Imam Ali al-Rida
| Ali al-Reza | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | علي الرضا |
| Born |
c. 1 January 766 CE (11 Dhul Qa`dah 148 AH) Medina, Abbasid Empire (now Saudi Arabia) |
| Died |
c. 26 May 818 (aged 53) (30 Safar 203 AH) Tus, Persia, Abbasid Empire (Now Iran) |
| 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 |
|
| Parent(s) |
Musa al-Kadhim Ummul Banīn Najmah |
‘Alī ibn Mūsā al-Rezā (Arabic: علي بن موسى الرضا), 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 Shia 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, however in the Shia sources he is commonly called Abu’l-Ḥasan al-Ṯānī so as not to be confused with his father, Imam Musa al-Kadhim. His father was known as Abu’l-Ḥasan al-Awwal. He was born one month after the death of his grandfather, Ja'far as-Sādiq, and brought up in Medina under the direction of his father. His mother, Najmah, was also a distinguished and pious lady. It is said that the boy al-Ridha required a great deal of milk, so that when his mother was asked whether her milk was sufficient, she answered, "it is not because my milk is not sufficient, but he wants it all the time, and consequently I am falling short in my prayers." She was originally a Berber (from the Maghreb i.e. Northwest Africa). She was purchased and freed by Bibi Hamidah Khatun, the wife of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, and like Bibi Hamidah was a notable Islamic scholar.
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