When Ma’mun[1] decided to marry his daughter, Umm al-Fadl, to Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali (peace be upon him), the Banu Abbas became aware of his decision. They reacted harshly and condemned it, fearing that it would lead to a situation similar to what happened with Imam Ali al-Ridha (peace be upon him). They deeply contemplated and discussed the matter. Ma’mun’s relatives approached him and said: “We fear that by doing this, you will take away the government entrusted to us by Allah and strip us of the honor that Allah has given us. You know well the long history of conflicts between us and the family of Ali. You are also aware that the previous caliphs would either exile them or disregard them…”
Ma’mun responded to them: “As for what happened between you and the family of Abu Talib, you yourselves were the cause of all those events. If you had treated them fairly, they would have been more deserving than you…”
The group then said: “How could you marry your daughter, the light of your eyes, to a young man who has not yet acquired the understanding of the religion? He cannot distinguish between what is lawful and unlawful, or between what is obligatory and what is recommended. Give him time to learn manners, read the Quran, study the religion, and differentiate between what is lawful and unlawful…”
Ma’mun replied: “Woe to you! I know more about this young man than you. He is more knowledgeable than you in religion, and he knows more about Allah, His Messenger, His traditions, and His laws than you do. He is more skilled in reading the Quran, understanding the abrogated and abrogating verses, the clear and ambiguous[2], the general and the specific, the revealed and the interpreted.”
(Excerpt from the book “Sirah al-Ma’sumin,” by Sayyid Mohsen Amin, with slight modifications)
Footnotes:
[1] Ma’mun was an Abbasid caliph who unjustly martyred Imam Ali al-Ridha (peace be upon him). This event shows that despite his knowledge of the virtues and superiority of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them), he continued the mysterious and hidden policy of his ancestors in oppressing them and violating their rights, to the extent that, for political reasons and to control the Shi’a leadership, he married his daughter to one of them.
[2] These terms are related to Quranic sciences.