11 ZeeQaad 1432 A.H. - Wiladat of Imam Ali Riza(a.s.)

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As Salam alaikum,

11th ZeeQaad 1432 A.H. - Birth anniversary of Imam Ali Riza(a.s.) -
the 8th Holy Imam.

On this occassion of hapiness in the household of Prophet
Mohammad(sawaw), I wish to felicitate the Prophet Mohammad(sawaw),
Imam-e-Zamana(a.s.), the Ahl-e-Bait(a.s.) and all Momineen and
Mominaat.

In keeping with the practice of the followers of Ahl-e-Bait(a.s.),
please offer nazrana and special prayers on this auspicious day to
renew your allegiance to Prophet Mohammad(sawaw) and his Ahl-e-
Bait(a.s.).

Please also recite the Ziarat of Imam Riza(a.s.) and as per
instructions of Imam Ali Naqi(a.s.), please recite the Ziarat-e-Jame'a
as well

Presentations about Imam Ali Riza(a.s.)
---------------------------------------

Profile: http://www.ziaraat.com/masriz01.php
Profile in Urdu: http://www.ziaraat.com/masriz01u.php
Pictures: http://www.ziaraat.com/masriz02.php
Ziarat: http://www.ziaraat.com/masriz03.php
Ziarat Jamea Kabeer: http://www.ziaraat.com/jamea01.php
Ziarat Jamea Sagheer: http://www.ziaraat.com/jameas01.php
How well do you know about: http://www.ziaraat.com/hwdyk_imam8_1.php

Online Books: http://ziyaraat.net/findbook.asp

A Glance at the Sacred Life of Imam Riza (A. S.)
------------------------------------------------

Imam Riza(a.s.), the eighth Shi'ite Imam was born on Thursday 11th Zee
al-Qa'adah 148 A.H. /29 December 765 A.D. in Madinah. The new-born
child was named Ali by his holy father, Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s.), the
seventh Shi'ite Imam. He was divinely entitled "Riza" and his nickname
was Abul Hasan.

For many times Imam Musa al-Kazem (A.S) explicitly introduced his
eldest son "Ali" as his immediate successor to accede to the divine
position of Imamat. Subsequent to the martyrdom of his father in
Baghdad, on the 25th of Rajab 183 A.H. / 1 September, 799 A. D. in the
prison of Abbasid caliph, Harun-al-Rashid, he attained the holy
position of Imamat, when he was thirty five years old, and he held
that divine position for twenty years.

Three Abbasid caliphs were his contemporaries: for the first ten years
Harun al- Rashid, for next five years Amin and finally for the last
five years Ma'mun.

Why Ma'mun invited Iman Riza(a.s.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the death of Harun (b, 766 A.D., r. 786-809 A.D.) in 193 A.H./
809 A.D., Ma'mun fell into conflict with his brother Amin (b 787 A.D.,
r. 809-813 A.D.), which led to bloody wars and finally the
assassination of Amin in 813 A.D./ 198 A.H., after which Ma'mun became
caliph. The Umayyad and the Abbasid caliphs were afraid of the Holy
Imams (a.s.), who were publicly recognized as the true and worthy
successors of the Messenger of Allah(sawaw). The Holy Imams (a.s.)
were therefore constantly persecuted and tortured by the ruling
caliphs of the time.

Ma'mun thought of finding a new solution for these difficulties, which
his Abbasid predecessors had not been able to solve. Ma'mun contrived
to invite Imam Riza(a.s.) to Marw, (the city where Ma'mun's seat of
caliphate was located) with the evil intention of making false
friendship with His Holiness. Thus, the cruel Caliph intended to have
a direct eye on His Holiness.

In order to have this decision put into effect, Ma'mun forcefully
exiled Imam Riza(A.S) from Madinah to Marw. On his departure from
Madinah, Imam Riza(a.s.) gathered the members of his family and
enjoined them to shed tears for his last journey with no return. Holy
Imam (a.s.) did not take any member of his household with him to Marw.
His Holiness intended to make the people aware of the exile that
Ma'mun had intended for him.

Towards Khorasan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to Ma'muns' commands, the direction of Imam Riza(a.s.)
caravan from Madinah to Marw was predetermined. He arrived in Marw on
the 10th of Shawwal in 201 A.H. / 1 May 817 A.D., via Basrah,
Khorramshahr, Ahwaz, Rey, Neyshabur, Sanabad and Sarakhs.
Throughout his long journey, the Holy Imam (a.s.) was cordially
received by the people living in those cities and villages on the
route. When His Holiness arrived in Neyshabur he narrated a Hadith
Qudsi before an estimated crowd of 120,000 which also included
thousands of distinguished scholars and traditionists.

This historical and the most famous Hadith Qudsi in known as "Silsilat
al-Dhahab." Imam Riza(a.s.) confirmed that worshipping God will be
counted as a perfect procedure when it is based on the obedience of
the Immaculate Holy Imams (a.s.). This historical statement of Imam
Riza(a.s.) implied the presentation and assertion of the Imamat
(Socio- religious leadership) of His Holiness.

Imam-e- Zaamin(a.s.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Eighth Shi'ite Imam, Imam Ali ibne Musa ar-Riza(a.s.) is also
called as Imam-e-Zaamin(a.s.).When Muslims go on journeys they take
with them something called "Imam-e-Zaamin" [another name for Imam
Riza(a.s.)] which is some money tied in a cloth. This tradition
probably came from the time of Imam Riza(a.s.) when people used to
carry money with them especially because it had Holy Imam's (a.s.)
name on it. As Ma'mun,the Abbasid caliph the contemporary of Imam
Riza(a.s.), had coins minted with the name of Imam Riza(a.s.) on them,
it was very easy for the Muslims to carry the name of Holy Imam (a.s.)
with them, especially when they went on journeys.

Imam Riza(a.s.) is also known as Imam-e- Zaamin (a.s.). Zaamin means
"The Guarantor". One day when Imam Riza(a.s.) was on his historical
journey from Madinah to Marw(Khurasan),while in a jungle the Holy
Imam(a.s.) came across a hunter who was about to kill a deer. The deer
was trying to get away and when she saw Holy Imam (a.s.), she said
something to him.

Holy Imam(a.s.) asked the hunter to free the deer so that she could go
and feed her little baby deer who were very hungry. Imam Riza(a.s.)
also told the hunter that once the deer had fed her babies she would
come back. The hunter allowed the deer to go because Holy Imam (a.s.)
had told him to, but he did not think the deer would come back.
However, Imam Riza(a.s.) waited with the hunter until the deer
returned with her young ones. The hunter was amazed on witnessing this
miraculous event and he set the deer free as a mark of respect for
Imam Riza(a.s.).
After this historical event Imam Riza(a.s.) became famous as Imam
Zaamin(a.s.). The most famous artist of the contemporary world, Ustad
Mahmud Farshchiyan has depicted this historical event in this
beautiful masterpiece iconography entitled "Zaamin-e-Aahu"(The
Guarantor of the Deer).

Successor-ship to Caliphate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imam Riza(a.s.) was welcomed at Marw by the caliph himself and by his
Prime Minister Fazl ibn Sahl and some distinguished Abbasid nobles in
a place a few leagues outside the metropolis. After some days, Ma'mun
offered Imam Riza(a.s.), first the caliphate, His Holiness seriously
rejected Ma'mun's proposal.

Then Ma'mun proposed Imam to accept the successorship to caliphate,
the Imam Riza(a.s.) turned down this proposal also but he was finally
forced to accept the successorship to caliphate. The Holy Imam (a.s.)
put forward certain conditions that he would not interfere in
governmental affairs or in the appointment or dismissal of government
agents.

Ritual of Fitr Prayer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the late Ramadan 202 A.H./ March 817 A.D., Ma'mun requested Imam
Riza(a.s.) to conduct the religious service of the celebration of
"Fitr Prayers" (Festival at the end of the month of Ramadan) in Marw.
The Holy Imam (a.s.) accepted only with the condition to perform the
related ritual just on the basis of the method of the Holy Prophet of
Islam (sawaw).

Early in the morning of the celebration day of "Fitr", Holy Imam
(a.s.) appeared in plain clothing and bare-footed before that
congregation and glorified God loudly; saying "Allah Akbar" (God in
the Greatest of all.).

From every direction of the city the call "Allah Akbar" could be heard
because the congregation present there followed His Holiness and
shouted "Allah Akbar". Ma'mun was deeply alarmed by the magnificence
and splendor of that demonstration and requested Holy Emam (a.s.) to
cease the continuation of that ritual.

The Holy Imam's (a.s.) Scholarly Discourses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ma'mun often managed sessions of debates to be held in his own royal
palace and celebrated scholars of various religions were invited there
to exchange and discuss their different views on religious issues,
Imam Riza(a.s.) was always victorious in all those debates and soon
his opponents recognized the scientific status of His Holiness.

Imam Riza(a.s.) directed Muslims to the right path and removed
deviated views of the antagonists who endeavored to distort Islam. In
this way the Holy Imam (a.s.) safeguarded and propagated the
principles of Islam.

The Golden Dissertation in Medicine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Most Precious Islamic Legacy in the Science of Medicine:
Among such books written by Imam Riza(a.s.) is Al-Risala al-Dahabiyya
fil Tibb (the Golden Dissertation in Medicine) for which sources are
counted reaching sometimes to Muhammad ibn Jumhoor, and sometimes to
al-Hassan ibn Muhammad al-Nawfali who was accepted as trustworthy by
al-Najjashi who described him as "highly esteemed and trustworthy; he
narrated one text about Imam Riza(a.s.)," which could be "the golden
dissertation in medicine".

The Holy Imam's (a.s.) Martyrdom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The vicious caliph was scared of the ever-increasing Holy Imam's
(a.s.) popularity. Thus he decided to eliminate the Holy Imam (a.s.).
In 203 A.H./ 818 A.D., Ma'mun first imprisoned Imam Riza(a.s.) in
Sarakhs.

Then the Imam Riza(a.s.) was taken to Sanabad and confined in the
palace of Humaid bin Qahtabah. During the morning of the last day of
the month of Safar 203 A.H./ 818 A.D., the Holy Imam (a.s.) was
poisoned by Ma'mun in that palace.

The Holy Imam (a.s.) was seized with intensive pain and languor and in
the evening of the same day, the holy soul of the innocent Holy Imam
(a.s.) departed to heaven. The Holy Imam (a.s.) was buried in the
solitude of night at the same place of the palace which His Holiness
had prophesied during his first visit to Humaid bin Qahtabah's palace
at Sanabad in 201 A.H. / 817 A.D.

Mashhad: The Land of Miracles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once a small village called Sanabad soon transformed into a great
metropolis by the presence of the holy shrine of Imam Riza(a.s.)
called as Mashhad al-Riza (tomb sanctuary of Imam Riza(a.s.)., also
briefly called Mashhad which is also one of the most extensively
visited pilgrimage centers in the world. Miracles regularly occur at
the holy shrine of Imam Riza(a.s.) and hence the holy city of Mashhad
is also famous as "The Land of Miracles"

The Holy Shrine of Imam Riza(a.s.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The magnificent and marvelous buildings and structures in the holy
shrine of Imam Riza(a.s.), comprises one of the oldest and most
beautiful religious and historical monuments in the world.
The grand complex of the holy shrine is round in structure which
includes six courtyards (Sahn), twenty - three porches (Riwaq), the
Gowharshad Mosque, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, Islamic
Research Foundation, Museums, the Central Library Complex, Offices,
Hospital, Inn and the buildings for performing ablutions. The present
surface area of the holy shrine is 267079 square meters.

Merits of Imam Riza's(a.s.) Ziyarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are many traditions concerning the merit of Imam Riza's (a.s.)
ziyarah (pilgrimage) in general, and in some its thawab (spiritual
reward) is concerned to be equal to that of the martyrdom of the
martyrs of Badr, and in still other traditions its thawab is
considered equal to that of a hajj pilgrimage.

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