It is reported that when the Prophet sensed the illness which had come upon him, on a Saturday or Sunday towards the end of Safar the second month of 11/632, he took 'Ali by the hand, and accompanied by a few of his Companions, went to al-Baqi` (the graveyard of Medina). There he exclaimed: "Peace be upon you O people of the graves; be of good cheer in what you have attained over (living) people. Seditions have come, thick and dark as a black night; the beginnings of some follow quickly upon the ends of others! " He said further: "Gabriel used to review the Qur'an with me once a year, but this year he reviewed it with me twice.

I see this as an indication of the coming of my end." Then addressing 'Ali, he continued: "I was, O 'Ali, given the choice of the treasures of this world and eternal life besides, or Paradise, but I chose Paradise and meeting my Lord. When I die, you should wash me and cover my nakedness, for no one shall look upon it except a man born blind."

(extract taken from the publication Beacons of Light: Muhammad, the Prophet and Fatimah, the Radiant by al-Fadl at-Tabarsi)

Regardless of the method of assassination, what seems to be acceptable, having examined all texts and the historical background of the political circumstances at that time, al-Mamoon was indeed the one who killed Imam al-Rida (A.S.), and we do not have the slightest doubt or hesitation about that.

"His death occurred at Toos in a village called Sanabad, of the Nooqan area, and he was buried at the house of Hameed ibn Tahtaba under the dome where Haroun al-Rashid had been buried, and he was buried beside him facing the qibla."

"When al-Rida (A.S.) died, al-Mamoon did not disclose it when it happened, leaving him dead for one day and one night, then he called for Muhammad ibn Ja'fer ibn Muhammad and a group of descendants of Abu Talib. When they were present, he showed him to them; his corpse looked alright; then he started weeping and addressed the corpse saying, `O Brother! It is indeed very hard for me to see you in such a condition, and I was hoping to go before you, but God insisted on carrying out His decree,' and he showed a great deal of agony and grief and went out carrying the coffin with others till he reached the place where it is now buried..."

... So al-Mamoon was present there before the grave was dug, and he ordered his grave to be dug beside that of his father, then he approached us and said, `The person inside this coffin told me that when his grave is dug, water and fish will appear underneath; so, dig...' They dug. When they finished digging, a spring of water appeared, and fish appeared in it, then the water dissipated, and al-Rida (A.S.), peace be upon him, was then buried."

(extract taken from the publication Imam al-Rida: A Historical and Biographical Research by Muhammad Jawad Fadlallah)

FURU AL-DIN PART 2

Tuesday 9th February: Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Topic: Struggle (Jihad)
Tuesday 16th February: Shaykh Abbas Ismail Topic: Enjoining Good And Forbidding Evil
Tuesday 23rd February: Shaykh Muhammad Saeed Bahmanpour Topic: Love and Disassociation (Tawalla And Tabarra)

Programmes will start at 7.00 pm with congregational Evening Prayers followed by recitation by Brother Rahat Husayn, Du'a-e-Tawassal by Brother Imran Husayn, English Majlis, Q & A, ziyarat by Brother Ali Rahim and refreshments.

Time: 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm

Venue: al-Zahra Centre, 81, Fearnley Street, Watford WD18 0RB

E-mail: youthboys@alzahracentre.org