1. The three items that existed in the house of Imam Musa Kadhim (pbuh)
Musa bin Ja’far had an amazing and astonishing life. First of all, the people close to him knew what his private life was like. There was no one from among his close companions who did not know why Musa bin Ja’far was making such tremendous efforts. He himself revealed his intentions through his statements, his veiled comments and his secret measures. Even in his residence – the special room where he resided – everything had a meaning. A narrator who was one of his close companions said that when he entered this room, he found three things there, one of which was a rough piece of clothing. The garment was not anything like the ordinary clothes worn by people. In other words, one could understand from the statements of the narrator that it resembled a uniform for war. Musa bin Ja’far did not wear it though. He kept it in his room as something symbolic.
The second item was a sword, which was hanging either from the roof or on the wall. And the third item was a copy of the Holy Qur’an. See what a beautiful symbolic meaning these items had. In his private room, which no one except for his close companions had access to, one could see the signs of a combatant with strong ideological beliefs.
2. The beginning of the Imamate of Musa bin Ja’far (pbuh) in the most difficult times
Musa bin Jafar’s life and Imamate began in the most difficult times. In my opinion, after Imam Sajjad (pbuh), there was no period as difficult as the period during which Musa bin Ja’far was born. Musa bin Ja’far became the Imam in the year 148 AH after the demise of his father, Imam Sadiq (pbuh). The caliph had deviously poisoned Imam Sadiq. Therefore, there was no other threat to the political life of the Bani Abbas and they could rule with complete power. Musa bin Ja’far (pbuh) came to the Imamate during a time when Mansour was at the peak of his power and his superficial domination. At that time, Imam Musa bin Ja’far was a young man and was under the strict observation of the government. All those who wanted to know who the Imam was after Imam Sadiq could only manage to meet with him with great difficulty.
Musa bin Ja’far advised people to be careful and said, “If they realize that you listen to me, receive instructions from me and are in contact with me, you will be in danger of losing your life. Therefore, be careful.” It was under these circumstances that Musa bin Ja’far came to the Imamate and commenced his struggle.
3. The four oppressive caliphs who ruled during the time of Musa bin Ja’far’s (pbuh) Imamate
Four caliphs came to power during the Imamate of Musa bin Ja’far, which lasted for 35 years. The Imam spent 34 of those 35 years promoting his Imamate, carrying out his duties and engaged in his struggles. And, he was harassed many times. In addition, the caliphs hatched many plots to assassinate him. When Mahdi Abbasi – Mansour’s son – came to power, he asked his vizier or counsellor, Rabi’, to assassinate Musa bin Ja’far since he felt that the Imam was the main threat to him. As I mentioned before, Hadi Abbasi made such a decision in the beginning of his caliphate as well. He even composed a poem which contained this meaning, “The time when we were soft on the Banu Hashim is over. I am determined to spare none of you, and Musa bin Ja’far will be the first of those whom I will kill.” Later, Harun al-Rashid decided to act in the same way, and he implemented this plan by committing this big crime. See what an eventful life Musa bin Ja’far had.
4. A Christian converts to Islam thanks to Musa bin Kadhim (pbuh) at a time when he was fleeing!
Musa bin Ja’far surely spent some time in hiding from the regime. He lived underground with no one knowing where he lived. See what kind of a person lived like this! A person who merely explained religious rules and the Islamic teachings, had nothing to do with the government, and was not involved in a political struggle should not have been exposed to such pressures. I even saw a narration which said that Musa bin Ja’far came to a village located in the Levant when he was in hiding from the government. The tradition said, “Musa bin Ja’far came to a village located in the Levant while he was in hiding from the government. He came to a cave…”
It is clear based on this narration that Musa bin Ja’far spent some time away from Medina. He would travel in disguise from this village to that village while being chased by the spies and agents of the government. One day, he came to a cave and entered it. He found a Christian there. The Imam had a discussion with him and did not forget about his divine duty, which was to clarify the truth. He spoke with the Christian, and the man became a Muslim. Such was the eventful life of Musa bin Ja’far. See what an exciting and thrilling life he had.
5. People from all Islamic denominations were in contact with him
When we look at Musa bin Ja’far today, we think of an innocent, quiet man who lived in Medina, was imprisoned in Baghdad, Kufah, Basrah and various places by the Abbasi agents, was later poisoned and left this world. That is all! However, this was not the case. His life was a long struggle, an organized battle, and a combat with the help of many individuals from all Islamic denominations… People from various Islamic denominations were in contact with Musa bin Ja’far.
6. Why did Harun murder Imam Kadhim (pbuh)?
Musa bin Ja’far was a danger to the establishment of the caliphate since he was a great leader with vast knowledge, with piety, obedient to God and righteous. These characteristics in him were clear to all those who knew him. He had many friends and admirers throughout the world of Islam. He had such courage that he was not intimated by any power, which stood in front of him. That was why he spoke so bravely before the superficial grandeur of Harun’s monarchy. Such a personality – a combatant, a Mujahid, a person who was connected to and reliant on God, who had friends throughout the world of Islam and who had a plan for establishing an Islamic government was the greatest danger for Harun’s rule. That was why Harun decided to eliminate the threat that Imam Musa Kadhim (pbuh) posed to him.
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