There is no god besides Allah, and Allah is Greatest. Glory to Allah; all praise belongs to Allah, and there is no power or force except what derives from Allah, the Exalted and Almighty. Allah—Allah is my Lord. I do not ascribe anything to Him as a partner. I do not ascribe anyone to Him as a partner.”
Although the above English rendering cannot do justice to the electrifying impact of the original Arabic supplication in the Divine Court that is indeed the gist of definition of monotheism and the testimony of faith of a sincere monotheist, it is obvious that the person who taught us was either the Greatest Messenger of God or someone with authority from Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) himself.
For those adhering to the letter and spirit of the egalitarian teachings of Islam as conveyed to humanity by the Ahl al-Bayt of the Messenger of Mercy, the identity of the person is obvious. They would point without hesitation that this particular supplication is part of the observances of the sacred month of Rajab to be recited on specific days, such as the 15th and especially the 27th (formal start of Prophet Muhammad’s [SAWA] universal mission of Islam), after offering a 12-Raka’ah Prayer.
They would add with enthusiasm that the person on whose authority this narration has been recorded was none other than Imam Muhammad at-Taqi al-Jawad (AS), the 9th Infallible Heir of the Seal of Prophets (SAWA).
While requesting readers to refer to the famous prayer-supplication manual Mafatih al-Jenaan (Keys of Paradise) for details of this special 12-Raka’ah Prayer and the Surahs of the holy Qur’an to be recited in it and after it, before raising hands towards heaven to express this sincere supplication (do remember us in your prayer), let us cast a glance at the brief but bright life of the Imam, who was a mere boy of 8 years when the imamate was entrusted to him, and who was martyred in the prime of his youth at the young age of 25 years.
In between, during his 17-year mission as the son and successor of the Martyr of Khorasan, Imam Reza (AS), despite his tender years he practically demonstrated to both the elite and the masses the meaning of God’s Words in the holy Qur’an, which says that Prophet Yahya ibn Zakariyya (John the Baptist) was given book and wise judgement while still a child (19:12), and Prophet Jesus (AS) spoke from the cradle to the stupefied Israelites regarding his mission and the heavenly scripture entrusted to him (19:33).
Today, the 10th of Rajab (the day of his blessed birth in Medina in 195 AH), affords us the opportunity to point out to instances when the bezels of God-given knowledge were put on full display by the 9th Imam, who is known by his two famous epithets – Taqi and Jawad.
If the first epithet is indicative of his piety reflecting God’s words in the holy Qur’an of the pristine purity of the Ahl al-Bayt from any kind of uncleanness and impurity (33:33), the second mirrors his unbounded generosity, not just in material matters when on one occasion he gave away to the poor the hundred thousand dirhams given to him as bridal gift from the Abbasid caliph, Mamoun, but also his scattering of the pearls of knowledge to the seekers of wisdom and truth.
Dumbfounded by the answers he received from the Boy-Imam when he tried to test his knowledge of the unseen by concealing a small fish in his clenched fist brought by his hunting hawk, Mamoun arranged a debate with the Mu’tazalite ideologue, Yahya ibn Aktham, in the hope of belittling the Prophet’s righteous heir in front of a huge gathering that included as many as 900 scholars of various branches of sciences seated on chairs.
To the bewilderment of the crafty caliph, the grey-bearded scholar’s posing of a complicated question on hunting during pilgrimage to Mecca, brought about a host of related jurisprudential queries from the cool and calm Imam, making Yahya stammer for words and unable to know himself the atonement(s) for the minute details unraveled before him.
With confidence far beyond his years, Imam Muhammad Taqi (AS), to the amazement of the scholars, went on to provide completely satisfactory answers for all the issues raised, and then asked whether he should now exercise his right to pose a question, to which Yahya replied: Your grace can ask; I shall reply if I can or I shall get it solved by your own self.”
With the argument sealed, Mamoun the master politician realized that it was suicidal to publicly oppose Imam Taqi (AS) and instead maneuvered to marry his daughter to the latter, in the vain hope of confining the Prophet’s Descendant to the trappings of power and the luxuries of the court.
The 9th Imam, feeling the futility of avoiding marriage, consented, but like his father, Imam Reza (AS), who was forced by Mamoun to become Heir Apparent, he also politely declined court life, and preferred to live in his hometown Medina in the house of his great-grandfather, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), where he would be accessible to the public and hold classes in the Prophet’s Mosque.
Many a great scholar was trained in various branches of sciences, and the heritage of the Prophet regarding different issues of life, including the Majesty of God, was expounded by Imam Jawad (AS) to those in quest of spiritual bounties that are immunity for societies against terrorism and terrorist tendencies in which satanic elements indulge through false pretensions to Islam.
Thus, when someone asked the Imam about the Angels: What are they? The Imam replied: “They are the powers of God that regulate the Universe.”
This is indeed the dynamic legacy of the Prophet of Peace, Muhammad (SAWA), as expounded by his spotlessly pure Ahl al-Bayt, in contrast to the terror tactics of most of the Salaf, who before becoming Muslims – for a variety of reasons – were polytheists and atheists, immersed in a bestial life of abominable sins and fratricide.
Courtesy – Kayhan Int’l, Iran’s English Language Daily
source : irib
