Like thieves, he feared the light of day and the brightness it brought. It was evident that he was greatly afraid of the blessed presence of Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him), who, like the sun, shines brightly among the people. Therefore, he decided to imprison Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him)…
The most powerful Abbasid caliph at the time, Harun al-Rashid, entered Medina under the pretext of beginning the pilgrimage, to pursue his sinister goal and deceive the people.
The people around Medina came out to welcome him.
At that time, Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) was engaged in worship at the Prophet’s Mosque.
Upon entering the Prophet’s Mosque, Harun first went to the tomb of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and entered the sacred chamber. He began the first step of his plan by standing before the shrine of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and loudly declaring: “O Messenger of God, before finalizing my decision, I seek your pardon… I have decided to imprison Musa ibn Ja’far (your descendant). He seeks to cause division among the people and spread bloodshed. I am compelled to imprison him for the sake of the people’s security.”
He made his words loud enough for the other people in the mosque to hear. The fear and awe of the Abbasid caliph silenced the people. When Harun did not hear any reaction from those in the mosque, he understood that the conditions were right for arresting Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him).
Thus, Harun dared to proceed with the second phase of his plot, taking full advantage of the terror he had instilled among the people. He issued orders to arrest Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him), who was in the middle of his prayer, with complete disrespect. The disrespect shown by the guards was so severe that they did not even allow the Imam to finish his obligatory prayer and dragged him out of the mosque while he was still in the middle of it.
Harun, still afraid of Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (peace be upon him), proceeded with the next phase of his plan. To ensure no one would discover the Imam’s place of imprisonment and to mislead the people, he ordered that two litters (carriages) be prepared[1]. Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) was placed in one of them. One litter was sent towards Baghdad, while the other, in which Imam (peace be upon him) was placed, was sent toward Basra.
Harun’s ultimate goal was to prevent the people from benefiting from the Imam’s presence and the light he brought, dispelling darkness and ignorance. As a result, Harun, who ruled over a vast empire at the time, encompassing much of the known world, was terrified of the Imam’s presence among the people. Thus, he imprisoned Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) in Basra.
Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (peace be upon him) remained imprisoned there for about a year. After that, he was transferred to the prison of Fadl ibn Rabi’ [2] in Baghdad. He stayed in this prison for some time, until it was reported to the caliph that Fadl ibn Rabi’ had treated Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) with comfort and that he was free from harm and suffering. Consequently, Harun ordered that the Imam be taken from Fadl ibn Rabi’ and handed over to Fadl ibn Yahya. Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) was imprisoned in his facility for some time.
This transfer of Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) from one prison to another continued for many years. Finally, Harun’s fear of the Imam led him to make a final decision. He ordered that the Imam be placed in the prison of Sindi ibn Shahik, a Jewish governor who was notorious for his cruelty and lack of humanity. In this prison, Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) endured the worst conditions. Sindi ibn Shahik tortured the Imam while he was in chains.
In the end, after much suffering, Harun ordered the final stage of his plan to be carried out, thus depriving the people of the blessed presence of Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him). He commanded Sindi to poison the Imam.
Eventually, Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) passed away in the dark, deep pit of the prison, enduring immense pain, suffering, and torture. He died from the poison administered to him by one of the most ruthless individuals of his time, leaving this world to join his Lord.
(Taken from the book “The Fragrance of the Muhammadan Rose,” by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Ziya Abadi, with some summarizing and additions)
Footnotes:
[1] Hudaj – A type of enclosed seat or carriage where individuals could be placed, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
[2] One of the ministers of Harun al-Rashid.