It was a long journey to Merve and the Imam set out on this...

It was a long journey to Merve and the Imam set out on this momentous journey with some of his friends who were loyal to him throughout his life. His journey began from Medina to Mecca where he performed the lesser pilgrimage (i.e., Umra), then he took almost the same route as Imam Husain (PBUH) took in 61 Hijrah towards Karbala’.

Halfway through the hills of Hejaz when he crossed over to the desert of Najd, his route changed to that of Imam Husain (PBUH) and his caravan moved towards the eastern side and reached the town of Basra in the month of Shawwal (the tenth Hijrah month). From Basra, he crossed over the Shatt-al-Arab and reached the Persian soil heading towards the town of Qum. It was in the month of Dhul Hijjah that he reached Qum where he stayed for a while.

In the month of Muharram, the eighth Imam spent in Qum where it is said that he established for the first time a Majlis to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain (PBUH). This was the first Muharram in 201 Hijrah that set the tradition of Majlis, beginning in Persia the way the Imams of had wanted it and the way it was observed in Medina and Mecca and throughout the province of Hejaz and Najd and to some extent in Iraq where people thronged for pilgrimage to the Shrine of Imam Husain (PBUH).

After spending the Month of Muharram in Qum, the Imam proceeded towards the northern part of Persia crossing the Alburz mountains to the town of Merv where Ma’mun had settled with his army to secure his empire for him. On his arrival in Merv, Mamun welcomed him with great ceremony and pomp. Mamun treated the Imam with great honour.

It is mentioned by various historians, both of Shia and Sunni schools of thought, that when Ma’mun initially offered the Imam his throne, the Imam declined the offer firmly and resolutely. After several attempts to bring the Imam to accept the offer failed, Ma’mun told him to accept the offer of being his heir-apparent to succeed him after Ma’mun’s death.

Imam replied to this offer, “I will accept this to console you, but this will never happen for I will leave this world before you.” Once Ma’mun achieved his desire to get the consent of the Imam as his successor, he declared this openly to all in order to see the reaction of the Abbasid clan who was favouring his half-brother Amin.