ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books About Imam Reza (a.s) The Tragic Ending It was not politically feasible for al-Ma’mun to reach Baghdad accompanied by Imam ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), for that would stir the winds of dissension against him and he might not be strong enough to withstand them.

From this standpoint, our belief that al-Ma’mun was the one who plotted to end the life of the Imam (a.s.) by giving him poisoned grapes is strengthened, and the historical environment at the time helps us confirm this belief even when Ibn al-Athir, in his Tarikh , thinks that that was not possible.

Prominent scholars and historians such as Shaikh al-Mufid and others have also doubted it, while others such as Sayyid ibn Tawoos, Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, and al-Arbili in Kashf al-Ghumma, have all dismissed it outright. The latter strongly defended his view, but it was nevertheless no more than a simplistic and superficial defense. Al-Ma’mun's letter to the Abbasides and the residents of Baghdad, which he wrote after the demise of Imam ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), gives such an impression.

"He wrote the Abbasides and their supporters and to the people of Baghdad informing them of the death of Ali ibn Musa and that they had resented his nomination of him as his successor, asking them now to go back to their loyalty to him."1 This may be understood as a clear admission that the death of the Imam (a.s.) was not natural during those circumstances, and the text Ibn Khaldun provides in expressing the contents of this letter provides even clearer clues to accusing al-Ma’mun of murdering him; he says in his Tarikh : "...

And al-Ma’mun sent messages to al-Hasan ibn Sahl, to the people of Baghdad, and to his supporters apologizing for naming him his regent and inviting them to go back to his loyalty."2 What can be understood regarding al-Ma’mun's regret and realization of his mistake regarding the regency arrangement is that such regret is meaningless if it had happened after the Imam's death; rather, it must have occurred prior to that, so he paved the way to correct it by assassinating the Imam (a.s.) in order to please the Abbasides, their supporters, and the people of Baghdad.