The blessed child
Muhammad b. Ali al-Jawad (a), the ninth Imam, was born in Madinah on 10 Rajab 195 AH, the date given by al-Shaykh al-Tusi, though some sources place it in Ramadan. His father Imam al-Rida (a) had reached middle age without a son, and enemies of the family whispered that the line of the Imams would end with him; when the boy was born the Imam called him the most blessed child ever born to the Shia.
Imam at seven
Imam al-Rida (a) was martyred in 203 AH, leaving a son of seven. Some followers hesitated, and the Waqifa and other groups drew off a few, but the majority accepted his Imamate on the strength of his learning: the debates of the child Imam with the leading jurists of Baghdad, staged by the caliph al-Ma'mun, are among the best-remembered scenes in Shia history. Al-Ma'mun married him to his daughter Umm al-Fadl and kept him near the court.
Observance
His birthday is the second of the three births of Rajab. Summoned to Baghdad by al-Mu'tasim, he was poisoned there and died at the end of Dhu l-Qa'da 220 AH at twenty-five, and was buried beside his grandfather Imam al-Kadhim (a) in the shrine of Kadhimayn.
Written for Shia Online Community. Dates and facts are checked against the references listed under Research & books; where the tradition records more than one date, all are given.
