Islam Fundamental Principles and Teachings

Hadith From Imam Husayn (as)

‘I do not see death except prosperity and life along with the oppressors except anguish.’ ‘O Allah! You know that all there was from us was not in competition to seek power, nor to gain refuse of the world (i.e. wealth), but it was nothing other than to present the signs and essence of Your religion, and to promote reform in Your land, (so that) oppressed members of your servants find safety and security, and Your laws, orders and obligations are acted upon.’

‘I have not arisen for the purpose of exuberance, arrogance, corruption, or oppression, but I have done so in order to seek reform in the nation of my Grandfather, Muhammad (S). I want to enjoin Good and forbid Evil, and I want to go down the path and tradition of my Grandfather, Muhammad (S), and the path of my father Ali ibn Abi Talib (A).

‘There are people who worship Allah out of desire (for reward), and this is the worship of traders, and there are people worship Allah out of fear (of punishment), and this is the worship of slaves. Whereas certain people worship Allah out of gratitude, and this is the worship of the free, and this is the best of the worships.’

‘There are seventy benefactions for saluting, sixty nine for the one who initiates it and one for the replier.’ ‘Do not say about your brother in his absence other than that which you would like him to say about you in your absence.’ ‘(O Allah) . . . How can You be reasoned about with that that is in need of You in its existence?

‘(O Allah) . . . What did he find he who lost You? And what did he loose he who found You? Truly he has failed who is contented with other than You.’

The Fourth Imam: Imam Zayn al-Ab idin

Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin (A) is the son of Imam Husayn (A) and princess Shahr Banu the daughter of Yazdgerd, king of Persia. He used to be called the son of the best two, on the basis of the words of Allah’s messenger peace be upon him and his pure progeny who said, “From amongst his servants, Allah has made two choices; his choice from the Arabs is the Quraysh, and from amongst the non-Arabs the Persians”.161

He was born in Medina on Thursday the fifth of Sha‘ba>n in the year thirty-eight after Hijrah. He died a martyr after being poisoned on Saturday the twenty fifth of Muharram,162 in the year ninety five after Hijrah, at the age of fifty seven. His son Imam Ba>qir prepared his body for burial and buried him next to his uncle Imam Hasan in Baqi’ cemetery in the holy city of Medina.

He excelled all others of his time in knowledge, worshipping Allah, spiritual perfections, piety, and helping the needy, and all other virtues. Jurists and scholars have narrated from him extensively such that it cannot be counted, and there are many aspects of words-of-wisdom, spiritual guidance, prayers, and invocations that have been recorded as his legacy. Because of his extensive prayers and invocations he became known as Zayn al- Abidin, meaning the best of the worshipers. He is also known as al-Sajjad, meaning the prostrater, for his frequent and prolonged prostrations.

Very often he would carry on his back, at night, money and sacks of food or fire log, to the needy, and nock on the door one by one and give it to the person answers the call, with his face covered so that the person would not recognise him. When he left this world, then people of Medina realised that the person who used to deliver to them food etc. with his face covered, was none other than Imam Zayn al-Abidin. He loved to see the orphans and destitute join him for food, and eat his food sitting next to them. 161 Bih}a>r al- Anwa>r, vol. 46, p8.

162 Other reports put the date of his martyrdom on 12th or 18th of Muharram. Every month he would call upon his servants and would offer them help if any of them needed to get married or if anyone wanted to be set free.163 Whenever a needy person would come to him asking for help he would say this, “welcome to he who carries my supplies to the hereafter.”

It is said that he would pray a thousand rak’ahs of prayer in every twenty-four hours. At the time of prayer his face would change, and he would shiver like a leaf out of realisation of the greatness of Allah, the Most High. Due to his extensive and prolonged prostrating before the Almighty his forehead and knees were clearly marked.

Once a person spoke rudely to him using offending words that were hurting, the Imam remained silent not uttering a word. After a while the Imam went to the person, and recited this verse from the holy Qur’an, .... and those who control their anger and forgive people, Allah loves those who do good..164 The Imam then said to that person, “Brother, I heard all that you said to me.

If all that you said about me is true, then I ask Allah to forgive me and if all that you said about me is not true, then may Allah forgive you”165 163 At the time of the prophet (S) and the Imams (A) slavery was common in society. One of the most important values in Islam is freedom and therefore it always aimed to gradually eliminate slavery from society.

Islam encouraged people to set their slaves free, and many rewards are prescribed for setting a slave free. The Prophet and the Imams lead the way in this process in two ways. One was to set examples for the Muslims by buying salves from their masters and setting them free at the first possible opportunity. The second policy of the Imams was to buy as many salves as they could, educate them and then free them into society as free, well mannered, and well-educated responsible adults. In this way, this policy gave a good chance to a slave to attain his/her freedom, set an example for others to practice, and give less chance to those who wanted to see the concept of slavery continue in society.

164 The Family of Emran (3): 134 165 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p54. al-Irshad, vol. 2, p145.

In the course of his supplications which he became best known for, Zayn al-Abidin (A) left behind a magnificent intellectual and doctrinal masterpiece known as the Sahifah al-Sajjaddeyyah. Of course the Sahifah does not include all of his supplications, as many others are found in other reference books.

The supplications of Imam Zayn al-Abidin (A) are well known for their immense influence on the soul of the reader, and that of the listener. The choice of words and meaning of the supplications move the reader in such a way that change one’s life and give his life purpose and direction.

The collection of the supplications of Zayn al-Abidin (A) is a great school for he who seeks the truth. It is a school, which points to the love, wisdom and power of Almighty Allah. It points man to the values and the qualities of the teachings of Islam. It teaches him how to repent and how to talk to Allah.

Imam Zayn al-Abidin (A) is also responsible for the creation of the book of rights, which includes fifty fundamental rights one has, or is responsible for. This book of rights served as a guide to the Muslims as well as a challenge to the society and the ruling circumstances.

In his book Manaqib, ibn Shahr Ashub reports that Imam Zayn al- Abidin (A) received some guests, and the servant was rushing to serve the guests when some of the hot cooking cutlery fell on the Imam’s child, killing him. The servant was extremely disturbed and frightened. When the Imam saw him in that state said to him ‘You did not intend this! Go for you are free for the sake of Allah.’

Zayn al-Abidin (A) used to buy a thousand slaves at a time and then he used to educate them with the teachings of Islam and within a year free them into the society as well mannered, educated, and honourable members of the society. It is reported 77

that he directly bought, educated and freed some fifteen thousands slave during his lifetime.

Hadith from Imam Zayn al-Ab idin (A)

Imam Zayn al-Abidin (A) said to his son, al-Baqir (A)

: ‘Do good to whoever seeks it from you. For if he deserved it then you have achieved your goal, and if he did not deserve it, you are the kind to do so. If someone swore at you, and he is on your right hand side, and he then turns to your left and apologised to you, accept his apologies.’

On the subject of trustworthiness and honesty, Imam Zayn al- Abidin (A) says:

‘By He who sent Muhammad (S), with the Truth (I swear that) if the killer of my father al-Husayn (A) entrusts me with the sword which he killed him (A) with, I would return it back to him.’ ‘Contemplate and strife for what you have been created for, for Allah did not create you in vain.’

‘Do not have animosity towards anyone even if you thought he would not harm you, and do not fail to befriend anyone even if you thought he would not benefit you.’

‘Indeed the ultimate knowledge and the perfection of the religion (and way of life) of a Muslim is to avoid talking about things which do not concern him, lack of his boasting, his forbearance, perseverance, and well-manners.’ ‘Do not stop from refraining from evil even if you have been known to commit it.’

‘The best keys to (one’s) affairs is truthfulness, and the best endings is faithfulness and loyalty.’

The Fifth Imam: Imam al-Baqir

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (A) is the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn (A) and his mother is Fatimah daughter of Imam Hasan (A).

He was born in the holy city of Medina on Friday the first day of Rajab in the year fifty seven after Hijrah. He is the first Alawite of Alawite parents, and Hashemite of Hashemite parents, and Fatimid of Fatimid parents, for he is the first to born to parents who were descendants of Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, peace be upon them.

He died a martyr by poisoning on Monday the seventh day of the month of Dhil-H{ijjah in the year one hundred fourteen after Hijrah, at the age of fifty seven. His son Imam S{a>diq prepared his body for burial and buried him next to his father’s grave, and that of his grandfather Imam Hasan Mujtaba> in the Baqi’ cemetery in the holy city of Medina.

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (A) was a man of great virtue and leadership, a man of vast knowledge, great forbearance, great moral discipline, worship, generosity, humility and kindness. A Christian man, [deliberately mispronouncing Imam’s name], once said to him, “Are you baqar? (meaning, a ‘cow’). The Imam said, “No, I am Ba>qir.” The man then said, “Are you the son of a female cook?” The Imam said, “That is her profession.”

The man then said, “Are you the son of the bad Negro woman?” The Imam said, “If what you say is true, then may Allah forgive her, and if what you say is not true then may Allah forgive you.” This transformed the Christian man, and became a Muslim. Imam Muhammad al-Ba>qir (A) had profound knowledge and he would answer every question when asked without delay. Ibn ‘Ataal-Makki said about the Imam, “I never saw the scholars look so small as they did in the presence of Imam Muhammad Ba>qir. I saw al-H{akam ibn ‘Otaybah, with all his prestige and majesty amongst the people, looked just like a child in the presence of his teacher.”

Muhammad ibn Muslim said, “I asked Imam Muhammad al-Ba>qir all the questions that would come to my mind, until I had asked him about thirty thousand matter.” Imam al-Ba>qir used to practice remembrance (dhikr) of Allah constantly, such that his son Imam Ja’far al-S{a>diq said, “My father used to practiced remembrance of Allah very often; I used to walk with him and he would practice dhikr of Allah, I would eat with him and he used to practice dhikr of Allah, and if he talked to people that would not distract him from the dhikr of Allah”. He used to pray for long hours at night and his tears would flow tremendously during his worshipping.

Imam al-Ba>qir (A) may be credited to have established the first Islamic university in the history of Islam. Given the turmoil in political situation of the time, the Omayyad rulers had less time to suppress Imam al-Ba>qir (A) and therefore he had more breathing space to teach those who sought the teachings of Islam in the sciences of the Qur’an, Fiqh, doctrine, etc.

Hadith from Imam Baqir (A) ‘The practice of Islam is founded on five matters: upholding of the daily prayers, purification of the wealth (giving the Khums and Zaka>h), performing the Hajj pilgrimage, Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and allegiance to the authority (wala>yah) of the us the Ahl-ul-Bayt. Exceptions are given in four of them but none is given for the wala>yah. He who does not possess sufficient wealth, does not give Khums/Zaka>h. He who does not possess sufficient wealth, is not obliged to go to Hajj. He who is ill can perform the daily prayers in sitting mode, and does not fast during the month of Ramadan.

However the walayah is obliged upon him regardless of his health and wealth.’

‘Three are amongst the noble values of this world and the hereafter: To forgive he who transgresses against you, To bond ties with he who severs ties with you, To forbear he who insults you.’ ‘The most regretting individual on the Day of Judgement is he who preaches to others to do good but does not practices it himself.’

‘He who says the truth, his acts would be purified, and he whose intention is good, his sustenance will be increased, and he who is kind to his family his lifespan would increase.’ ‘He who teaches guidance, will have a reward similar to the rewards of all of those who act upon it without reducing anything from their reward. He who teaches misguidance, will have a punishment similar to the punishments of all of those who act upon it without reducing anything from their punishment.’

The Sixth Imam: Imam Sadiq

Imam Ja’far al-S{a>diq (A) is the son of Imam Muhammad al-Ba>qir (A) and his mother is Fatimah, agnomen Omm Farwah. He was born in Medina on Friday the seventeenth of the month of Rabi’-I – which is the birthday of the prophet – in the year eightythree after Hijrah. He died a martyr after being poisoned on Monday twenty-fifth day of the month of Shawwal in the year one hundred forty eight after Hijrah at the age of sixty-five. His son Imam Ka>dim prepared his body for burial and buried him in the Baqi’ cemetery next to the graves of his father Imam Ba>qir and his grandfathers Imam Sajja>d and Imam Hasan Mujtaba> peace be upon them all.

Imam Ja’far al-S{a>diq (A) possessed unquestionably vast knowledge, wisdom, and piety. He lived abstinently and piously, and his qualities and traits such as truthfulness, justice, graciousness, generosity and bravery were beyond reach.

Sheikh al-Mofid166 said, “scholars have reported from no one of his household as much they have reported from him, and people of hadith and narrators of reports have not known any one like Muhammad ibn Ja’far al-S{a>diq, peace be upon him. Indeed researchers have gathered together and collated the names of the reliable narrators [of hadith] from him, notwithstanding their differing views and opinions, whose numbers have been at four thousands167”. .

Abu H{anifah, the founder and leader of the H{anafi sect, [one of the four Sunni sects nowadays] was one of Imam S{a>diq’s students, who attended his lessons.168 While Abu H{anifah studied directly at the hands of Imam S{a>diq, the founders and leaders of the other sects learned of Imam S{a>diq’s teachings via those who had attended Imam Sadiq at first hand.

Many of the new sciences such as chemistry, physics, astronomy, mineralogy and deposit-exploration, and other sciences which is 166 Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Harithi al-Baghdadi, known as sheikh al-Mofid, and also ibn al-Mo‘allim, 336-413H, 948-1022 CE. He is one of the foremost figures of Shi’a history. A student of ibn Babuyah al-Quommi, the great teacher of theology in the 4th/10th century, sheikh al-Muffid was in turn the teacher of such celebrated Shi’a theologians as sheikh al-Murtadha. The author of some 170 treatises concerned almost entirely with theology, jurisprudence, hadith, and the sacred history, sheikh al-Mofid soon became one of the main figures of Shi’a scholars.

167 There are also reports that put the number at twenty thousands.

168 Having studied for more than two years at the hands of Imam Sadiq peace be upon him, Abu H{anifah, whose [Arabic] name was al-Nu‘man ibn Tha>bit al-Kufi al-Taymi, the mawla> (adopted member) of the Bani Taym clan, is famous for saying “If it were not for the two years, al-Nu‘ma>n would have perished.” [al- Khilaf, by Sheikh al-T{ousi, vol. 1, p33; Jame‘ al-Maqa>s}id, by al-Karaki, vol. 1, p21 of the researcher’s introduction, al-Mora>j‘a>t, by Sharaf al-Deen, p 15.] too long to mention, were founded or guided to by Imam S{a>diq peace be upon him.

The Imam used the ensuing conflict within the Abbasids, who were spearheading a revolt against the ruling Omayyads, and the ongoing power struggle within the Omayyad dynasty, who were on the verge of collapse, to establish his mammoth scholarly school. He engaged in teaching and educating his students and seekers of truth, elucidating the teachings and essence of Islam the traits of the shari‘ah – the Islamic Law. He clarified the falseness of the imported thoughts and the invalidity of the spurious and sinister doubts raised, until the foundations of the shari‘ah were fortified and the structure of Islam erected. He became known as the leader and chief of the Ja’fari madh-hab or school, just as his followers became known as the Ja’fari Shi‘a.

Imam Ja’far S{a>diq lived a simple life. He used to eat bread with vinegar or oil169, used to wear a coarse shirt, which often used to be with patches, and he used to work in his orchard himself. He would pray extensively and with great deal of attention and concentration to the extent that he would loose consciousness during prayer.

One night al-Mans}oor al-Dawa>neeqi, the tyrant ruler of the time, wanted to meet him and he sent for him. The servant who sent to call the imam said that when he arrived at the imam’s house, he found the Imam in his private room in the state of prostration before Allah with his hands and face on the ground and his forehead and the sides of his face having dust on them.

Imam Ja’far al-S{a>diq (A) had generous nature, excellent moral perfections and of very polite manners in his social dealings. 169 Imam S{a>diq said, “Oil and vinegar is the diet of the prophets”, al-Ka>fi, vol 6, p328.

Like his father, Imam S{a>diq (A) lived during a period when the political situation was going through turbulence stages and therefore the rulers did not have the time to target the Imam to the extent of preventing him from any activity. This gave Imam al- S{a>diq (A), just like his father, the opportunity to continue the task Imam al-Ba>qir (A) started, which was the managing of the Islamic university and the teaching of Islamic sciences such as Qur’an, jurisprudence (Fiqh), etc. It is reported that more than four thousand scholars graduated from the school of Imam Ja’far al- S{a>diq (A), and between them, up to ninety thousand hadith have been reported from Imam S{a>diq (A).

**Hadith from Imam Sadiq (A) ** ‘Nothing other than three matters continue to bring an individual rewards after death. A charity that Allah helped him establish during his life and this (charity) continues after his death, a good practice acted upon (by others), and an offspring who prays for him.’

‘The right of a Muslim upon another is that he is not full when his brother goes hungry, and he does not quench his thirst when his brother is thirsty, and he is not clothed when his brother is naked; it is most great the right of a Muslim upon his brother.’ ‘Love for your Muslim brother what you love for yourself.’ ‘Amongst the manners of the ignorant is to answer before he hears (the argument), to oppose before he understands, and to give a judgement upon what he does not know.’

‘He who acts not in accordance with a vision, is like he who is going down the wrong way, and then speeding does not give him anything other than distancing him further from the truth.’ ‘The most beloved of my brothers to me is he who presents me my mistakes.’

‘Seventy sins of the ignorant are forgiven before one is forgiven for the scholar.’

‘Make bonds with he who sever ties with you, give to he who denies you, be kind to he who was bad to you, salute he who swore at you, be fair and just to he who fought you, forgive he who oppressed you just as you would like to be forgiven, learn from Allah when He forgives you; do you not see the sun shines upon the believers and the non-believers, and the rain comes down upon the good and the bad?’

The Seventh Imam: Imam Kadim

Imam Mossa> al-Kadim (A) is the son of Imam Ja’far al-S{a>diq (A) and his mother was H{amidah al-Mus}affah.

He was born in Abwa’, a place between Mecca and Medina on Sunday the seventh of S{afar, in the year one hundred twenty eight after Hijrah. He died at the age of fifty-five after being poisoned while imprisoned in the jail of the Abbasid ruler Haroon, after fourteen years of unjust and hostile confinement therein, on Friday the twenty-fifth day of the month of Rajab, in the year one hundred eighty three Hijrah. His son Imam Ali al-Rid}a> prepared his body was for burial and was buried where his shrine stands today in Ka>dimiyyah, Iraq.

He was the most knowledgeable person of his time and the best of them. He was very generous and brave, apparent and evident in his virtue and learning, of great station and magnificent standing. He was of excellent spiritual perfections, worship extensively and prolonged prostrations before Allah. His immense control over his anger was as such that he became known as al-Ka>dim, which means one who curbs or contains one’s anger, and for his good deeds and putting things right he used to became known al-‘Abd alSaleh , the Righteous Servant.

The extent of the Imam’s knowledge and learning became obvious and apparent in the various fields of learning such that people were astonished and amazed of. One case is that of the famous Christian scholar Borayha, and at the end of the debate the Imam overwhelmed Borayha, and as a result he embraced Islam and became a devout Muslim.170

Once a poor person asked him for one hundred and the Imam, in order to test the man’s knowledge and understanding, asked him a question. When the man answered them, the Imam gave him two thousand Dirhams (gold coins).

He had the most beautiful voice in reciting the holy Qur’an, and he was most of the people in reciting the Qur’an, worshiping, and in his prolonged bowing and prostration before Allah, and more than anyone else in weeping out of fear of the Almighty Allah; so much so that he attained martyrdom while prostrating before Allah.

Hadith from Imam Kadim (A)

‘Allah has given the people two proofs, an apparent one and a hidden one. The apparent one is His messengers, prophets and Imams, and the hidden one is the intellect.’

‘Learn thoroughly the teachings of Islam for this learning is the key to the (correct) vision, perfect worship, the means to elevated stations, and honourable ranks in this world and the hereafter. For the merit of the learned scholar (Faqeeh) over the lifelong worshiper (Abid) is that of the sun over the planets. And he who does not seek knowledge about his religion, none of his achievements would be accepted by Allah.’

‘Endeavour to divide your time into four categories: one for the supplication with Allah, another to make a living, the third for socialising with the brethrens and those trustworthy individuals who are honest to you and point out to you your mistakes in 170 Al-Tawh}eed, by al-S{adooq, p270.

confidence, and the fourth to seek in seclusion non-forbidden pleasures, and with this you gain strength and vigour for the other three.’

‘. . . and the believer is the brother of the believer even if not born by the same parents. Cursed is he who accuses his brother, cursed is he who cheats his brother, cursed is he who does not admonish and advise his brother, cursed is he who backbites his brother.’

‘He whose two days are equal is a looser, and he whose second day is worse than his first is cursed. He who does not observe progress in himself is in retreat and he who is in retreat, death is better for him than life.’ Addressing one of his disciples:

‘O Hisha>m! If you had a nut in your hand and the people said you have a pearl, it would be of no benefit to you and you know it is a nut. And if you had a pearl in your hand and the people said you have a nut in your hand, it would be of no detriment to you and you know that it is a pearl.’ ‘Any word of wisdom is sought after by the faithful Muslim, so always seek knowledge . . .’

The Eighth Imam: Imam Rida

He is Imam Ali al-Rida (A), son of Imam Mossa al-Ka>dim (A) and his mother was Lady Najmah.

He was born on Thursday the eleventh day of the month of Dhilqa’dah, in the year one hundred forty eight in the holy city of Medina, and he died a martyr after being poisoned on Friday on the last day of Safar in the year two hundred and three. His body was prepared for burial by his son Imam Muhammad al-Jawa>d and buried him in Khura>sa>n, Iran where his shrine stands today. His knowledge, virtue, nobility, generosity, moral perfections, humility, and worship of Allah are too well known to require mentioning.

Ma’mun, the Abbasid ruler of the time, as part of his devious plot, requested Imam Rid}a> leave the holy city of Medina and go to Khura>sa>n and called upon him to take charge of the administration of the Muslim government instead of Ma’mun, but Imam Rida refused the offer, because he was aware of the intrigue and devious intention behind it, just as his great grandfather Amir-ul- Mo’mineen refused the offer of khilafah [i.e. leadership of the Muslim nation] – in the case of the shawra 171 – when it was offered to him by Ibn ‘Awf on the condition that he runs the government according to the policies of the sheikhayn.172 Imam Ali could see that acceptance of the offer of khilafah hinges on one of two scenarios both of which necessitate lying and are contrary to Allah’s contentment.

The first is that for him to accept the condition and not act upon it – just as Othman did – and this is verbal lying, and loathed by the Almighty, and as for the second possibility, that the imam accepts 171 The shawra> here is in reference to the so called consultation committee that was set up by the second ruler Omar ibn al-Khat}t}a>b to choose the leader after him, with some pre conditions.

172 Sheikhayn literally means the ‘two sheikhs’, which is in reference to the two rulers – Abu Bakr and Omar. In turn they took over the reign of the Muslim nation after the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. This was contrary to the specific instructions of Allah’s Messenger when the prophet – on instructions from the Almighty – appointed Imam Ali to lead the Muslim nation after him, and subsequently he instructed those present – at the Ghadir Khumm who were more than 120,000 – to swear oath of allegiance to Imam Ali as the Commander of the Believers before Allah and His messenger. Once they had a firm grip on power each one of them continued to devise policies and govern contrary to the teachings of the prophet of Islam throughout their reign. Their followers wanted this to continue.

Hence the precondition that the new ruler is to abide by and continue with the policies of the sheikhayn, as prescribed by ibn ‘Awf. Imam Ali wanted to govern according to the Book of Allah and the teachings of His messenger only, and thus he was refused the opportunity to govern accordingly. [While on his deathbed, Omar appointed a seven-man shawra> committee to appoint the new leader after him, and dictated that the final say is with Ibn ‘Awf.] Translator.

the condition and acts accordingly, which means accepting the policies of the sheikhayn while he opposed them, which is practical lying and condemned by the Almighty. So the imam had no option to please Allah other than rejecting the offer and not accepting the precondition.173

When Imam Ali al-Rida (A) did not accept the offer of heading the government, Ma’mun could see his plot disintegrating and his whole plot failing; the very plot he had called the imam upon to go to Khura>sa>n. As a last resort, he offered the imam to be his successor, and he forced the imam to accept the offer. The imam accepted on the precondition that he would never be asked to partake in any aspect or business of the government.

Imam Ali al-Rid}a>, peace be upon him, inherited his knowledge from his noble fathers and his grandfather Allah’s messenger peace be upon him and his pure family. Some of his vast knowledge with respect to religions, beliefs, and principles came to light in debate sessions when Ma’mun invited him and scholars from various religions and different schools of thought to attend a seminar of debate over the theological issues and matters of the doctrines of faith.

This particular event became known as al- Rukba>n seminar. History books report the details of the debates that took place between the Imam and the other scholars and how Imam Ali al-Rid}a> (A) provided convincing and irrefutable proofs and evidence to their questions and arguments.

For his worship he would stay many nights awake keeping vigil in prayers and worship and would complete reading the holy Qur’an in three days. Very often he would pray one thousand rak’ahs in twenty-four hours, with prolonged prostrations lasting many hours and he would fast very often.

173 See for example the commentary of Ibn Abi al-H{adeed on Nahj al-Bala>ghah, vol. 1, p188, on the issue of the shawra . He was very generous and he would help people particularly during the night.

He never did any injustice to anyone in words or deeds. He would never speak harshly. He would never sit back leaning in the presence of someone sitting.174 He would never laugh loudly. He would call upon all the members of his family and servants to have food together.