Discussion of a lengthy hadith on the intellect ('aql) narrated from Imam Musa al-Kazim (A) in al-Kafi to Hisham ibn al-Hakam. Suggestions for further reading/listening at end. Presented at Mahfil Ali in London, UK.

1. Imam al-Kazim (A)Imam al-Kazim (A)
andand
Hisham ibn al-HakamHisham ibn al-Hakam
And believe in Allah
and His Prophet
and the light which
We have sent, and
Allah is aware of
what you do.
They want to put out the
light of Allah with their
mouths, and Allah will
continue His light, even
if the kafirun hate it.

2. Imam al-Sadiq (A)
743 – Imamate
begins
765 - Martyred
Imam al-Kazim (A)
745 – born 7 Safar
(Medina)
750 – meets Abu
Hanifah
765 – Imamate
begins
796 – taken to
Baghdad, imprisoned
799 – Poisoned (25
Safar)
Hisham ibn al-Hakam
c. 750 – born
Kufa/Wasit, goes to
Baghdad
Writes Refutation of
Aristotle
Meets Imam al-Sadiq
(A)
Meets Imam al-Kazim
(A)
Debates and writes for
Imams (A)
Succession debate
c. 803 – dies
Other events
750 – Abbasid
caliphate begins
766 – Imam Rida (A)
born
786 – Harun al-Rashid
comes to power
809 – Harun al-Rashid
killed
819 – Imam Rida (A)
martyred
Timeline

3. Who is receiving
glad tidings?

4. How has Allah perfected
His proofs?

5. What makes the minority special?

6. What does
the intellect
require to
develop?

7. What destroys the
intellect?

8. What are some
signs of the
intellect?

9. A final word

10. Imam Musa Al-Kazim (A)
He stood firm on faith,
Preached nothing except truth,
Condemned injustice, imparted knowledge,
Refused to accept false. Such were his crimes;
They barred him in prison with cruelty,
For fourteen years he received injuries unnumbered,
Whatever be the place, whatever be the treatment yet
Undeterred he refused to accept false come what may.
Superlatives of cruelty were crossed when the prison was
packed with rods,
Pointed on the tips the iron rods just touched him from all
sides,
Not one, not two but for fourteen years he lived in such
cruelty,
How could he rest when all the sides were packed with pain?
They tried harder and harder to force him into the false
He accepted all cruelty and stood firm on truth.
And then they offered him a bowl.. of poison

11. Death was near and he craved with poison cutting his organs
He fell on the left and the rods pierced inside his body
Pain and anguish aggrieved him he fell on his right
The rods on the right pierced him again.
Nothing was as painful in the world however, they came again,
A pen and a paper, “Write in here that you accepted poison as
attempt to suicide"
They forced him but he refused, 'The Leader how could he accept?’
They said, 'you refused to write, we'll subject you to more cruelty'
A nail placed on his head and hammer ready to hit. He refused to write.
O people recognise him he was Great Grandson of Holy Prophet,
He was Musa Al-Kazim whose tomb is a place of refuge for meek,
O people He is the son of Great Scientist of Islam Imam Jafar Sadiq
O people He is the grandson of Great Martyr Imam Husain son of
Ali
Killed in the dark prisons after being subjected to such cruelty,
Is this the world of humans is there anything called humanity?
- Aun Hasan Ali

12. Further reading/
listening