“Dabbal Khazai”[1] made his way to the city of Merv[2] and went to Imam Reza (peace be upon him).
With great enthusiasm, he said to the Imam (peace be upon him), “O son of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), I have composed a poem, and I have sworn not to recite it to anyone before you.”
The Imam (peace be upon him) replied, “Recite it, Dabbal.”
Dabbal began reciting the poem, and when he reached the following verse:
“The schools and gatherings where the Qur’an was recited, and its interpretation and teaching were held, are now empty. The place where revelation descended now lies dry, like a desert with no water or vegetation.”
“I see the spoils and the wealth of the Muslims being distributed among others, while the hands of the family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) are empty of it.”
At this moment, Imam Reza (peace be upon him) wept and said, “O Khazai, you have spoken the truth. It is indeed like that.”
Dabbal continued, reaching the next verse:
“Whenever the family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) becomes the target of the enemy’s weapons, suffering, and injustice, their hands, empty of weapons, are stretched out toward the enemy.”
At this, Imam Reza (peace be upon him) turned his palms upwards and moved them up and down, saying, “Yes, this is how it is; the hands are tied.”
Dabbal continued until he reached this verse:
“Because of my love for your family, I have lived my life in fear and terror. But my only hope is that after my death, I will be safe from punishment.”
Imam Reza (peace be upon him) responded to this verse, saying: “May God protect you from the Faza’ Akbar (the Great Terror)[3] on the Day of Judgment, and from punishment.”
Dabbal was overjoyed by the Imam’s words and continued his poem, describing the circumstances and graves of the family of the Prophet (peace be upon them), until he reached this verse:
“And there is a grave in Baghdad for the pure soul (referring to Imam Musa Kazim), whom God has placed in one of the chambers of paradise.”
At this point, Imam Reza (peace be upon him) said: “Would you like me to add two verses to complete your poem?”
Dabbal replied, “O son of the Messenger of God, please do.”
The Imam (peace be upon him) said:
“And there is a grave in the city of Tus[4], and woe to its grief; for the fire of the tragedy of his death burns within his body and soul until the Day of Resurrection. Unless God raises a Mahdi to prevail over the oppressors and ease our suffering.”[5]
Dabbal, with concern, asked: “My master, may I know whose grave this is in the city of Tus?”
Imam Reza (peace be upon him) replied: “That grave is mine, and it will not be long before Tus becomes a place where my Shia and pilgrims visit my grave. I announce that whoever visits me in the time of the solitude of my grave in Tus will be with me in my station, and God will cleanse him of his sins and forgive him.”[6][7]
After Dabbal finished his poem, the Imam (peace be upon him) stood up and told Dabbal to stay where he was. Then, the Imam went into his house, and moments later, one of his servants came out with a bag of gold containing one hundred dinars and gave it to Dabbal, saying: “Your master has ordered that you spend this money on yourself.”
Dabbal replied: “I swear by God, I did not come here seeking a reward, nor have I composed this poem in hopes of wealth.” Therefore, he refused the money and requested a garment from the Imam’s clothing to be blessed and to be honored by it.
Imam Reza (peace be upon him) ordered a servant to give Dabbal a garment along with the bag of gold and instructed him to accept the money, as he would need it, and not to return it.
Dabbal accepted the gold and the garment and returned to his city.
When Dabbal arrived in his city, he found that thieves had robbed his entire house, and as Imam Reza (peace be upon him) had predicted, he found that he had to use the gold coins given to him.
Footnotes:
[1] Dabbal bin Ali Khazai (born 148 AH and died 245 AH) was a famous Shiite poet and scholar of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AH. He was born in Kufa towards the end of Imam Sadiq’s (peace be upon him) life and had the privilege of meeting Imam Kazim, Imam Reza, and Imam Jawad (peace be upon them).
[2] Merv was one of the four ancient cities of Khorasan, which was once the capital of the region. It held a special military and commercial significance and remained the capital of Khorasan until the time of Ma’mun. Merv is now located in Turkmenistan.
[3] Faza’ Akbar refers to the great terror and fear experienced by people on the Day of Judgment, as mentioned in the Quran (21:103).
[4] Tus was not just a city but a large region in Khorasan, which contained thousands of settlements. After Imam Reza’s martyrdom by Ma’mun in 202 AH, he was buried in the Haruni Sanabad tomb on the outskirts of the city of Nughān, which later came to be known as Mashhad (meaning “place of martyrdom”).
[5] (From Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, Volume 2, page 264)
[6] According to various narrations, the essential condition for receiving the virtue and reward of visitation is to have knowledge and awareness of the Imam being visited. The true merit of visiting the Imam is recognized when it is done with understanding and insight into his role and virtue. As Bazenṭi states, “I read in the letter of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) that he said: ‘Whoever visits me will receive the reward of a thousand pilgrimages.’” Upon hearing this, I was astonished and asked Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) about it, and he confirmed that it is truly equal to a thousand pilgrimages, provided the visitor possesses knowledge of the Imam. (Thawab al-A’mal, page 98; Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, Volume 2, page 257)