By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     "The Imam is a kind father, a helper brother, (could be likened to) a compassionate mother to a minor child, and a refuge for creatures of God in severe calamities.”
     The above statement is not that of any theorist, since imamate or divinely-decreed authority, is not a theory or an ideology of fallible minds. The Imamate or leadership of the pious, as is evident by ayah 124 of Surah al-Baqarah of the holy Qur’an is the exclusive trust of God reserved for the Chosen of God, and is not granted to the unjust:
     "And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them, He said, ‘I am making you the Imam of mankind.’ Said he, ‘And from among my descendants?’ He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust.’”
      It was God who made Prophet Abraham (AS) an Imam of mankind, and told him in explicit words that this prestigious position will never be the prerogative of the perfidious. In other words, only the most virtuous and just from the progeny of Abraham will be conferred this authority of leadership of mankind.
     Thus, the Last and the Greatest Messenger of God, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), who was direct descendant of Abraham through his firstborn son, Ishmael (AS), was rewarded by the Almighty with this position.
    But Imamate, in its exclusive sense, was reserved by God for a select group of the descendants of the Seal of Prophets, who were not prophets themselves. To be more precise, it was during the mission of the Prophet of Islam that Imamate reached its climax.
     It was the last year of the Prophet’s life, and while he was returning to Medina from Mecca after having performed his Farewell Hajj pilgrimage, Archangel Gabriel descended with an urgent revelation that had to be proclaimed immediately to the Muslims. The Prophet halted at the place called Ghadeer-Khom, and on revelation of ayah 67 of Surah al-Ma’edah, addressing the huge gathering of 120,000 people, entrusted Imamate, in the full limelight of history, to his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS).
    The Prophet later specified that the Imams of his Blessed Household the Ahl al-Bayt, will number 12, with the last of them reappearing in the end times, after a prolonged occultation, as Qa’em al-Mahdi (AS), to cleanse the Planet of all vestiges of corruption and oppression by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.
    Thus, today, the eve of the last day of the month of Safar, when all roads are leading towards the holy city of Mashhad, northeastern Iran, ought to make us better cognizant of the identity of the person who spoke the dynamic words about the characteristics of the divinely-designated Imam.
     He was none other than the Prophet’s 8th Infallible Heir, Imam Reza (AS), who was martyred through poisoning in Khorasan in the year 203 AH by Mamoun, the self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime.
     Imam Reza (AS) needs no introduction to anyone familiar with Islam, the School of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, and Iran’s history, culture, and contemporary events. Born in the Prophet’s city of Medina in 148 AH, and named "Ali” in honour of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), he was 35 years old when the mantle of the Divine Trust of Imamate came to rest on his shoulders in 183 AH on the martyrdom of Imam Kazem (AS) through poisoning in the dungeon of Baghdad.
     For the next twenty years, before his own life was cut short at the age of 55, he spared no efforts to steer the ship of Islam to the shores of salvation through stormy seas of Abbasid tyranny. So dexterously he discharged his duties that he was hailed by the Ummah as "Reza”, or the person who is completely satisfied with the Will of God and with whom all other people, whatever their jurisprudential denomination, and whether friend or foe, are also satisfied.
     In 201 AH, Imam Reza (AS) was forcibly brought to the city of Marv in Khorasan by Mamoun, who was afraid of the popularity among the Muslim Ummah of the Prophet’s Heir.
     In order to deceive the people, Mamoun outwardly showed respect to Imam Reza (AS) and craftily declared the 8th Imam as his heir apparent, although the Imam was some twenty years older than him. To his horror, he failed to isolate the Imam from the Ummah as the popularity of the Prophet’s Rightful Successor grew every day amongst the people, in view of his exemplary lifestyle, his God-given knowledge and wisdom, and his dynamic debates with the leaders and scholars of various schools of thought and religion.
     Mamoun in the vain hope of preserving Abbasid rule, devised a plan to stealthily martyr Imam Reza (AS) through poisoning, and then feigned grief by joining the funeral ceremony and shedding crocodile tears. He then left for Iraq and Baghdad, satisfied that the 8th Imam was buried in a distant land.
    Soon, in the course of time, Abbasid rule came to its disgraceful end, and today there are no signs of the caliphs or their tombs, let alone their palaces, while the mausoleum of Imam Reza (AS) has grown into a spacious shrine where millions of people flock from all over Iran and the different parts of the world to pay homage to the person who in further definition of the role of the divinely-designated Imam, said.
     "The Imam is the flourishing root of Islam and its prime branch. The Imam is an honest friend, a kind and friendly father, a truly-loyal brother and companion, just like an affectionate and selfless mother towards her young child, and a refuge for Allah’s servants.”