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The 10th of Rajab marks the date of birth of the 9th Imam in the Progeny of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.), Imam Muhammad Taqi (A.S.). He was born in the year 195 AH in Madinah.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

Name, Title and Kunniyat

He was born Muhammad to Imam Ali Raza (A.S.) and Bibi Sabikah Khatoon (S.A.), whom Imam Raza (A.S.) used to call by the name Khaizarun. She belonged to the tribe of Bibi Maria-e-Qibtia (S.A.), the wife of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) from whom he had his son Ibrahim (A.S.) who died in infancy.

About Bibi Sabikah Khatoon (S.A.), the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) said:

“My father be sacrificed on the mother of the 9th Imam who will be a pure and pious Nubian.”

The most famous of his titles are Taqi (Pious) and Jawwad (Generous). His Kunniyat is Abu Ja’far, meaning father of Ja’far.

Family Tree

Muhammad-e-Taqi (A.S.), son of, Ali-e-Raza (A.S.), son of Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), son of Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Husain (A.S.), and Fatimah (S.A.), daughter of Hasan (A.S.), both sons of Ali (A.S.) and Fatimah (S.A.), son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), respectively.

Childhood

Imam was only 5 years old when his father was called to Baghdad by Mamun Rashid (L.A.), the then Abassid (L.A.) caliph, to be his ‘heir apparent’. When Imam Ali Raza (A.S.) was leaving he saw his son putting sand in his hair. He asked why and the young Imam replied that this was what an orphan did.

Imam Raza (A.S.) was poisoned by Mamun Rashid (L.A.) in 203 AH and Imam Taqi (A.S.) became Imam at the small age of 8 or 9 years.

The Level of Knowledge and Scholastic Attitude

Mamun (L.A.) called the young Imam (A.S.) to Baghdad from Madinah and offered his daughter, to try to bribe him by making him his heir and also in the hopes that the much awaited Imam Mehdi (A.S) to be born in Imam’s lineage would be from his daughter’s children. This infuriated his family (the Abassids [L.A.]).  To prove to them the excellence of Imam even at a young age he arranged a meeting between Imam and the most learned of men at that time - Yahya bin Aksam.

It was a grand occasion with some 900 other scholars present.

Imam (A.S.) was first asked by Yahya:

What is the compensation (kaffara) for a person in Ehraam who hunted and killed his prey?”

Imam replied that there were many more details required before he could answer the question:

1. Did the Muhrim (one in Ehraam) hunt in the haram or outside?
2. Did the Muhrim know Sharia or not?
3. Did he hunt intentionally or not?
4. Did he hunt for the first time or was this one of many times?
5. Was he free or a slave?
6. Was his prey a bird or an animal?
7. Was it big or small?
8. Had he hunted by day or by night?
9. Was he baligh or not?
10. Was he repentant or not?
11. Was his ehraam for Hajj or Umra?

Yahya was stunned!

Although Mamun (L.A.) did succeed in forcing Imam (A.S.) to marry his daughter Ummul Fazl (L.A.), his plan never neared fruition as his daughter gave birth to none and he could not subdue Imam (A.S.) either.

Imam’s Holiness and Knowledge of All To Happen

Following the martyrdom of Imam Raza (A.S.), eighty men of wisdom traveled to perform Hajj. On the way, they arrived in Madinah and went to Imam’s (A.S.) house to pay him a visit. Imam (A.S.) who was at a young age (child), moved into the aggregation and all of them stood up to honor and respect him.

Then they asked questions about their problems and heard responses of the Imam (A.S.) and were very glad. One of them named Ishaq says, “I had written down a number of problems to ask from the Imam (A.S.) and request him to pray for me so that God gives me a son. Since the assembly was quite overcrowded I got up to go and come back the next day. Imam (A.S.) saw me and told me that O Ishaq, God has granted my demand (prayer) and will give you a son. Name him ‘Ahmad’.

“Thereafter, Imam (A.S.) answered my problems. I heard the answers to my questions without even putting them to Imam (A.S.).

“I was much surprised and said that I thank God for the benediction and boon that he has given us. He is the same proof of God (Imam) as I returned to my city, not long after God gave me a son just as Imam (A.S.) had said. I named him ‘Ahmad’.”

Ashari Qumi says, “I had the honor to visit Imam (A.S.). I humbly said that one of the ladies, who is your follower, has asked me to bring along with me one of your dresses for her so that she may use it as her coffin.

“Imam said that she did not need it any longer.

“I did not exactly understand what it meant. I did not utter a word and said good-bye to Imam (A.S.) and came back. Afterwords, I came to know that a few days before my reaching the Imam (A.S.), that woman had died.”

One day in Baghdad, some children were busy playing on a street. Standing near them was the 9th Imam (A.S.). Suddenly the children saw Mamun Rashid (L.A.), the Abbasid (L.A.) ruler passing by with his soldiers. The children quickly dispersed from that place. However, Imam (A.S.) did not run away, rather he (A.S.) stood at his place.

When Mamun (L.A.) arrived at that spot, he looked at the young boy and asked, “Haven’t you recognized me? Why didn’t you move from this place?”

The young child replied, “The path is not narrow that it would become wider by moving aside, nor have I committed any crime that I should run away from you. Moreover, I do not think that you are the sort who would punish someone who is innocent”.

This hit Mamun (L.A.) very hard. He stared at the handsome and illuminated face of this young child for sometime and was wonder-struck. He realized that this child couldn’t be an ordinary child so he asked, “Tell me what is your name?”

The child said, “I am Muhammad”.

“Whose son are you?” asked Mamun (L.A.).

The child replied, “I am the son of Ali-e-Raza, son of Musa, (A.S.)”.

When Mamun (L.A.) heard this, he praised the 8th Imam (A.S.) and left.

However, the incident does not end here.

After this brief meeting with our Imam (A.S.), Mamun (L.A.) proceeded to a nearby forest for hunting. There, he released his eagle, which flew and returned after a while with a small live fish in its beak. Mamun (L.A.) was quite surprised by this. As he returned and passed by the same spot where he had met our Imam (A.S.), he found the young child again at the same place.

So he halted and asked him, “O Muhammad! Tell me what do I have in my hand?”

Imam (A.S.) replied, “Allah has created many vast oceans from which clouds are formed. When clouds are forming, they absorb small live fish which are caught by the eagles of kings, who then use them to test the Imams of their times”.

Mamun was dumbfounded by this reply and said, “Indeed you are the son of Ali-e-Raza, son of Musa, (A.S.) – for such miracles are not impossible from his son”.

(Soure: Ahsan al-Muqaal)

Martyrdom

When Mamun (L.A.) died, Mu’tasim (L.A.) ascended the throne. He, like his Abbasid (L.A.) ancestors, was worried about the leadership of Ahle Bayt (A.S.) and their political and scholarly status. Therefore, he exiled Imam Taqi (A.S.) from Madinah to Baghdad in the year 219 AH, for fear from his popularity and extending his effect. He did this, in order to draw the Holy Imam near the center of power and scrutiny and isolate him from practicing his popular, political and scholarly role.

Imam (A.S.) stayed in Baghdad until the year 220 AH, when he was martyred from poisoning by his wife Ummul Fazl (L.A.) at the instigation of the ruling Abbasid caliph Mu’tasim (L.A.).

His short life lasted twenty five years and some months, and was full of historical, ideological and scholarly struggles and achievements. He is the Imam martyred at the youngest age, and second youngest Infallible with respect to age, behind Bibi Fatimah (S.A.), the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) daughter, who was martyred at the age of slightly less than eighteen.

The Holy Imam (A.S.) was martyred in Baghdad in the year 220 AH, on the 29th of Ziqa’ad and was burried in the graveyard of Quraish behind his grandfather, Imam Musa-e-Kazim (A.S.), the seventh holy Imam. The place has became famous as Kazmain, in Iraq.

Some Pictures of Kazmain

9th of Rajab, 60 AH, is the date of birth of Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.), the youngest son of Imam Husain (A.S.), the younger grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.). Born ‘Ali’ from Bibi Umm-e-Rubab (S.A.), he was the youngest of Imam Husain’s (A.S.) three sons, all named Ali, and six daughters, all named Fatimah. He was given the title Asghar to differentiate him from his brothers, who were given the titles Zain-ul-Abideen (oldest son and fourth Imam) and Akbar. Apart from Ali Asghar (A.S.), Bibi Umm-e-Rubab had a daughter Sakinah (S.A.). Both children went to Karbala with Imam Husain (A.S.) and never returned to Madinah. Six month old Ali Asghar (A.S.) was put to sleep by a three pronged arrow in Karbala while four year old Sakinah went to sleep in the dungeon in Damascus.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

It is a day of joy, the birth of the youngest martyr of Karbala, but what happy moments can be narrated from such a short life, put to an abrupt end in such an inhuman way! The accounts of his martyrdom overshadow all other aspects of his life as such barbaric behavior had never been seen before, that too from Muslims towards their own Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) family! So here I go with the brief description of his martyrdom.

Asghar (A.S.) was six months old when the caravan of Imam Husain (A.S.) arrived in Karbala on the second of Muharram, 61 AH. Note here, it’s caravan, not army, because there were more women and children present than the men. History tells that there were more than 240 children present but only around five returned to Madinah alive.

Husain’s camp was forced to move away from the river on the 4th of Muharram by Yazid’s (L.A.) army and on the 7th, water supply to the camp was cut off. Children were seen running from tent to tent, crying ‘Al-At’ash’, begging for water to satiate their thirsts.

Sakinah (S.A.) narrates:

“[on the 10th of Muharram, the day of Ashurah] I was running from tent to tent, begging for water, with all the children running after me in the hopes that if I found water, they would be able to drink some too. I couldn’t find water anywhere, so I decided to go to Aunt Zainab’s (S.A.) [Imam Husain's youngest sister, elder of two] tent. When I reached there and I went in, I couldn’t muster the strength to ask for water as I saw her holding my younger brother, Asghar (A.S.), who was squirming with thirst and crying. My aunt tried to calm him by standing up, holding him close, sitting down, walking but nothing seemed to ease his suffering. My mother looked on, painfully. I did not ask for water, neither did the other children, when we realized that there wasn’t even enough for a six month old.”

When all men in Imam Husain’s (A.S.) caravan had been killed, he brought out Asghar (A.S.) in front of Yazid’s (L.A.) army and asked for water for the thirsty child. Husain (A.S.) told the Yazidis (L.A.) that if they thought he was going to drink water instead of his son, he will put him on the burning ground and walk away.

Even after Imam Husain (A.S.) did this, nobody from Yazid’s (L.A.) army moved. Imam Husain (A.S.) picked up Ali Asghar (A.S.) and told him to fulfill his legacy. Asghar (A.S.) then swept his dry tongue over his drier lips.

On watching this, men in the ranks of Yazid’s (L.A.) army started sobbing. Umar, son of, Saad, son of the father of Waqaas (Umar-ibne-Saad-ibne-Abi-Waqaas) (L.A.), the commander of the Yazidi forces, felt the tables turning and ordered Hurmala (L.A.), a famous archer, marksman and hunter, to silence Husain.

Hurmula (L.A.) put a three pronged arrow, used for killing horses and elephants, in his bow and took aim at Asghar (A.S.). The arrow hit its target and pierced Husain’s (A.S.) arm through Asghar (A.S.).

Someone asked Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.), “Where did the arrow hit Asghar?”

Imam (A.S.) replied, crying, “It hit him such that he was slaughtered from ear to ear!”

How Imam Husain (A.S.) took Asghar’s (A.S.) body back to his camp to face his mother, Bibi Umm-e-Rubab (S.A.), and how she held her infant son’s dead body while his father dug his grave is not in my power to write. But one thing that she said upon looking at her son’s body is:

Are children of this age also slaughtered in Arab?

The exact word she used is Nahar which is used for the process of striking at a camel’s neck with a sword in order to bring it down. Translation to English has reduced it’s severity.

The Yazidi (L.A.) army did not stop at this. After Imam Husain (A.S.) had been martyred, the tents of the women burned, their veils and headcloths snatched away, Sakinah’s earrings ripped off her ears, bodies of the Husaini men trampled by running horses over them, along with the many children trying to find a place to hide, the heads of the martyrs were cut off and put on spears.

When Umar, son of Saad, (L.A.) counted the heads, he said that one was missing. It was announced that Husain had been seen burying something behind the tents. So, Ali Asghar’s (A.S.) grave was dug up, his body pulled out and a six month old head was cut off and raised on a spike, right in front of his arrested, helpless mother.

چھہ ماہ کا وہ ننّھا مجاہد علی اصغر

جو سن میں تو چھوٹا تھا مگر عزم میں اکبر

اِک تیرِ ستم جس کے لگا حلق پہ آکر

جو بزمِ شہا دت میں ہے عباس کا ہمسر

علامہ سیّد ضمیر اختر نقوی

Today was an occasion of happiness, but I couldn’t find anything to write instead of the events of martyrdom, and this was only a summary. Please forgive me if I have made you cry, and appreciate the immense patience and desire of sacrifice of Imam Husain, and his family and friends, in Karbala that they went through the harshest test of Will ever by Allah and shined through it without a single speck of complain.

Question to Zakir Naik and his followers:

Dismissing Imam Husain’s Magnificent Sacrifice in Karbala as a mere political battle with Yazid, how do you explain the motivation behind the slaughter of an infant? What was his sin? Was he a threat to Yazid’s throne? Is Yazid worthy of being called Razi Allah Ta’ala after this?

Women will stop giving birth forty years before the day of Judgement as Allah will not inflict His wrath on his creation with innocent children alive. Keeping this in mind, do you think that Allah will be happy and ‘Raazi’ with Yazid for the slaughter of Asghar?

The 5th of Rajab marks the date of birth of the 10th Imam in Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W.W.) progeny, Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.). He was born ‘Ali’ to Imam Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) and Hazrat Samanah Khatoon (S.A.). His father Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) was the son of Ali Raza (A.S.), son of Musa-e-Kazim(A.S.), son of Jafar-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Imam Husain (A.S.) who is the brother of Hasan (A.S.) and son of Ali (A.S.) and Fatima (S.A.), the son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), respectively.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) spent most of his life under the tyrannical rule of Mutawakkil (L.A.), the Yazid of the Abassids (L.A.). He wasn’t more than 8 years old when his father Muhammad Taqi (A.S.) was poisoned by Mu’tasim Billah (L.A.), Mutawakkil’s (L.A.) father. He became Imam at such a small age and had the longest period of Imamate till his martyrdom at the age of 42 in Samarrah due to poisoning by Mo’taz Billah (L.A.) of the Abassids (L.A.). He spent half of the period of his Imamate teaching his followers and the other half under imprisonment by the Abassid (L.A.) Caliphs.

Titles and Kunniyat

The two most famous titles of Imam are Naqi (Pure) and Haadi (Guide). His kunniyat is Abul Hasan (father of Hasan). His son Hasan Askari (A.S.) became Imam after him.

The Ring on Imam’s finger

Each Imam used to wear a ring on his right hand however each Imam had a special Dua engraved on its stone. The 10th Imam had two such prayers which included, “Allah is my Lord and He is my protection from His creations.” The other ring had the following line inscribed upon it, “Maintaining and safeguarding one’s promises is of the etiquette of the servants (of Allah).”

Example of Imam’s Knowledge of ‘All and Everything’

In the tribe of Rabee’ah, there lived a Christian by the name of Yusuf, son of Yaqoob.
One day, Mutawakkil, the Abassid ruler, summoned this Christian to his court. Not knowing the reason, this Christian was extremely terrified. Since he was aware that Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) was the most pious and saintly person of their time, the Christian set aside 100 ashrafis to gift to the Imam (A.S.) in hope of receiving protection from Allah. He took the money with him and proceeded to Samarrah.

Samarrah was a new place for this Christian. Neither did he know anyone there nor was he familiar with the place. When he arrived in Samarrah, he was aware that Imam (A.S.) was under house arrest and being a Christian, it would be all the more difficult for him to inquire about Imam (A.S.). Not knowing what to do, he climbed on his donkey and left the donkey free to take him anywhere in hope that he will find a solution to his problem.

The donkey moved on its own with the Christian seated on it until it came and stopped outside a house. The Christian tried his level best to move the donkey further but it would not budge. When the Christian asked a passer-by about the house, he was told that it belonged to Ali (A.S.), son of Muhammad (A.S.).

The Christian told himself, “God is great! This is sufficient for me to understand the status of this man”.

Suddenly a black slave appeared from the house and asked, “Are you Yusuf, son of Yaqoob?”

The Christian replied affirmatively and said to himself, “This is the second proof. No one here knows me, how did this man call me by my name?”

The slave asked the Christian to come and wait at the doorstep of the house while he went inside. After sometime, he appeared again and said, “The 100 ashrafis, which you have brought along, give them to me.”

The Christian handed the envelope to the slave who took it inside. He said to himself, “This is the third proof!”

Finally, the slave appeared again and invited the Christian to enter the house. Imam (A.S.) was sitting on a humble mat and as soon as he saw the Christian, he asked, “O Yusuf! Hasn’t the time of your guidance come yet?”

The Christian replied, “My Master! Today I have found such evidences that are sufficient for me to believe in you”.

Imam (A.S.) said, “What you have spoken is far-fetched. You will never become a Muslim! However, your son is our follower. O Yusuf! People say that our Mastership and friendship does not benefit people like you. They are liars! People like you also benefit from our friendship. Now go for the purpose you have taken the trouble to come here and you will be successful.”

As the Imam (A.S.) had predicted, the Christian was successful in his trip and no harm befell upon him from Mutawakkil. He died as a Christian but one of his sons accepted Islam and became a great follower of the Ahle-Bayt (A.S.).

(Source: Ahsan al-Muqaal)

One day a person had a disagreement with his brothers about the four fasts that are highly recommended to be kept every year. So they came to Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.). At the time Imam (A.S.) was at a place called Surya on his way to Samarrah.

As soon as he saw them, Imam (A.S.) told them, “You have come here to ask me about the four recommended fasts in a year”.

They replied, “Maula! You are right. Indeed we have come to ask you the same question”.

Imam (A.S.) said to them, “The four fasts are: 17th Rabi-ul-Awwal – the day when the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) was born; 27th Rajab – the day the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) proclaimed his Prophethood; 25th Zeqa’ad – the day the Earth was spread and 18th Zilhajj – the day of Ghadeer”.

(Source: Ahsan al-Muqaal)

Sayings of Imam

“Do not expect honesty and purity of intention from someone who has suffered from your malice; do not expect loyalty from one to whom you have been disloyal; do not expect goodwill from someone whom you regard with ill-will: his heart towards you is the same as your heart towards him.”

“Others will fear him who fears Allah. He who obeys Allah will be obeyed. He who obeys Allah will not care for the dissatisfaction of the creatures. He who enrages the Creator should be sure of encountering the dissatisfaction of the creatures.”

“You should present thorough obedience to those who present for you their thorough love and advice.”

“Do not feel secure from those who disgraced their personalities.”

“He who feels secure from Allah’s unexpected retribution and painful penalty will feel arrogant until Allah’s act and inevitable decree (death) will befall him. He whomever receives evidence from his Lord will belittle the worldly misfortunes even if he is cut into pieces.”

“There are definite places in which Allah likes the servants to supplicate to Him. One of these places is the shrine of Husain(A.S.), Sayyed-ush-Shuhada (Master of all Martyrs).”

Generosity

One example of Imam’s generosity is that he paid 30,000 dirhams to an Arab man of Kufah, saying to him, “We pay your debts.”

The man then, thanking the Imam (A.S.), said: “Sir, the debts I owe are only about one-third of the amount you gave me!”

The Imam (A.S.) added, “Then spend the rest on your family and your people!”

The man in astonishment of the Imam’s (A.S.) generosity said, “Allah knows whom to entrust with His Message of Divine Guidance!”

Martyrdom

Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) was poisoned by Mo’taz. He left the world on 3rd Rajab 254 AH. His son Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.) performed the pre-burial rites and buried him at the particular sacred spot in his special chamber, where his tomb is now situated in Samarrah, Iraq, also the site of disappearance of his grandson, Imam Mehdi (A.S.).

The first of Rajab marks the date of birth of Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.), son of Imam Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Imam Husain (A.S.), younger grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.). His mother is Hazrat Fatima (S.A.), daughter of Imam Hasan (A.S.), elder grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.). He was the first Imam whose lineage ascended and reached Prophet Muhammad, both from the paternal and maternal sides. Therefore, it can be said that he is the first Imam where Hasani and Husaini lineages united. The year of birth is 57 AH.

Courtesy: Syed Awn Husain Rizvi

His name is Muhammad, title Baqar and kunniyat Abu Jafar. Because of the resemblance that he had with his grandfather, the Prophet, he was named Muhammad and because he analyzed knowledge and made manifest its secrets, he came to be known as Baqar.

Meaning of Baqar

• Baqar is a derivate of the word ‘Baqara’ which means to open up or to expand. Imam Mohammad Baqar (A.S.) was named as such since he introduced and spread the knowledge and teachings of various dimensions and implemented the knowledge streams in a manner which had never been seen earlier. Allamah Noorullah Shoostri writes in Majalis-al-Momineen: Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W.) said that Imam Mohammad Baqar (A.S.) will introduce, spread and open up knowledge just like the ground is opened up for cultivation. Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.) instructed people in percepts of religion, taught tafseer-e-Quraan, taught them the ethics of life, and used to strive very hard to educate, enculture and guide the people. During the course of his life, he taught the people thousands of theological and religious principles, as well as scientific subjects, and his teachings have been handed down to us. Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.), like the other Imams, had no equal in knowledge and science. Great learned men benefited from his knowledge and science and used to ask him to solve their problems.
• Imam Muhammad Baqar was awarded the title Baqar-ul-Ulum (Revealer of Knowledge) because of his religious and judicial knowledge and his enthusiasm to teach. Muhammad Baqar’s (A.S.) son, Imam Ja’far-e-Sadiq (A.S.), founded the precursor to Islamic jurisprudence. His students included prominent scholars Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal and Imam Shafei.

Jabir, son of Abdullah, faces Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.)

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) told one of his companions named Jabir, son of Abdullah, “Oh Jabir! You will live and will see my grandson Muhammad, son of Ali, whose name in Torah (The Old Testament) is Baqar, convey my compliments (Salam) to him.”

Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) left the world and Jabir remained alive for long times to come. He devoutly waited for the time when he would meet the fifth Imam. Each morning he would come out from his house, sit by the roadside and wait for the sound of the footsteps to recognize the fifth Imam. One such day while he was waiting in the street of Medina, he heard someone walking towards him, the sound of footsteps reminded him of the way Muhammad used to walk. Jabir stood up, stopped the man and asked his name.

He replied, “Muhammad.”

Jabir asked, “Whose son?”

He replied “Ali, son of Husain”.

Jabir immediately recognized that the man he was talking to was the fifth Imam. He kissed his hands and conveyed the message of Muhammad (S.A.W.W.).

Muhammad Al-Baqar’s eyes filled up with tears and he said, “Compliments and benediction be upon my great-great-grandfather, the Prophet of Allah, until the Sky and Earth are stable (firm) and upon you too, O Jabir, son of Abdullah, that you conveyed his compliment to me.”

Traits of Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.)

Ibn-e-Hajar, who is a Sunni scholar, writes about the character of Imam (A.S.), “Imam Mohammad Baqar (A.S.) had a clean, pure heart. His speech and talk was harmonious and in accordance with his practice. His conduct and dealing with people was humanly and Islamic. He was a great Gnostic and unmatched worshiper. He was so very ornamented and decorated with human qualities that I do not have the means and capacity to praise him.”

Abdullah, son of Hazrat Umar (second caliph), said about the Ahl-e-Bayt (A.S.) on seeing Imam’s wisdom, “These (men) are a family whom God has decorated with the ornament of knowledge and wisdom!”

Martyrdom

Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.) left this world on the 7th of Zilhajj, 114 AH, having been poisoned by Hisham (L.A.), son of Abdul Malik (L.A.), and was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi, Madinah.

(Left to right) Graves of Hasan(A.S.), Zain-ul-Abideen(A.S.),
Muhammad-e-Baqar(A.S.) and Ja’far-e-Sadiq(A.S.) in Jannat-ul-Baqee, Madinah

Interesting Thing to Note

Imam Muhammad Baqar (A.S.) is the 5th of the 12 Imams and 7th of the 14 Infallibles. When you combine 5 and 7, you get 57. He was born in 57 AH. And when he was poisoned in 114 AH, his age was 114 - 57 = 57 years!

The 3rd of Rajab marks the date of martyrdom of the 10th Imam in the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.), Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.). He is the son of Muhammad-e-Taqi(A.S.), son of Ali-e-Raza (A.S.), son of Musa-e-Kazim(A.S.), son of Jafar-e-Sadiq (A.S.), son of Muhammad-e-Baqar (A.S.), son of Ali Zain-ul-Abideen (A.S.), son of Imam Husain (A.S.) who is the brother of Hasan (A.S.) and son of Ali (A.S.) and Fatima (S.A.), the son-in-law and daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), respectively.

He was martyred during imprisonment by Mo’taz (L.A.) of the Abassids (L.A.), also known as the Yazid of the Abassids for his inhumane treatment of the Prophet’s family (S.A.W.W.).

Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) was buried in Samarrah, Iraq in his home. His shrine is popularly known as the Mosque with the Golden Dome and the Al-Askariya Mosque, and houses the resting places of his son Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.), sister Hakimah Khatoon (S.A.), and Nargis Khatoon (S.A.), wife of Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.), also. In addition to this, it is hailed as the place where Imam Mehdi (A.S.) disappeared from the eyes of the world.

The shrine was bombed two years ago which resulted in the dome getting martyred. Then last year, terrorists bombed it again to martyr the standing minarets also.

Shrine of Ali Naqi and Hasan Askari in Samarrah, Iraq before 2006

Shrine after bombing in 2006. It was bombed again in 2007 causing the two minarets to collapse too.

Work of rebuilding the shrine has begun, according to this, this and this.

One of my friends got married yesterday. His wedding was held at the Kashmir Lawns, P.E.C.H.S. Society, Karachi.

There were three lawns, A,B and C. His wedding was in A and B combined, while lawn C was occupied by another wedding ceremony. We could hear music playing in Lawn C but the volume was low and we were not disturbed by it.

As my friend is a Shia, the ceremony was started by the recitation of Hadees-e-Kisa. As it was in Arabic, the second gathering took it as the recitation of the Quran and turned off their music. Not that their is any difference: Hadees-e-Kisa is the account of the revelation of the verse of purification (read this).

When it was over, a kid went up on the stage to recite the famous ‘manqabat’ or poem:

Ali Ke Saath Hai Zehra ki Shaadi

He had barely recited three stanzas when the neighboring party turned on their music and raised the volume to a deafening high.

While we looked blankly at each other, I was thinking whether these people had any respect for the Prophet’s family, or for the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) himself and Allah for that matter. The manqabat has many references to the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) and Allah, as below:

Larka hai Khuda ke ghar ka
Larki hai Nabi ke ghar ki

Are our sectarian differences so strong that we can’t even respect Allah and the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) while dishing out hatred towards others? And it’s a manqabat about the marriage of Hazrat Ali (A.S.) to Hazrat Fatimah Zehra (S.A.), both close to the Prophet and undisputed personalities throughout the sects. There is nothing to disagree upon here, then why did the second party raise their music volume? Just to anger Shias? Was it really worth the disrespect they showed towards their own Prophet and their god? Before our actions, do we really think and ponder over what consequences or implications our actions may have?

Readers of this blog will vouch for the fact that I tend to stay away from religious debate, as we seem to have different interpretations and after all, everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs. But this time, Dr. Israr has really crossed the line for me. His comments, aired on June 12th on a QTV program, are shockingly sacrilegious and leaves one wondering: what the ?#@$ was he thinking?! I addressed the following letter to PEMRA and sent it to the editor of DAWN. Hopefully it’ll get published.

The recent deplorable comments by Israr Ahmed on QTV are a cause of shame and disgust for all Muslims. One can only judge the true intentions of a speaker by the selection of issue. By narrating a highly controversial tradition from a dubious source that contradicts the very essence of Islam - as Imam Ali (as) embodied whatever Islam is - Mr. Ahmed has shown an incredible lack of rationality and objectivity. Mr. Ahmed deliberately tried to put doubts in minds of the unwary and stoke flames of sectarianism, in pursuit of fulfilling his satanic agenda. However, the responsibility of this act does not end with Israr Ahmed. The team of QTV responsible for producing this program share equal blame for their severe lack of competence in screening this venomous content, which has the potential of causing great social strife. Subsequent apologies from the ARY Network notwithstanding, this is a case-in-point for taking measures against incompetence of a media outlet by PEMRA.

In this regards, we ask the regulatory authority to severely reprimand the administration of QTV along with imposing a hefty fine as a reminder for the channel to rectify it’s conduct. We also demand the QTV administration to name-and-shame people involved in broadcasting the program in question. Furthermore, speakers/preachers such as Israr Ahmed should be barred from writing or voicing comments through the electronic media, in view of the disturbance of public order these people can and have caused. We sincerely hope that by taking such strong measures in view of the controversy created by the speaker will restore public confidence viz-a-viz the credibility of the media and governance credentials of the people in power.

CREDIT: Raza Abbas at Waking Life

Papa, Papa, control karo, aapki bahu hai!

By a colleague for his friend:

Woh ghoomti ghaamti aayi,
Woh ghoomti ghaamti chali gayi,

Mein sindoor liye khara tha,
Woh rakhi bandh ke chali gayi!

I just took the “How Pakistani are you?” quiz and this was my result!