By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     
“Peace upon you O Ahl Bayt of the Prophet! Seat of the (Divine) mission. (Unto you) the Angels turn, (You are) the Destination of the Divine revelation, the Originating Source of mercy, the Treasures of wisdom, the Ultimate in forbearance, the Foundation of generosity, the Leaders of (all) nations. (You) administer and distribute bounties without interruption; (you are) the Elements of virtues, the Pillars of goodness; (you) direct and guide mankind, protect and support lands wherein people live, let in and lead on to faith. The All-Beneficent assigned to you the responsibility of dealing with His Benevolence. Illustrious Descendants of Prophets, the Cream of the nobly-born offspring of Messengers, and the Pure Family of the “Best Person” – Prophet Muhammad (SAWA); in the estimation of the Lord of the Worlds (all of you are the) mercy and blessings of Allah.”
The above passage is from the famous “Ziyarat-al-Jame’at-al-Kabeera” which is among the dynamic legacies of the person who was born on Zil-Hijjah 15, exactly 1234 lunar years ago in Medina.
He did not invent or coin these phrases, but was Divinely-inspired to express them as part of his efforts to bequeath to humanity the pure and pristine teachings of his Great Forbear, the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
These words of wisdom are worth contemplating upon by all those in quest of truth, for the person who expounded them was none other than the Tenth Infallible Heir of the Mercy unto the entire creation.  
Named Ali (AS), in honour of his illustrious ancestor, the Commander of the Faithful and the Leader of the Pious, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), he grew up to acquire the epithets of “an-Naqi” (the Pure) and “al-Hadi” (the Guide). 
He lived in those days of the reign of terror of self-styled caliphs of the usurper Abbasid regime, which used to boast over Europe and China of commanding the world’s most powerful war machines that soon vapourized – lessons modern day tyrants need to learn.
Imam Hadi (AS) was a boy of 8 years when his father Imam Muhammad at-Taqi al-Jawad (AS) was martyred through poisoning by Mu’tasim the caliph, who now resolved to erase from the mind of the son of his victim the heritage of the Ahl al-Bayt by appointing as tutor, the scholar al-Junaydi who was an enemy of the Prophet’s Household.
To the tutor’s astonishment, however, the boy was a repository of wisdom and knowledge beyond his tender years, and instead started to unravel to Junaydi, learning of a higher form of which the 80-year old scholar had no idea. The result was total transformation in the life of Junaydi from an enemy to a devotee of the Ahl al-Bayt.     
Volumes, not a brief newspaper column is required to pen the merits of Imam Ali an-Naqi (AS), whose Imamate or divinely designated leadership was of 34-year duration – equal to that of his grandfather’s grandfather, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS). Divided into two parts, his Imamate was 17 years of almost unhindered teaching in Medina and 17 years under virtual house arrest in Samarra.
In 234 AH, when the Godless Mutawakkil assumed the caliphate on the suspicious death of his elder brother Watheq, a new reign of terror was unleashed upon the ummah. He was especially harsh towards the followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, and ordered the cutting of fingers of all those desirous of pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala. He ordered the amputation of hands of a pilgrim for a second visit, and amputation of feet for a third visit. If the disabled pilgrim persists on visiting the blessed shrine of the Prophet’s grandson, then the regime will kill one of his family members. 
Imagine the impact of such cruelty on the heart of the Tenth Imam! Nonetheless, the devotees continued to visit Karbala, and the cruel Mutawakkil in 236 AH ordered the desecration of the shrine of the Chief of Martyrs, by diverting the waters of the river towards it on the assumption of erasing all signs of the grave of Imam Husain (AS). To his utter surprise however, the waters miraculously encircled the tomb from a respectable distance, without inundating it.
An exasperated Mutawakkil now forced Imam Naqi (AS) to leave Medina and come to Samarra in 237 AH, on the allegation that the Prophet’s Heir was planning a revolt against the Abbasids, and should be kept under close watch, although neither weapons nor wealth were found in the Imam’s House during an unannounced check.
During the stopover in Baghdad on his way to Samarra, the people warmly welcomed the Imam who elaborated the tenets of true Islam, to amazement of the neo-Muslim Turkish guards accompanying him – the concubine-born Mutawakkil’s maternal relations who exercised control over all affairs. 
Moreover, they were astonished at the Tenth Imam’s flawless knowledge of the Turkic language when the Prophet’s Righteous Heir had never visited the lands of the Turks or come into contact with them before.
In this way, and through other dynamic means, Imam Hadi (AS), whose Imamate coincided with the rule of six self-styled caliphs – Mu’tasim, Watheq, Mutawakkil, Muntasir, Musta’in, and Mu’taz – guided many to the Right Path.
He thus paved the path for firming up of the faith of the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt during the long occultation of his grandson, the Promised Mahdi (AS), who was to be born in Samarra in 255 AH – a year after his martyrdom – and will establish the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice in the end times.