF HISTORY

al-Imam al-Hujjah, peace be on him, said:

* Rest assured that no one has a special relation-
ship with Allah. Whoever denies me is not my (follower).
The appearance of the Relief (al-faraj) depends solely
upon Allah; therefore, those who propose a certain time
for it are liars. As to the benefit of my existence in Occul-
tation, it is like the benefit of the sun behind clouds where
the eyes do not see. Indeed, my existence is an amnesty
for the people of the earth. Pray much to Allah to hasten
the Relief, for therein also lies the release from your
sufferings.

A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE FOURTEEN INFALLIBLES
THE HOLY PROPHET, HIS DAUGHTER AND THE TAVELVE HOLY IMAMS

NOTE: Where there are differences of opinion on the dates of birth or death, the most popular view has been quoted.

SL.

No.

Designation

Agnomen
(Kunyah)

Name

Father's
Name

Title

(Laqab )

Date of Birth

Date of Death

Martyred by
means of

Place of
Burial

The Last
Prophet
of Allah

Abu'l-Qasim

Muhammad

(Ahmad)

(al-Mustafa)

^Abdullah

Rasulu'llah,
Nabiyyu'llah,
an-Nabiyy,
Khatamu'n-Nabiyyin

17th Rabi^ IJnthe
Year of the Elephant.
(25. 8.570 AD)

28thSafar, 11 AH
(25.5.632 AD)

Natural

Holy Medina
al-Munawwarah,
Saudi Arabia.

One of the

Fourteen

Infallibles

Umm Abiha

Fatimah

Muhammad

az-Zahra,
as-Siddiqah,
al-BatuI,
Sayyidatu'n-Nisa'.

20thJumadall, inthe
fifth Year after the dec-
laration of the Prophet -
hood. (2. 1.615 AD)

SrdJumadill, 11 AH
(26. 8.632)

Injured

Holy Medina,
Saudi Arabia.

1st Imam

Abu 'l-Hasan,
Abu'l-Hasanayn,
Abu Turab.

^Ali

Abu Talib

Amiral-Mu'minin,
al-Wasiyy,
al-Murtada,
(Haydar).

13th Rajab, 10 Years
before the declaration
of the Prophethood.
(25.5.600 AD)

Struckon 19th Ramadan
(25th January);
Died on 21st Ramadan
40AH(27.1.661AD)

Sword - while
he was engaged
in prayers.

Holy an-Najaf
al-Ashraf, Iraq.
(al-Ghariyy)

2nd Imam

Abu Muhammad

al-Hasan

'Ali

al-Mujtabi,
as-Sibt (al-Akbar)

15th Ramadan, 3 AH
(1.3. 625 AD)

7th Safar, 50 AH
(6. 3. 670 AD)

Poison

Holy Medina,
Saudi Arabia.

3rd Imam

Abu 'Abdillah

al-Husayn

'All

Sayyidu'sh-Shuhada',
as-Sibt (al-Asqhar)

3rd Sha'ban, 4 AH
(8.1. 626 AH)

10thMuharram,61 AH
(10.10. 680 AD)

Sword -in the
Battle of'Ashura

Holy Karbala
(at-Taff), Iraq.

4th Imam

Abu Muhammad

'Ali

al-Husayn

Zaynu 'l-'Abidin,
Sayyidu 's-Sajidin,
as-Sajjad.

5th Sha'ban, 38 AH
(6.1. 659 AD)

25th Muharram, 94/95 AH
(31.10.712/20.10.713AD)

Poison

Holy Medina,
Saudi Arabia.

5th Imam

Abu Ja'far

Muhammad

'Ali

al-Baqir

3rdSafar,57AH
(16.12.676 AD)

7thDhi'l-hijjah, 114AH
(28.1.733 AD)

Poison

Holy Medina,
Saudi Arabia.

6th Imam

Abu 'Abdillah,
Abu Musa.

Ja'far

Muhammad

as- Sadiq

17th Rabi' 1,83 AH
(20. 4. 702 AD)

25thShawwal, 148AH
(14. 12. 765 AD)

Poison

Holy Medina,
Saudi Arabia.

7th Imam

Abu 'l-Hasan
{al-Awwal =
The First),
Abu Ibrahim

Musa

Ja'far

al-Kadum,

al-'Abdas-Salih,

al-'Alim.

7thSafar, 129AH
(28.10. 746 AD)

25thRajab, 183AH
(1.9. 799 AD)

Poison

Holy al-Kazimi-
yyah, Iraq.

10.

8th Imam

Abu 'l-Hasan
{ath-Thani=
The Second)

'Ali

Musa

ar-Rida

llthDhi'l-qi'dah, 148
AH-(29.12.765AD)

17thSafar,203AH
(24.8.81 8 AD)

Poison

Holy Mashhad,

(Tus-Khurasan),

Iran.

11.

9th Imam

Abu Ja'far
{ath-Thani=
The Second)

Muhammad

'Ali

at-Taqi,
al-Jawad.

lOthRajab, 195AH
(8.4.811 AD)

30th Dhi 'l-qi'dah, 220 AH
(25. 11. 835 AD)

Poison

Holy al-Kazimi-
yyah, Iraq.

12,

10th Imam

Abu 'l-Hasan
{ath-Thalith=
The Third) ,

'Ali

Muhammad

an-Naqi,
al-Hadi.

2ndRajab,212AH
(27.9.827 AD)

3rd Rajab, 254 AH
(28.6.868 AD)

Poison

Holy Samarra'

(Surra-man-ra'a),

Iraq.

13.

11th Imam

Abu Muhammad

al-Hasan

'Ali

al-'Askari

8th Rabi' II, 232 AH
(3.12. 846 AD)

8th Rabi' 1, 260 AH
(1.1. 874 AD)

Poison

Holy Samarra,
Iraq.

14.

12th Imam

Abu 'Iqasim

Muhammad

al-Hasan

al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im,
al-Hujja, al-Gha'ib,
Sahebuz-Zaman
Sahibu 'l-Amr,
al-Muntazar.

15thSha'ban,255AH
(29. 7. 869 AD)

Still alive, but in
occultation.

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