The Public Rites of Remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S): Part 4
The period of his son, the seventh Imam Musa al-Kazim, was a much blacker period for the Shi'a. During it they were treated dreadfully by the 'Abbasid authorities as their organizations strove to combat the activities of the Shi'a and to suppress violently their cultural movements, among which, naturally, were the rites of remembrance for Imam Hussein (A.S). So violent was the terrorization which the Shi'a faced from the authorities and their organizations in this period that the Shi'a were compelled to use taqiyya (precautionary dissimulation) on a wide scale in their public lives, in some circumstances even in their private lives, in order to preserve their physical safety. Imam Musa spent a long period of his life in 'Abbasid prisons and he died a martyr in one of the prisons of Baghdad in the year 183, during the reign of Harun al-Rashid.
However, the Shi'a regained some freedom of movement during the periods of the eighth and ninth Imams, Imam 'Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (A.S) (148 or 153-203) and his son, Imam Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Javad (A.S) (195-220). The reign of the 'Abbasid Caliph, al-Ma'mun, was characterized by the relative moderation in the treatment of the Shi'a. The atmosphere of tolerance continued in the reign of his successor, al-Muttasim. Imam al-Reza (A.S) became heir apparent to al-Ma'mun in 201 and his son-in-law through marrying al-Ma'mun's daughter, Umm Habiba. Al-Ma’mun asked Imam al-Reza, peace be on him, to marry her daughter, Umm Habib[1]; the Imam accepted that and married her. Al-Ma’mun intended to seek nearness to the Imam, that the relationships between them might be strong. Some traditionalists think that al-Ma’mun married his daughter to the Imam in order to spy on his behavior and activities. This step suits al-Ma’mun, who is famous for deception and trickery. Similarly Ma’mun married his daughter, Umm al-Fadl, to Imam al-Javad (A.S).
Among the directives of Imam Reza (A.S) concerning the performance of the rites of remembrance is the following: Whoever remembers our sufferings and weeps for the crimes which have been committed against us, will be within our rank on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever remembers our suffering and weeps and makes others weep, his eyes will not weep on the Day when many eyes will weep. Whoever attends gatherings where our situation is kept alive, his heart will not die on the day when many hearts will die.
By Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din
Source: almaaref.org
Other links:
How Do We View Hussein (A.S) in the Depth of History
Imam Hussein (A.S) and the Renewal of Islam
“Karbala” Origin & Meaning
