Musa al-Kazim

Imam Musa al Kazim (November 10, 745 – September 4, 799) was the seventh Shia Imam (he is not accepted by the Ismailis as the seventh Imam). He was born Musa ibn Jafar ibn Muhammad, and the Festival of Imam Musa al Kazim is held on the seventh day of Rajab every year in the Islamic calendar.

The Imamah

Jafar died when Musa was 20. Upon his fathers death, the title of Imam was contested. Some felt that it had passed to his brother Ismail ibn Jafar who had predeceased their father, while others felt it belonged to his other brother Abdullah al Aftali. Despite this controversy, Musa was successful at gaining the allegiance of most of the Shia community, cementing himself as the Imam. During Musa's Imamate, the Hashemites were facing persecution from the new Abbasid rulers of Baghdad. Musa was eventually arrested by Harun Rashid and sent to Baghdad to be executed. However, Rashid had a dream at the last minute, and instead freed Musa giving him a thousand dinars and sending him back to Medina. Despite his change of heart, Rashid would continue to regard the descendents of Muhammad as a threat to his rule, and as such, Musa was arrested again and kept in jail for six years.

Related Topics:
Ismail ibn Jafar - Abdullah al Aftali - Shia - Hashemites - Abbasid - Baghdad - Harun Rashid - Muhammad

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