On Reasons for Which Al-Ma’mun Martyred Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) with Poison

حَدَّثَنا أَبُو الطَّيِّبِ الحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّد الرَّازِيُّ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ بِنِيْسابُورَ سِنَةَ اِثْنَتَيْنِ خَمْسِينَ وثَلاثِمائَةٍ قالَ حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِى ماجِيلوَيْه قالَ حَدَّثَنا أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خالِد البَرْقِي‏أَخْبِرْنِي أَبي قالَ أَخْبَرنِي الرَّيَّانُ بْنُ شَبِيبٍ خَالُ الْمُعْتَصِمِ أَخُو مَارِدَةَ أَنَّ الْمَأْمُونَ لَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الْبَيْعَةَ لِنَفْسِهِ بِإِمْرَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِلرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بِوِلايَةِ الْعَهْدِ وَلِلْفَضْلِ بْنِ سَهْلٍ بِالْوِزَارَةِ أَمَرَ بِثَلاثَةِ كَرَاسِيَّ فَنُصِبَتْ لَهُمْ فَلَمَّا قَعَدُوا عَلَيْهَا أَذِنَ لِلنَّاسِ فَدَخَلُوا يُبَايِعُونَ فَكَانُوا يُصَفِّقُونَ بِأَيْمَانِهِمْ عَلَى أَيْمَانِ الثَّلاثَةِ مِنْ أَعْلَى الإِبْهَامِ إِلَى الْخِنْصِرِ وَيَخْرُجُونَ حَتَّى بَايَعَ فِي آخِرِ النَّاسِ فَتًى مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَصَفَّقَ بِيَمِينِهِ مِنَ الْخِنْصِرِ إِلَى أَعْلَى الإِبْهَامِ فَتَبَسَّمَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ ثُمَّ قَالَ كُلُّ مَنْ بَايَعَنَا بَايَعَ بِفَسْخِ الْبَيْعَةِ غَيْرَ هَذَا الْفَتَى فَإِنَّهُ بَايَعَنَا بِعَقْدِهَا فَقَالَ الْمَأْمُونُ وَمَا فَسْخُ الْبَيْعَةِ مِنْ عَقْدِهَا قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ عَقْدُ الْبَيْعَةِ هُوَ مِنْ أَعْلَى الْخِنْصِرِ إِلَى أَعْلَى الإِبْهَامِ وَفَسْخُهَا مِنْ أَعْلَى الإِبْهَامِ إِلَى أَعْلَى الْخِنْصِرِ قَالَ فَمَاجَ النَّاسُ فِي ذَلِكَ. وَأَمَرَ الْمَأْمُونُ بِإِعَادَةِ النَّاسِ إِلَى الْبَيْعَةِ عَلَى مَا وَصَفَهُ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَقَالَ النَّاسُ كَيْفَ يَسْتَحِقُّ الإِمَامَةَ مَنْ لا يَعْرِفُ عَقْدَ الْبَيْعَةِ إِنَّ مَنْ عَلِمَ لاوْلَى بِهَا مِمَّنْ لا يَعْلَمُ قَالَ فَحَمَلَهُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَا فَعَلَهُ مِنْ سَمِّهِ

Abul Tayyeb Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Razi - may God be pleased with him - narrated in Neishaboor in the year 352 A.H. (962 A.D.) that Muhammad ibn Ali al-Majilawayh quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Al-Rayyan ibn Shabib - the maternal uncle of Al-Mo’tasim and Mareda’s brother that when Al-Ma’mun wanted to have the people pledge allegiance to him to become the Commander of the Faithful and to Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) to become his legal successor to the throne and for Fadhl ibn Sahl to become his minister, he ordered that three chairs be prepared and each one sat on one of the chairs. Then he granted the people permission to enter to pledge allegiance. Each person entered and pledged his allegiance. Each of the three held out their hands and the people who wanted to pledge allegiance would touch their hands and move their hands all the way across them starting from the thumb all the way to the little finger. Then they would leave from another door. At the end, a young man from the Helpers (Al-Ansar) came and pledged allegiance by touching their palms and moving his hand all the way across them starting from the little finger all the way to the thumb. Then Abul Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) smiled and said, ‘All the people made their pledge of allegiance in the form of breaking their pledge, while this young man made his pledge of allegiance in the form of making a pledge.’ Al-Ma’nun asked, ‘What is the difference between breaking their pledge and making it?’ Abul Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, ‘When they want to make a pledge of allegiance, they start moving their hand from the little finger to the thumb, but breaking a pledge of allegiance is by moving on the hand from the thumb to the little finger.’ Then Al-Ma’mun ordered that the people return and perform the ceremonies all over again in the way that Abul Hassan (a.s.) had said. The people returned and were saying, ‘How could one who does not know the proper form of making a pledge of allegiance deserve to be a leader? Indeed one who knows this is superior to one who does not know it.’ This was a reason which led to the poisoning of Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) (by Al-Ma’mun).

حَدَّثَنا تَمِيمُ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه بْنِ تَمِيمُ القُرَشِي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ حَدَّثَنا أَبي عَنْ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ عَلِى الأَنْصارِي قالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الصَّلْتِ الْهَرَوِيَّ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ طَابَتْ نَفْسُ الْمَأْمُونِ بِقَتْلِ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ مَعَ إِكْرَامِهِ وَمَحَبَّتِهِ لَهُ وَمَا جَعَلَ لَهُ مِنْ وِلايَةِ الْعَهْدِ بَعْدَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمَأْمُونَ إِنَّمَا كَانَ يُكْرِمُهُ وَيُحِبُّهُ لِمَعْرِفَتِهِ بِفَضْلِهِ وَجَعَلَ لَهُ وِلايَةَ الْعَهْدِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ لِيُرِيَ النَّاسَ أَنَّهُ رَاغِبٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَيَسْقُطَ مَحَلُّهُ مِنْ نُفُوسِهِمْ فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَظْهَرْ مِنْهُ فِي ذَلِكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِلا مَا ازْدَادَ بِهِ فَضْلاً عِنْدَهُمْ وَمَحَلّاً فِي نُفُوسِهِمْ جَلَبَ عَلَيْهِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ مِنَ الْبُلْدَانِ طَمَعاً مِنْ أَنْ يَقْطَعَهُ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ فَيَسْقُطَ مَحَلُّهُ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَبِسَبَبِهِمْ يَشْتَهِرُ نَقْصُهُ عِنْدَ الْعَامَّةِ فَكَانَ لا يُكَلِّمُهُ خَصْمٌ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالَْمجُوسِ وَالصَّابِئِينَ وَالْبَرَاهِمَةِ وَالْمُلْحِدِينَ وَالدَّهْرِيَّةِ وَلا خَصْمٍ مِنْ فِرَقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الُْمخَالِفِينَ لَهُ إِلا قَطَعَهُ وَأَلْزَمَهُ الْحُجَّةَ وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ وَاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ أَوْلَى بِالْخِلافَةِ مِنَ الْمَأْمُونِ فَكَانَ أَصْحَابُ الأَخْبَارِ يَرْفَعُونَ ذَلِكَ إِلَيْهِ فَيَغْتَاظُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَيَشْتَدُّ حَسَدُهُ وَكَانَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ لا يُحَابِي الْمَأْمُونَ مِنْ حَقٍّ وَكَانَ يُجِيبُهُ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ فِي أَكْثَرِ أَحْوَالِهِ فَيَغِيظُهُ ذَلِكَ وَيَحْقِدُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلا يُظْهِرُهُ لَهُ فَلَمَّا أَعْيَتْهُ الْحِيلَةُ فِي أَمْرِهِ اغْتَالَهُ فَقَتَلَهُ بِالسَّمِّ. بِالإِمامَة وَالخَلافَة

Tamim ibn Abdullah ibn Tamim al-Qurashi - may God be pleased with him - narrated that his father quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Ali Al-Ansari that he asked Aba Salt al-Harawi, “How could Al-Ma’mun - who honored Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) so much that he designated him (a.s.) to be the successor to his throne - stand to murder Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.)?” Aba Salt al-Harawi replied, “Indeed Al-Ma’mun knew about the degree of nobility of Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.). That is why he honored him and loved him. The reason that he set Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) up as the successor to the throne after himself was that he wanted the people to think that Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) is inclined to worldly affairs, and then Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) would lose his place in the people’s hearts. However, when what he had plotted did not happen. And the nobility of the Imam (a.s.) was increased amongst the people and his position was strengthened in the hearts of the people. Then Al-Ma’mun invited speakers from the various countries eagerly hoping that they might be able to overcome Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) in their debate resulting in his deficiencies becoming apparent for the people. However none of them - whether the Jews, the Christians, the Magi, the Sabians [5] , the Brahmans [6] , the unbelievers, the adherers to the doctrine of the eternity of the world, and the opponents from the various Muslim sects were able to defeat Ar-Ridha’’s (a.s.) arguments. And they were all convinced by his arguments and proofs. Then the people said, ‘By God! Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) is more deserving than Al-Ma’mun to be the Caliph.’ The reporters reported this news to Al-Ma’mun. He got really angry about this and his jealousy increased. However, Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) did not fear Al-Ma’mun and clearly expressed the truth. Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) often replied to Al-Ma’mun in such a way that Al-Ma’mun did not like. Then Al-Ma’mun would become angry and hold a grudge against Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), but he never made it known. Once all his plots against Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) failed, he killed him with poison.”