Some miracles of Imam Ali Ibn Musa Ridha

Miracles shown by Imam Ali Ridha (a.s), which prove the rightfulness of his Imamate and which are mentioned in books of Shia and which also refute the beliefs of the Waqifite sect, were the same through whose blessings some believers in Waqifite creed, like Abdur Rahman bin Hajjaj, Rifaa bin Musa, Yunus bin Yaqub, Jamil bin Darraj, Hammad bin Isa and others reverted from invalid beliefs. They were companions of the father of Imam Ali Ridha (a.s) and doubted about Imam Ali Ridha (a.s), but repented later. In the same way, those who were present during the time of the Imam, like: Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abi Nasr, Hasan bin Ali Washa and others; they also believed in Waqf [but seeing the proofs of Imam Ridha (a.s)] they accepted his Wilayat, became bound to him and accepted the Imamate of Imam Ali Ridha (a.s) and the Imams after him from his descendants.

a letter to Abul Hasan Ridha (a.s) and in order to harass him wanted to pose some difficult questions to him. He says: Initially, I wrote a letter to him; after that I said to myself: when I meet him, I would ask him three important questions about the Holy Quran: like for example [40th verse of Surah Zukhruf], which says: “What! Can you then make the deaf to hear or guide the blind and him who is in clear error?” And verse 25 of Surah Anam, which says: “Therefore (for) whomsoever Allah intends that He would guide him aright, He expands his breast for Islam, and (for) whomsoever He intends that He should cause him to err, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards; thus does Allah lay uncleanness on those who do not believe.” And verse 56 of Surah Qasas, which says: “Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases; and He knows best the followers of the right way.” Ahmad says: He replied to my letter and at the end he mentioned the verses about which I wanted to ask him and no one had any information about them. When I received his reply, I forgot what I had told myself, therefore, I said: What is this reply, which you have given me? After that I remembered that this was the reply of the same questions that I had myself prepared.

H 77 - In the same way, Hasan bin Ali Washa was also a Waqifite of his time; then he returned to belief in the twelve Imams and repented for his past mistakes; the cause of his repentance, as he himself states, was that: I traveled to Khorasan for business. When I reached there, Abul Hasan Ridha (a.s) sent someone and asked me for the striped cloth from Yemen. It was among the merchandise that I was having, but I had forgotten it, so I said: I don’t have any striped cloth. The Imam’s messenger went away, but returned again to inform me that I was having it in so and so bundle; I found it at the same place and sent it to the Imam. After that I wrote some questions, which I wanted to ask him. Just as I reached his place, the Imam emerged from inside and mentioned to me the replies of the questions, which I wanted to ask him and about which no one knew anything. On witnessing this miracle, Hasan bin Ali Washa gave up his Waqifite beliefs and adopted faith in the Imamate of Imam Ridha (a.s).

H 78 - Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abi Nasr said: Ibn Najjashi asked: Who is the Imam after your companion [Imam Ridha (a.s)]? I went to Imam Ridha (a.s) and asked about it. Imam (a.s) said: The Imam after me is my son. After that he said: Can anyone who does not have a son, dare to say: ‘My son’?

When people fell into discord with regard to the Imamate of Abul Hasan Imam Ridha (a.s), I collected the questions that were framed to gain confidence and certainty in his Imamate; and they totalled up to 15000, all of which the Imam replied.

H 80 - Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Aftas says: I entered the assembly of Mamun; he seated me close to him and asked about my well being. After that he said: May Allah have mercy on Ridha as no one was more learned than him. After people paid allegiance to him, one evening, I posed a question to him and in reply to it he mentioned a very strange matter. I asked: May I be sacrificed on you, I see your well being in the fact that you go to Iraq and I remain in Khorasan as your successor. The Imam smiled and said: No, by my life! Before I leave for Khorasan, the scroll of my deeds would be wrapped up [allusion to his demise]. There is a halt for us in this place and I will not leave till my demise approaches, and definitely my end will be in Khorasan only. I said: May I be sacrificed on you, how do you know this? He replied: My knowledge about my place is like my knowledge about your place. I asked: May God bless you, what is the location of my demise? He replied: The distance between me and you is very much; I would pass away in the east and you will die in the west. I said: You are right. Almighty Allah, His Prophet and Aale Muhammad (a.s) are most knowledgeable. After that I tried my best to allure him to Caliphate, official posts and other ranks, but he was not allured and did not accept.

H 81 - Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hasan Aftas said: One day I was drinking wine with Mamun, till he became intoxicated; his friends left, but he retained me. After that he brought out the slave girls and they played musical instruments and sang. Mamun said to one of them: If you had only sung for one who is settled in Tus. The slave girl recited the following dirge: 1- Being quenched with the land of Tus and one from the progeny of the Prophet who is located there, who has left grief and sorrow for us. 2- I mean Abul Hasan, who is the hope of all. He has right on all who express their grief and sorrow. Muhammad bin Abdullah says: Mamun wept so much that I also started crying. After that he said: Woe be on you, Muhammad, do the people of my house and people of your house consider that it is my duty to appoint Abul Hasan as heir apparent? By Allah, if he had not died, I would definitely have appointed him as my successor [whereas it was Mamun himself who got the Imam martyred], but he passed away so soon. May Allah curse the two sons of Hasan; Abdullah and Hamza, who killed him. Then he said: O Muhammad bin Abdullah, by Allah, I am quoting a strange tradition for you. Keep it confidential. I said: Chief of believers, what tradition is that? He replied: When Zahiriya became pregnant with my son, Badr, I went to Imam Ridha (a.s) and said: May I be your ransom, I have received information that Musa bin Ja’far, Ja’far bin Muhammad, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Husain and Husain bin Ali (a.s) used to resort to divination and did not make any mistake in it. You are their successor and their knowledge has come to you and I am also too much fond of Zahiriya and don’t prefer any of my slave girls to her. She has had many miscarriages. Do you have any solution for this? Imam Ridha (a.s) said: Do not fear miscarriage. Very soon Zahiriya would give birth to a healthy child that would resemble its mother the most and the Almighty Allah has added two things in his creation and it is that it will have an extra finger in both its hands and feet. I said to myself: By Allah, this is a good opportunity that if the circumstances proved against his prediction, I will remove him from heir apparency. Therefore, I was eager for this delivery till Zahiriya got labor pains. I said to the nurse: After the delivery, bring the newborn to me, whether it is a boy or a girl. [After sometime] The nurse brought to me a newborn child with the same characteristics and the boy was glowing like the moon. [Seeing this] I decided that I would leave Caliphate and all the matters of governance to him, but he did not accept. I gave my seal ring to him and said: Please take the matters of governance in your control and you have precedence [in Caliphate] and I will not oppose you at all. By Allah, if he had accepted, I would have done that.

H 82 - Like the incident of the Imam with Hababa Walibiyya, owner of the pebble on which Amirul Momineen (a.s) placed his seal and said to her: One who places a seal on this pebble is an Imam. Hababa survived till the Imamate of Imam Ridha (a.s). The Imam placed the seal on that pebble and Hababa witnessed the placing of seals by respected ancestors of Imam Ridha (a.s) and Imam Ridha (a.s) was the last Imam Hababa met. Hababa passed away after meeting Imam Ridha (a.s) and the Imam gave his own shirt to serve as her shroud.

H 83 - Same is the incident of Imam (a.s) with Umme Ghanim, the Bedouin lady, who owned a pebble, on which Amirul Momineen (a.s) had placed his seal; and all Imams till Imam Hasan Askari (a.s) placed seals on it; her story is also well known.