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IMAM MUSA AL KAZIM (A.S.)BIOGRAPHY
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The name of his mother was Hamidah, daughter of a noble man hailing from the states of Barbary, she was a slave wife of Imam Ja'faral-Sadiq (A.S.). Accrding to
other source,his mother was freed slave girl, who hailed from Andulus.It is said that she was Berber, or, as others maintain, a Roman, but she was most likely of an
Andulusian extraction. She was nicknamed" Lu'lu'ah" (pearl). Fourteen Infallibles, Ansarian Publications, p. 132 and Ahl-ul-Bayt- 9 -Al-Balagh Foundation, Tehran Iran.p.14.
The Holy Imam Musa al-Kazim is the 7th Imam.His matchless devoution and worship of God has also earned his title of Abu's Salih. Generosity was
synonymous with his name and no beggar ever returned from his door enpty 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 was invariably granted by God.
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 Ja'far as-Sadiq, showed in the manifestation of his future personality. He was fully versed with Divine knowledge even in his childhood.
Al-Allamah al Majlisi relates that once Abu Hanifah happened to call upon the Holy Imam Jafar as-Sadiq to ask him about some religious matters (msa'il). The imam
was asleep and so he kept waiting outside till the wakening of Imam. Meanwhile, Imam Musa al-Kazim, who was then five years of age , 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 year old Imam replied at once, in the typical tone of his ancestors, "THE DOINGS OF 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 unjustness of God who punishes his creatures for sins which they have not committed. And if
the the second condition be acceptable, even then God becomes unjust if He punishes the man for the crimes in which He is equally a partner. But undesrability of both 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 (deeds) doings". A brief History of fourteen infallibles. pp.132-33.
IMAMAT
Imam Ja'far Sadiq (A.S.) breathed his last on 25th Shawwal 148 A.H.(A.D. 799, and with effect from the same date Imam Musa al-Kazim succeeded the holy office
of Imamat as the Seventh Imam. The period of his Imamat continued for thirty-five years.
Among the shaykhs of the followers of Abu' Abdallah, peace be on him, his special group (khassa), his inner circle and the trustworthy righteous legal scholars, may
God have mercy on them, who report the clear designation of the Imamat by Abu 'Abdallah Ja'far, peace be on him,for his son, Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him, were many. Reports from a few of them is reproduced here.
[Musa al-Sayqal reported on the authority of al-Mufaddal b. 'Ummar al-Jufi, may God have mercy on him, who said :]
I (i.e. al-Mufaddal b. 'Ummar al-Jufi) was with Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be on him. Abu Ibrahim Musa, peace be on him, came in. He was
still a boy. Abu Abdallah Ja'far, peace be on him, said to him : Indicate to those of your companions whom you trust that the position of authority belongs to him Musa". Kitabal Irshad, Shaykh Mufid, p. 437.
[Abu Ali al-Arranjani reported on the authority of Abd al-Rehman b. al-Hajjaj, who said :]
I (i.e. Abdal-Rehman b. al hajjaj) visited ja'far b. Mohammad, peace beon
him, in his house. He was in such-and such a room in his house which he used as a prayer room. He was praying there. On his right hand was Musa b. Ja'far, peace be on them, following his prayer.
"May god make me your ransom," I said, "You know how I have
dedicated my life to you and (and you know of) my service to you. Who is the master of the affair (wali al amr) after you?"
He said : Abdal Rehman, Musa has put on his armour and it fitted him."
"After that, I have no further need of anything," I replied. Ibid. p. 437
[Ibn Miskan reported on the authority of Sulayman b. Khalid, who said :]
One day Abu Abdallah Ja'far, peace be on him, called for Abu al-Hasan
Musa while we were with him. He told us : "It is your duty to follow this man after me. By God, he is your leader after me." Ibid. p. 439.
POLITICALL CONDITION
Imam Musa al-Kazim lived under the most crucial times in the regimes of the despotic Abbaside kings who were marked for their tyranical and cruel
administration. 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
multitude of innocent descendents of the Holy Prophet to the sword. Thousands of these martyres were burried alive inside wall 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. A brief History of 14 infallibles. p.133
The Holy Imam was saved from the tyrany of al-Mansur because the king, being occupied with his project of constructing the new city of Baghdad, could not get
time to turn towards victimising the Imam. By 157 AH the city of Baghdad was built. This was soon followed by the death of the 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 164 AH he came to Madina 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-l-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 realised his mistake and released the Imam from jail.
al-Mahdi was succeeded by al-Hadi who lived only fo a year. Now, in 170 A.H., the most cruel and tyranical king Harun ar-Rashid appeared at the head of the
Abbaside Empire. It was during his reign that the Holy Imam passed the greater part of his life in a miserable prison till he was poisoned. Ibid. pp.133-34
HIS VIEWS ABOUT IMAM
It is reported that Abu Basir asked the Holy Imam about : "By what is the Imam known"
"By special characterstics," he answered. "The first of them is something by which preference has been given him by his father and an indication (has been made) by
his (father) that he should be proof (hujja) (to the world). When he is asked (anything), he can answer it. If (a person) holds back from speaking to him, he may
begin (the conversation) by telling him what will happen tomorrow and speaking to each person in his own tongue (language)." Subsequently he also said that no
speech of the people is hidden from the Imam, nor the language of birds, nor the speech of anything which has a soul. Kitabal Irshad Shaykh Mufid. pp.443-44
His knowledge about the future has been testified by some reliable narrators, one such narration is reported for the benefit of those who donot know.
[Abd Allah b. Idris reported on the authority of ibn Sinan, who said :]
"One day al-Rashid sent some robes to Ali b. Yaqtin (a very staunch
supporter and follower of Imam) to honour him. There was also a black woolen cloak adorned with gold like the robes of the king. Ali b. Yaqtin despatched those robes to Musa b. Ja'far,peace be on them.All other gifts
included the said cloak. He also sent some money which he had already marked for him as one fith of his income (manfayat) (Khums). When that reached Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him, he accepted the money,
and the robes but returned the cloak through the same messenger to Ali b. Yaqtin. He wrote to him: "keep it and donot let it leave your hands. For an event will occur to you because of it when you will need it for him
(al-Rashid)". Ali b. Yaqtin became apprehensive about it and could not understand the reason why it was returned to him by the Holy Imam. Some time later his servant left his job, who knew about all gifts received
by Ali Yaqtin from al Rashid which were sent to the Holy Imam. The servant went to al-Rashid and reported to him that Ali b.Yaqtin annualy pays khums to the Holy Imam and all the prsents sent to him and even the
cloak presented by you has also been presented to Imam al-Kazim (he never knew that the cloak was returned by Imam al-Kazim to Ali b. Yaqtin). Ali b. Yaqtin was called by the king who was furious, and was
asked about the cloak, he (Ali b. Yaqtin) got it from his home through another servant and showed it to al Rashid. That pacified the king and he said to Ali b. Yaqtin
"Return it to its place and go away righteously, I will never disblieve you again on the word of any informer". Ibid. pp. 444-45.
IMAM MUSA'S SCHOOL AND KNOWLEDGE
Not only was he most devout in his worship among the people, but was also the most well-versed man in the Islamic sciences and Jurisprudence.
He was the deciple of his father, Imam Ja'far Sadiq (A.S.), the great spiritual leader. He appointed his son Musa al-Kazim (A.S.) as his successor to the office
of Imamate. Ali bin Ja'far, the brother of Imam Musa al-Kazim (A.S.), a dependable, trustworthy narator, ie reported to have said, "I heard Abu-J'afar bin
Mohammad (A.S.) saying to some people from his entourage and close friends,
"Take care of this son of mine, Musa. He is the best of my sons, and the
best among whom I leave ofter me. He shall be my successor and the proof of Allah, the Exalted, over all his servants after me.: Ahl-ul-Bayt 9, Al-Balagh Foundation,1416 A.H. 1995 A.D. pp. 29-30.
Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.) himself once said to a companion of his,
"Should you ask this son of mine,whom you know, avout what is between
the two covers of the Qur'an, he will certainly answer you knolegeably". Ibid p.30.
The Imam (Musa) (A.S.) raised a generation of ' Ulema', preachers and narrators of Prophetic traditions. His era was abundant with iedological and philosophical
currents. Divwergent views on fiqh, Qur'anic exegesis and science of traditions emerged.
Biographical books and those related to traditions maintain that more than 300 men had reported from Imam Musa bin Ja'far (A.S.). Proudly history cites as list of
Imam's students who were ditinguished as great scholars, and prominent Ulama. Sheikh al-Toosi writes, "The followers of our shcool of thought have agreed on the
probity and trustworhiness of six fuquha', who were taught and educated by al-Kahfim and al-Ridha (A.S.). They were : Yunus bin Abdul-Rehman, Safwan bin
Yahya, Bayya' al-Sabiri, Mohammad bin Abi-Umayr, Abdullah bin al-Mughiirah, al-Hasan bin Mahboob al Rad and Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Abi-Nasr".Distinguished among his students were also Hisham bin al-Hakan, the
great alim in the science of monotheism and Islamic beleifs, Ali bin Suworyd, Mohammad bin Sinan etc. Ibid.p. 31
IMAM's STATEMENTS ON MONOTHEISM
When some people claimed that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, descended to the sky, he said : "Allah never descends. He need not descend. He is the same,
whether close or remote. No remote thing is far from Him, nor a close thing is near Him. He needs nobody and nothing, but everybody and everything are in need of
him. He is generous and Powerful. There is no god but He, the mighty and Wise." Ibid p. 36
In another statement Imam al-Kadhim (A.S.) expalined the relation between Allah's will and man's. He showed how man's behaviour has developed, whether it is good
or bad. He emphasized the fact that man is free, and he enjoys the full freedom of choice. He can do something and refrain from doing it. Allah never abolishes man's
will. But this freedom to act pn the part of man does not mean that Allah is unable to prevent His servants from doing evil, or that He cant force them to do good.
Allah Simply wants to test man in his life, Imam al- Kadhim (A.S.) says :
"When Allah created His creatures, He knew what their fates would be.
He ordered them to do certain things and forbade them to do other things. If he ordered them to do certain things, He left them free to do them or not. They cannot do something or abstain from doing it without His will.
Never did Allah force any of his servants to disobey Him. ' He simply tests his servants with tribulations." Ibid. pp.37-38.
Some people expalined the verse "The Beneficient is established on the Throne of Power". "by saying that Allah sits on a throne like a chair. He corrected their idea
when he said, "The meaning of this "The Beneficient is established on the Throne of Power" is that Allah has power over all things, tiny or huge. That means He has the
true power over the whole universe. "Sitting here is equal, in its meaning, to the description of Allah, the Exalted, as being powerful and enjoying mastery over all things. Ibid. p. 36.
It is reported in the history that in the sessions which the Imam (A.S.) argued and accomplished thinkers and fuquha' of his time, among whom Abu Hanifa, and Abu
Yusuf, the supreme judge, under Haroon al-Rasheed and others. They all acknowledged the correctness of Imam's judgement and decrees. The chief faqih of
Hanbalis is quoted as saying, "Musa bin Ja'far said to me on the authority of Ja'far bin Mohammad on the authority of the Prophet.: Shmad then added: "The chain of
transmitters is son indisputably authentic that if it is read to a fool, he would certainly restore his reason." Ibid p. 40.
THE MARTYRDOME OF THE HOLY IMAM
Al-Rasheed the then king wanted to get rid of the Holy Imam and tried his best to finish him as early as possible, but the Imam was so popular and known that many
of his own subordinates could not dare to commit this crime and could show enmity with ahl-ul-Bayt. Isa bin Jafar, the governor of Basra, refused to kill him, asking
al-Rasheed to relieve him if this task and transfer Imam Musa (A.S.) to another prison. Being in prison of al-Fadhl bin al- Rabi, Imam musa (A.S.) impressed him.
Al-Fadhl bin al-Rabi, like Isa, refused to commit the crime as well. The Imam (A.S.) then was taken to prison of al Fadhl bin Yahya who treated him kindly and
made his prison a bit conforatable. When al-Rasheed asked him to slay Imam Musa (A.S.) he declined. When word came that al-Fadhl bin Yahya treated his
prisoner well, al-Rasheed was enraged. He ordered him to be punished. Al-Fadhl was stripped naked and given hundred lashes in the assembly hall of al-Abbas bin
Mohammad. Then al-Rasheed found none better than the chief of his police in Baghdad, al-Sindi bin Shahik, a man known to be rough, stone hearted and
merciless, to perform the job, and he did the job on the suggestion of Yahya bin Khalid, and the Imam (A.S.) expired on 25th Rajab 183 A.H. Ibid. pp.97-99
The body of the Imam laid to rest in Baghdad in the cemetry allocated for the Hasmimites and the honourable muslim men, which is also called the Graveyard of
Quraish' or the Graveyard of Bani Hashim.
THE FAMILY OF IMAM MUSA (A.S.)
Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him, had thirty seven children male and female, all from slave wives, the names are as under :1. Ali b. Musa al-Rida, peace be on him.
2. Ibrahim.3. al-Abbas, 4. al-Qasim. 5. Ismail. 6. Ja'far. 7. Harun. 8. al-Hasan. 9. Ahmad.10. Muhammad.
11. Hamza and 26 others named in the Kitab-al Irshad. Source: Kitab al-Irshad pp. 457-58
