Musa ibn Ja'far's Conduct toward a Descendant of Umar ibn al-Khattab

God Almighty has sent the laws of life and His commands for human guidance to people in His noble Book, the Qur'an. The Qur'an is a book by acting upon which every person's guidance is secured. Yet the Qur'an is only the book that states the law, or in another expression, the “theory” of guidance. For this reason, the Noble Qur'an has not limited itself to merely stating law.

On the other hand, it is not possible to state a comprehensive law for all states and moments of human life, because the different situations in which each person is placed are very numerous. Establishing law for all these situations and conditions, if not impossible, is extremely difficult. From this perspective, two points appear in guidance: first, the impossibility of legislating for all states and occasions of human life; second, the theoretical nature of law. How to act upon that law is a significant matter. For this reason, the Qur'an must have an external, concrete embodiment.

The act of guidance will not be accomplished unless outside the Qur'an there is a concrete embodiment of the Qur'an, and this embodiment of the Qur'an can show all the verses and commands of the Noble Qur'an in practice. In addition, where the Qur'an has not addressed or mentioned something, his action and speech can define the path of guidance and state where God's pleasure and anger lie, such as in the various affairs of life, whether details of living, rulings of war, methods of judgment, and so on.

For this reason, the Noble Qur'an directs its audience beyond itself and says: “For you in the Messenger of God there is a good example.” This matter is not limited to the great Prophet of Islam. God has never guided any community only and solely by means of a book. Rather, the book has always been accompanied by guiding prophets.

The Noble Prophet and Ali ibn Abi Talib, blessings of God be upon them, are the practical examples of the Qur'an. Their lives, actions, and conduct for Muslims are like a verse of the Qur'an sent down from God, because they acted exactly as God commanded, and where something was not in the Qur'an, they acted in the way in which God's pleasure lay.

The Qur'an leaves the realm of theory and mere law only when the Messenger of God and the pure Imams clothe those verses and commands in action. If the Household had not existed, no verse of the Qur'an would ever have been put into practice, just as they said: “Through us God is worshiped.”

Therefore, to find the path of life that is pleasing to God, one must hold fast to the Prophet's Sunnah. There is no way to find the best form of life except the Sunnah of the Prophet and the Sunnah of the Prophet's Household. What has come in the narrations shows that all the Household acted upon the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet. Therefore, one must say that each of the infallibles reveals a manifestation of the Messenger of God.

In any case, just as the Qur'an invites people to the Prophet in order to find guidance, the Prophet also invites people to his progeny so that the Qur'an may stand beside the Prophet's progeny. Otherwise, the matter of guidance will remain ineffective.

Musa ibn Ja'far (a) is one of the Imams who is the complete mirror of the Messenger of God, and his Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of God must be the model and pattern for all Shi'a of that noble Imam. In describing Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (a), it has been said:

“He had the most beautiful voice of all in reciting the Qur'an. Whenever he recited the Qur'an, he became sorrowful, or recited with a sorrowful voice, and people would weep at his recitation. The people of Medina called him the adornment of the night worshipers and those who kept vigil. He was called al-Kazim, the one who swallows anger, because he swallowed his anger and was patient with all he suffered from oppressors; he did not curse them, until he died and was martyred in the prison and chains of enemies and tyrants” (1).

Generosity was one of his most prominent qualities and features. It is important to note that one of the policies of the oppressor of his time was economic pressure against the Shi'a. Banu Hashim and the lovers of the Prophet's progeny lived in hardship and constraint. Those who claim love and devotion to the Household must learn from this quality of the Household and arrange their lives, habits, and customs according to what has come from the Household.

Possessing generosity becomes even more important when the majority of people or the middle class of society face difficulty in managing their livelihood. Historians and hadith scholars have mentioned asceticism, kindness, and generosity as among his most prominent qualities, and have written about him:

“He was the kindest of people to his family and relatives. At night he would inquire after and care for the poor of Medina, carrying baskets containing gold and silver coins, flour, and dates to them and delivering these things to them, while they did not know where it came from or who brought it.”

His generosity was famous among everyone. Muhammad ibn Abdullah Bakri says:

“I entered Medina intending to borrow some money there, but I could not find anyone and became helpless. I said to myself: it would be good to go to Musa ibn Ja'far and tell him of my difficulty. I went to the village of Naqma, around Medina, where he had a farm. The Imam came to me, and with him was a servant carrying a tray in which there were pieces of roasted meat and nothing else. He ate from it and I ate with him. Then he asked about my condition. I told him my story. The Imam entered the house and after a short time came out. He said to his servant: leave this place. Then he extended his hand and gave me a pouch containing three hundred dinars. He then rose and left, and I too rose, mounted my animal, and returned” (2).

Shaykh al-Mufid says in this regard:

“A group of scholars have said that the kindness and gifts of Musa ibn Ja'far (a) ranged from two hundred dinars to three hundred dinars, and the money pouches of Musa (a) became proverbial” (3).

His generosity was not limited to friends and relatives; even his enemies benefited from the table of blessings of that divine scholar. This generosity reached such a point that it forced the spiteful enemies of that noble Imam to acknowledge his virtue and superiority, indeed his imamate.

It is narrated that there was a man in Medina from the descendants of Umar ibn al-Khattab who would harm Musa ibn Ja'far (a). Whenever he saw him, he would insult him and revile Ali (a). One day some of the Imam's companions said: permit us to kill this wicked, foul-tongued man. The Imam strongly opposed this and prevented them from doing it. He asked about the man's situation. They told him: he is farming somewhere around Medina.

The Imam mounted and went to that man's farm. While still riding his donkey, he entered the man's crops. The man shouted: do not trample our crops. The Imam continued riding forward until he reached him, dismounted, sat beside him, and with a pleasant face began joking and laughing with him. He said: how much have you spent on this crop? The man said: one hundred dinars. The Imam said: how much do you hope to gain from it? He said: I do not know the unseen.

The Imam said: I asked how much you hope will reach you, not how much will reach you. He said: I hope to gain two hundred dinars from this farm. The Imam took out a pouch containing three hundred dinars and said: take this, and your crop will remain as it is for you; may God give you from it what you hope for.

The narrator says: the man stood, kissed the Imam's head, and asked him to forgive his disrespect and foul speech. Musa ibn Ja'far (a) smiled and returned. Later, the Imam went to the mosque while that man was seated there. As soon as the man saw him, he said: “God knows best where to place His message.” The man's companions gathered around him and said: what is the story? You used to say something else about this man. Whenever you saw him, you insulted and reviled him; what happened that you have completely changed and now praise and commend him?

He said: it is exactly what I have now said, and I will say nothing else. He began supplicating for Musa ibn Ja'far (a). They argued with him, and he answered them in the same manner. When the Imam returned home, he said to those who had asked permission to kill that man: which of these two ways was better, what you wanted or what I did? I set his affair right with the amount of money you know and thereby relieved myself of his harm (4).

If he behaved this way with enemies, then how much would his love and compassion be toward his friends and Shi'a? And how heavy is the duty of Shi'a toward one another? Undoubtedly, the sanctity of believers and Shi'a before the Household is beyond imagination and belief. In this regard, the elites of society carry the greatest responsibility. Musa ibn Ja'far regarded preserving the honor, rank, and dignity of the Shi'a and lovers of Ali ibn Abi Talib (a) as one of the most important duties of every Shi'a.

Regarding preserving the rights of the Shi'a and respecting them, it is narrated from the seventh Imam: Bandar ibn Asim narrated that Musa ibn Ja'far (a) said to Ali ibn Yaqtin, who was in charge of Harun al-Rashid's affairs: “O Ali, guarantee one trait for me and I will guarantee three traits for you. Guarantee for me that you will not see any of our followers except that you honor him, and I will guarantee three things for you: the heat of iron will not strike you, the grief of prison will not strike you, and the humiliation of poverty will never strike you.” He said: after that, Ali ibn Yaqtin would not see anyone among the lovers of the family of Muhammad (a) except that he would lower his cheek before him (5)(6).

This noble narration clearly shows the importance of honoring and magnifying the lovers and Shi'a of the Household, and what an important duty each Shi'a has toward another Shi'a. The important concern of Musa ibn Ja'far was honoring the Shi'a. Therefore, the elites of Shi'a society must always keep the unity of Shi'a society in view and must strongly avoid causing disagreement among the Shi'a or inflaming such disagreement.

There is no doubt that resolving many disagreements, despite being simple, depends on the effort of the elites and elders of Shi'a society. If such disagreements continue as they are, they may become a major problem in the future. Among these disagreements is the coincidence of the birth of Musa ibn Ja'far and the martyrdom of Imam Hasan (a) on one day.

The seventh of Safar is, according to one report, the birth of Musa ibn Ja'far, and according to another report, the martyrdom of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a). Difference among reports is natural in history and in a life lived under taqiyya. Yet it is regrettable that one group emphasizes the birth of Musa ibn Ja'far and makes that day a day of joy and happiness, while another group regards it as the day of Imam Hasan's martyrdom and makes it a day of grief, sorrow, and mourning; in some cities, mourning processions are held that day for the grandson of the Prophet.

This is while on both sides there are people who have intense love and friendship for the family of purity and infallibility. Holding mourning ceremonies and holding joyful gatherings are both for expressing devotion and love for the Prophet's progeny. Yet the outward appearance of this disagreement is undoubtedly improper for the face of Shi'ism and for a country whose official religion is the true Shi'a school. This is while perhaps resolving this disagreement only depends on holding a meeting of a few scholars who specialize in hadith and rijal.

1. al-Irshad, Rasul Mahallati translation, vol. 2, p. 227, chapter 17, on some of his virtues, merits, and praiseworthy qualities.
2. Ibid., p. 224.
3. Ibid., p. 226.
4. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 225.
5. al-Adab al-Diniyya lil-Khizana al-Mu'iniyya with Abedi translation, chapter 14, p. 145.
6. Ibid., chapter 14.