Sayyid ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Hasani: His Life and Personality · Chapter 3 · Sayyid ‘Abd Al-’Azim Al-Hasani
I used to visit the grave of our master ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani occasionally and whenever good fortune permitted me, for he was one of the descendants of the eldest grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (s), al-Hasan bin ‘Ali (‘a). He was a scion of that lofty and blessed tree (of Prophethood), whose branches are spread out in Iran, ‘Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other places.
However, after I had delved thoroughly into his biography and read the words and statements of the biographers in his favour, as well as the descriptions of honour and respect with which Sahib bin ‘Abbad [1] described him in a biographical treatise, which he devoted to his life, I was overcome with shame and realised my shortcomings and negligence with respect to him.
This is because Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani was one of the defenders of the true beliefs by his speech and conduct and he was one of the ‘sources of reference’ (مرجع) in matters of the faith. This is evidenced by the directive of the tenth Imam to his Shi’ites to turn to him (i.e. Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani) in respect of religious matters, which appeared ambiguous and complex to them. The text of that directive will be presented soon.
His Lineage
The Imami scholar and biographer Shaykh al-Najashi (d 450 AH/1058 AD) has recorded his lineage at the beginning of his biography as: ‘Abd al-’Azim bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ali bin al-Hasan bin Zayd bin al-Hasan bin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a) and this is his correct lineage. However, he then writes at the end of the biography: ‘He (i.e. ‘Abd al-’Azim) died and when he was undressed so that the funeral bath could be given to him, a small piece of paper was found in one of his pockets in which was written his lineage, as follows: “I am Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-’Azim bin ‘Abdillah bin ‘Ali bin al-Hasan bin Zayd bin ‘Ali [2] bin al-Hasan bin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a).” But the first rendering of his lineage is correct for Imam al-Hasan’s progeny continued through the agency of two sons, [3] who were:
Zayd bin al-Hasan, and
Al-Hasan al-Muthanna ‘. [4]
Thus it is apparent that Imam al-Hasan (‘a) did not have a son by the name of ‘Ali through whom he may have had grandchildren (as the second version of Sayyid ‘Abd al- ‘Azim’s lineage above implies).
Therefore on the basis of the above, Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim was separated from Imam al-Hasan (‘a) by four generations only (as implied by the first version of his lineage).
Source:Sayyid ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Hasani: His Life and Personality
As a poet says, as if placing these words in the mouth of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim,
ليس ما بيني و بين المجتبى
غيرعينين وحاء ثم زاي
There is not between myself and al-Mujtaba ‘ (i.e. Imam al-Hasan (‘a)) Save two ‘ayns (ع) [5] and a Ha ‘ (حاء) [6] , and then a zay (ز) [7] .
Did He Meet Imam Al-Ridha’ (‘A)?
The Imami jurist, traditionist and biographer Shaykh al-Tusi (d 460 AH/1067 AD) has considered him in his biographical work (Rijal) to be from the companions of the Imams al-Hadi and al-’Askari (‘a), whilst Sayyid al-Tafrishi, Mirza ‘ al-Astarabadi and al-Quhpa’i have considered him among the companions of Imam al-Jawad (‘a).
There is no doubt that he was from the companions of the Imams al-Jawad and al-Hadi (‘a), on the basis of the many traditions which he transmits from them, but as for his being from the companions of Imam al-’Askari (‘a) during the period of his Imamate, that is a matter that needs careful scrutiny.
This is because Imam al-Hadi (‘a) died in 254 AH/867 AD and Imam al-’Askari (‘a) undertook the responsibilities of the Imamate after the death of his father in that year in the month of Rajab, whilst Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim died in the year 252 AH/866 AD. Thus he did know the person of the Imam al-’Askari (‘a) during the Imamate of his father but due to the fact that he died well before the tenth Imam, would negate the possibility of him being from the companions of the eleventh Imam.
The question now is: Did he meet Imam al-Ridha’ (‘a) or not? Now it may be inferred that he did so, on the basis of the tradition, which he transmits from Hisham bin al-Hakam [8] who died in 199 AH/814 AD (and it is said, perhaps even earlier).
This tradition is as follows: Al-Kulayni reports from Ahmad, who reports from ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani, from Hisham bin al-Hakam, from Abu ‘Abdillah al-Sadiq (‘a) who said:
هذا صراط علي مستقيم
‘This is the path of ‘Ali, which is straight.’ [9]
Therefore if Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani’s age at the time of receiving this report was twenty years, then he would be from those who were born around 180 AH/796 AD, and Imam al-Ridha’ (‘a) died in 203 AH/818 AD, which may suggest that he did meet the eighth Imam. All this would stand true if this chain were authentic and correct.
However the chain itself provides a clue to our problem, which is: that it is known that Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani narrates a lot from those who died in the second and third decades of the third century hijri, while Hisham died before 200 hijri (815 AD) and so this indicates a missing link between the Sayyid and Hisham. Add to the above, the fact that the Sayyid narrates a lot from Imam al-Ridha’ (‘a) via intermediaries. [10] All of this would combine to suggest that he did not meet the eighth Imam after all.
Perhaps it may be inferred that he met Imam al-Ridha’ (‘a) on the basis of a tradition which Shaykh al-Mufid (d 413 AH/1022 AD) records in his Kitab al-Ikhtisas where he writes: ‘it is narrated from Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani, from Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha’ (‘a) that he said:
“O ‘Abd al-’Azim, convey my greetings to my friends and tell them not to let Satan have recourse to their souls. Command them to be truthful in their speech and to return faithfully what is entrusted to them. Order them to maintain silence and leave off wrangling and disputations regarding that which does not concern them and to embark upon visiting each other for that is most beloved to me…
They must not engage in maligning each other for I have vowed that one who does that and vexes a friend of mine, then I shall call upon Allah to punish him in this world with a severe punishment and he will be from the losers in the hereafter. And inform them that Allah has forgiven and pardoned the evil deeds of the good-doers from among them except one who associates another with Allah or hurts a friend from my friends or harbours ill-will towards him, for Allah will not forgive him till he desists from it, if he desists.
However if he does not, then the spirit of faith will be removed from his heart and he will secede from my friendship. Nor will he have any luck in this world and I seek refuge in Allah from that!” [11]
But there seems to have occurred a mistake in the chain of this tradition, for the Imam identified by the epithet ‘Abu al-Hasan’ is Abu al-Hasan the third (i.e. the tenth Imam al-Hadi) rather than Abu al-Hasan the second (i.e. the eighth Imam al-Ridha’) while Shaykh al-Mufid erroneously wrote ‘al-Ridha’’ in place of ‘al-Hadi’ (‘a). [12]
The evidence for this claim is that Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim would have been a young teenager throughout the life of Imam al-Ridha’ (‘a) and it would have hardly been fitting for him to have been the carrier of the Imam’s message to his Shi’ites and friends, indeed it would not be fitting except for one advanced in age and well-known among men for his love and loyalty.
His Teachers And Authorities
A fleeting glance at the traditions transmitted by Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani tells us firstly of his close associations with the two Imams Muhammad bin ‘Ali al-Jawad and ‘Ali al-Hadi (‘a) and secondly, of his close links with the prominent authorities of the Hadith. In what follows we shall seek to present the names of the authorities from whom he narrated traditions as culled from the four major books of traditions and other books of tradition compilations. His authorities number thirty-three and the following are their names along with the sources where the recorded traditions transmitted by Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani on their authority occur.
‘Ali bin Asbat (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 118).
‘Ali bin Ja’far (Masa ‘il ‘Ali bin Ja’far, pg 343).
Al-Husayn bin Miyah (al-Kafi volume: 1. pg 424).
Bakkar (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 424).
Ibn Udhayna (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 424).
Muhammad bin al-Fudhayl (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 423).
Ibrahim bin Abi Mahmud (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 2, pg 113).
Yahya bin Salim (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 423).
Musa bin Muhammad (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 220).
Muhammad bin Abi ‘Umayr (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 218).
Musa bin Muhammad al-’Ijli (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 207).
Hisham bin al-Hakam (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 424). His mention has been made previously.
His father, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ali (al-’Amali of Shaykh Tusi, pg 652).
Al-Hasan bin Mahbub (Ma’ani al-akhbar, pg 339).
His grandfather, ‘Ali bin al-Hasan (Kamal al-Din, pg 312, chapter 28, hadith number 3).
Malik bin ‘Amir (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 377).
Mahmud bin Abi al-Bilad (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 1, pg 27).
Al-Hasan bin al-Husayn (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 599).
Sulayman bin Ja’far al-Ja’fari (al-’Amali of Shaykh al-Saduq, pg 85).
Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin Yazid (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 598).
Harb (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 599).
Sulayman bin Sha’ban (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 598).
Al-Hasan bin al-Husayn al-’Irni (al-Kafi volume: 2, pg 369, Kamil al-Ziyarat, pg 163 where his name occurs as al-’Umariy, which seems to be an apparent case of corruption).
Al-Husayn bin ‘Ali (al-Kafi volume: 3, pg 563).
Ibrahim bin Hashim (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 1, pg 286).
Al-Hasan bin al-Hakam al-Nakha’i (Kamil al-Ziyarat, pg 256).
Al-Hasan bin ‘Abdallah bin Yunus bin Dhibyan (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 1, pg 178).
Ishaq al-Nasih, the client of Ja’far (Bihar al-Anwar volume: 57, pg 214).
Ahmad bin ‘Isa al-’Alawi (Bihar al-Anwar volume: 75, pg 453).
Thus these were his authorities and teachers.
Those Who Narrated And Transmitted From Him
Among those who narrated from him, are identified a group of great and erstwhile scholars of hadith such as al-Barqi, Ibrahim bin Hisham, Sahl bin Ziyad al-Adami and others, who were well-known for their proficiency in the narration of traditions and for being firmly established in this field. The following are their names and the sources where their narrations, transmitted on Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim’s authority occur.
Sahl bin Ziyad al-Adami who died in 255 AH/869 AD (al-Faqih volume: 3, hadith number 343).
Ahmad bin Mihran (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 118).
Ahmad bin Abi ‘Abdillah al-Barqi, the compiler of al-Mahasin, who died in 274 AH/887 AD (Masa ‘il ‘Ali bin Ja’far, pg 343).
‘Abdullah bin Musa al-Ruyani, Abu Turab (al-’Amali of Shaykh Tusi, pg 589).
Ibrahim bin ‘Ali (Ma’ani al-akhbar, pg 339).
Muhammad bin Faydh al-’Ijli, Abu Salih (al-’Amali of Shaykh al- Tusi, pg 136).
Al-Husayn bin Ibrahim al-’Alawi al-Nasibi (Misbahul Mutahajjid, volume: 2 and al-’Amali of Shaykh Tusi, pg 602).
Sahl bin Sa’d (Fadha ‘il al-Ash-hur al-Thalatha of Shaykh al-Saduq, pg 63).
Al-Nawfali (al-Kafi volume: 2, pg 661).
Sahl bin Jamhur (al-Kafi volume: 3, pg 669).
Ahmad bin al-Hasan (al-Ikhtisas, pg 96).
‘Abdullah bin Muhammad al-’Ijli (al-’Amali of Shaykh al-Saduq, pg 388).
Bakr bin Salih al-Dhabbi (Mukhtasar Basa ‘ir al-Darajat, pg 94).
Hamza bin Qasim al-’Alawi (al-’Amali of Shaykh al-Mufid, pg 319).
Muhammad al-’Alawi al-’Aridhi (Bihar al-Anwar, volume: 75, pg 453).
‘Abdullah bin al-Husayn al-’Alawi (Bihar al-Anwar, volume: 60, pg 236).
The Term ‘Musnad’ And What It Means
The term ‘musnad’ is designated in opposition to the term ‘mursal’. Thus if a tradition is transmitted by means of a complete chain which stretches right up to an infallible, then it is designated ‘musnad’, and if not, then it is called ‘mursal’.
Al-Sakkuni reports from Abu ‘Abdillah al-Sadiq (‘a) who said: ‘Amir al-Mu ‘minin (‘a) said:
“When you narrate a report then (be sure to) name the person who reported it to you, for if that (report) was truthful, then it will be (counted) in your favour, and if it was false, then it will be (counted) against him”. [13]
The term ‘musnad’ is also in contrast to the term ‘musannaf’. In this case the two terms are designations of two types of tradition compilations. The difference between the two is that the recording of traditions in the latter is according to topical chapters (containing the reported traditions of different narrators); while in the former it is according to the narrator at which the chain terminates.
Thus the ‘Musnad of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbass’ is an expression meaning; a compilation of traditions on different topics and subjects, all the chains of which are connected to him and terminate at him.
Fu’ad Sezgin in his work Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums volume: 1, pg 227, writes, ‘the traditionists began the recording of the traditions in the style of the ‘musnad’ at the close of the second century hijri’.
This is correct as far as the ‘musnad’ literature of the Sunnis is concerned. As for the Shi’ites, they preceded them in this field, for the four hundred Usul works [14] were all in the style of the ‘musnad’.
Thus the ‘Musnad of Zurara’ is an expression denoting a hadith compilation of all that Zurara reported in different fields, and the Shi’ites began to compile traditions in this style beginning in the era of Imam al-Baqir (‘a) (which would fall in the last quarter of the first century and into the beginning of the second century hijri, which was the duration of his imamate).
However, unfortunately time took its toll on the ‘musnad’ literature of the Shi’ites, especially after the first and second phases of the ‘Jami’’ compilations [15] when the Shi’ites thought them dispensable and stopped taking care of them.
The Number Of His Reported Transmissions
Scholars differ with respect to the number of traditions he has transmitted. Thus Shaykh Isma’il al-Kazari (d 1136 AH/1723 AD) has transmitted sixty traditions on his authority in his book ‘Jannat al-Na’im’, while Shaykh Muhammad Baqir al-Kajuri (d 1313 AH/1895 AD) has transmitted seventy-five traditions on his authority in his book ‘Rawhun wa Rayhan’.
Muhammad bin Ibrahim al-Kalbasiy (d 1262 AH/1842 AD) has narrated forty traditions on his authority in his book ‘Al-Tadhkira al-’Azima’ and al-Muhaqqiq al-Shaykh ‘Azizullah al-’Ataradi has transmitted seventy eight traditions from him in his book ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani, Hayatuhu wa Musnaduhu’.
Recently, a work by the title of ‘Musnad Hadhrat ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani (as)’ has been published. This work was prepared by Shaykh al-’Ataradi and ‘Ali Ridha’ al-Hazari who verified one hundred and twenty traditions from him. This work was published and disseminated by the organizers of the conference held in memory of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani in the suburb of Ray of the city of Tehran in 2003 AD.
This last figure is perhaps the utmost one that can be verified in these days by the aid of computer assisted software and if anything has missed their attention then perhaps it is unimportant.
The foregoing information may raise a question, which is: a man as learned as the Sayyid, who met two Imams, who transmitted from thirty-three personalities and from whom sixteen traditionists reported in turn should have had a far greater number of transmitted traditions to his credit than the number mentioned above. Thus what is the reason for the small number of his transmitted traditions?
Two possible answers may be suggested here:
In those times many resources and books of the Shi’ites were lost due to destruction, sabotage, burning and other destructive factors. This is because the Shi’ites were living in an environment of dissimulation and fear, except in certain limited areas where they enjoyed some relative freedom and ease. An apt example would be the jurist Muhammad bin Abi ‘Umayr, [16] who narrates from four hundred and fourteen authorities.
His sister hid his books by burying them so that they may not be confiscated. Shaykh al-Najashi writes: ‘His sister buried his books when he was imprisoned for four years and while she was in hiding. As a result his books were destroyed. It is also said that she left them in a room and rainwater destroyed them! So he began to transmit from memory and from what was in the possession of the people of his previously transmitted reports. This is the reason why Shi’ite scholars accept his ‘mursal’ transmissions. And he wrote many books.’ [17]
That Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani was a man pursued by the tyrannical authorities, which made him flee and seek refuge in Ray. There he lived in a cellar far from the sight of the people and perhaps this state of his of being a refugee led to so many years of his life being wasted! Therefore, it was in such a severe environment that he narrated traditions to any seeker interested in traditions and knowledge.
Thus we have al-Najashi relating the following from Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani’s student Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid al-Barqi [18] who said: ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani arrived in Ray whilst fleeing from the authorities and there he lived in a cellar in the house of a Shi’ite man whose house was located in a side street known as the ‘lane of the Muwali’. [19] He used to worship Allah in that cellar, fasting during the daytime and remaining awake during the night.
He would come out from his hiding place secretly and visit the grave that is (presently) opposite his burial place and between the two graves there is a road. He maintained that the grave was that of a man from the children of Imam Musa bin Ja’far (‘a). He continued to stay in that cellar and gradually news of his whereabouts spread among the Shi’ites till many of them knew of him.
Subsequently, one of the Shi’ites saw the Prophet (s) in his dream who told him that a man from his progeny would be borne away from the ‘lane of the Muwali’ and buried near an apple tree in the garden of (a certain) ‘Abd al-Jabbar bin ‘Abd al-Wahhab, and the Prophet pointed out the place to him. The man then purchased the garden from its owner and when the owner asked him as to why he was interested in the place, he replied by narrating the contents of the dream. He then endowed the spot near the tree as well as the entire garden to Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani and the Shi’ites began to bury their dead there too.
Later, Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani fell sick and finally passed away. When he was undressed so that he could be given the funeral bath, a piece of paper was found on his body, which mentioned his genealogy as; “I am Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Azim bin ‘Abdillah bin ‘Ali bin al-Hasan bin Zayd (bin ‘Ali) bin al-Hasan bin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a).” [20]
Some biographers then mention his books after this narration.
His Scholarly Heritage
The biographers of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim has mentioned two books, which are attributed to him:
Khutab Amir al-Mu ‘minin (‘a). Al-Najashi mentions this work in his biographical entry for Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim, number 651.
Al-Yawm wa al-Layla. Sahib bin ‘Abbad has mentioned this work in a special treatise in which he documents Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim’s biography. Excerpts from this treatise are presented below. The author [21] of al-Dhari’ah attributes this book to him citing from the Rijal of al-Najashi. However we [22] did not find this attribution there!
His Position Near The Imams Of The Ahlul Bayt (‘A)
His station near the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (‘a) comes to light in the course of their statements in his favor. Thus he was a brilliant traditionist, a source of reference in matters of the faith, trustworthy in matters of religion and here we mention some of their statements.
Shaykh al-Saduq (d 381 AH/991 AD) reports from Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim that he has said:
‘I visited my master ‘Ali [23] bin Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Musa bin Ja’far bin Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Husayn bin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a). When he caught sight of me, he exclaimed:
“Welcome O Abu al-Qasim, you are indeed our true friend!”
So I said: “O son of the Messenger (s), I wish to present to you my beliefs. If they are correct then I will affirm and adhere to them till I meet Allah, Great and Exalted”. So the Imam said: “Then present them O Abu al-Qasim”.
So I said: “I maintain that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is one. There is nothing like Him. He is beyond the two limits, the limit of negation and annulment (of attributes) and the limit of anthropomorphism. And that He has neither a body nor a form, nor dimension nor a material core. Rather He is the One who creates bodies and gives forms, the Creator of dimensions and matter. Lord of everything and its Possessor, Creator and Originator.
And (I maintain) that Muhammad was His servant, His Messenger and the Seal of the Prophets. There is no prophet after him till the Day of Judgement.
And (I maintain) that the Imam, the Caliph and the Guardian of the affair (of guidance) after him was Amir al-Mu ‘minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, and then al-Hasan, then al-Husayn, then ‘Ali bin al-Husayn, then Muhammad bin ‘Ali, then Ja’far bin Muhammad, then Musa bin Ja’far, then ‘Ali bin Musa, then Muhammad bin ‘Ali and thereafter, you my master”.
So the Imam said: “And after me will be my son al-Hasan. However, I wonder how the people will react with regards to his successor” I asked: “Why do you say that, O master?” He replied, “Because none will see his person, nor will it be permissible to mention his name till he appears, when he will fill the earth with justice and equity as it was previously filled with oppression and tyranny.”
So I responded: “I accept (what you have informed me) and I maintain that their friend is the friend of Allah, their enemy is the enemy of Allah. Obedience to them is obedience to Allah; disobedience to them is disobedience to Allah. I maintain that the (Prophet’s) night journey did occur, that questioning in the grave will happen, that heaven and hell exist, that accounting of deeds will occur and that the Hour will undoubtedly arrive when Allah will resurrect those in the graves.
I further maintain that the (religious) obligations after al-Wilaya (i.e. love and adherence to the Ahlul Bayt) are: Prayers, the zakat levy, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca, striving (in the path of Allah), commanding good and discouraging evil.”
On hearing this, ‘Ali bin Muhammad (‘a) said: “O Abu al-Qasim, what you have mentioned is, by Allah, the religion which Allah has chosen for His servants and one with which he is satisfied. So adhere to it, may Allah cause you to stay steadfast on the established faith, in this world and in the hereafter.” [24]
Ibn Qawlawayhi narrates from ‘Ali bin al-Husayn bin Musa bin Babwayhi, who narrates from Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar, who narrates from some of the natives of Ray, (one of whom said):
‘I visited Abu al-Hasan al-’Askari [25] (‘a). He asked me: “Where were you?” I replied: “I was visiting the grave of al-Husayn bin ‘Ali (‘a).” He said: “However, if you had visited the grave of ‘Abd al-’Azim which is situated near you, then your status would have been similar to the one who visited al-Husayn (‘a).” [26]
Perhaps (the authenticity of) this tradition may be disputed because of the unknown identity of the narrator transmitting the report from the Imam. But a response in its defence may be made by maintaining that Muhammad bin Yahya al-Attar who was the authority of Shaykh al-Kulayni (d 329 AH/940 AD) would not rely in such an important matter on the statement of a person whom he did not know or had any confidence in. Moreover, being a native of Qum himself, he would know the Shi’ites of Ray.
Perhaps another question may be posed here, which is: How can a pilgrimage to the grave of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim be of equal stature to the pilgrimage to al-Husayn bin ‘Ali (‘a)? A possible response to this may be that the Imam uttered this statement in harsh circumstances and intended to bring to light the nature of the reign of Mutawakkil and his cohorts who used to tyrannise and murder the Shi’ites on the basis of any pretext.
Mutawakkil reigned from 234 AH/848 AD till the year 247 AH/861 AD when he was murdered by his son. The reign of his son did not last long either as the Caliphate was taken over by one claimant after another such as al-Musta’in (r. 248 AH/862 AD – 252 AH/866 AD) then al-Mu ‘tazz Billah famously known for his enmity to the Ahlul Bayt (deposed in 255 AH/869 AD), then al-Muhtadi (r. 255 AH/869 AD – 256 AH /870 AD) and then al-Mu’tamad (r. 256 AH/870 AD – 279 AH/892 AD).
The prevailing policy in the ruling court was that of deception, enmity and oppression against the ‘Alids and the Shi’ites. Thus in such circumstances, the Imam may have advised the Shi’ites to content themselves by visiting the grave of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim in order to protect their lives and belongings from destruction and loss. Nevertheless, this does not mean that there is a reduction in the status of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) or an exaggeration in the status of Sayyid ‘Abd al- ‘Azim.
Further, it is clear from what Sahib bin ‘Abbad narrates, that Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim was a ‘source of reference’ in matters of the faith and an interpreter of Islamic law for the Shi’ites in regard to issues which seemed ambiguous and unclear to them. Thus Abu Turab al-Ruyani says:
‘I visited ‘Ali bin Muhammad (‘a) in Samarra ‘ and I asked him some questions relating to the permissible and impermissible. He answered all of them. When I was bidding him farewell, he said: “O Hammad, if something regarding religion confuses or confounds you then refer it to ‘Abd al-’Azim, and convey to him my regards.” [27]
This report expresses his position as a person who possessed the capability of ijtihad similar to Zurara bin A’yan [28] , Muhammad bin Muslim [29] , Yunus bin ‘Abd al-Rahman [30] and Zakariyya bin Adam [31] whom Imam al-Ridha’ (‘a) praised in response to one who asked him (something) by saying:
‘Refer to Zakariyya bin Adam, (who is) trustworthy in worldly and religious affairs.’ [32]
His Position Near The Scholars
Many biographers have mentioned sterling statements in his favour. We have mentioned some of them and there is no need to repeat them again.
And from the various evidences proving his greatness is that the foremost expert in the discipline of the Hadith, Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Babwayhi al-Saduq compiled a special book containing reports of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim. He mentions this in his list of books where he registers that he has a comprehensive book of reports of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim bin ‘Abdullah al-Hasani. [33]
Perhaps this book discussed his life and various events pertaining to it, however it is unfortunate that this book has not reached us.
Indeed, Sahib bin ‘Abbad has written a biographical treatise about our master Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim. This treatise was discovered by al-Muhaddith al-Nuri (d 1320 AH/ 1902 AD) who has quoted it in its entirety in the index of his work (Mustadrak Wasa ‘il al-Shi’ite), in the context of the biography of Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim. There he writes as follows: ‘As for ‘Abd al-’Azim, he was one of the great personalities from the progeny of the Prophet. We shall restrict ourselves to mentioning about his life by quoting the treatise of Sahib bin ‘Abbad. This treatise has come down to us in the writing of one of the members of the family of Babwayhi. The date of the treatise is 516 hijri (1122 AD) and it says:
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