Musa al-Kadhim

For the Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, see Musa al-Sadr. For the African-American Muslim activist, see Abdul Alim Musa.

Quotations related to Mūsà al-Kāẓim at Wikiquote

Mūsà al-Kāẓim Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam
A modern depiction by a Shi'a artist
Rank	Seventh Twelver Imām
Name	Mūsà ibn Ja‘far ibn Muḥammad
Kunya	Abū Ibrāhīm[1]
Birth	7th Safar 128 AH ≈ 6 November 745 C.E.
Death	25th Rajab 183 AH ≈ 1 September 799 C.E.
Birthplace	Abwā'[1], Saudi Arabia
Buried	al-Kādhimiya Mosque, Kādhimayn, Iraq
Life Duration	Before Imamate: 20 years (128 – 148 AH) Imamate: 35 years (148 – 183 AH)
Titles	al-Kādhim[1] (Arabic for Calm) Bābul Hawā'ij[2] (Arabic for The door to fulfilling needs) ‘Abdus Sālih[1] (Arabic for Virtuous Slave [of God]) Yedinci Ali (Turkish for "Seventh ‘Alī")
Spouse(s)	Ummul Banīn Najmah[3]
Father	Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq
Mother	Hamīdah al-Barbariyyah[1]
Children	‘Alī ar-Ridhā (successor), Fātimah al-Ma‘sūmah, Hājar Khātūn, Hamzah, Sālih, Ahmad, Muhammad, Ibrāhīm, Aisha[4][5][6][7][8]
Ali · Hasan · Husayn al-Sajjad · al-Baqir · al-Sadiq al-Kadhim · al-Rida · al-Taqi al-Hadi · al-Askari · al-Mahdi

Mūsà ibn Ja‘far al-Kāẓim / al-Kādhim (Arabic: موسى بن جعفر الكاظم‎) (6 November 745 AD – 1 September 799 // Safar 7, 128 AH – Rajab 25, 183 AH)^[1] was the seventh of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'a Islam. He was the son of Imam Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq and his mother was Hamidah Khātūn, a student and former Zanjiyyah slave. His wife Najmah was also a former slave purchased and freed by Hamidah, his mother.^[9]

Mūsà al-Kāẓim was born during the power struggles between the Umayyad and the ‘Abbasid Calpihates. Like his father, he was assassinated by the ‘Abbasids. He had three notable children: the eighth Twelver Imām, ‘Alī ar-Riẓà, and two daughters, Fātima bint Mūsā and Hājar Khātūn.

The Festival of Imam Musa al-Kadhim celebrates his life and death.

Background

Mūsà al-Kāẓim was born in Abwa between Mecca and Medina. His mother was originally a Berber, but was freed and trained as an Islamic scholar through his father.^[10][11]

Designation of the Imamate

Mūsà al-Kāẓim became the seventh Shi’ah Imam at the age of 21. According to the Kitab al-Irshad of Sheikh al-Mufid:

Among the shaykhs of the followers of Abu Abd Allah Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, his special group (khassa), his inner circle and the trustworthy righteous legal scholars, may God have mercy on them, who report the clear designation of the Imamate by Abu Abd Allah Jafars peace be on him, for his son, Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him, are: al-Mufaddal b. Umar al-Jufi, Mu'adh b. Kathir, Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hajjaj, al-Fayd b. al-Mukhtar, Yaqub al-Sarraj, Sulayman b. Khalid, Safwan al-Jammal... [That designation] is also reported by his two brothers, Ishaq and Ali, sons of Jafar, peace be on him.^[12]

Some Muslims believe that the eldest son of Imam Ja‘far, namely Isma'il ibn Jafar, received the Imamate rather than Mūsà al-Kāẓim. These groups comprise the Ismaili Shi'a. Isma'il predeceased his father, causing a division among the Shi'a as to who was to succeed as the next Imam. Some radical Ismaili groups believed that Isma'il had not died, but rather gone into hiding; this view is not held by any living Shi'a groups but was central to the theology of the Qarmatians, who described Isma'il as having entered into Occultation.

Another group of Shi'a, Aftahiyya or Fathiyyah, chose a third candidate as successor: al-Sadiq's eldest surviving son, Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq. This sect was unsuccessful and its adherents eventually abandoned it.

Al Kadhimiya Mosque

His death

In 795, Harun al-Rashid imprisoned Mūsà al-Kāẓim; according to Twelver Shia tradition, four years later, he ordered Sindi ibn Shahiq to poison Musa. Mūsà al-Kāẓim's body is now said to rest within al Kadhimiya Mosque in Kadhimayn, Iraq. He left nineteen sons and eighteen daughters.

A small group of people rejected the death of Mūsà al-Kāẓim. They were called the Waqifite Shia. They believed Mūsà was the Mahdi and was alive, but in occultation. This group, however, is now extinct.

Quotes

• The best generosity is the help to the oppressed.
• The world is soft and beautiful like a snake but there is a fatal poison hidden inside.
• Reliance on Allah has grades. One of them is that you rely on Him in every matter and be pleased with whatever He decides for you and know that He never hesitates in providing you any good and grace and that every decision is from Him so leave every affair to His Will and rely and put trust only in Him^[13]
• One who gives circulation to a sin is banished and forsaken and the one who covers a sin will be forgiven by God^[14]
• Every person who strives to obtain Halaal (permissible) sustenance or provision is like a fighter in the path of God^[15]
• After the acknowledgement of God, the best acts of the offertory to God are the prayers, piety to the parents, and evasion of envy, self-conceit, and pride^[16]
• The few deeds of the intelligent will be accepted and doubled, while the many deeds of the followers of passions and the ignorant will be rejected.^[17]

Timeline

Musa al-Kadhim of the Ahl al-Bayt Banu Hashim Clan of the Banu Quraish Born: 7th Safar 128 AH ≈ 6 November 745 CE Died: 25th Rajab 183 AH ≈ 1 September 799 CE
Shī‘a Islam titles
Preceded by Jafar al-Sadiq	7th Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam 765–799	Succeeded by Ali al-Ridha

See also

• Musavi (name)
• Hajar Khatoon Mosque
• Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq (Al-Dibaj)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. 2004. pp. 131. 
   "The Infallibles Taken from Kitab al Irshad By Sheikh al Mufid". al-islam.org. http://www.al-islam.org/masoom/bios/7thimam.html. Retrieved 20 November 2008. 
2. ^ A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. 2004. pp. 131. 
   al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef. "1". The Life of Imam Musa bin Ja'far al-Kazim. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. pp. 60. 
3. ^ A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. 2004. pp. 137. 
4. ^ al-Irshad, by Shaikh Mufid [p.303]
5. ^ Kashf al-Ghumma, by Abu al-Hasan al-Irbili [vol.2, p.90 & 217]
6. ^ Tawarikh al-Nabi wa al-Aal, by Muhammad Taqi al-Tustari [p. 125-126]
7. ^ al-Anwar al-Nu`maniyya, by Ni`mat Allah al-Jaza’iri [vol.1, p.380]
8. ^ Umdat al-Talib, by Ibn Anba [p. 266 {footnote}]
9. ^ Muntaha al-amal, in Farsi pp. 289–290
10. ^ Slavery in the History of Islam: Slaves' Children – Imams and Caliphs
11. ^ ShiaStudies.com: Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (AS) – Birth and Childhood
12. ^ Imam al-Musa al-Kadhim (a.s.)
13. ^ Al Kafi 2:65
14. ^ Al Kafi
15. ^ Bihar al-Anwar 103: 4, 7, 113
16. ^ "Maxims of Imam Al-Kadhim". Tuhaful Uqool/Tuhaf ul-Uqoul. Compiled by Abu Muhammed Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Al-Hussein bin Shu’ba Al-Harrani, Translated by Badr Shahin. Iran: Ansariyan Publications. 2000. 
17. ^ Tuhaful Uqool, Ch: Maxims of Imam Al-Kadhim.

Persondata
Name	Alkadhim, Musa
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	746
Place of birth	Abwā', Saudi Arabia
Date of death	799
Place of death