Birthday of the 7th Imam

Salaam dear readers, on the occasion of the 7th of Safar we present you an exclusive feature on the birth anniversary of the 7th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). However, since we are still in the state of mourning for heartrending martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS), we do not mark with festivities the birthday of Imam Musa Kazem (AS), out of respect for the immortal martyrs of Karbala.

"O Allah I bear witness to You, Your angels and Your prophets and Your messengers and all your creations, that You Allah, is my Lord and Islam is my religion and Mohammad is my Prophet, and my Imams are Ali, Hasan, Husain, Ali son of Husain, Mohammad son of Ali, Ja'far son of Mohammad, Musa son of Ja'far, Ali son of Musa, Mohammad son of Ali, Ali son of Mohammad, Hasan son of Ali and the Proof, the son of Hasan; and I follow them and denounce their enemies..."

What you heard was a supplication in the Divine Court, which as is evident by its words and phrases, is a testimony of faith, which cannot be regarded as perfect unless one acknowledges the message entrusted by God Almighty to the Last Prophet and the continuation of this mission for the guidance of humanity by the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), till the Lord of our age, Imam Mahdi (AS) - the awaited Saviour of mankind. This formula for perfection of faith was taught to us by the person who was born today in the year 128 AH, corresponding to 745 AD. He is none other than Musa the son of Ja'far, whose name we mentioned in the list of the Infallible figures, while reciting the formula for the perfection of faith. Known as "Kazem" or the Restrainer of Anger and Emotions - in the face of the most acute adversities - his birth took place in Abwa, between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. His father was Imam Ja'far Sadeq (AS), the Reviver of the genuine "Sunnah" and "Seerah" or practice and behaviour of the Prophet in the society.

His mother also was not an ordinary woman. In fact, she was the one of the virtuous ladies of her time, though not born in Arabia, nor of Arab ethnicity. There are differing accounts of her name and origin. It is said that she was of Roman origin from Spain - or al-Andalus as the Muslims used to call it - and her name was Lu'lu'a. Others have said that she was from North Africa, which used to be a Roman Province. They have given her father's name as Saleh al-Berberi, which means she was of Berber descent. It worth noting that the Berbers after being liberated from centuries of Roman domination had become Muslims and conquered Spain for Islam. Historians, however, are unanimous that the mother of the 7th Infallible Imam belonged to one of the prominent non-Arab families whose fortunes had fluctuated due to the rapidly changing political conditions of the region. According to the famous book "al-Kafi" - compiled over a thousand and hundred years ago by the Iranian Islamic scholar, Shaikh Muhammad bin Yaqoub Kulayni - the little girl found herself helpless in Arabia and was taken under the care of the Prophet's 5th Infallible Heir, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), who knew in advance of the future that lay ahead and had instructed one of his disciples named Ibn Akkasha to locate such a girl and bring him to his house. The Imam asked her name, and she replied "Hameeda". Promptly, Imam Baqer said: "You are in this world Hameeda (Praiseworthy), while in the Hereafter you will be Mahmouda (the Praised)."

When she came of age, Imam Baqer (AS) married her to his son, Imam Sadeq (AS). Soon because of her virtue and wisdom in acquiring Islamic and other Qur'an sciences, she was often referred to as "Muhaddetha"or the authoritative narrator of the hadith. Her husband used to call her "Sabikat-az-Zahab" or ingot of pure gold without any impurity in it. He would say that the angels guarded her until she gave to me and the Imam after me a dignity from Allah.

This is the impeccable pedigree of Imam Musa Kazem (AS), who was 20 years old when God entrusted him with imamate on the martyrdom of his father. Divine Providence chose him for imamate, although he was far younger than his elder brothers. So secretly guarded were his initial years as Imam that his father's assassin - Mansour Dawaniqi, the self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime - failed in his plot to kill him as well. The failure of Mansour did not stop his equally evil son, Mahdi al-Abbasi, and wicked grandsons, Hadi al-Abbasi and Haroun Rashid, to harass and imprison the 7th Imam on several occasions. For instance, Hadi, after the brutal massacre of Fakh near Mecca, where on his orders several descendents of the Prophet's elder grandson, Imam Hasan Mujtaba (AS) were mercilessly martyred, wanted to kill Imam Kazem (AS). But Hadi al-Abbasi died a suspicious death and was replaced by Haroun. This crafty tyrant spared no efforts to torment the Prophet's righteous successor. Once, an exasperated Haroun, always fearful of the political legitimacy of the Ahl al-Bayt, summoned Imam Kazem (AS) and tried to lay allegations against him, the discourse took the form of debate with the caliph asking how Imam Ali (AS) could be the heir of his cousin the Prophet, while their common uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttaleb, was alive. The 7th Imam, without mentioning any of the innumerable virtues and services of Imam Ali (AS) to Islam, calmly drew attention to ayah 72 of Surah Anfaal: "The believers who did not leave their homes are not your guardians..."

He then reminded Haroun that Imam Ali (AS) - after risking his life and limb on volunteering to sleep on the Prophet's bed on the night of migration so that the latter could leave Mecca undetected for Medina - quickly joined him in migration, while Abbas did not do and stayed behind.

Once, when a dumbfounded Haroun tried to say why the Ahl al-Bayt call themselves the offspring of the Prophet, while Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA) was a daughter and not a son, the Imam gave further proof of his authority by pointing to ayahs of the holy Qur'an that refer to Prophet Jesus as Prophet Abraham's offspring when he had no father and was connected only through his mother Mary. Then Imam Kazem (AS) reciting ayah 42 of Surah Aal-e Imran that extols the virtues of the Virgin Mary, said:

"Likewise, our Lord chose Fatema (peace upon her), purified her (as is evident by ayah 33 of Surah Ahzaab), and gave her distinction over all women - of all times - (through her sons) Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (peace upon them), the Masters of the Youth of Paradise."

It is outside the scope of this brief radio programme to mention the other proofs Imam Kazem (AS) provided on his Divine Right to the usurper Haroun Rashid, who reluctantly allowed the Imam to leave in peace, but some years later, imprisoned the Prophet's Righteous Heir, and poisoned him to death at the age of 55 in 183 AH, martyred in the prison of Baghdad through poisoning. Haround assumed that he had rid himself of a great danger to his caliphate. He was wrong. His rule and the caliphate of his house were bound to evaporate forever. As for Imam Kazem (AS), although his worldly imamate was only 35 years, his spiritual rule continues till this day, over a millennium later when no trace can be found of the graves of his Abbasid tormentors. The person who bequeathed to humanity the keys to perfection of faith, reposes in eternal peace in the gold-plated twin-domed mausoleum of Kazemain, north of Baghdad, where pilgrims from all over the world, salute him as "Bab al-Hawa'ej" or the Door to the Court of Almighty God for fulfillment of all legal and lawful wishes.