The Wisdom of Imam Mohammad al-Jawad(AS) from Childhood
From his early childhood
al-Imam al-Jawad had a special relationship with Allah, and in his
position as Imam he answered the religious problems of the people,
guided them and led them. Great scholars would come to him and ask the
solutions to the most difficult problems, and the Imam would answer
their queries with ease.
Those of the people who were ignorant
of the Imams special position before Allah were amazed at his know
ledge. They would assume the Imam to be just. like any other child, and
would say:
How can such a young lad have. gained such
knowledge? How is it that his knowledge is superior to the knowledge. Of
all these great scholars?" These people did not realize that the Imam
had not gained his knowledge in the ordinary way but that it was given
to him specially by Allah.
They did not realize that Allah
grants a special connection with Him to whoever He pleases, young or
old, and makes that person the most learned of all mankind. Al-'Imam
al-Jawad was endowed with all the best human qualities while still a
child.
For this reason the people called him al-"Taqi" which
means pious, and al-Jawad" which means generous and merciful He was
aware and enlightened and strove to enlighten others. For this reason,
Allah blessed him Al-Imam al-Jawad lived during the time of the cruel
Abbasid tyrant, al-Mutasim, who realized that if al-Imam al-Jawad
succeeded in awakening the people they might turn against him and put an
end to his power.
He was afraid of this and was terrified by
the Imam's charisma and popularity. He summoned the Imam from his home
in Madinah to Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire, and after a
few months he had the Imam martyred through poison. At the time of his
martyrdom al-'Imam al-Jawad was just 25 years old. The Imam's sacred
body was buried alongside that of his grandfather al-'Imam Musa al-Kazim
(AS).
on the outskirts of Baghdad, at a place today known as Kazimayn. Eternal peace be upon him.
A Letter to a Governor
One of al-Imam al-Jawad's companion's reports: I performed the Hajj
with al-'Imam al-Jawad (AS), and when the Hajj was over I went to see
the Imam to say my farewell. Before I left I said to the Imam:
"The
government has levied a very heavy tax upon me and I am unable to pay
it. Please, will you write a letter to the governor of our city, and
recommend him to act leniently towards me".
Imam
replied that he did not know the governor, and could not therefore write
and advise him. But he is one of your friends and followers. If you
write to him he will definitely accept your counsel." Al-Imam al-Jawad
picked up a pen and wrote:
"In the name of Allah, the
Merciful and the compassion ate. Peace be with you and with all Allah's
righteous servants. O governor! Power and authority are trusts from
Allah which He has invested in you for you to serve the people.
You must use this power to help your brothers in religion. The only
things that remain with you are good deeds and the help which you grant
to your brothers, the Muslims. Know that on the Day of Resurrection
Allah will review all your deeds and not the slightest action will be
hidden from Him yours Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Jawad I took the letter, made
my final farewells and set off for my city. When I arrived, news of the
letter I was carrying had already reached the governor.
He came
to meet me and I gave him the letter. He took it respectfully, kissed
it, and then he opened it. After reading it he inquired about my
occupation, and just as I had wanted he behaved kindly and leniently
towards me.
In fact, from that moment on, he behaved justly and kindly with all the people.
Imam Jawad (A.S.): The Treasure of Knowledge and Source of Wisdom
There were strenuous
efforts on every occasion to hold the personality of Imam Jawad (A.S.)
in contempt. This fact was so obvious that it is narrated that:" Ma’moon1
would touch upon all deceitful acts in order to belittle Aboo Ja’far’s
(Imam Jawad (A.S.)) character. All of Mamoon’s efforts however would
fail."2
In spite of all these efforts, Ma’oon would
fail and the Imam would gain a higher popularity and power amongst the
people. This would even scare the military who had control over the
reins of government. Imam Jawad (A.S.) successfully protected Imamah
(divine leadership) from the harsh and dangerous situation it had fallen
in. He was able to secure the pillars of religion, encourage reason and
proof, and give light and guidance to the dark path. He proved the
trueness of the claim of his father –Imam Reza (A.S.) - about him: "No infant has been born as blessed and good as this infant in Islam."3 In another text it has been recorded that Imam Reza (A.S.) said, "This newborn infant is him whom no other like him has been born to be so full of blessings for our followers."4
Indeed, as days would pass by, the popularity of the Imam would rise
and his star would continue shining. Even though his age would count him
as a child, he had reached the status of Imamah during childhood years.
Enemies and friends all could not help but admit and witness to his
knowledge and excellence. Despite Ma’oon’s efforts to embarrass Imam
Jawad (A.S.) in different scientific and theoretical assemblies, those
assemblies would on the contrary show the vast amount of Imam’s
knowledge.
Sibt ibn Jouzi, one of the famous Sunni scholars,
said "He (Imam Jawad (A.S.)) was like his father in knowledge,
asceticism, and generosity."5
Jahidh Mu’tazili
Uthmani lived in Basrah and was not a follower of Imam Ali (A.S.) and
his progeny. He had a long hand in knowledge and the sciences, and is
the author of many books about science and the techniques of his time.
He lived in the same era as Imam Jawad (A.S.) and his children. Jahidh
has placed Imam Jawad (A.S.) in the ten "Talebyun" and has said about
them, "each of them is a knowledgeable. They are ascetic, devotee,
brave, generous, chaste, and pure."6
The other
scholars have said many similar things about Imam Jawad (A.S.), which
will not be stated in this piece. All in all Imam Jawad (A.S.) was
highly respected by his friends and common people. When Imam Jawad
(A.S.) wanted to enter the capital city of Baghdad, people would run to
high altitudes just to see the Imam. It was as if seeing the Imam even
if it meant from afar was a huge important event for them. Another way
to familiarize ourselves with the greatness of Imam Jawad (A.S.) is by
seeing the great respect of the elders for him. The uncle of his father
who was the son of the sixth Imam was a man named Ali ibn Ja’far
al-Sadiq. Ali ibn Ja’far was himself of the great religious scholars,
and yet he would very highly respect Imam Jawad (A.S.).
Muhammad ibn Hassan narrates, "For two years I was with Ali ibn Ja’far
and would record and write the narrations he had heard from his brother
(Imam Moosa ibn Ja’far (A.S.)). One of the days that I was sitting in
his presence, Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad (A.S.) entered Masjid
al-Nabi7. Ali ibn Ja’far hurried toward the Imam without even wearing his shoes or cloak. He kissed the Imam’s hand and revered him.
The Imam said, "Uncle! Please sit, may Allah bless you."
Ali ibn Ja’far said, "My Master! How shall I sit when you are standing?"
When Ali ibn Ja’far returned to his small gathering, the people around
him began reproaching him for what he did. They said, "You are the uncle
of his father, why do you act as such?"
Ali ibn Ja’far told
them, "Remain silent!" He then held his beard and said, "When Allah has
not made this white beard worthy and deserving, but has made this young
man worthy of the status of Imamah, then how can I deny his virtue?"…'8
* By Allamah Ja'far Murtada Ameli.
1- The Abbasid Caliph
2- Al-Kuleini, Usool al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 494: Narrated by Muhammad ibn Rayan
3 - Allamah Majlesi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 50, p. 20, narrated by Imam Reza (A.S.)
4- Al-Kuleini, Usool al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 321: Narrated by Imam Reza (A.S.)
5 - Sibt ibn Jouzi, Tadhkirat al-khawas, p. 358-359
6 - Jahidh Mu’tazili Uthmani, Athar al-Jahidh, p. 235
7 - The Mosque of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) located in Medina
8 - Al-Kuleini, Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 322
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