A brief description of the life of the 8th Imam (as).

1. IMAM AL RIDHA
Gharibul ghuraba

2. SEERAH
 Name – Ali Bin Musa
 Title – Al-Ridha, Zamin-e-Thamin, Gharibul Ghuraba, Alim e Ale
Muhammad.
 Kuniyya – Abul Hassan
 Birth – 11th Dhulqa’ada 148 AH in Medina
 Mother – Sayyida Suttana (or Najma or Ummulbanin)
 Father – Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (AS)
 Death – 29th Safar 203 AH in Iran at the age of 55 years.
 Buried – In Mashad, Iran

3. HIS BACKGROUND
Imam Ali Al-Ridha (AS) was born one month
after the martyrdom of his grandfather, Imam Ja’fer
As-Sadiq (AS). He was born during the reign of
Harun Al-Rashid, who poisoned his father. Imam
played a significant role in the educating of Muslims.
Setting examples of education through his own
conduct.

4. HIS LIFE
 After the death of Harun Al Rashid, his son Mamoun
became the Khalif. According to the tradition started by
Muawiya, Harun had to name a successor. Mamoun
summoned Imam Al-Ridha to him. The route he chose was
not the normal route where a lot of shias used.

5. W H Y D I D M A M O U N W A N T T H E I M A M T O B E T H E I R
H E I R A P PA R E N T ?
 To please the Shia public opinion in Khurasan and the surrounding
areas
 This would make it easier for Mamoun to be accepted by the
people there

6. THE GOLDEN CHAIN
 On the way, Imam was asked to tell them a hadith. The Imam related the
hadith famously known as the ‘Hadith of the Golden Chain’
 From my father Al-khadim, through his father Al-Sadiq, through his father
Al-Baqer, through his father Al-Sajjad, through his father Al-Hussain, through
his father Amir Al-Mui’meen, from the Messenger, from Gabriel: Allah (swt)
has said the word La Ilaha Ila Allah is my fortification, whoever says it will
enter my fort and whoever enters my fort is safe. Then the Imam added, “ But
this is with its conditions and I am one of those conditions.”

7. HIS LIFE IN MA’MOON’S PALACE
 After he arrived at the palace Ma’moon kept a close eye on the Imam
 He often invited many learned and knowledgeable people to the palace
to meet Imam
 They had a lot of questions and the Imam’s knowledge was so wide
that he was able to answer all of them
 One scholar asked, “How can you accept Muhammad to be the
prophet of God when he showed no miracles?”

8. HIS LIFE CONTINUED..
 Imam replied; “ The greatest of miracles of Allah is the human
mind. It allows ideas to be thought through and reasoned out. Islam
appeals to human reason. Man must accept God through reason and
not through miracles.” The scholar did not have much to say after
that.
 Seeing the Imam’s popularity disturbed Ma’moon and he decided
to kill him

9. HIS MARTYRDOM
 There are various accounts of how Imam Ali Al Ar-Ridha (AS) was
killed by Mamun. One of them is that Imam used to like grapes and
Mamun offered the Imam some poisoned grapes. Imam was ill and died
after two days on the 29th of Safar 203 AH. He died in Toos in a village
called Sanabad.

10. HIS MARTYRDOM C O N T. .
 Mamun ordered Imam’s grave to be dug near his father
Harun’s, and when it was being dug he said that Imam has told
him that when his grave would be dug up, water and fish would
appear underneath. Just as Imam had said when they finished
digging a spring of water appeared with fish in it and then
disappeared. Imam is buried there at what is today called Mash-
had in Iran.

11. HIS LEGACY
 ‘The first thing the worshiper will be judged for is his prayer and if
the prayer is right every other act will be right. If it was rejected every
other act will be rejected.’
 He also used to gather people in majalis for the remembrance of
Imam Hussain(as)

12. THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
Thanks for your time