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Ma’mūn’s Disappointment, Problems, and New Policy
After the event of Imam al-Reza's (A.S.) heir apparency, Ma’mūn encountered some problems the he had not foreseen so that he got caught in the traps he had set for Imam al-Reza(A.S.). These problems include the presence of Imam al-Reza(A.S.) in scientific circles and his discussions with the dignitaries from among the Jews and Christians and other groups and his indisputable triumph over them, leading to the dissemination of the scholarship, piety, spirituality, and praiseworthy morality of his holiness among the people; the Imam’s various endeavors in different fields that indicated his mistrust and disbelief in the ruling system; the displeasure of the Abbasids and their dignitaries with Ma’mūn who had killed the then caliph, Amīn, and more importantly that he had appointed Imam al-Reza(A.S.) as his heir apparent, which would pave the way for the transformation of hukūma from the Abbasids to the Alawis leading to the rise of dissidence by the Abbasids which was mainly exemplified in the revolt of the people of Baghdad against Ma’mūn and his dismissal and swearing allegiance to Ibrāhīm b. Mahdī, also known as Ibn Shakla. Groups and tribes other than the Abbasids and Alawis also sparked the unrest in such a way that it created much anarchy and rebellion almost causing the overthrow of his rule.
The First Step, Killing Fadl b. Sahl
Since Ma’mūn found his policy failed, he decided to reconsider it, turning from political to military action. To this end, he set out for Baghdad so as to appease the dissident Abbasids and restore peace in there. It is said that in his first step he decided to murder Fadl b. Sahl, his trainer, vizier, and chief of armed forces, the one who had made great attempts to strengthen Ma’mūn, whose caliphate was indebted to his policy and sincere measures.
The story goes that, upon Ma’mūn’s decision, Fadl b. Sahl came to Marv in order to set out for Baghdad and Ma’mūn ordered four of his agents to kill him incognito in the bath-house. After the order was executed, Ma’mūn, to evade murder charge, ordered his men to mobilize for finding the murderers of Sahl and set a prize for their arrest. He finally charged those four agents with murder, executed them, and sent their heads to his brother Hasan b. Sahl for condolences. Thus, this was the first step he took toward pleasing the Abbasids, for Faḍl b. Sahl was one of the main culprits of transferring caliphate to the Alawis.
It is related in some traditions that Hasan b. Sahl had asked his brother Fadl to go to the bath-house with Imam al-Reza(A.S.) and Ma’mūn and bleed by cupping so that the blood may fend off the ill-fatedness that had been augured for him!
When he sent this request to Ma’mūn and the latter asked Imam al-Reza(A.S.) to go to the bath-house with him, his holiness answered: “I do not go to the bath-house tomorrow and I do not consider it to be in your best interest to go, either. It is not in the best interest of Fadl either to go to bath tomorrow.” And as Ma’mūn insisted his holiness said, “I saw the Apostle of Allāh tonight in a dream who told me: ‘O ‘Alī! Do not go to the bath-house and I do not see it in your interest that you and Faḍl go to bath-house.” And Ma’mūn consented.
After sunset, Imam al-Reza said, “Say we take refuge in God from the evil being descended tonight.” After the Morning Prayer he said, “Say we take refuge in God from what is being descended tonight…” Near the sunrise, his holiness told his servant, Yāsir, to go on the rooftop to see if he hears anything. He said, “When I went on the rooftop, I heard wailing and mourning.” At this moment Ma’mūn entered and told his holiness: “My master! May God reward you concerning Faḍl; they killed him in the bath-house! Soldiers and officers and loyalists of Fadl gathered in Ma’mūn’s house and said, “Ma’mūn has assassinated him.” They had brought fire to set the door of Mann’s house on fire (and enter it). Ma’mūn requested Imam al-Reza(A.S.) to go to the people, if he deemed advisable, to disperse them. His holiness went to his house door and found the people thronging there. He waved them to disperse and they all dispersed. By God, the people went away in such a hurry that they stumbled on each other; whomever he waved to would run to leave.
Imam al-Reza's (A.S.) Murderer
Anyway, the killing of Fadl b. Sahl was a great step toward appeasement of the Abbasids but it was definitely not enough, since their protest was mainly aimed at Imam al-Reza (A.S.) heir apparency, which had disappointed the Abbasids. For this reason, Ma'mūn decided to get rid of his holiness.
He had to execute this plot in such a skillful way that he would not only be accused but also would benefit from the martyrdom of the Imam (A.S.); and that was why he plotted the matter so cunningly that even some historians were mistaken or doubtful about his being involved in murdering Imam al-Reza(A.S.).
Ma’mūn left Marv for Baghdad. He killed Fadl b. Sahl in the bath-house in Sarakhs and left for Ṭūs to set out for Baghdad from there. He lingered for a while near his father’s tomb in Tūs to execute his ominous plot to martyr Imam al-Reza(A.S.) and set the minds of the Abbasids’ dissidents at ease in this respect before getting to Baghdad. Islamic traditions and historical reports all denote the criminal role of the Abbasid Ma’mūn in Imam al-Reza (A.S.) martyrdom. Imam ‘Alī (A.S.) had said, “A man from among my descendants will be wrongfully poisoned to death; his name is my name, and his father’s name is the name of Mūsā b. ‘Imrān. Let it be known that whoever visits (makes a pilgrimage to) him in his desolation, God will forgive their sins…
Similarly, Imam al-Kazim(A.S.) said, “My son, ‘Alī, will be wrongfully poisoned to death and buried next to Hārūn; whoever visits (makes a pilgrimage to) him is like the one who has made a pilgrimage to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).
Imam al-Reza(A.S.) himself said, “By God, there is no one among us who will not be killed as martyr.” They asked: “O son of the Apostle of Allāh! Who will kill you?” His holiness answered: “The most mischievous of God’s creatures in my time will poison me to death.”
Unsuccessful Assassination of Imam al-Reza(A.S.)
It is reported through some narrations that once Ma’mūn appointed some of his retainers with sharp and poisoned swords to attack Imam al-Reza(A.S.) by night and cut his body into pieces. He offered them large rewards for this task and for concealing it. They (apparently) performed the task and reported back to Ma’mūn, imagining that they had killed the Imam. The next day, Ma’mūn appeared in a distressed and disheveled appearance pretending to be mourning for the Imam, but when his courier notified him that the Imam is alive and well, he went pale, changed his clothes, and ordered to announce that the Imam had passed out and now has come to his senses. Imam al-Reza(A.S.) said, “By God, these tricks are of no avail as long as what has been destined to come true.
Reference:
Story of the Sun
A Look at Imam al-Reza's Life
Author: Sayyid Muhammad Najafi Yazdi
Translated by: Ahmad Rezwani
Published by: Islamic Research Foundation, Astan Quds Razavi, Mashhad - I.R. Iran
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