ALI IBN MUHAMMAD AL- HADI ( AN-NAQI ) THE TENTH IMAM

BIOGRAPHY

IMAMAT:

Like his father, he was also elevated to the rank of Imamat in his childhood. He was six years old when his father Imam Muhammad al Jawad died. His Imamat was
confirmed by different narrators, a few of them are referred below:

[Abu al-Qasim Ja’far b. Muhammad informed me on the authority of Muhammad b. Ya;qub , on the authority of Ali b. Ibrahim, on the authority of his father, on the
authority of Isma’il b. Mirhan, who said:

“When Abu Ja’far (al-Jawad) left Medina for Baghdad on the first of the two occasions in which he did so, I, (Isma’il b. Mihran) said to him at his departure:
“May I be your ransom, I am afraid for you with regard to this situation. To whom does the affair (of the Immat ) belong after you?”

He turned his face towards me, laughing, and said to me,:” It is not as you think this year”.

When he was summoned to al-Mu’tasim, I went to him and said” May I be your ransom, you are outside (our normal reach). To whom does this affair belong after you?”

He wept until his beard became damp. Then he turned to me and said: “On this occasion when there is fear for me, (it should be known that) the affair (of Imamat)
after me belongs to my son, Ali” Kitab-al Irshad pp. 496-97

[Abu al-Qasim Ja’far b. Muhammad informed me on the authority of Muhammad b. Ya’qub, on the authority of al-Husayn b. Muhammad on the authority
of al-Khayrani, on the authority of his father :]

“I (i.e. Khayrani’s father) was close to the door of Abu Ja’far, peace be on him, to be of service in whatever I was entrusted. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. I’sa al-Ashari
used to come at daybreak at the end of each night to learn about the news of the illness of Abu Ja’far, peace be on him. There was a messenger who used to go
between Abu Ja’far and (me) al-Khayrani (that is , the reporter of the traditions at the door). When he came Ahmad would rise and the messenger would speak privately with (me).

[Al-Khayrani reported:]

One night, (the messenger) came out. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. ک Isa rose from the seat. The messenger spoke privately to me and Ahmad wondered around. He
stopped when he could hear the conversation. The messenger said: “Your master (maula) sends you his greetings and tells you : “I am dying and the affair (of the
Imamat) will go to my son, کAli. You should treat him after me in the same way as you treated me after my father.” Ibid. p. 497.

THE IMAM AND AL-MUTAWAKKIL:The then Caliph

After the death of al-Ma’mun, al-Mu’tasim succeeded him, and was later followed by the caliph al-W’athiq. In the first five years of the reign of al-Wathiq, Imam al-
Hadi (an Naqi) lived peacefully. After al-Wathiq, al Muwakkil came into power. Being to occupied in state affairs, al-Mutawakkil did not get any time to harass the
Imam and his followers for four years. But as soon as he freed himself from the 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. On one pretext or the other he was after him, but he did not want to arrest him. So he invited
him to dinner, after praising him and expressing the view that he was convinced of all the claims of the Imam and was ready to settle them amicably. But his intentions
were bad and as soon as the Imam arrived at Samara, Mutawakkil did not meet him and rather put him in a inn meant for beggars and destitute, then he was moved to another place.

Once al-Mutawakkil fell ill from a serious malady which was eventually declared incurable by his physician. When the Imam was approached for some remedy, he
prescribed an application which resulted in spontaneous cure.

Not only al-Mutawakkil, but his successors’ opposition to the Imam was fierce. After the death of al-Mutawakkl, al-Mustansir, al-Musta’in and al-M’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, eventually contrived the Imam کs assassination. He got him
poisoned through an ambassador which resulted in the death of Imam within a few hours. The martyrdom occurred on 26th Jumada’ th-thaniyah 254 A.H.(868 A.D.)
and his funeral prayers were conducted by his son, Imam Hasan al Askari. He was 42 years old at the time of death.

A brief History of 14 infallibles, Ansarian publications, pp. 153-54.

Among the children he left behind is Abu Muhammad al-Hasan bin Ali Al- Askari, who became Imam after him, al-Husayn, Mohammad, Ja’far and his daughter
A’isha. He resided in Samara for 10 years and some months till death.