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FOUNDATION'S WORD
All praise belongs to Allah, Who destroys kings and
replaces them with others. Peace and the blessings of
Allah be on the leader of the Muslim preachers, the Seal
of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad, the chosen
Prophet, and on the guards of shar'iah, the
successors of the great Messenger, his household, and on
his pious followers.
Since Satan tempted Adam (a.s.) to eat the forbidden
fruit, and he was driven out of Paradise, when Cain
murdered his brother Abel, the fierce, and bloody
struggle began between virtue and vice, truth and
falsehood, justice and injustice, humbleness and
arrogance, morality and corruption, good and evil,
guidance and deviation...and in a nutshell, between Islam
and ignorance. This struggle will go on until the Awaited
One eliminates all negative characteristics of man.
Whenever the sword of oppression was drawn, it was the
tongue that said nothing but the truth, the blood of a
free man who fortified himself with piety, and the true
preacher who held onto Allah, the Almighty, that
confronted it.
Every conflict on earth ends in the triumph of Allah's
word, and the fulfillment of His will. The tyrants' word
remains low, and their power diminishes like the
sea-froth.
The Abbassids inherited the corrupt rule and unjust
power from the Umayyads, but they outran them in
brutality and oppression. They persecuted, murdered, and
made homeless the members of the family of the Prophet
(s.a.w.), the leaders of Muslims, who stood up to their
tyranny, and traded their souls for the pleasure of
Allah. These people shed their blood and laid out their
souls challenging the forces of deviation, defending the
faith, and aiding the Muslims. They won immortality until
the Judgement Day. Their enemies reaped nothing but
disgrace, shame and damnation.
Like a high mountain, our revolutionary Imam Musa
al-Kadhim (a.s.), the scion of prophethood and grandson
of the pure family of the Prophet (s.a.w.), stood boldly
in the face of corruption. Like true, brave warnors, he
fought the policies of extravagance, debauchery and
terrorism. He kept up defending the shar'iah from
the falsehoods of the oppressors and corrupters, and
protecting the ummah from the brutalities of the
tyrants, until he was martyred by poison, in his shackles
inside his jail, and his body was thrown on a bridge in
Baghdad.
Al-Balagh Foundation is honoured to present to its
dear readers, glimpses from the life of this divinely
infallible Imam. We pray to Allah to grant us success in keeping up our
jihad, and purifying the earth from the mischief of the
mischief makers and the corruption of the corrupt rulers,
until Allah makes His religion triumph over all
religions, even if the polytheists hate it.
Al-Balagh Foundation
INTRODUCTION
"..Allah only desires to take away uncleanness
from you, O people of the household, and to purify you a (thorough) purifying."
Holy Qur'an (33:33)
The great message begets great men. The immortal
principles produce immortal leaders. The uniquely great
creed is certainly able to nurture uniquely great men.
Islam, the great faith, the immortal creed and the
divine, uniquely great message, came to change life for
the better, tear down the foundations of ignorance,
uproot the causes of backwardness and corruption, and
mould man's character on the basis of divine guidance,
and in accordance with the moral values and the
principles of equity and perfection. By this religion,
man can reach perfection and join himself to the Eternal,
Absolute Truth.
Islam is practical, taking life's facts into
consideration, when it lays the plan for man's life,
refines behaviour, leads humankind, and creates
civilization.
The phenomenon of leadership and Imamate is
unmistakably the most critical phenomenon in man's social
life. The most controversial and important issue faced by
the creeds, principles and values is the existence of the
pioneering man, the exemplary personality, and the good
example who understands his role, carries out his task,
and leads the way for other people to march. Allah chose
the Imams and leaders of this ummah from the
Prophetic household, Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali
and his sons (a.s.). The Qur'anic exegetes say that the
above mentioned verse was revealed concerning Ali bin
Abi-Talib and his wife Fatimah (a.s.), the daughter of
the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), and their sons, Hassan
and Hussein (a.s.).
Abu-Hurayrah, quoted Umm-Salamah, may Allah be pleased
with her, as saying, "Fatimah came to see the
Apostle of Allah with an earthenware pot filled with
sweet paste she herself had made. She placed the pot in a
tray and put it in front of him. 'Where is your cousin
and your two sons?' asked the Prophet. 'At home,' replied
Fatimah. 'Call them over' ordered the Apostle of Allah.
She went to Ali and said to him, 'The Prophet (s.a.w.)
wants to see you and your two sons.'
Umm-Salamah went on, "When he saw them coming, he
stretched out his hand to a shawl on the bed and spread
it out on the floor and seated them on it. Then, with his
left hand, he grabbed the four corners of the shawl and
drew them together over their heads. He motioned, with
his right hand, to his Lord, may His Name be exalted, and
said, 'O Lord!, these are my family. Remove
uncleanness from them and purify them '"[1]
The Apostle of Allah (s.a.w.) is reported to have
said, "Allah had certainly made the offspring of
every prophet in his loins, and has made my offspring in
the loins of this man," pointing to Ali.[2]
The truthful, trustworthy Prophet (s.a.w.) also said, "All the sons of a father are inclined towards
him, with the exception of the sons of Fatimah. I am
their father and I am the one to whom they are closely
related".[3]
Ibn Abbas is reported to have said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) saying,
'I Ali, Hassan, Hussein, and nine men from the loins of
Hussein are purified and infallible".[4]
The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.), by the
exact words of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) and the
consensus of the companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.), was
the most knowledgeable, judicious, and courageous man,
among them. He preceded them in embracing Islam. By these
virtues, he deserved truly to be the Imam of Muslims. On
the 21st of the holy month of Ramadhan, 40 A.H. the
Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.), just before
his martyrdom, gathered his sons, members of his family
and companions, and appointed his elder son, Hassan
(a.s.), as the next Imam. Imam Hassan (a.s.) did the same
thing when he was on his deathbed. He appointed his
brother, Hussein (a.s.), the next Imam after him. On his
martyrdom day at Karbala, Imam Hussein (a.s.) appointed
his son, al-Sajjad Ali bin Hussein (a.s.), the next Imam.
Imam Al-Sajjad (a.s.) appointed his son, Muhammad
al-Baqir (a.s.), his successor to the office of Imamate.
Imam Al-Baqir (a.s.) appointed his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq
(a.s.), the Imam who would succeed him. Imam Al-Sadiq
(a.s.) appointed his son, Musa al-Kadhim (a.s.), the next
Imam. Imam al-Kadhim (a.s.) appointed his son, Ali bin
Musa al-Ridha (a.s.), the next Imam. Imam al-Ridha
(a.s.), in turn, appointed his son, Muhammad al-Jawad
(a.s.), the next Imam. Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) appointed his
son, Ali al-Hadi (a.s.), as Imam after him. Imam al-Hadi
(a.s.) appointed his son, Hassan Al-Askari (a.s.), the
next Imam after him. Imam Al-Askari (a.s.) appointed his
son, Muhammad bin al-Hassan al-Mahdi (a.s.), the next
Imam. The Awaited Mahdi is believed, by all Muslims, to
be the hope of humanity and the awaited saviour of
humankind. Muslims, from all schools of thought and
denominations agree on the fact that he is a descendant
of the Prophet (s.a.w.), but they hold diverse views
regarding the saying,
"Days and nights will nor cease until Allah
sends a man from my household, whose name is similar to
mine. He shall fill it up (the earth) with justice and
equity, the same way it has been filled up with injustice
and oppression."[5]
Humanity is still waiting for this great saviour, and
leading reformer, who will establish the state of divine
justice and pull out, forever, the roots of loathsome jahiliyyah
(pre-Islamic era of ignorance).
History recorded the ascension of the Imams from the
family of the Prophet (s.a.w.) to the office of Imamate,
whom the Apostle of Allah (s.a.w.) praised by saying, "My household is certainly like the ark of Noah.
He who embarks on it shall find salvation, but he who
lags behind shall drown "
He (s.a.w.) urged Muslims to follow them. He said, "I am leaving among you two weighty things: the
Book of Allah and my descendants, my household. As long
as you hold onto them you shall never go astray after
me".
Their religious, military and political roles were
recorded by history for the coming generations. Every one
of them carried out his responsibility, bore the burden
of the message in his time, raised the banner, and later
handed it over to the following Imam.
If one closely examines the Prophetic traditions,
historical accounts, Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic beliefs,
biographical books, Islamic sciences, and probes the
political history of the dawn of Islam, and that of the
Umayyad and Abbasside eras, he will certainly find that
the twelve Imams, came successively and uninterruptedly
to hoist the Islamic banner. Each one of them was the
Imam of his time, and the most prominent and leading man
in knowledge and jihad. They were not fuqaha'
squatting in their schools and classrooms, nor were they
worshippers, shut out off from life. They were beacons of
guidance, and well-known historical symbols. They were
leaders to whom fingers were pointed, and leaders whom
people resorted to in adversities, and in defense of the
faith and the ummah. The tyrants feared them. The
scholars felt dwarfed before them. The minds, however
sharp, were modest compared to theirs. They were
exemplary images for the ascetics and ordinary
worshippers.
That is why Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) had entered all the
pure, faithful hearts across generations and decades.
Their impact and influence remain vivid as long as the
faith is immortal on earth. This is the Divine Will.
"Nay, We hurl the truth against falsehood, so
it knocks out its brains and lo! it vanishes..."
Holy Qur'an (21:18)
"...then as for the scum, it passes away as a
worthless thing; and as for that which does good to
people, it tarries in the earth…"
Holy Qur'an (13:17)
On the other side, their foes and adversaries achieved
nothing but a short-lived ecstasy of power, enjoying
cheap wordily gains.
Thus the study of the history of Ahlul-Bait (a.s.),
the examination of their lives, horizons of thought, and
jihad are of great importance for Muslims. The Imams of
Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) represent the school of Islam, the
spiritual leaders of this ummah and the leaders of
its historical march. Their paramount concern was
continuous fighting for the sake of preserving Islam's
originality and pureness. The researcher would find a
bitter, long-drawn epic of struggle between the Imams
(a.s.) and their enemies. It is a struggle that still
pounds on the gates of time, and keeps the spirit of
jihad alive.
Imam Musa bin Ja'far (a.s.) is a good example to be
followed by Muslims, especially regarding his opposition
to oppression and injustice. He is a member of a
household chosen by Allah, the Exalted, from among the
sons of Adam (a.s.). He purified them, and set them as
good examples and beacons of guidance for mankind. They
are, as the Apostle of Allah (s.a.w.) said regarding
them,
"We are members of a household to whom no one
could ever be compared"
It is only natural that Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) would suffer
from the oppression of the rulers, and the injustice of
the tyrants. They were made homeless, hunted down, killed, thrown in
prison and intimidated. The Imams (a.s.) led the ummah,
lifted the banner of opposition, and called for the
implementation of Islam's laws. As a result, people's
hearts leaned toward them, and their eyes were fixed on
them. The downtrodden rallied around them, seeing in them
the hope of salvation. And it is only natural that the
tyrants would fight them, and use every means possible to
silence them. This is a fact pointed out by the Apostle
of Allah (s.a.w.). He is reported to have said:
"We are a family for whom Allah preferred the
Hereafter over this life. The members of my family shall
certainly face tribulations, made homeless, and exiled
from their homeland. That shall go on until some people
come from the east, raising black standards. They shall
ask for their right, but shall be denied it. They shall
fight, helped by others, and shall be given what they
seek. They shall not accept it until they give it (the
leadership) over to a man from my family, who shall fill
the earth with justice after being filled with injustice.
Whoever is lucky to live at that time, let him join them
even if it is hard for him to do so, as hard as crawling
over a snowy land"[6]
Muslims agree that this great man is from the
household of the Prophet (s.a.w.). He is the Mahdi, the
saviour. He shall implement the shari'ah, and make
the dream of the prophets (a.s.) of a state in which
justice prevails, a reality, and raise the banner of
monotheism over all parts of the world.
