Ali ar-Rida 8th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam |
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Native name | علي الرضا |
Born |
c. CE (11 Dhul Qa`dah 148 AH) Medina, Hijaz, Abbasid Empire (now Saudi Arabia) |
1 January 766
Died |
c. 26 May 818 (30 Safar 203 AH) Tus, Persia, Abbasid Empire (Now Iran) |
(aged 53)
Cause of death | Death by poisoning according to most Shi'a Muslims |
Resting place |
Imam Reza shrine, Iran 36°17′13″N 59°36′56″E / 36.28694°N 59.61556°E |
Other names | Alī 'ibn Mūsā |
Title | |
Term | 799–819 CE |
Predecessor | Musa al-Kadhim |
Successor | Muhammad al-Jawad |
Spouse(s) | Sabīkah aka Khayzurān |
Children |
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Parent(s) |
Musa al-Kadhim Ummul Banīn Najmah |
‘Alī ibn Mūsā ar-Riḍā (Arabic: علي ابن موسى الرّضا), also called Abu al-Hasan, Ali al-Reza (c. 29 December 765 – 23 August 818) or in Persia (Iran) as Imam Reza (Persian: امام رضا), was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and the eighth Shi'ite Imam, after his father Musa al-Kadhim, and before his son Muhammad al-Jawad. He was an Imam of knowledge according to the Zaydi (Fiver) Shia school and Sufis. He lived in a period when Abbasid caliphs were facing numerous difficulties, the most important of which was Shia revolts. The Caliph Al-Ma'mun sought out a remedy for this problem by appointing Al-Ridha as his successor, through whom he could be involved in worldly affairs. However, according to the Shia view, when Al-Ma'mun saw that the Imam gained even more popularity, he decided to correct his mistake by poisoning him. The Imam was buried in a village in Khorasan, which afterwards gained the name Mashhad, meaning the place of martyrdom.
On the eleventh of Dhu al-Qi'dah, 148 AH (December 29, 765 CE), a son was born in the house of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (the seventh Imam of Twelver Shia Islam) in Medina. He was named Ali and titled al-Ridha, literally meaning in Arabic, "the contented", since it was believed that Allah was contented with him. His kunya (alternative name) was Abu'l Hasan, since he was the father of al-Hasan; the naming of a father after his son being a common practice in Arab culture. However, in the Shia sources he is commonly called Abu’l-Ḥasan al-Ṯānī (the second Abu'l Hasan), since his father, Musa al-Kadhim, was also Abu'l Hasan (he was known as Abu’l-Ḥasan al-Awwal, meaning the first Abu'l Hasan). In keeping with his very high status amongst Shi'a, he has been given other honorific titles since, such as Saber, Vafi, Razi, Zakki amd Vali