Musa al-Kazim

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Imam Musa al Kazim (November 10, 745September 4, 799) was the seventh Shia Imam (he is not accepted by the Ismailis as the seventh Imam). He was born Musa ibn Jafar ibn Muhammad, and the Festival of Imam Musa al Kazim is held on the seventh day of Rajab every year in the Islamic calendar.

Contents

Birth and family life

Musa al-Kazim was born in Abwa, a town between Mecca and Medina.

  • Father: Jafar al-Sadiq (the 6th Shia Imam)
  • Mother: Hamida, a Berber slave.

Expertise

As a youngster, he studied under his father who was renowned for his knowledge in the sciences, law and religious studies.

The Imamah

Jafar died when Musa was 20. Upon his fathers death, the title of Imam was contested. Some felt that it had passed to his brother Ismail ibn Jafar who had predeceased their father, while others felt it belonged to his other brother Abdullah al Aftali. Despite this controversy, Musa was successful at gaining the allegiance of most of the Shia community, cementing himself as the Imam. During Musa's Imamate, the Hashemites were facing persecution from the new Abbasid rulers of Baghdad. Musa was eventually arrested by Harun Rashid and sent to Baghdad to be executed. However, Rashid had a dream at the last minute, and instead freed Musa giving him a thousand dinars and sending him back to Medina. Despite his change of heart, Rashid would continue to regard the descendents of Muhammad as a threat to his rule, and as such, Musa was arrested again and kept in jail for six years.

Death

He was poisoned by Harun Rashid on September 4, 799 while in jail, and his body was put on display on the Baghdad bridge so that Harun Rashid could dispel any rumors of Musa still being alive. He was buried north of Baghdad in a town that is now named after him, Kazimain. A mausoleum of one of his descendents called Imam Ja'far is situated in the city of Pishva near Tehran in Iran.[1]

Academic line

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Students:

External links


Preceded by:
Jafar al-Sadiq
Twelver Shia Imam
765–799
Succeeded by:
Ali al-Rida
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