Wiladat-E-Imam Rida Tamam Ahle Islam Ko Mubarak Ho
Magnificent View of Imam Rida shrine at Night
Dr.Mazhar Naqvi
"Postponement is detrimental to
the fulfillment of desires. Fulfillment is the gain of the strict. Wastefulness
is the calamity of one who can afford it. Miserliness tears up honor. Passion
invites trouble. The best and most honorable of virtues is to do others favors,
to aid the one who calls for help, to bring the hope of the hopeful to reality,
not to disappoint the optimist, to have an ever increase of the number of
friends when you are alive, and the number of those who will cry when you
die."
Can there be better words to define how
to lead a purposeful life? Of course, not, for these words belong to Imam Ali Ar-Rida
whose birth anniversary will be celebrated tomorrow and who carried the legacy
of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad as his worthy descendant. Majority of the historians
and scholars are of the view that he was born in Medina on Friday, or Thursday,
Dhul-Hijja 11 in Hijri year 148 to seventh Imam Musa Kazim. There is however no
unanimity about the name of his mother. Some scholars of Islamic history are of
the view that Imam Rida’s mother was called al-Khayzaran. Contrary to this
version, another group say that her name was Najma with nickname as
"Ummul-Baneen." There is yet another group who say that she was
called Takattam and supplement their claim with the following couplet composed
in praise of Imam Rida:
“The best in self and parenthood,
In offspring and in ancestry,
Is Ali al-Muaddam,
Eighth in series of the knowledgeable
and the clement,
An Imam descending from the Proof of
God,
that is Takattam.”
An Imam symbolizes a unique personality and distinctive
characteristics. Twelvers consider infallibility essential in him since he
conveys true Islam on behalf of the Holy Prophet. The Imamate is characterized
by certain distinctive aspects. An Imam has to be the most learned among people and the
most aware of the general needs of people such as knowledge or other
necessities of life. He has to be the most pious, the most ascetic, the most
perfect in personal conduct, norms of behavior and superior to everyone else in
all aspects of human perfection. What exalted position Imam occupies against
these characteristics can be understood from the words of Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Suli "I never saw
Abul-Hasan ar-Ridha’ angering anyone by
something he said, nor did I ever see him interrupting anyone, nor refusing to
do someone a favor he was able to do, nor did he ever stretch his legs before an
audience, nor leaned upon something while his companion did not, nor did he
ever call any of his servants or attendants a bad name, nor did I ever see him
spit or burst into laughter; rather, his laughter was just a smile. When he was
ready to eat and he sat to be served, he seated with him all his attendants,
including the doorman and the groom." He adds, "Do not, therefore,
believe anyone who claims that he saw someone else enjoying such
accomplishments.”
Similarly, Muhammad ibn al-Fadl narrates an anecdote about Imam's
simple personality. He says:"Ar-Ridha’ , on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr,
said to one of his attendants, `May God accept your good deeds and ours,' then
he stood up and left. On the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, he said to the same man,
`May God accept our good deeds and yours.' I asked him, `O son of the Messenger
of God! You said something to this man on the occasion of Eid -ul-Fitr and
something else on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha; why?' He answered: `I pleaded
God to accept his good deeds and ours because his action was similar to mine
and I combined it with mine in my plea, whereas I pleaded God to accept our
good deeds and his because we are capable of offering the ceremonial sacrifice
while he is not; so, our action is different from his.'"
Imam followed throughout his life good manners. He considered mannerism
as an essential constituent of one’s personality and used to say ‘manners unveil
the innermost nature of the individual and reveals the extent purity of his origin
when it translates belief into action. Imam Rida’s noble personality won him
the love of the commoners as well as the elite. He was a person who safeguarded
Islam from the ulterior motives of materialistic Abbasid Caliphs. Imam spread
the law of equality to emancipate man's dignity from class obligations- a
characteristic that dominated people’s life during the pre-Islamic era. He did
so as God Almighty has said: "The best of you in the eyes of God is the
one who is most pious." .The saying
of his ‘Jad’ The Prophet (S) was also afresh in his memory "All
of you descended from Adam, and Adam was created of dust. No Arab can be superior to a non-Arab except through
superiority of his degree of piety."
Ibrahim ibn al-Abbas al-Suli says "I heard Ali ibn Musa
ar-Ridha’ saying, “I do not see myself as better than that (and he pointed to a
black slave of his who remained in his service) on account of my kinship to the
Messenger of God except if I do a good
deed which would render me better.'" Imam
told the world through this message that good Islamic conduct safeguards a man’s
dignity and eliminates class distinctions except the
distinction of good deeds. He never viewed his kinship to the Prophet as a
distinction to consider himself superior over others. Yasir, one of his
servants, is quoted as saying “Abul-Hasan said to us once: `If I leave the
table before you do, while you are still eating, do not leave on my account
till you are through.' It may happen that he calls upon some of us to his
service and he is told that they are eating, whereupon he says: `Leave them to
finish their meal first.'" Nadir, another servant, says: "Abul-Hasan
did not require us to do anything for him except if we had finished eating our
meal."
These examples bear testimony to the fact that the he had inherited
fragrance of goodness and mercy from the greatest Prophet and his spiritual
successors. Who does not remember the famous declaration of the prophet “I have
been sent to perfect the code of good conduct." The World can take a vow on
the birth anniversary of Imam Rida to
develop good feeling for every human being as this is the only way for nations
to derive strength to develop a counter ideology to eradicate terrorism that
has become a threat to their own existence. Such a spirit will be the best way
to remember Imam whose shrine in Mashhad(Iran) draws large crowd of devotees
from all over the world to invoke his blessings for a peaceful society everywhere.
(Reference available on request.The article is being posted on the eve of Birth anniversary of Eighth Imam Rida A.S.)
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