Imam Reza – Life, al-Ma’mun’s Succession Game and Martyrdom

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Who is Imam Reza?

Born	780, Medina
Martyred	835, Tus / Mashhad (Iran)
Age	55
Father	Imam Musa al-Kazim
Mother	Tahire (also called Necime)
Wives	Reyhan and Civan

Imam Reza is the eldest son of Imam Musa al-Kazim. He was more learned, mature and devout than his brothers. His father loved and esteemed him most of all. The companions of Imam Musa al-Kazim, too, loved and respected his son Imam Reza for his knowledge and his perfection. During Imam Musa al-Kazim’s lifetime many of his companions asked him: “O Imam, if God’s command comes to pass and one day you depart this transient world for the true world, will you show us your son who will be Imam in your place?” Each time, Imam Musa al-Kazim pointed to his son Imam Reza.

When Imam Musa al-Kazim passed into God’s mercy, no one thought that anyone but his eldest son could fill his place. None of his brothers laid claim to the Imamate against him. That being so, his succession to the office of the Imamate was his most natural right. No one thought of objecting in any way. His Imamate was accepted without objection by virtually all Muslims.

The era of Harun al-Rashid and the Barmakids

The year 818 CE, 186 after the Hijra – the fifteenth year of Harun al-Rashid’s (Harunurreşid) caliphate. This Abbasid caliph, known for his cruelty, has been reigning for fifteen years. While he is enjoying the satisfaction of having rid himself of a great rival by having Imam Musa al-Kazim poisoned and martyred, Imam Reza now appears before him. Yet he cannot escape the effect of the murder he has committed. Writhing in nightmares of conscience, Harun al-Rashid is anything but at peace. While the repercussions of this murder are still continuing, the enemies of the Ehl-i Beyt (Ahl al-Bayt, the family of the Prophet) around him become active again. These flatterers keep urging Harun al-Rashid that Imam Reza, too, must be placed under strict watch right away; it must be found out what he does and with whom he associates, and he must be closely followed. At this time the influence of the Barmakid family (Bermekî) at court was so great that Harun al-Rashid had given his sister Meymune-Abbase to Cafer Bermeki (Jafar al-Barmaki) in marriage – on the condition that they would be married but would never come together. The secret love that arose between these two young people, married on this condition, overcame all obstacles; they even had a child.

When the cruel Harun al-Rashid heard of this, on the 25th day of the month of Muharram in the year 187 after the Hijra he had his sister killed together with the child in the cradle, and all the members of the Barmakid family, young and old. Pointing out Imam Reza to his son al-Ma’mun, he said: “This Rıza bin Musa whom you see is the master and elder of the sons of Hashim (Haşim oğulları) and God’s proof (hüccet) on earth. But if this elder of the Hashimites and proof of God should one day oppose me, I will sever his head from his body with my sword without a second thought.” Such a tyrant was Harun al-Rashid, and he raised his sons to be like him.

When Harun al-Rashid had done away with his vizier Jafar al-Barmaki, the people, who had been content with his administration, rose up in revolt. In Khorasan (Horasan) the situation turned into a general uprising. Even Ebu Nüvvas (Abu Nuwas), one of the court poets, who had always written poems against Jafar al-Barmaki, was deeply saddened when he learned that Jafar had been murdered by the caliph. He wrote the following line about him:

“Artık kerem ışığı bu dünyada ebediyen söndü.”
“Now the light of generosity has gone out in this world for ever.”

Those who heard these words from the poet were greatly astonished. They said to him: “Until yesterday you were speaking against Jafar al-Barmaki. With the poems you wrote about him you damned him utterly and heaped unheard-of insults on him. Were you not the one who accused him most severely?”

The poet sighed and replied: “Yes, at one time he had more power of word and command than even the caliph. I could not stomach that. One day I insulted him gravely and said: ‘Should I ever praise him, may I be steeped in filth.’ These words reached Jafar al-Barmaki’s ears. At that time Jafar al-Barmaki was at the height of his power, more influential than Harun al-Rashid; whomever he wished to hang he hanged, and whomever he wished to behead he beheaded. Had he wished, he could have hanged me or let me rot in the dungeons. But he did none of these things; he sent me a purse containing 400 gold pieces with a message. He said: ‘Should he one day praise me, let him have his soiled clothes cleaned with this money.’ That is why there is no one like him, nor will there ever be; his like will not come to the earth again.” With these words he delivered his magnificent eulogy.

In Khorasan the situation had turned into a general uprising. If the rebel forces were not crushed at once, he would face a great disaster. He left his eldest son, the first heir to the throne, al-Amin (Emin), in his place in Baghdad, took his younger son al-Ma’mun with him and marched on Khorasan with a strong army. He had barely suppressed the revolt when he fell ill. In the city of Tus he became bedridden. In the year 193 after the Hijra, 825 CE, he died at the age of 44. Harun al-Rashid, who had ascended the throne at 23, reigned for 21 years. Before his death he had appointed his eldest son al-Amin as heir to the throne. He had decreed that, should al-Amin die, his younger son al-Ma’mun should take his place in the office of the caliphate. He had made this known to all his viziers and the dignitaries of the court.

The struggle for the throne between al-Amin and al-Ma’mun

The grave of Harun al-Rashid, who died in the town of Sinaabad near Tus, lies today in the city called Mashhad (Meşhet), near the shrine of Imam Reza. As soon as Harun al-Rashid died, the oath of allegiance (biat) was taken in Khorasan and its surroundings for his eldest son al-Amin. In addition, the oath of allegiance to the first heir, al-Amin, had to be taken from the people of Iraq and Baghdad. For this reason an envoy was sent off at once to inform al-Amin, who was deputising for his father in Baghdad, and to ensure that he took the throne. For al-Amin, on receiving the news, it was very easy to obtain the oath of allegiance from the people of Iraq – the reason being that he had already been proclaimed by his father beforehand.

After al-Amin ascended the throne of the caliphate, he should have declared his younger brother al-Ma’mun heir in accordance with his father’s will, but he did exactly the opposite. He wanted to have his younger brother killed and to declare his own son heir. Although the dignitaries of the court and all the people opposed this intention, he listened to no one. Under the command of the army commander Ali bin Musa, he sent a strong army against al-Ma’mun, who was governor in Khorasan, to destroy him and his supporters. Many of the court dignitaries who learned of this secretly fled Baghdad and went to Khorasan to inform al-Ma’mun and support him.

These people described his brother al-Amin’s evil intention to al-Ma’mun in all its nakedness. As soon as al-Ma’mun learned of his brother’s evil intention, he had an army prepared to defend himself under the command of Tahir bin Abdullah, a strategically strong and experienced commander. The armies of the two brothers met near the city of Rey in Khorasan. A bloody battle raged for days, and thousands of people died. At the end of the battle the side of the commander Tahir bin Abdullah won. The victorious supporters of al-Ma’mun did not stop there. Going from city to city and town to town, they took the oath of allegiance for al-Ma’mun; their aim was to reach Baghdad and depose Caliph al-Amin.

Finally, on Monday, the 15th day of the month of Muharram in the year 198 after the Hijra, 830 CE, al-Ma’mun’s armies under the command of Tahir bin Abdullah occupied Baghdad. They cut off the head of Caliph al-Amin and took it to his younger brother al-Ma’mun in Khorasan. Harun al-Rashid’s younger son thus killed his elder brother and ascended the throne of the Abbasid caliphate.

As soon as he took the office of caliph, he appointed Fazl bin Sehli as vizier. Tahir bin Abdullah, who had won the war, he made commander-in-chief over all the armies. Until that day, however, no one in the Abbasid administration had attained the caliphate by one brother killing another. This was accepted neither by the Abbasids nor by Muslims as a whole. Revolts broke out in every part of the country. Out of fear, Caliph al-Ma’mun moved the centre of the state from Baghdad to the city of Merv (Nerv). The revolts were growing, uprisings had begun everywhere, and he did not know what to do.

Al-Ma’mun’s game with the succession

The vizier Fazl bin Sehli, pondering ways of calming these revolts, thought as follows: is this caliphate not the right of the sons of Ali? Among the sons of Ali, is the eighth Imam, Imam Reza, not the true Imam of the Muslims? This man’s intellect, intelligence and knowledge are extraordinary. Do not all the believers regard him as the pole (kutb) of knowledge of his age? If, then, we seat this man on the throne of the caliphate, all the uprisings will end, and the right will be handed over to its rightful owner.

Fazl had no intention whatsoever of suppressing these uprisings by force. He hoped to persuade the Abbasid caliph al-Ma’mun, whom he knew well, along these lines, and he was waiting for the opportunity. One day, while they were together in the palace thinking about a remedy for the revolts, Fazl asked: “What do you think, I wonder, of Ali Reza, of the descendants of the Commander of the Faithful Ali bin Ebu Talip?” – “O Fazl, how is it that you ask me such a question? What do you mean, O Fazl? Speak plainly, Fazl! What do you mean? Are we to leave the office of the caliphate to them?!”

Fazl made his proposal: “No, that is not what I meant. I only think that if, in order to forestall these revolts, we bring Ali Reza bin Musa to our side in the palace, the supporters of the descendants of Ali will stop their uprising. And your Abbasid party, if it receives no support from the Shiites (the party of Ali), will not be able to achieve much and will in time accept it as well.”

Caliph al-Ma’mun, having listened to the vizier Fazl, replied: “You have thought very rightly; I was thinking exactly the same.” From that day on they pursued their political aims together. Among them were many learned, God-fearing people respected by society, and above all among the Iranians there was a large mass, mostly attached to Imam Reza, who formed the stratum with influence over the administration of the country. In order to present himself as close to these people and as one who loved Imam Reza, Caliph al-Ma’mun decided to bring Imam Reza to Merv. Al-Ma’mun played his role so insidiously that he convincingly gave the impression that he loved and respected Imam Reza greatly, that this right to the caliphate was theirs, and that he would hand this right over to its owner. Many naive Shiites, too, were deceived by this. Imam Reza said to those who believed in al-Ma’mun’s hypocrisy: “Do not be deceived by his words! By God, al-Ma’mun will kill me. But I must be patient until the time comes.”

Claiming that he would seat Imam Reza on the throne of the caliphate, al-Ma’mun sent a special envoy and had him brought from Medina to the city of Merv in the year 200 after the Hijra. Having brought him, al-Ma’mun proposed: “I wish to withdraw from the caliphate and leave this office to you; what is your opinion on this? I want to hear it from you.” When Imam Reza replied, “It is not possible for me to accept such a proposal,” Caliph al-Ma’mun, although inwardly pleased, insisted again without letting it show. The Imam again refused. Imam Reza knew very well: “Caliph al-Ma’mun killed his brother for this office of the caliphate. Now, to save himself from the people’s revolt into which he has fallen, he will use me as a shield, and when things have improved he will have me killed.” Because he knew of this evil intention, he did not accept.

This time al-Ma’mun proposed the succession to the throne. When the Imam did not accept this either, Caliph al-Ma’mun made this veiled threat: “Look, O Imam! Ömer bin Hattab (Umar ibn al-Khattab) formed a council (şura) of six people to choose his successor. One of them was your forefather Ali bin Ebu Talip. Umar had ordered that whoever of them opposed should be beheaded. Now you have no choice but to accept this wish of mine.” With these words al-Ma’mun had threatened Imam Reza with death in veiled terms. The Imam saw that the danger was great and accepted the sham succession offered to him on the condition that he would not interfere in any affairs. After the Imam accepted the succession, there were some who sharply criticised the Imam personally.

Imam Reza gave them the following answer: “When I was caught between accepting the succession and being killed, I was compelled to accept. I was forced to accept the office of heir to the throne under duress.” When he answered thus, everyone understood the situation.

Al-Ma’mun proclaimed Imam Reza’s succession with a lavish ceremony. Many of the Abbasids, however, did not accept this conduct of al-Ma’mun’s and opposed it. To the Abbasids who opposed and criticised him, al-Ma’mun replied: “Imam Reza was hidden and far from us; he was calling the people to himself. We, by making him our heir, have ensured that he calls the people to us. By this method we are rebuilding firmly the shaken foundations of our sovereignty and our caliphate. Thus those who have given him their hearts will not find in him what they expect. They will understand that power lies with the caliphate. Had we left him to himself, we might have faced the danger of his inciting the people against us in a way we could not suppress. To prevent this, we declared Imam Reza heir to the throne; when the time comes, we shall know how to render him ineffective.”

From this it is clear that al-Ma’mun did not make Imam Reza his heir with good intentions. He wanted to sully the Imam’s sacred justice by making him act under his orders. On the other hand, by calming the revolt of the rising people, he would avert the dangers. It is plain and evident that by this stance he used Imam Reza to secure his endangered rule.

The assassination plot and his martyrdom (Tus / Mashhad)

At the head of those who opposed the declaration of Imam Reza as heir to the throne was İbrahim bin Mehdi in Baghdad, the uncle of Caliph al-Ma’mun and brother of Harun al-Rashid. İbrahim bin Mehdi absolutely did not want the caliphate to slip from the hands of the Abbasids. He was therefore determined: he would have Caliph al-Ma’mun, the vizier Fazl and Imam Reza killed and proclaim his own caliphate in Baghdad. For this purpose he planted reliable spies in al-Ma’mun’s palace in the city of Merv. Through them he learned day by day what was going on in the palace and prepared his bloody plans accordingly.

When İbrahim bin Mehdi thought the time had come, he sent a group of hired assassins, into whose hands he had given the death warrant (ferman) of these three men, to the city of Merv to carry out the deed. The assassins were given safe shelter by the spies in the palace and considered how to plan the act. They waited for nearly a whole year. One day they heard that Caliph al-Ma’mun, together with his vizier Fazl and Imam Reza, would go early in the morning to the famous Ser has bath-house (hamam) outside the city. The opportunity they had been looking for had come; in order to kill all three at once, they went and laid an ambush on the road. But Imam Reza had a dream; he got up and advised the caliph and the vizier that he would not go to the bath-house and that they should not go either. Caliph al-Ma’mun followed the Imam’s advice and did not go. The vizier Fazl did not follow the Imam’s advice, went to the bath-house, and the assassins killed him.

İbrahim bin Mehdi’s spies did not stop at having the vizier killed; they announced that Caliph al-Ma’mun had committed this murder. This set a number of opposition supporters in motion. Once again revolts broke out everywhere. In Baghdad İbrahim bin Mehdi had openly rebelled and proclaimed his caliphate. Al-Ma’mun could not decide what to do. As he always turned to Imam Reza whenever he was in difficulty, he again hurried to the Imam and asked him what to do and how to act.

Imam Reza said: “First you must move the centre of the caliphate from the city of Merv back to its old place, Baghdad. Then you must give me permission to withdraw from the succession. Then those who are rising against you today will obey of their own accord.” Since Caliph al-Ma’mun knew that Imam Reza thought of better solutions than he did, he raised no objection at all. From that day on he had preparations begun to move the centre of the caliphate to Baghdad.

During this time he was also receiving bad news from Baghdad. The whole revolt of the Abbasids stemmed from his having appointed Imam Reza heir to the throne. They had risen up against the caliphate passing into the hands of the descendants of Ali. Caliph al-Ma’mun, who knew very well where these events stemmed from, now planned how to do away with Imam Reza.

On the 15th of the month of Safar (Sefer) in the year 203 after the Hijra they set out from the city of Merv for Baghdad. Al-Ma’mun went to the city of Tus to visit his father’s grave, and while he stayed there for a few days he set his assassins to work. During an evening meal he had Imam Reza poisoned with poisoned grapes. He announced that Imam Reza had died a natural death and, by a show of feigned grief, displayed how deeply saddened he was, and had him buried near the grave of his father Harun al-Rashid. The martyrdom of Imam Reza took place on Friday, the 29th of the month of Safar in the year 203 after the Hijra, that is, Friday, 7 March 835 CE. He lived for 55 years. He had three sons, named Imam Muhammad al-Taqi, Seyit Cafer and Seyit İbrahim, and one daughter. Muhammad al-Taqi was deemed worthy of the office of the Imamate. The historical sources, however, give the dates of birth and death of the Imams very differently. God knows which is correct.

Source: Seyit Derviş Tur, Erkânname – Aleviliğin İslam Yorumu ve Alevi Erkânları (The Alevi Interpretation of Islam and Alevi Rites), expanded 3rd edition (ISBN 975-6791-52-7).

Translated from the Turkish original by Seyit Derviş Tur.