Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS)

Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS)
Name - Ali
Title - An-Naqi and Al-Hadi
Kunyat - Abul Hasan
Born - Friday 15th of Zilhajj 212 A.H., at Surba
Father's Name - Muhammad ibn Ali
Mother's Name - Summana Khatoon
Died - At the age of 42 years, at Samarra , on Monday, 26th Jamadi-ul-Akhar 254 AH. Poisoned by Mu'taz the Abbaside Caliph
Buried - at Samarra, Baghdad.
Imam Ali un Naqi (a.s.)'s mother was a very pious lady who spent her whole life fasting. The 10th Imam has said that his mother was one of the ladies of paradise and one of those from 'Ahlul Haqq' (people of truth).
Imam Ali un Naqi (a.s.) became an Imam at the age of 8 years. The khalifa wrote to the governor of Medina asking him to send the young Imam to a person called Junaydi for tutorage (the governor of Madina was threatened that if he did not do this than the people of Madina would be annihilated). Junaydi was a well known poet of that time and 'anti - Ahlulbayt' and was 80 years old. The Khalifa felt that if this was done than anything that the Imam did or said could be attributed to Junaydi i.e. it was taught to Imam by Junaydi. When Junaydi was once asked about the progress of his student he said :
"I am the student and he is the teacher. I now know what knowledge is. What I say is because of what I have been taught by Imam".
The Khalifa's plan had failed yet again.
For a while the Khalifa left Imam in peace and freedom as they were engrossed in sorting out their own affairs (Removing the Iranians from power; adding the Turks and establishing power in Samarra). Imam used the time to open Madrasas and the atmosphere in the mosque of the Prophet was once again like in the time of the 6th Imam Jafer As Sadiq (A.S.).