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THE
TENTH Holy Imam , like his father , was also elevated to
the rank of Imam in his childhood . He was six years old
when his father Imam Muhammad al - Jawad(a.s.) died .
After the death of al - Ma'mun , al-Mu`tasim succeeded
him , and was later followed by the caliph al-Wathiq .
In the first five years of the reign of al-Wathiq , Imam
Ali al-Hadi (an-Naqi(a.s.) ) lived peacefully . After
al-Wathiq , al-Mutawakkil came to power . Being too
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 State
affairs , he started to molest the Imam .
The
Holy Imam(a.s.) 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 evored the jealousy and malice of al-Mutawakkil
against him. The governor of Medina wrote to
al-Mutawakkil that Imam Ali Naqi(a.s.) had been
manoeuvring a coup against the government and a
multitude of Shi'ites were pledged to his support .
Although enraged by this news al-Mutawakkil still
preferred the diplomacy of not arresting the Holy
Imam(a.s.). Under the garb of pretended respect and love
towards the Imam , he planned to put him under life
imporisonment after inviting him to his palace.
Prior
to his imprisonment , in a series of correspondence with
the Imam(a.s.), he expressed the view that he was
convinced of all the claims of the Imam(a.s.) and was
ready to settle them amicably . He wrote to the
Imam(a.s.) that having been acquainted with his great
personality , his matchless knowledge and his peerless
attributes , he was impatiently looking forward to the
honour of seeing him , and he most cordially invited him
to Samarrah . Although the Imam(a.s.) was well aware of
al-Mutawakkil's treacherous intentions , he anticipating
the fatal consequences of refusing the offer ,
reluctantly decided to leave Medina . But when the
Imam(a.s.) arrived at Samarrah and al-Mutawakkil was
informed about it , he took no notice of the Imam's
arrival. when asked about where the Imam (a.s.) should
stay , he ordered that the Imam should be put up in the
inn meant for beggars , destitutes and homeless people.
Al -
Mutawakkil who was a deadly enemy of the Ahl-ul-bayt ,
removed the Imam(a.s.) from this inn and entrusted him
to the custody of a stone - hearted brute named Zurafah
. But , by the grace of Allah(swt) , his enmity was, in
a short time , transformed into love and devotion for
the Imam(a.s.). When al-Mutawakkil learnt about it, he
shifted the Imam(a.s.) into the custody of another cruel
man called Sa'id . The Imam(a.s.) remained under his
strict vigilance for a number of years , during which he
was subjected to boundless tortures . But even in this
miserable imprisonment , the Imam(a.s.) kept devoting
himself at all times to the worship of Allah(swt) .
The
watchman of the prison used to comment that Imam Ali
al-Hadi(a.s.) seemed to be an angel in human garb. When
Fath ibn Khaqan became the vizier of al-Mutawakkil , he
being a Shi`ah could not stand the idea of the Imam's
captivity . He endeavoured to have him released from
imprisonment and arranged for his comfortable residence
in a personally purchased house at Samarrah . Still
al-Mutawakkil could hardly refrain from his antagonism
to the Imam(a.s.) and he appointed spies to watch the
Imam(a.s.) and his connections . But through all these
attempts , his hope of creating some fabrication to
prove the Imam's activity against himself could not be
realized.
In the
time of al-Mutawakkil there was a woman named Zaynab who
claimed to be a decendant of Imam Hussain(a.s.).
Al-Mutawakkil sought the confirmation of Zaynab's claim
from the Imam(a.s.) and said : "`That as the beasts are
prohibited to eat the flesh of the descendants of Imam
Hussain(a.s.) he would throw Zaynab to the beasts and
test her claim" .' On hearing this , Zaynab began to
tremble and confessed that she was a fake .
Al-Mutawakkil then ordered the Imam(a.s.) to be thrown
to the beasts to test the claim . To his great surprise
, he witnessed the beasts prostrating their heads before
the Imam(a.s.).
Once
Al-Mutawakkil happened to suffer from a serious malady
which was eventually declared incurable by his
physicians . When the Imam(a.s.) was approached for some
remedy , he prescribed an application which resulted in
a spontaneous cure. Once al-Mutawakkil was informed that
the Imam(a.s.) was preparing a revolt against him .
Thereupon , he ordered a detachment of the army to
launch a raid on the Imam's residence . When the
soldiers entered his house , they found him sitting on a
mat , reciting the Holy Qur'an.
Not
only al-Mutawakkil , but his successors' opposition to
the Imam(a.s.) was fierce . After the death of
al-Mutawakkil , al-Mustansir , al-Musta`in and
al-Mu`tazz carried on the same mission of harassent
against the family of the Imam. al - Mu`tazz ,
understanding the uncontrollable and intense devotion of
the people towards the Imam(a.s.) , eventually contrived
the Imam's assassination. He got him poisoned through an
ambassador which resulted in the Imam's death within a
few hours . The martyrdom occurred on 26th
Jumadi-as-Sani 254 AH , and his funeral prayer was
conducted by his son , Imam Hasan al-Askari(a.s.). The
Imam(a.s.) was only forty-two years old at the time of
death . The period of his Imamate was thirty-five years
. He was buried in Samarrah, Iraq. |
