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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books the Life of Imām 'ali Bin Mūsā Al-ridā Chapter Xiv IN THE TIME OF AL-RASHĪD, AL-AMĪN, AND AL-MAMŪN Imām al-Ridā, peace be on him, was a contemporary of three Abbāsid kings: Al-Rashid, al-Amin, and al-Mamūn. In the time of al-Rashid, the Imāms soul was full of deep sadness and bitter sorrow, for Hārūn al-Rashid took severe measures against the Alawides in general and against his (the Imāms) father, Imām al-Kāzim, peace be on him.

We talked about these measures in the previous chapters of this book. Now, we will briefly speak about these kings and their attitudes toward Imām al-Ridā, peace be on him.

Hārūn al-Rashid He is the most famous Abbāsid king; his name is widespread; his reputation is widely known in the east and the west; the world responded to him; the kingdom was brilliant to him; Baghdad, the bide of the east, was his capital; his rule and power extended to most regions of the world; it was he who said to clouds: You rain in my kingdom! The kings of the world yielded to him and became small before his power.

Now, we will speak about some characteristics of his personality as follows: A. Cruelty As for cruelty, it was among his elements and characteristics. Al-Amir Shakib said: He (Hārūn al-Rashid) was as tyrannical and blood-thirsty just as the tyrannical kings of the east were. [1] [1] Hayāt al-Imām al-Ridā, p. 119.

An example of his severe cruelty is that he destroyed the Alawides, punished them severely, and wreaked upon them painful torture which they had never faced except in the time of his grandfather, the tyrannical shedder of blood, Mansūr al-Dawāniqi. We have demonstrated the tragedies they faced in his time. B. Malice Yet another element of al-Rashids personality is that he bore malice against those who had noble lineage and brilliant figures who enjoyed a remarkable rank in the social circles.

For example, he bore malice against the master of the Muslims, Imām Mūsā b. Jafar, so he ordered him to be placed in a dark prison, and to be given poison to drink. That was because the Imām occupied a notable position in the souls of the Muslims. Similarly, he bore a grudge against those whose reputation was widely known and whose excellence was spread among the people.