After the martyrdom of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) in Khorasan at the hands of the Abbasid Caliph Mamun, the period of Imam Javad’s (peace be upon him) Imamate began. A wave of public discontent spread across the Islamic world due to the killing of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) by Mamun. Mamun moved from Khorasan to Baghdad and reestablished it as the capital of the Caliphate. To cover up his betrayal of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) and to confront the prominent Abbasids as well as to appease the general public, Mamun sent a messenger to Medina, officially inviting Imam Javad (peace be upon him) to Baghdad.
One day, during his stay in Baghdad, Imam Javad (peace be upon him) was passing through the streets. The people had gathered along his path, each trying to catch a glimpse of him. Among those who joined the crowd that day was a man of Zaydi faith. He recounts:[1]
“I was traveling to Baghdad, and when I arrived, I saw people moving in a state of excitement, some running, some climbing to high places, while others stood still.
I asked what was going on, and they said, ‘Ibn al-Reza, Ibn al-Reza’ (meaning Imam Javad, the son of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)) is coming. I said to myself, ‘By God, I will stand here to see him.’
Suddenly, I saw him appear riding a horse. I thought to myself, ‘May God keep the Imamiyyah (Shia) away from His mercy, as they believe that God has made the obedience of this young man obligatory!'”
As this thought crossed my mind, Imam Javad (peace be upon him) changed his path toward me and said, ‘O Qasim ibn Abdul Rahman! Did the Thamud people not say: “Should we follow a human like ourselves (Prophet Saleh)? If we do, we will be in clear error and madness!”‘ [2]
I again thought to myself, ‘He must be a sorcerer.’
Once more, Imam Javad (peace be upon him) turned toward me and said, ‘Is it only upon him (Prophet Saleh) that the revelation has come? No! He (Saleh) was a liar and a deceiver!’ [3]
Qasim continues: ‘The Imam informed me of my inner thoughts, then left. At that moment, I repented from my false belief and accepted the Imamate of Ibn al-Reza (peace be upon them). I testified that he is the proof of God to the people, and I believed in him.'”[4]
By reciting these noble verses, Imam Javad (peace be upon him) subtly reminded Qasim of his incorrect judgment. The Imam compared Qasim’s judgment to the Thamud people’s astonishment at the idea that God had chosen a prophet from among them. The Thamud found it hard to accept that a prophet could be from their own people, but the truth is that if God chooses someone for a specific divine mission, He grants them the necessary attributes for that role. The same applies to the position of Imamate; the Imam is divinely appointed, and his youth is not an obstacle to the fulfillment of God’s will.
Moreover, when Qasim was astonished by the Imam’s knowledge of his thoughts and words, and had called him a sorcerer, the Imam recited another verse (Qamar 54:25) in response. This verse signifies that the prophets and divine leaders are connected to God through revelation and possess divine knowledge. Their knowledge is not comparable to the predictions of soothsayers or magicians, which are fallible and limited.
(Taken from the book “Guides of the Path of Light: The Life of Imam Muhammad Taqi (peace be upon him)”, written by Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Taqi Modarresi, with additions and modifications.)
Footnotes:
[1] Zaidis are a sect of Shia Muslims. The origin of the Zaydi sect dates back to the 2nd century Hijri. After Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), they considered Zayd, the son of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), as the Imam.
[2] (Surah Qamar, verse 24)
[3] (Surah Qamar, verse 25)
[4] Kashf al-Ghamma, Vol. 2, p. 3