The development of shiite political thought from shura to wilayat al-faqih

Imam Musa Kadhim became the supreme leader of the Shiites after the death of his brother Abdullah, due to his knowledge, piety, devotion and good character. These great qualities were enough to raise its owner to the rank of Imamate (leadership) in the Muslim society. He was not in need of these qualities, ir of establishing his infallibility, or a text on him, as the Imamate Shiites, who could not establish anything other than this, were saying: Sheikh Saduq while presenting evidences on the Imamate of Kadhim, said: “ If the Imam is manifest, and his followers differed concerning him, his knowledge appears, and his virtues in himself which are clear to both the common and closest people, become manifest. These are the signs of Imamate. When we found them in Musa and in no other person, we knew that he is the Imam after his father not his brother”. (35)

But despite that ambiguity that surrounds the issue of succession after Imam Sadiq, and the death of Zurarah without knowing the new Imam, and the acceptance of the pivots of the Imamate theory of the Imamate of Abdullah al-Aftah, the Imamate Shiites, especially Mufaddal bin Umar Abu Basir and Yaqub al-Siraj, have tried to bring texts that establish the will of Imam Sadiq to his son Kadhim. Kulayni has mentioned in ‘al-Kafi,’ so also Saffar in ‘Basa’ir al-Darajat’ and Saduq in ‘Uyun Akhabar al-Rida’, as well as Mufid in ‘Al-Irshad’—about (16) sixteen texts, ranging from a vague pointer to a clear confirmation in this regard. (36)

It is only that, those texts did not prove to be decisive in the tussle for the Imamate, or rather they did not exist in the beginning. Saduq has admitted that Imam Kadhim isolated himself from politics, and was keeping secret his affairs. The Shiites were not taking disputed to him. A strange tradition was reported from him, where he instructed the Shiites to obey the rulers in any case. If the rulers were just, they should pray to Allah to maintain their rule. If they were unjust, they should pray to Allah to guide and make them better.” (37)

Hence the general masses of the Shiites at the time of Imam Kadhim have turned to Isa bin Zayd bin Ali (123-168 A.H), and paid him allegiance secretly as the Imam in the year 156 A.H. while he was in Iraq. People from Ahwaz, Wasit, Makkah, Madinah and Tihamah came to pay him allegiance (bay’ah). He appointed people to call to him and they reached Egypt and Syria. He agreed together with his followers to declare a rebellion after the death of Mansur al-Dawaniqi. He died from poison in the suburbs of Kufah on the side of Basrah in the year 168 A.H. (38)

The Shiites also responded to the call of Hussain ‘Shahid fakh’ and they came paying allegiance to him on the basis of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him), for the accepted (Rida) from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Hussain declared: “ I take your oath of allegiance on the basis of the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and on the basis of obeying Allah and He would not be disobeyed, and I call you to accept Rida from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him). That we will implement in you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His prophet, we will also maintain justice among the subjects, as well as fair distribution (of wealth), on the basis that you obey us, and fight our enemy. If we fulfill these for you, you fulfill what is on you for us, but if we did not fulfill our promises there is no any allegiance for us on you.” (39)

  When Imam Musa Kadhim was not calling the people to accept him (as the Imam), and there was no any special text on him from Allah or from his father, the Imamate Shiites resorted to the weapon of miracles and the knowledge of the Unseen, in order to establish the existence of a special divine link between Imam Kadhim and Allah. And that he alone was the only legal heir of Imam Sadiq.

Kulayni stated that: “ Imam Kadhim knew when a person will die, and he used to tell his companions about that, as he used to tell them of their destinies in the future.” (41)

In this way, the scholars of Hadith narrate the process of establishing the Imamate of Kadhim, as a great collection of miracles, like his coming out of detention in Baghdad, and his breaking the shackles and his passing through the walls, and his going to Madinah, and his coming back in the same night. So also putting his stamp on a small stone; and his speaking foreign languages without learning them; and that fire does not burn him and his raising a dead cow to life. (42).

Only that this ‘evidence’ cannot be establishing without serious difficulties, especially that Imam Kadhim himself denies it, as he denies possessing the knowledge of the Unseen (al-Ghayb).

 

WAQIFIYYAH

As the doctrine of Imamate was gasping for breath after the crisis of the will to Isma'il and ‘bada’ (change of will), and the crisis of Abdullah al- Aftah and his death without an issue, then the crisis of establishing the Imamate of Kadhim… the doctrine faced another crisis of the death of Imam Musa Kadhim in the prison of Harun Rashid in Baghdad in the year 183 A.H. in a mysterious circumstances. The masses of the Shiites (Musawites) claim that he fled from the prison and went to occultation, and denied his death.

The main reason for the doctrine of halting the Imamate with Imam Kadhim believed by the Musawites, and their non-acceptance of the Imamate of his son Rida, was the various narrations on the Mahdism of Kadhim and the inevitability of his coming back to life after his death. (44)

Hassan bin Qiyama al-Sirafi has performed the Hajj in the year 193 A.H.  i.e. after 10 years of the death of Kadhim, and he asked Rida about his father.” He replied, “He has gone like his forefathers.” He then said: “But what can I do with the tradition, which Yaqub bin Shuaib has narrated to me from Abu Basir, that the father of Abdullah said: “ If anyone comes to you telling you that this my son has died and was put in the shroud and then in the grave, and that they dusted their hands from the ground of his grave, you should not believe him.” He (Rida) said: Abu Basir is telling lie, he did not tell him so, he only said: “If it comes to you from the owner of this affair.” (45)

Kulayni has also reported from Ali bin Asbat who said: I said to Rida: A man came to your brother Ibrahim and told him that your father is alive and that you know that as himself.” He replied: “Glory be to Allah! The Messenger of Allah died and Musa will not die?” He then stressed that saying “ By Allah he has gone as the Messenger of Allah has gone.” (46)

A famous tradition among the Musawite Imamate Shiites “that only the Imam will wash the dead body of the Imam,” has increased their doubt, as regards Imam Rida, when they say: “How then did Ali Rida washed in his father who died in Baghdad while he was in Madinah?” (47)

Many of them continued to question how Imam Rida came to know of the death of his father and when he  knew it. And when did he know that he has become the Imam succeeding his father? Were there any interval between the death of Kadhim and the knowledge of his son Rida, and his subsequent becoming the Imam, after him? (48)

Part of what raise doubts in the minds of the Waqifite Shiites as regards the Imamate of Rida, was his not leaving behind an offspring till late in his life; and the doubt of the household of Imam Rida in attributing his son Muhammad Jawwad, who was attributed to other than him, due to the blackness of his complexion, and their eventual resort to experts for the final determination of the issue. (49)

In addition to the ambiguity of the text on Imam Ali bin Musa Rida, who was not recognized as the Imam by the majority of the Shiites, and even by the children of Imam Kadhim, and even by the revered wife of the Imam, Umm Ahmad? (50)

A report is saying that the Shiites in Madinah, upon their learning of the death of Imam Kadhim, gathered at the door of Umm Ahmad, and paid their allegiance to Ahmad son of Imam Kadhim as the Imam, and he took oath of allegiance from them. (51)

The Imamate Shiites did hold on to the will of Imam Kadhim for his son, in establishing the Imamate of Rida. Muhammad bin Zayd bin Ali considered the will as taking the place of confirming his Imamate, even though the will was ambiguous, and not explicitly on the Imamate. More so that Kadhim included his other children with his son Ali in it. The will was on wealth, awqafs (evdowments), charity, small children and women, due to that it was made confidential and Imam Kadhim refused revealing it to anyone a member of his family ERA of. (52)

As a result of the ambiguity associated with the text on Imam Rida, and the lack of spread of the doctrine of divine Imamate among the Shiites of that time, a number of other Alawite leaders appeared on the scene as leaders of the opposition Shiite movements, like Ali bin Ubaidullah bin Hassan bin Ali bin Hussain bin Ali bin Abi Talib, Abdullah bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ibrahim (Ibn Tabataba) bin Hassan bin Hassan bin Ali bin Abi Talib.

In this way, Ibn Tabataba with the support of Abu Suraya declared a revolt in Kufah in the year 199 A.H. He called them in his sermon, to give their oath of allegiance to Rida of the members of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong. The people of Kufah paid him their allegiance based on that. (54)

Not long after that Ibn Tabataba fell ill and died, he offered his will to Abu Suraya (telling him): To fear Allah and to stand as a custodian of religion, and to support the ‘ Ahl al-Bayt’, and appointing from the people one who will take his position from among the Alawites. If they differ, then the affair should go to Ali bin Ubaidullah. (55)

Ibn Tabataba did not specify any particular person from the family of Abu Talib, neither in his sermon at the time of pledging allegiance nor in the will. He only called to ‘ Rida (the accepted) from the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Shiites in Kufah were not having any particular picture of a man in person from the ‘Ahl al-Bayt’, nor do they believe in any specific doctrine like that of divine Imamate. nor any inclination in them towards the Imamate of Ali bin Musa Rida, whom they revere as one of the leaders of the Alawite household. On the second day of the death of Ibn Tabataba, Abu Suraya gathered the Shiites to condole them on the death of Muhammad bin Ibrahim. He told them of his will, and that he has given it to Ali bin Ubaidullah. Then he said: If you agree and accept him, he is the accepted (Rida), if not, then you choose for yourself. “But Ali abdicated that pledge, and recommended an Alawite beardless youth, namely Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Zayd, so that the Shiites give their bay’ah (pledge) to him. Abu Suraya agreed on that, and the Shiites pledged allegiance to him. Muhammad bin Muhammad appointed as his representatives: Ibrahim bin Musa bin Ja’far in Yemen: Zahid bin Musa bin Jafar in Ahwaz: Abbas bin Muhammad bin Isa bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jafar bin Abi Talib in Basrah; Muhammad bin Sulaiman bin Dawud bin Hassan bin Hassan bin Ali in Madina; Hussain bin Ibrahim bin Hassan bin Ali in Wasit and finally, Hussain bin Hassan in Makkah. (56)

The influence of the young Alawite leader Muhammad bin Muhammad and was able within a short time, to control many of the cities of Iraq, Hijaz and Yemen. Letters were coming from all sides, so also news of conquests of many areas. The people of Syria and the peninsula wrote to him, saying that they were waiting for a Messenger so as to obey and follow suit. (57)

But with the inception of the new year 200 A.H. in its first month, this Shiite movement collapsed. The army of Abbasid caliph Ma’mun regained control on the different cities, and was chasing the forces of the movement. They also killed the leader of that movement Abu Suraya and arrested Muhammad bin Muhammad, after just a period of 10 months since its inception. (58)

No sooner had the revolt of Abu Suraya been subdued and crushed, that Muhammad al-Dibaj son of Imam Sadiq declared himself as the Commander of the faithful (Amir al-Muminin) in Hijaz. He took the pledge of allegiance after the Friday prayer, on the 6^th of Rabi al-Akhir 200 A.H, and hoped to be the Mahdi, the owner of the affair. But he very soon failed and abdicated the Caliphate, paying his allegiance to Ma’mun. Despite that the Abbasid sources escorted him under tight security to Khurasan. (59)

What is more important to us in the case of Muhammad al-Dibaj was the stance of the Talibites and the Shiites in general on his movement, and the flocking of the people to pledge their allegiance to him. This indicates the amount of support he enjoyed as compared to the his nephew Rida, as well as the ignorance of the general masses of Shiites as regards the divine Imamate based on infallibility and text, which was being advocated by a group of theologians in Kufah.

 

THE STANCE OF MA’MUN ON RIDA

At the time the Abbasid Caliph offered the Caliphate to Imam Ali bin Musa Rida in the year 201 A.H, He did not offer it to him in his capacity as the eight Imam in the series of 12 Imams, but he did that based on his virtue and exalted position. Mamun has pledged to Allah during his power tussle with his brother Amin, to transfer the caliphate to the best of the members of the Abu Talib’s family. He then announced: “Ali Rida is the best of the Alawites.” (60)

Ma’mun had caused a serious twist in the political ideology of the Abbasids, which was built by the Abbasid Mahdi, and he confirmed on its basis the right of Abbas to the Caliphate, and based, in turn, on the right of their grandfather Abbas to inherit the Prophet (peace be upon him). He issued a political edict to that effect, contrary to what the Abbasid held of the old Shiite thought (Kisanite), before they overpowered and put an end to the Umayyad rule in the year 132 A.H that was due to their belief in the legality of the Imamate of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib. They depended as for their legality on the Abu Hashim Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Hanafiyyah, who was reported to have given his will to their grandfather on the Imamate, at the time of his untimely death in Al-Hamimah.

Mamun did revert the Abbasid political thought to its Alawite-Fatimid wing, and he declared that the fundamental right to rule is for the Alawites, based on the right of Imam Ali to succeed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). That was why he called on Rida to take the Caliphate from him. But when Imam Rida refused that, he offered him the position of the crown prince, which he accepted. On the day of the bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) Imam Rida gave a sermon in which he said: “ The commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Muminin) may Allah strengthen and guide him to what is right has recognized our right, which was not recognized by others. He maintained by that the relations that were severed, and brought peace to people who are scared. Nay, he quickens then after they have been devastated, and brought contentment to them after they have lost it, seeking by that the pleasure of the Lord of the worlds, seeking for reward from none other than Him. He gave me his pledge (of being the Crown Prince) if I live after him. Anyone who loosens and breaches what Allah has ordered to maintain, and severs the rope which Allah loves to remain uncut, has sold his harem and has made legal what Allah has made illegal. He has by that despised the Imam and sacrilege the inviolability of Islam. This was the way of the predecessors (Salaf). It is an opportunity that you should seize and a surprise that should not be lost. I do not know what will happen to you and me. Judgment rests with Allah alone. He decrees the truth; He is the best of Judges. (61)

Whatever the differences among Historians in analyzing the position of Ma’mun the pledge of Imam Rida to him and his acceptance of his being crown prince, point to a clear ideological stand on the legality of the Caliphate of Ma’mun, and the reality of the Imamate of Rida, away from the doctrine of divine Imamate, which was exclusive to the children of Ali and Hussain. The alliance formed between the two Hashimite households: the Abbasids and the Alawites were the main feature of the second stage and the official doctrine of the Abbasid state for few decades. This took the shape of positive stance of the Abbasid Caliph towards the children of Rida, like Muhammad Jawwad, Ali Hadi and Hassan Askari by recognizing them as symbols of constitutional legality. They were revered and respected as was due……….

 

THE REVOLUTION OF IBRAHIM BIN MUSA KADHIM IN YEMEN

 

At the time Imam Rida was on his way towards Khurasan, in response to the invitation of the Abbasid Caliph Ma’mun, for a truce and reconciliation, which led to his accepting being the Crown Prince and his giving him his pledge of allegiance in Ramadan of the year 201 A.H , at that time, his brother, Ibrahim bin Musa who participated in the rebellion of Ibn Tabataba in Kufah, had gone to Yemen as governor. He refused to accept the crushing of the rebellion in the year 200 A.H. and insisted on controlling Yemen in his name. Ibrahim had ruled over it for sometime after which Caliph Ma’mun was forced to recognize him and to remove his governor, Muhammad bin Ali bin Isa bin Mahan. (62)

 

THE REVOLUTION OF ALI BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SADIQ AND ABDULLAH, THE BROTHER OF ABU SURAYA IN KUFAH

This revolution took place in Kufah, the base of Shiites, in the year 202 A.H i.e. after less than two years of the failure of the revolution of the father of Ali bin Muhammad and that of the brother of Abdullah. This new and combined rebellion took place, in a new circumstance, i.e the reconciliation between Ma’mun and one the greatest pillars of Alawite household: and it being against the Alawite governor: Abbas bin Musa, the brother of Imam Rida, who was calling them to give their pledge of allegiance to the Abbasid Caliph Ma’mun, and his Crown Prince Rida.

This position reveals to us the non-existence in the people of Kufah,of belief in the doctrine of divine Imamate, so also their lack of distinguishing between Imam Rida or his brother, Abbas or anyone from the ‘Ahl al-Bayt’, when it comes to who should lead them, and be their Imam…. This means that the word ‘Ahl al-Bayt’ in the sight of the people of Kufah at that time was comprehensive and inclusive of all the children of the Alawite household. It was not limited to particular persons, as it was in the days of the Umayyads: the entire Hashimite household including the children of Abbas, those who were working under the slogan of to the accepted (Rida) of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

In juxtaposition of these open-minded Shiites, as well as the Waqifiyyah (Waqifites), who put a halt to the Imamate, in the person of Kadhim, there were naturally those who believe in the Imamate of Ali bin Musa Rida, and ended it with him. This later group was called the Qat’iyyah (Qatiyyites). They have reported a number of texts from Kadhim, on his appointing his son Rida as his successor (Imam) after him.

The following Hadith may be one of the salient narrations on this: Yazid bin Salit says: “ I met Abu Ibrahim  (Kadhim)- on our way to perform Umrah. On the way, and he said to me: “ I have left my house and left my will with my son, so –and –so. I mentioned my other children with him in the apparent but have given him my will implicitly. I mentioned him exclusively. If the matter were to be decided by me, I would have given it to my son Qasim, for my love and sympathy towards him, but it is with Allah, He places it where He wills. The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) has come to me on his affair, and has showed him to me as well as those who will be with him. In the same way, no one among us gives the will to another person, until the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and my grandfather Ali confirm their affairs. Then he said to me: “The affair has left you to some one other than you”. I said: “ O Messenger of Allah, show him to me, who among them? The Messenger of Allah said: I have not seen anyone of the Imams more worried on losing this matter, than you. If the Imamate was based on love, Isma’il was dearer to your father than you, but it is from Allah, the Exalted….” And I saw all my children, the dead and the living. The Commander of the Faithful said to me: “This is their leader” and he pointed to my son Ali-He is from me and I am from him, and Allah is with those who do good.

Abu Ibrahim then said: O Yazid it is a trust with you, and do not tell any one of it, except the intelligent, or a servant (of Allah) you knew to be truthful. If you were required to serve as a witness, you can testify, with it..” Abu Ibrahim also said: “ I turned to the Messenger of Allah, and said: “ You have gathered them for me, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, who is he among them? “ He said: “ He is the one who sees through the light of Allah, the exalted, and who hears with His understanding, and who speaks with His injunctions.” He then took the land of my son Ali and said: “ Your staying with him will not be long so when you return from your journey, write your will and organize your affair. And finish what you wished, as you will soon leave them and be in company of others. If you wish, I will call Ali to wash and shroud you, that is purification for you, and nothing other than that will make it right and straight. That was the way that has passed away.  Command him and he will recite nine takbir on you (funeral prayer), as his will is upright, so also your successor while you are still alive.”

Then Abu Ibrahim said: “My soul will be taken this year, and the affairs will be with my son Ali. He should not talk till after four years of the death of Harun.” (64)

This last narration is the most quoted of the narrations on the matter of the Imamate of Rida, in clear and explicit terms. It says: ‘Imam Kadhim was unaware of the Imam to succeed him, and he preferred Qasim, upto the time of the revelation (dream) and the designation of the subsequent Imam through the medium of dream. The apparent will was general, as it did not establish special evidence on the Imamate. This narration also claims the existence of another secret will. And that Imam Kadhim gave the will to his son Ali secretly, the thing that led the children of Imam Kadhim and his brothers to claim lack of knowledge and ignorance of it.

It is likely that Yazid bin Salit or another man lad fabricated it later on, in order to support the Imamate of Imam Rida. That is because the reporter claims that Imam Kadhim has demanded from him to keep the matter in the secret and concealed, and not to reveal it, except to the intelligent and true servants (of Allah), and that the Imam did not announce that explicitly even to his children. This is what makes one doubt this (esoteric) narration.