UYUN AKHBAR AL-REZA The Source of Traditions on Imam Reza (a.s.) By: Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hussein ibn Musa ibn Babawayh al-Qummi Known as (Sheikh Sadooq) TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: 5 WHY IS ALI IBN MUSA (S) CALLED AL‐REZA CHAPTER TWO: 6 TRADITIONS ABOUT IMAM AL‐REZA'S MOTHER AND HER NAME CHAPTER THREE: 9 ON THE BIRTHDATE OF IMAM AL‐REZA(S) CHAPTER FOUR: 11 ON IMAM AL‐KAZIM'S (S) CLEAR APPOINTMENT OF IMAM AL‐REZA (S) CHAPTER FIVE: 19 ON MUSA IBN JA'FAR'S WILL CHAPTER SIX: 23 ON PROOFS OF DIVINE LEADERSHIP OF AL‐REZA (S) AMONG THE TWELVE IMAMS (S) CHAPTER SEVEN: 42 1 ON TRADITIONS ABOUT MUSA IBN JA’FAR (S), HARUN AR‐RASHID AND MUSA IBN AL‐MAHDI CHAPTER EIGHT: 59 TRADITIONS ON THE DEATH OF ABI IBRAHIM MUSA IBN JA’FAR IBN MUHAMMAD IBN ALI IBN AL‐HUSSEIN (S) CHAPTER NINE: THE DESCENDANTS OF GOD'S PROPHET (S) SAID TO HAVE BEEN KILLED BY AR‐RASHID IN ONE NIGHT AFTER 67 POISONING MUSA IBN JA'FAR (S) ‐ BESIDES THOSE KILLED BY OTHERS CHAPTER TEN: 70 ON REASONS FOR THE FORMATION OF THE WAQIFITES CHAPTER ELEVEN: (Part 1) 72 ON TRADITIONS FROM AL‐REZA ABOUT UNITY CHAPTER ELEVEN: (Part 2) 87 ON TRADITIONS FROM AL‐REZA ABOUT UNITY IMAM AL‐REZA’S SERMON ON THE UNITY OF GOD 99 CHAPTER TWELVE: A SESSION OF AL‐REZA (S)’S DEBATE WITH THE PROMINENT THEOLOGIANS FROM AMONG THE 103 RHETORICIANS AND THE VARIOUS RELIGIONS CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A SESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF AL‐MA’MUN OF AL‐REZA’S DEBATE ON UNITY WITH SOLEIMAN AL‐MARWAZI 121 ‐ THE THEOLOGIAN FROM KHORASAN CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ANOTHER SESSION OF AL‐REZA (S) AND AL‐MA’MUN ALONG WITH PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT NATIONS, AND 132 THE RHETORICIANS, AS WELL AS IMAM AL‐ REZA’S ANSWERS TO MUHAMMAD IBN AL‐JAHM REGARDING THE IMMACULATENESS OF THE PROPHETS CHAPTER FIFTEEN: 135 2 ANOTHER SESSION WITH AL‐REZA (S) AND AL‐MA’MUN ON THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE PROPHETS CHAPTER SIXTEEN: 143 AL‐REZA'S WORDS ON THE PEOPLE OF THE DITCH CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: IMAM AL‐REZA'S WORDS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD'S WORDS, ‘AND WE RANSOMED 146 HIM WITH A MOMENTOUS SACRIFICE.’ CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: 147 ON IMAM AL‐REZA'S VIEWS ON THE PROPHET'S STATEMENT, “I AM THE SON OF THE TWO OFFERINGS” CHAPTER NINETEEN: 149 ON AL‐REZA'S WORDS ON THE SIGN OF THE IMAM CHAPTER TWENTY: ON WHAT AL‐REZA (S) HAS SAID REGARDING DIVINE LEADERSHIP, ITS NOBILITIES AND THE RANK OF THE 151 DIVINE LEADER CHAPTER TWENTY‐ONE: 156 AL‐REZA’S WORDS ON THE MARRIAGE OF THE BLESSED LADY FATIMA (S) CHAPTER TWENTY‐TWO: ON WHAT AL‐REZA (S) SAID ABOUT FAITH THAT IS RECOGNITION OF PARADISE, VERBAL CONFESSION AND 158 PHYSICAL ACTION CHAPTER TWENTY‐THREE: ON AL‐REZA’S DEBATES WITH AL‐MA’MUN REGARDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAMILY (ITRA) AND 160 NATION CHAPTER TWENTY‐FOUR: ON AL‐REZA’S WORDS ABOUT THE MAN FROM SYRIA AND HIS QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMANDER OF THE 169 FAITHFUL (S) IN THE KUFA MOSQUE CHAPTER TWENTY‐FIVE: 175 ON WHAT IS NARRATED BY AL‐REZA (S) ABOUT ZAYD IBN ALI 3 CHAPTER TWENTY‐SIX: 179 ON RARE TRADITIONS FROM AL‐REZA ABOUT VARIOUS ISSUES CHAPTER TWENTY‐SEVEN: 187 ON WHAT AL‐REZA (S) SAID ABOUT HARUT AND MARUT CHAPTER TWENTY‐EIGHT: (Part 1) 191 ON VARIOUS TRADITIONS FROM IMAM ALI IBN MUSA AL‐REZA (S) CHAPTER TWENTY‐EIGHT: (Part 2) 206 ON VARIOUS TRADITIONS FROM IMAM ALI IBN MUSA AL‐REZA (S) CHAPTER TWENTY‐NINE: 221 WHAT HAS BEEN NARRATED FROM AL‐REZA (S) ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROPHET (S) CHAPTER THIRTY: 225 VARIOUS TRADITIONS FROM AL‐REZA (S) 4 CHAPTER ONE: WHY IS ALI IBN MUSA (S) CALLED AL- REZA The author of this book (Sheikh Sadooq) lived in Ray. He was a jurisprudent whose name was Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hussein ibn Musa ibn Babwaih al-Qumi, a resident of Ray - may God help him in obedience of God, and grant him success in His gratification. 1-1 My father, Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Motawakkil, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Majiluwayh, Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem; Al-Hussein ibn Ibrahim Natanat; Ahmad ibn Ziyad ibn Ja’far al-Hamadani; Al-Hussein ibn Ibrahim ibn Hisham al-Mokattib, and Ali ibn Abdullah - may God be pleased with them all - narrated that Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem quoted on the authority of his father that Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr al-Bezanti told Abi Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Musa (s), “Some of your opponents think that Al-Ma’mun called your father Al-Reza (s) that means ‘acceptable’ or ‘liked’ since he liked your father and chose him to be his crown-prince. Imam Al-Jawad (s) said, “No, by God, they are liars. God the Almighty the Sublime named him Al-Reza (s) since he was accepted by God the Almighty in His Heavens [8] , and he was accepted by his Prophet (s) and the Imams (s) that followed the Prophet (s) on His Earth.” Al-Bezanti said, “Were not your father and grandfathers accepted by God, the Prophet and the Imams?” Imam Al-Jawad (s) said, “Yes, they were.” He then asked, “Why then only was your father called Al-Reza and they were not?” Then Imam Al-Jawad (s) said, “That is because his friends and followers as well as his opponents accepted him, while this was never the case for my forefathers. Therefore, he is the only one who is called Al-Reza.” 1-2 Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Imran ad-Daqqaq - with whom God may be pleased - narrated that Muhammad ibn Abi Abdullah al-Kufi quoted on the authority of Sahil ibn Ziyad al- Adami, on the authority of Abdul Azeem ibn Abdullah Al-Hassani, on the authority of Soleiman ibn Hafs al-Marwazy that Imam Al-Kazim (s) used to call his son Al-Reza and said, ‘Call my son, Al-Reza’, or ‘I called my son Al-Reza.’ When he talked to his son Al-Reza, he called him Abul Hassan (that is the same as Abul Hassan or Abil Hassan).[9] 5 CHAPTER TWO: TRADITIONS ABOUT IMAM AL-REZA'S MOTHER AND HER NAME 2-1 In the year 235 A.H. (849 A.D.) al-Hakim Abu Ali Al-Hussein ibn Ahmad al-Bayhaqi narrated from his home in Neishaboor that Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Sowly said that Abul Hassan Al-Reza (s) is Ali ibn Musa ibn Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Al-Hussein ibn Abi Talib (s). His mother was an Umm Walad [10] who was called Toktam. She was named Toktam when Abul Hassan Musa ibn Ja'far (s) became her master (i.e. husband). 2-2 Al-Hakim Abu Ali Al-Hussein ibn Ahmad al-Bayhaqi quoted on the authority of al-Sowly, on the authority of Own ibn Muhammad al-Kendy quoted on the authority of Abul Hassan Ali ibn Maysam[11] - Imam Al-Kazim's mother - who was one of the noble Persian ladies called Hamideh, bought a female slave of the Mowalledeh [12] type named Toktam. Toktam was one of the noblest ladies in regards to intelligence, religion and respect for her master and his mother Hamideh. She respected Lady Hamideh so much that she would never sit down in her presence. Then Lady Hamideh told her son - Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (s), “O my son! Toktam is a female slave. I have never seen any female slave better than her. I have no doubt that God will purify any generations from her offspring. Therefore, I will bestow her on you. Treat her with kindness. When she gave birth to Imam Al-Reza (s), Imam Al-Kazim (s) called her Taherah.” Then Ali ibn Maysam added, “Imam Al-Reza (s) drank a lot of milk and was a chubby baby. Then his mother asked for a wet-nurse to breast-feed the baby. She was asked if she had run out of milk. She replied, ‘No, I swear by God that I have not run out of milk, but since the birth of this baby I cannot attend to my own prayers and supplications.’” Al-Hakim Abu Ali quoted on the authority of al-Sowly, “One proof that the name of Imam Al- Reza's mother is Toktam can be found in this poem composed about Imam Al-Reza (s): The Noble Ali is the best of the people Who has the best father, forefathers and tribe. Toktam gave birth to him Who is the eighth Leader. With his knowledge and patience He will stress God's covenant with the people.” Al-Sowly said, “And some people have ascribed this to my paternal uncle - Ibrahim ibn Abbas - but no such thing has been narrated for me about him. I neither accept nor will I reject what has 6 been narrated for me or what I have not heard. However, the following poem was undoubtedly composed by my paternal uncle - Ibrahim ibn Abbas: The deeds of just men are just witnesses for their doers. O yes, they have some considerable amount of new wealth that is not at all similar to what they had before. They [13] give you [14] only one percent of your own wealth, yet they mention it as if they are doing you a favor. Whoever eulogizes your enemies, has not eulogized God.