Today the last day of the lunar month of Zil-Qa’da marks the martyrdom anniversary of the Prophet’s 9th Infallible Successor, Imam Mohammad Taqi al-Jawad (peace upon him), and we present you a special article in this regard as follows:

The fact that even after the passing of over a millennium we continue to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of the infallible Imams of the Prophet’s blessed household, speaks volumes of their service to humanity. These chosen of God strove against heavy odds for the sake of salvation of mankind in this world and in the Hereafter. The Prophet’s 9th infallible heir was no exception. The significance of the mission of Imam Jawad (peace upon him) could be gauged from the fact that the cowardly oppressors, fearful of the intellectual awakening of the Muslim masses, martyred him at the young age of 25 years. But despite such terrorist plots they failed to check the scientific, social, and political developments set in motion by the Prophet’s household. For this reason, the school of jurisprudence of the Ahl al-Bait or the Prophet’s blessed household has continued to stimulate human conscience in every age and era. Imam Jawad (AS), who was a boy of mere eight years when the divine trust of imamate came to rest on his young shoulders following the martyrdom of his father Imam Reza (AS) in distant Khorasan, proved that like the Prophets Jesus and John the Baptist, tender age was not a hindrance, and for 17 years unraveled treasures of wisdom for the entire humanity.

It is recorded in glowing letters in the books of history and hadith how the young Imam Jawad (AS) made all and everybody spellbound when the Abbasid tyrant, the Caliph Mamoun, engaged him in a jurisprudential debate with the Mu’tazalite ideologue Yahya bin Aksam. After this event, the crafty caliph in order to keep the Imam under surveillance forced him to become his son-in-law. For the next few years, Mamoun spared no efforts to restrict the role of the Imam in society but failed. After Mamoun’s death, his brother Mo’tasem became the caliph. He followed the same cruel Abbasid policy against the Prophet’s household. He forced the 9th Imam to leave Medina and come to stay in Baghdad so that he could be under the watchful eyes of the caliph. One day, a habitual thief was brought before the caliph who sought the opinion of the leading jurisprudents on the form of punishment to be meted out. Some called for cutting the hands of the thief from the elbow, others called for chopping off the hand from the wrist while still others made a mockery of the benign laws of Islam by calling for severance of the entire arm. When the caliph turned to Imam Jawad (AS) for his opinion the Imam politely declined. When Mo’tasem continued to insist, Imam Jawad (AS) said that since this is a matter pertaining to the laws of God as promulgated by the Prophet, the rule is that, only the four fingers of the hand of a habitual thief should be severed so that he and the society in which he lives should learn a lesson and desist from theft of property. The Imam added that the thumb and the entire palm should be left intact since the culprit is after all a creature of God hopeful of divine mercy and God has decreed that the palm is among the seven bodily organs that should touch the ground during prostration. The Imam thus spelled out the rights of even a sentenced person and his decision was hailed as rational. But this verdict aroused the jealousy of the chief jurisprudent of the court, Abu Yousuf, who went to the caliph and told him that his endorsing of the decision of Imam Jawad (AS) had made the claims of the Abbasids to rule the Muslim realm even more doubtful in the eyes of the people. A horrified Mo’tasem instructed that the 9th Imam should be poisoned and this resulted in the martyrdom of Imam Jawad (AS) at such a young age.

The 9th Imam was laid to rest beside his grandfather in what has now become the sprawling twin-domed shrine of Kazemain near Baghdad. The fact that people continue to flock in tens of thousands to pay their respects to Imam Jawad (AS) is proof of his divine mission, while today there is no trace of the Abbasid palaces or even the rotten bones of the Abbasid caliphs. The Muslims remain faithful to the glorious trail blazed out by the infallible successors of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah upon him and his progeny). The faithful recall the God-given genius of Imam Jawad (AS), who as eyewitness accounts say, bequeathed to humanity to bezels of wisdom. One such incident is reported by Abdullah, who says that during one of his visits to the 9th Imam, he saw silver-bearded scholars engaged in learning from him. Abdullah says that whatever queries they raised, the young Imam answered them in a rationally convincing manner. Then the Imam expressed a very wonderful hadith to which all listened attentively. Abdullah said that contrary to those who seek wealth, official posts, and materialistic pleasures in order to flout themselves as honest and great, the Imam said: "Real honesty belongs to those who are adorned with knowledge while real greatness is possessed by those who adhere to the path of piety and awareness of God.

People from Khorasan in the east to Egypt in the west flocked to Medina to learn the genuine principles of Islam from Imam Jawad (AS). Even non-Muslims who entered into debates with him became convinced of the truth of Islam and became devout Muslims. The Iranian scholar Ali ibn Mahzyar was among the disciples of the 9th Imam. He acquired knowledge and virtue by attending the sessions held by Imam Jawad (AS). In turn he imparted this pristine knowledge of the Prophet’s household to others in Iran and Iraq. Imam Jawad (AS) was also politically conscious and in order to offset the stratagems of the Abbasid oppressors he organized the foolproof system of wikala or representation that was to function soundly during the critical days of his great grandson, the 12th Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance). The 9th Imam whose epithet Jawad means extremely generous lived a very simple life and used to say that nobility lies in good temper and good association with people rather than harassing or humiliating them. At the same time he stood steadfast against the attempts of the Abbasid caliphs to tarnish the image of Islam. This was the reason that the Abbasid Tyrant, Mo’tasem martyred the 9th Imam at the young age of 25. But his legacy continues to live and acts like a beacon of guidance for humanity. Once again we offer our condolences on the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Jawad (AS) and invite you to listen some of his statements. He says: "There are three characteristics that never let one regret and they consist of patience, consultation, and reliance on God."

Source: IRIB