Wednesday: Imam Musa Kazim (as) - Brief and general overview of his life, discussion of his right to Imammat and fear of the government over the Ahle Bayt (as)
The Seventh Imam Musa Ibn Ja’afar Al-Kazim. A.S.
Born in Madina on 7th Safar 128 Hijri (10.11.745AD). Died in Baghdad Iraq 25th Rajab 183 Hijri (4.9.799 AD) Period of Imamat was 35 years.
Imam Musa Ibn Ja’afar was born during the struggle between the Ummayads and the Abbasids. He was only four years old when Abul Abbas “Saffah”, “The Shedder of Blood”, came to the throne as the first Abbasid caliph. For twenty years he was under the authority of his father, who died ten years before the end of the long reign of Mansur.
The Imamat of the 7th Imam extended through the ten remaining years of the caliphat of Mansur, and included the ten years of the rule of Mahdi, one year and some months of Hadi and about twelve years of the reign of Harun al- Rashid. Thus for thirty five years he was the Imam. He held this coveted distinction as the longest period of Imamat of the Eleven Imams.
With six brothers and nine sisters Imam Musa (AS) grew up in a large family. Ismail the oldest brother died at a young age and Musa was chosen by Divine providence to succeed his father as the Imam.
There were those among the followers of the 6th Imam who thought that Imamat should be hereditary and therefore the eldest son of the 6th Imam should succeed.
They misunderstood the whole concept of Imamat which was neither hereditary nor mandatory for any one person. It was divinely selected and the Imam at his death bed reveals the name of the next Imam.
The Abasid caliphs were always on the alert with this distinctive source of Imamat and our 7th Imam was fully aware of this danger. The Caliphs were on the alert to discover any real or imaginary disloyalty with the Imam or his followers and they would immediately put them under arrest.
This natural anxiety, however, does not appear to have seriously interrupted his life as an Imam. He continued to disseminate Qora’anic teachings as his father Imam Ja’afar al-Sadiq (AS) used to do through the Islamic schools opened in Madina during the life of the 5th Imam.
Ibn Khalikan related that caliph Mansur saw in his dream Imam Ali (AS) who was reciting the verse from the Qur’an, “O’Muhammad, were you ready therefore, if you had been put in authority, to commit evil on the earth and to violate the ties of blood.” Mansur sent for his favourite companion Ibn Younus at night and told him of his dream. He then said,” bring me Muasa Ibn Ja’afar.” The Imam Musa ibn Ja’afar was brought in all the way from Madina to Baghdad. When he arrived Mansur embraced him and said to him, “Abul Hasan, I have just seen in a dream Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) who was reciting this verse. Give me your assurance that you will not revolt against me or against any of my children. Imam replied, By Allah I have no such intentions. The caliph then gave him a thousand dinars and restored him to his family in Madina.
This story give us some idea how these Abasid caliphs were so afraid of the Imams of Ahlulbayt that in spite of their total lack of evidence for any kind of revolt against their earthly power, they would not leave them alone. From time to time the Imams were brought in from Madina, kept in Baghdad either on house arrest or inside prisons under the most difficult of conditions. But it was the Imams great Divine Characters that managed to keep them going in the most severest of conditions. It is because of these uncertain times that the Imam said,
“How base is the world for a people, unless God give them joy; and how great is this life , if God is not angry with them.” Total submission to the Will of God in all circumstances.
http://www.al-islam.org/kaaba14/10.htm
Born in Madina on 7th Safar 128 Hijri (10.11.745AD). Died in Baghdad Iraq 25th Rajab 183 Hijri (4.9.799 AD) Period of Imamat was 35 years.
Imam Musa Ibn Ja’afar was born during the struggle between the Ummayads and the Abbasids. He was only four years old when Abul Abbas “Saffah”, “The Shedder of Blood”, came to the throne as the first Abbasid caliph. For twenty years he was under the authority of his father, who died ten years before the end of the long reign of Mansur.
The Imamat of the 7th Imam extended through the ten remaining years of the caliphat of Mansur, and included the ten years of the rule of Mahdi, one year and some months of Hadi and about twelve years of the reign of Harun al- Rashid. Thus for thirty five years he was the Imam. He held this coveted distinction as the longest period of Imamat of the Eleven Imams.
With six brothers and nine sisters Imam Musa (AS) grew up in a large family. Ismail the oldest brother died at a young age and Musa was chosen by Divine providence to succeed his father as the Imam.
There were those among the followers of the 6th Imam who thought that Imamat should be hereditary and therefore the eldest son of the 6th Imam should succeed.
They misunderstood the whole concept of Imamat which was neither hereditary nor mandatory for any one person. It was divinely selected and the Imam at his death bed reveals the name of the next Imam.
The Abasid caliphs were always on the alert with this distinctive source of Imamat and our 7th Imam was fully aware of this danger. The Caliphs were on the alert to discover any real or imaginary disloyalty with the Imam or his followers and they would immediately put them under arrest.
This natural anxiety, however, does not appear to have seriously interrupted his life as an Imam. He continued to disseminate Qora’anic teachings as his father Imam Ja’afar al-Sadiq (AS) used to do through the Islamic schools opened in Madina during the life of the 5th Imam.
Ibn Khalikan related that caliph Mansur saw in his dream Imam Ali (AS) who was reciting the verse from the Qur’an, “O’Muhammad, were you ready therefore, if you had been put in authority, to commit evil on the earth and to violate the ties of blood.” Mansur sent for his favourite companion Ibn Younus at night and told him of his dream. He then said,” bring me Muasa Ibn Ja’afar.” The Imam Musa ibn Ja’afar was brought in all the way from Madina to Baghdad. When he arrived Mansur embraced him and said to him, “Abul Hasan, I have just seen in a dream Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) who was reciting this verse. Give me your assurance that you will not revolt against me or against any of my children. Imam replied, By Allah I have no such intentions. The caliph then gave him a thousand dinars and restored him to his family in Madina.
This story give us some idea how these Abasid caliphs were so afraid of the Imams of Ahlulbayt that in spite of their total lack of evidence for any kind of revolt against their earthly power, they would not leave them alone. From time to time the Imams were brought in from Madina, kept in Baghdad either on house arrest or inside prisons under the most difficult of conditions. But it was the Imams great Divine Characters that managed to keep them going in the most severest of conditions. It is because of these uncertain times that the Imam said,
“How base is the world for a people, unless God give them joy; and how great is this life , if God is not angry with them.” Total submission to the Will of God in all circumstances.
http://www.al-islam.org/kaaba14/10.htm
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