On Imam Reza (A.S.) arrival in Marw(Khorasan),the seat of al-Ma’mun’s caliphate, the Abbasid caliph showed him hospitality and great respect, then he said to him: “I want to get rid of myself of the caliphate and vest the office in you.” But Imam Reza(A.S.) refused his offer. Then al-Ma’mun repeated his offer in a letter saying: “If you refuse what I have offered you, then you must accept being the heir after me.” But again Imam Reza(A.S.) refused his offer vigorously.
Al-Ma’mun summoned him. He was alone with al-Fadl ibn Sahl, the Iranian noble in charge of two offices (i.e., military and civil). There was no one else in their gathering. al-Ma’mun said to Imam Reza(A.S.), “I thought it appropriate to invest authority over the Muslims in you and to relieve myself of the responsibility by giving it to you.” When again Imam Reza(A.S.) refused to accept his offer, al-Ma’mun spoke to him as if threatening him for his refusal. In his speech he said, “Umar ibn al-Kahttab made a committee of consultation (shura) (to appoint a successor). Among them was your forefather, the Commander of the faithful, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. (Umar) stipulated that any of them who opposed the decision should be executed. So there is no escape for you from accepting what I want from you. I will ignore your rejection of it.”
In reply, Imam Reza (A.S.) said: “I will agree to what you want of me as far as succession is concerned on condition that I do not command, nor order, nor give legal decisions, nor judge, nor appoint, nor dismiss, nor change anything from how it is at present.” al-Ma’mun accepted all of that.
On the day when al-Ma’mun ordered to make the pledge of allegiance to Imam Reza (A.S.) one of the close associates of Imam Reza (A.S.), who was present, narrates, “On that day I was in front of him. He looked at me while I was feeling happy about what had happened. He signaled me to come closer. I went closer to him and he said so that no one else could hear, ‘Do not occupy your heart with this matter and do not be happy about it. It is something which will not be achieved.’ “
Behavior towards Oppressors
Hasan ibn Husayn Anbari said, “For fourteen years I corresponded with Imam Reza (A.S.). I asked his permission to work for the government. In my last letter, I reminded him that I was afraid that they would cut my head off, and that the governor said that I was a rafidi (one who rejects the caliphate, a Shi’ite), and that undoubtedly I was refusing to work for the government because of my being rafidi.
Imam Reza (A.S.) wrote to me, “I read your letter in which you wrote that you feared for your life. If you know that when you obtain authority you will behave as the Prophet of God (S.A.W.) has commanded, and accordingly, you will choose your assistants and secretaries from among the Shi’ah, and whenever anything is placed at your disposal, you will disperse it equally among the disadvantaged, so that yourself will be included as one of them, in that case you may do it but otherwise, no.”
Humility
One day Imam Reza (A.S.) arrived in a bathhouse, and someone said to him, “Hey man, wash and rub down my body!” Imam began washing the man’s body. The people who were there introduced Imam to him. The man apologized to Imam for being so rude, but Imam calmed him down and continued washing him.( Munaqib Al Abi Talib, Vol. 4, 362, as narrated by Imam Reza (A.S.)
Imam Reza (A.S.) used to sit on a straw mat in summer and on sackcloth in winter, but when he appeared before people he used to wear fine neat clothes.(Uyun Akhbar al-Reza(A.S.),Vol.2,178)
Imam-e- Zaamin (A.S.)
The eighth Shi’ite Imam, Imam Ali ibne Musa ar-Reza (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 Reza (A.S.)) which is some money tied in a cloth. This tradition probably came from the time of Imam Reza (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 Reza(A.S.), had coins minted with the name of Imam Reza (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 Reza (A.S.) is also known as Imam-e- Zaamin (A.S.). Zaamin means “The Guarantor”. One day when Imam Reza (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 Reza(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 will come back. But Imam Reza (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 Reza(A.S.).After this historical event Imam Reza(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 iconograph entitled “Zaamin-e-Aahu”(The Guarantor of the Deer).
Prophecy
Imam Reza(A.S.) left medina to make the pilgrimage in the year in which Harun al-Rashid,the then ruling Abbasid caliph made the pilgrimage. He came to a mountain called Fari on the left of the road. Abu al-Hasan al-Reza(A.S.), looked at the mountain and said:
“Fari, the one who destroys (a resting place in you) whill be cut limb from limb.” We did not know what that meant.
When Harun reached that place he stopped there. Ja’far bin Yahya Barmaki the grand vizier of Harun al-Rashid went up the mountain and ordered a resting-place to be set up for him. On his return from Mecca, Ja’far bin Yahya Barmaki went back up the hill and ordered it to be destroyed.But as soon as when he got to Iraq Ja’far bin Yahya Barmaki was cut limb from limb by the orders of Harun al-Rashid in the palace coup staged by the caliph against the Barmaki family.
Imam Reza’s Social Behaviour
Ibrahim bin Abbas, who was one of the high-ranking officials of the Abbasid caliphate, has left the following eyewitness account of Imam Reza’s(A.S.) impeccable character.
– His Holiness never irritated others by verbal or practical teasing.
– His Holiness did not interrupt others’ speeches.
– The Holy Imam (A.S.) never refused the demands of others.
– I never witnessed him to have his legs stretched out before the others.
– And I could never find him in a resting position in the presence of other people.
-His Holiness never swore at his servants.
-His Holiness never cachinnated in happy circumstances.
-I never saw him spit his saliva out.
-At dinner all his servants including porters and even the stablemen were served in his attendance.
– His Holiness used to stay up all nights invoking Allah the Almighty. The Holy Imam (A.S.) also observed regularly the religious duty of fasting and always gave alms in secret.
