{{infobox settlement |official name	Mashhad |native_name ‹Mašhad› |nickname Mashhad |former_name Sanabad (village) - Also Toos(city) |motto City of paradise (Shahre behesht) |image_skyline Haram 4.jpg |imagesize 250px |image_caption Panorama of Mashhad |image_flag |image_seal Mashhad Logo.jpg |image_map |mapsize |map_caption Mašhade moqadas |latd 36 |latm18 |lats |latNS N |longd 59 |longm36 |longs |longEW E |pushpin_map Iran |pushpin_label_position bottom |pushpin_map_caption Location of Mashhad in Iran |pushpin_mapsize |coordinates_region IR |subdivision_type Country |subdivision_name |subdivision_type1 Province |subdivision_name1 Razavi Khorasan |subdivision_type2 County |subdivision_name2 Mashhad
Subdivision type3	Bakhsh
Subdivision name3	Central |leader_title Mayor (Ŝahrdār) |leader_name Mohammad Pejman |established_title Mashhad-Sanabad-Toos |established_date 818 AD (Martyrdom Of Imam Reza) |area_magnitude |area_total_km2 458 |area_total_sq_mi |area_land_km2 |area_land_sq_mi |area_water_km2 |area_water_sq_mi |area_water_percent |area_urban_km2 |area_urban_sq_mi |area_metro_km2 3946 |area_metro_sq_mi |population_total 2,907,316 |population_as_of 2006 |population_blank1_title Population Rank in Iran |population_blank1 2nd |population_note Over 20 million pilgrims and tourists per year |population_metro |population_urban |population_density_km2 |population_density_sq_mi |timezone IRST |utc_offset +3:30 |timezone_DST IRDT |utc_offset_DST +4:30 |elevation_m 985 |elevation_ft |website http://www.Mashhad.ir |footnotes }}

Mashhad (, , ), is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its population was 2,427,316 at the 2006 population census.

Now Mashhad is notably known as the resting place of the Imam Reza. A shrine was later built there to commemorate the Imam, which in turn gave rise to increasing demographic development.

Mashhad is also known as the city of Ferdowsi, the Iranian poet of Shahnameh, which is considered to be the national epic of Iran.

Geography and demographics

The city is located at 36.20º latitude and 59.35º east longitude, in the valley of the Kashaf River near Turkmenistan, between the two mountain ranges of Binalood and Hezar-masjed. The city benefits from the proximity of the mountains, having cool winters, pleasant springs, mild summers, and beautiful autumns. It is only about 250 km (156 miles) from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The city is the administrative centre of Mashhad County (or the shahrestan of Mashhad) as well as the somewhat smaller district (bakhsh) of Mashhad. The city itself, excluding parts of the surrounding bakhsh and shahrestan, is divided into 13 smaller administrative units, with a total population of almost 2,5 million.

Mashhad consists mainly of people of Iranian descent(primarily Persian, Tajik, Hazara, Kurdish and Turkmen ethnic groups). Among the non-Iranians, there are sizable population of Afghanistani, Iraqi, Pakistani,as well as small population of Kuwaiti, Bahraini and (Chechen and Dagestani from Russia). In the 19th century and early 20th century, Mashhad was home to a sizable population of Azerbaijani, Armenian, Dagestani, Taleshi, Russian, Bokharan, Khivan, Afghan, Herati, Mervi, Kashmiri, and Indian.

There are also over 20 million pilgrims who visit the city every year.

History

At the beginning of the 9th century (3rd century AH) Mashhad was a small village called Sanabad situated 24 km away from Tus. There was a summer palace of "Hamid ibn Qahtabi", the governor of Khorasan. In 808 when Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph, was passing through there to settle down the insurrection of "Rafi ibn Leith" in Transoxania, he became ill and died. He was buried under the palace of Hamid ibn Qahtabi. Several years later in 818 Imam Ali al-Reza was martyred by Al-Ma'mun and was buried beside the grave of Harun.

After this event this place was called as Mashhad al-Rida (the place of martyrdom of Ali al-Rida). Shias started visiting there for pilgrimage of his grave. By the end of the 9th century a dome was built on the grave and many buildings and Bazaars sprang up around it. During more than a millennium it has been devastated and reconstructed several times.

It was not considered a great city until Mongol raids in 1220 which caused the destruction of many large cities in the Greater Khorasan territories, leaving Mashhad relatively intact. Thus the survivors of the massacres migrated to Mashhad. When the famous world traveller Ibn Battuta visited the town in 1333, he reported that it was a large town with abundant fruit trees, streams and mills. A great dome of elegant construction surmounts the noble mausoleum, the walls being decorated with colored tiles.

Later on, during the Shahrokh era, it became one of the main cities of the Timurid dynasty. In 1418 his wife Goharshad funded the construction of an outstanding mosque beside the shrine, which is known as Goharshad Mosque. The mosque remains relatively intact to this date, its great size an indicator to the status the city held in the 15th century.

Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty, conquered Mashhad after the death of Husayn Bayqarah and the decline of the Timurid dynasty. Mashhad was later captured by the Uzbeks during the reign of Shah Abbas I, only to be retaken by the Shah Abbas in the year of 1597 after a long and severe struggle, defeating the Uzbeks in a great battle near Herat as well as managing to drive them beyond the Oxus River.

Shah Abbas I wanted to encourage Iranians to go to Mashhad for pilgrimage, he himself is known to have walked from Isfahan to Mashhad. During the Safavid era Mashhad gained even more religious recognition, becoming the most important city of the Greater Khorasan as several Madrasah and other structures were built beside the shrine of the Imam Reza.

Besides its religious significance, Mashhad has played an important political role as well. It saw its greatest glory under Nadir Shah, ruler of Iran from 1736 to 1747 and also a great benefactor of the shrine of the Imam Reza, making the city his capital. It remained the capital of the Afsharid dynasty until Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar conquered the then larger region of Khorasan in 1796. In 1749 Ahmad Shah Durrani (The Duranni Pashtun Empire) took possession of Herat, which was ruled by Nadir Shah's grandson, Shah Rukh. Herat fell to Ahmad after almost a year of siege and bloody conflict, Afterwards Mashhad(in present-day Iran) was taken by the The Durrani Empire aswell.

In 1912, the sanctuary of the Imam Reza was bombed by the Russian forces, causing widespread and persisting resentment in the Shiite Muslim world.

1935 Imam Reza shrine rebellion

In 1935 a backlash against the modernizing, anti-religious policies of Reza Shah erupted in the Mashed shrine. Responding to a cleric who denounced the Shah's heretical innovations, corruption and heavy consumer taxes, many bazaaris and villagers took refuge in the shrine, chanted slogans such as "The Shah is a new Yezid." For four full days local police and army refused to violate the shrine and the standoff was ended when troops from Azerbaijan arrived and broke into the shrine, killing dozens and injuring hundreds, and marking a final rupture between Shi'ite clergy and the Shah.

1994 Imam Reza shrine bombing

On June 20, 1994, an explosion from a bomb occurred in a prayer hall of the shrine of the Imam Reza The bomb that killed at least 25 people on June 20 in Mashhad exploded at Ashura. Ramzi Yousef, one of the main perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was found to be behind the plot. However, official state media blamed Mehdi Nahvi, a supposed member of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MKO) in order to prevent sectarian violence.

Climate

Mashhad features a steppe climate (Köppen BSk) with hot summers and cool winters. The city only sees about 250 mm of precipitation per year, some of which occasionally falls in the form of snow. Mashhad also has wetter and drier periods with the bulk of the annual precipitation falling between the months of December and May. Summers are typically hot and dry, with high temperatures sometimes exceeding . Winters are typically cool to cold and somewhat damper, with overnight lows routinely dropping below freezing. Mashhad enjoys on average just under 2900 hours of sunshine per year. |date=August 2010 }}

Religion

Today the holy shrine and its museum hold one of the most extensive cultural and artistic treasuries of Iran, in particular manuscript books and paintings. Several important theological schools are associated with the shrine of the Eighth Imam.

The second largest holy city in the world, Mashhad attracts more than 20 million tourists and pilgrims every year, many of whom come to pay homage to the Imam Reza shrine (the eighth Shi'ite Imam). It has been a magnet for travellers since medieval times. Thus, even as those who complete the pilgrimage to Mecca receive the title of Haji, those who make the pilgrimage to Mashhad—and especially to the Imam Reza shrine – are known as Mashtee, a term employed also of its inhabitants. It is thought that over 20 million Muslims a year make the pilgrimage to Mashhad.

Culture

Long a center of secular as well as of religious learning, Mashhad has been a center for the arts and for the sciences. The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, named after the great Iranian poet, is located here. The Madrassa of Ayatollah Al-Khoei, originally built in the seventeenth century and recently replaced with modern facilities, is the city's foremost traditional centre for religious learning. The Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, founded in 1984, stands at the centre of town, within the shrine complex. The prestige of traditional religious education at Mashhad attracts students, known as talaban, or "Molah" internationally.

Mashhad is also home to one of the oldest libraries of the Middle-East called the Central Library of Astan-e Quds Razavi with a history of over six centuries. The Astan-e Quds Razavi Museum, which is part of the Astan-e Quds Razavi Complex, is home to over 70,000 rare manuscripts from various historical eras. There are some six million historical documents in the foundation's central library.

In 1569 (977 H), 'Imad al-Din Mas'ud Shirazi, a physician at the Mashhad hospital, wrote the earliest Islamic treatise on syphilis, one influenced by European medical thought. Kashmar rug is a type of Persian rug indigenous to this region.

Main sites

Apart from Imam Reza shrine there is a number of large parks, the tombs of historical celebrities in nearby Tus and Nishapur, the tomb of Nadir Shah and Kooh Sangi park and Mellat Park that have modern attractions for children such as the tallest Ferris wheel or fanfar () in Iran and Koohestan Park-e-Shadi Complex that includes a zoo, where many wild animals are kept and which attracts many visitors to Mashhad. It is also home to the Mashhad Airbase (formerly Imam Reza airbase), jointly a military installation housing Mirage aircraft, and a civilian international airport.

Some points of interest lie outside the city: the tomb of Khajeh Morad, along the road to Tehran; the tomb of Khajeh Rabi' located 6 kilometers north of the city where there are some inscriptions by the renowned Safavid calligrapher Reza Abbasi; and the tomb of Khajeh Abasalt, a distance of 20 kilometers from Mashhad along the road to Neishabur. (The three were all disciples of Imam Reza).

Among the other sights are the tomb of the poet Ferdowsi in Tus, 24 kilometers distance, and the summer resorts at Torghabeh, Torogh, Akhlamad, Zoshk, and Shandiz.

The Shah Public Bath, built during the Safavid era in 1648, is an outstanding example of the architecture of that period. It was recently restored, and is to be turned into a museum.

Gallery

Panoramic view

Pictures

Transportation

Airport

Mashhad is served by the Mashhad International Airport which handles domestic flights to Iranian cities and international flights, mostly to neighboring, Arab countries.

Metro

The Mashhad Urban Railway Corporation (MURCO) is constructing a metro system for the city of Mashhad which includes four lines with 77 km length . The first phase (line) of the metro has been exploited in 21 Feb 2011 with 19 km length and 22 stations and will be connected to Mashhad International Airport. The second line with 14 km length and 12 stations is under construction and is projected to be finished by 2014.

Rail

Mashhad is connected to three major rail lines: Tehran-Mashhad, Mashhad-Bafgh (running south), and Mashhad-Sarakhs at the border with Turkmenistan. Some freight trains continue from Sarakhs towards Uzbekistan and to Kazakhstan, but have to change bogies because of the difference in Rail gauge. A rail line is being constructed off the Mashhad-Bafgh line to connect Mashhad to Herat in Afghanistan, but has not yet been completed and one is planned to connect to the Gorgan railhead and the port of Bandar Torkaman on the Caspian Sea to the west. Passenger rail services are provided by the national company R.A.J.A. and all trains are operated by R.A.I., Rah-Ahan Iran, the national railway company.

Colleges and universities

Universities

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM)

Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Islamic Azad University of Mashhad

Payame Noor University of Mashhad

Sadjad Institute of Higher Education

Khayyam University of Mashhad

Imam Reza University

Razavi University of Islamic Sciences

Colleges

Salman Institute of Higher Education

Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Mashhad Branch (Jahad Daneshgahi of Mashhad)

Toos Institute of Higher Education

Montazeri Technical College of Mashhad

Shahid Beheshti Teacher Training College

Shahid Khorshidi Teacher training College

Asrar Institute of Higher Education

Samen Institute of Higher Education

Khayyam Institute of Higher Education

Alzahra Girls Technical College of Mashhad

Bahar Institute of Higher Education

Binalood Institute of Higher Education

Eqbal Lahoori Institute of Higher Education

Khavaran Institute of Higher Education

Institute of Applied and Practical Sciences, Khorasan Razavi

Major sport teams

+
Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Championships
FC Aboomoslem	Azadegan League		Samen Stadium	1973	0
Payam Mashhad F.C.	Azadegan League		Takhti Stadium (Mashhad)	1976	0
Elmo Adab Mashhad FSC	Iranian Futsal Super League	Futsal
Rahahan Khorasan W.C.	Iranian Premier Wrestling League	freestyle wrestling	Mohammad Ali Sahraei Hall
Ferdowsi Club		beach soccer
Mojhaye Abi			Takhti Stadium (Mashhad)
Persepolis Khorasan	Iranian Volleyball Super League	volleyball	Shahid Beheshti Sport Complex
Basketball Khorasan Razavi	Iranian Basketball Super League	basketball	Mehran Hall

Mashhad as capital of Persia and Independent Khorasan

The following Shahanshahs had Mashhad as their capital:

Kianid Dynasty

Malek Mahmoud Sistani 1722–1726

Afsharid dynasty

Nadir Shah

Adil Shah

Ebrahim Afshar

Shah Rukh of Persia

Nadir Mirza of Khorasan

Safavid Dynasty

Soleyman II

Autonomous Government of Khorasan

Colonel Mohammad Taghi Khan Pessyan

Famous people from Mashhad and Tus

;Religious and political figures

Shaykh Tusi, 385–460 A.H.; prominent Persian scholar of the Shi'a Twelver Islamic belief

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, born February 1201 in Tūs, Khorasan – 26 June 1274 in al-Kāżimiyyah near Baghdad; Persian of the Ismaili and subsequently Twelver Shī‘ah Islamic belief

Seyyed Ali Khamenei, born 17 July 1939; former president and current supreme leader of Iran

Sheikh Ali Tehrani, brother-in-law of Seyyed Ali Khamenei, currently living in Iran Iraq. He is one of the oppositions of current Iranian government.

Nizam al-Mulk, 1018 – 14 October 1092; celebrated Persian scholar and vizier of the Seljuq Empire

Al-Hurr al-Aamili, Shia scholar and muhaddith

Al-Ghazali, 1058–1111; Islamic theologian, jurist, philosopher, cosmologist, psychologist and mystic of Persian origin

Ali al-Sistani, born approximately August 4, 1930; Twelver Shi'a marja residing in Iraq since 1951

Mohammad-Kazem Khorasani, 1839–1911; Twelver Shi'a Marja, Persian (Iranian) politician, philosopher, reformer

Hossein Vahid Khorasani, born in 1924; Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja

Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, born January 27, 1958; former Vice President of Iran and a close associate of former reformist President Mohammad Khatami

Abu Muslim Khorasani, c. 700–755; Abu Muslim Abd al-Rahman ibn Muslim al-Khorasani, Abbasid general of Persian origin

Manouchehr Eghbal, October 14, 1909 – November 25, 1977, a Prime Minister of Iran

Shah Rukh (Timurid dynasty), August 20, 1377 – March 12, 1447; ruler of the eastern portion of the empire established by the Central Asian warlord Timur (Tamerlane)

Goharshad, Persian noble and wife of Shāh Rukh, the emperor of the Timurid Dynasty of Herāt

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, born August 23, 1961 in Torghabeh, near Mashhad; the current Mayor of Tehran, Iran

Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, Conservative political strategist and popular television personality in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Hadi Khamenei, b. 1947; mid-ranking cleric who is a member of the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics

Seyed Hassan Firuzabadi, current major general, Islamic Republic of Iran

Saeed Jalili, born 1965 in Mashhad; Iranian politician and the present secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council

;Writers and scientists

Ferdowsi, 935–1020 in Tus; a Persian poet

Abu-Mansur Daqiqi, 935/942–976/980

Abolfazl Beyhaqi, 995–1077; a Persian historian and author

Nasir Khusraw, 1004–1088; Persian poet, philosopher, Isma'ili scholar and traveler

Abusa'id Abolkhayr, December 7, 967 – January 12, 1049 / Muharram ul Haram 1, 357 – Sha'aban 4, 440 AH; famous Persian Sufi who contributed extensively to the evolution of Sufi tradition

Anvari, 1126–1189, one of the greatest Persian poets

Mehdi Akhavan-Sales, 1928, Mashhad, Iran – 1990, Tehran, Iran; a Persian poet

Mohammad-Taghi Bahar, November 6, 1884, Mashhad, Iran – April 22, 1951; Tehran, Iran

Asadi Tusi, born in Tus, Iranian province of Khorasan, died 1072 Tabriz, Iran; Persian poet of Iranian national epics

Emad Khorasani

Gholam Hosein Yousefi

Abū Ja'far al-Khāzin, 900–971; Persian astronomer and mathematician from Khorasan

Abū al-Wafā' Būzjānī, 10 June 940 – 1 July 998; Persian mathematician and astronomer

Sharaf al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, 1135–1213; Persian mathematician and astronomer of the Islamic Golden Age (during the Middle Ages)

Jābir ibn Hayyān, c. 721 in Tus–c. 815 in Kufa; prominent polymath: a chemist and alchemist, astronomer and astrologer, engineer, geologist, philosopher, physicist, and pharmacist and physician

;Artists

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, born September 23, 1940 in Mashhad, Iran; internationally and critically acclaimed Persian traditional singer, composer and Master (Ostad) of Persian music

Homayoun Shajarian, Mohammad-Reza Shajarian's son, born May 21, 1975; renowned Persian classical music vocalist, as well as a Tombak and Kamancheh player

Kayvan Saket, born in 1960 in Mashhad, Iran; Iranian composer, Radif-preserver, researcher, teacher, and excellent Tar and Setar instrumentalist and improvisor

Noureddin Zarrinkelk, born 1937 in Mashhad, Iran; renowned Iranian animator, concept artist, editor, graphic designer, illustrator, layout artist, photographer, script writer and sculptor

Reza Kianian, born July 17, 1951 in Mashhad, Iran, Iranian actor

Hamid Motebassem, born 1958 in Mashhad, Iranian musician and tar and setar player

Reza Attaran, born 31 March 1968 in Mashhad; Iranian actor and director

Hamed Behdad, born 17 November 1973 in Mashhad, Iran; Iranian actor

Mahdi Bemani Naeini, born November 3, 1968; Iranian film director, cinematographer, TV cameraman and photographer

Rafi Pitts, born 1967 in Mashhad, Iran; internationally acclaimed Iranian film director

Iran Darroudi, born September 2, 1936 in Mashhad; Iranian artist

Mohsen Namjoo, born 1976 in Torbat-e-Jaam; Iranian singer-songwriter, author, musician, and setar player

Mitra Hajjar, born February 4, 1977; Iranian actress

Ovanes Ohanian, ?–1961 Tehran; Armenian-Iranian filmmaker who established the first film school in Iran

;Scientists

Abū al-Wafā' al-Būzjānī, 10 June 940 – 1 July 998; Persian mathematician and astronomer

Anousheh Ansari, born 12 September 1966; the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, Inc and a spaceflight participant with the Russian space program

;Sports figures

Heshmat Mohajerani, born January, 1936 in Mashhad, Iran; Iranian football coach, manager, and former player

Khodadad Azizi, born June 22, 1971 in Mashhad, Iran; retired professional football striker

Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht, born June 30, 1980 in Mashhad; Iranian professional football player

Hossein Badamaki, Iranian professional football player

Mohammad Mansouri, Iranian professional football player

Reza Enayati, Iranian professional football player

Mohsen Ghahramani, Iranain football refree

Mohsen Torki, Iranian football refree

Seyed Ali Akbarian, known as "father of Iran's mountaineering". Notorious for having ate human flesh while stranded on a hike in Zagros Mountains. Currently owns a Kabob restaurant in Westwood

Amir Reza Khadem, born February 10, 1970 in Mashhad

Rasoul Khadem, born February 17, 1972 in Mashhad

Mohammad Khadem

Amir Tavakkolian

Abbas Golmakani, World's wrestling champion during the 1950s

;Others

Ali Akbar Fayyaz, a renowned historian of early Islam and literary critic, founder of the School of Letters and Humanities at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Mahmoud Khayami, born 1930 in Mashhad, Iran; Iranian born industrialist and philanthropist, of French nationality

Hossein Sabet, Iranian businessman and Persian carpet dealer who owns Sabet International Trading Co.

Hesam Kolahan, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Sister cities

Milan, Italy Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (October 2006) Lahore, Pakistan Fresno, United States

Consulates

Active

Former

: British Consulate-General (1889–1947) : Russian Consulate-General (1889–1917) : Soviet Consulate-General (1917–1979?)

See also

The National Library of Astan Quds Razavi

Mashadi Jewish Community

Footnotes

References

External links

Municipality of Mashhad Official website (in Persian)

Astan Quds Razavi

e-Mashhad Mashhad Portal Official website (in Persian)

Imam Reza Network

http://www.razavi.ir/

Category:Cities in Iran Category:Mashhad County Category:Cities in Razavi Khorasan Province Category:Iranian provincial capitals Category:Populated places along the Silk Road Category:Shi'a holy cities

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‘Alī ibn Mūsā al-Rizā () (commonly known as, ‘Alī ar-Rizā, Ali Ridha, or Ali Ridha) (ca. December 29, 765 - August 23, 818) was the seventh descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the eighth of the Twelve Imams, according to Shia sect of Islam. His given name was ‘Alī ibn Mūsā ibn Ja‘far.

Birth and family life

On the eleventh of Dhu al-Qi'dah, 148 AH, a son was born in the house of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (the seventh Imam of Islam) in Medina, who took over the position of the Imamate, after his father. He was named Ali and titled al-Ridha. He was born one month after the death of his grandfather, Ja'far as-Sādiq. Like his father and grandfather, his education came at the hands of his father. The mother of Ali al-Ridha was Bibi Najmah, who was considered to be the most notable and distinguished lady in the realm of wisdom and faith. Najmah was originally an Berber (from the Maghreb i.e. Northwest Africa). She was purchased and freed by Bibi Hamidah Khatun, wife of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, and like Bibi Hamidah was also a notable Islamic scholar.

Right from his childhood, Ali al-Ridha accompanied his father, Hazrat Imam Musa al-Kazim, who repeatedly used to tell his friends, "Ali al-Ridha shall be the Imam after me." As such, Makhzumi says one day Musa al-Kadhim summoned and gathered us and said, "I invited you to be witnesses that this child (Ali al-Ridha) is my executor and successor."

Since an extreme choking atmosphere and pressure prevailed in the period of Musa al-Kazim, he added, "What I said must remain (restricted) up to you and do not reproduce it to anybody unless you know he is one of our friends and companions."

Ali al-Ridha's father was martyred in 799, when Ali al-Ridha was 35, and he was given the responsibility of the Imamate. However, his Imamate was rejected by the Waqifite Shia. Ali al-Ridha was not looked upon favorably by Hārūn Rashīd, and the people of Medina were disallowed from visiting Ali al-Ridha and learning from him. Harun attempted to kill him but was unsuccessful.

His prayers

Ali al-Ridha's morality narrated by Shaykh Saduq

Ali al-Ridha is considered an infallible Imam according to Shia Islam. Below are some historical notes about him.

Shaykh Saduq narrates through the words of Ibrahim ibn Abbas that, "I never saw Ali al-Ridha committing excess over anyone in talking and interrupting anybody's speech before its coming to the end. He did not stretch his legs in the presence of others. When the meal table was laid he invited the servants to it, and took his meals with them. After taking rest in the nights he got up and made himself busy with the prayers to Allah. Similar to his fore fathers he carried food to the houses of the afflicted ones at the mid of nights."

Muhammad ibn Abi Ibad says about Ali al-Ridha, "He used mats of palm date leaves, straws and marsh reed in the summer season, and woolen carpets in the winter."

He led a simple life in his home, but when he went out he used to decorate himself and put on new and clean dress. He respected and honored the guests to the extent that one night a lamp of the house went out of order, the guest got to his feet to put it right. Ali al-Ridha made him sit and he set the lamp right, and said, "We do not employ our guests (exploit) upon work."

Yasir, the servant of Ali al-Ridha says, Ali Ridha said to us, "Whenever you are busy taking your meal, if I call you, do not get up till you have finished up eating." Another friend of Ali al-Ridha says, "One day a stranger came Ali al-Ridha's house and said, I am one of your friends and I am also not a poor man but my money has finished up and I do not have the expenses to return. You give me an amount and when I return to my city I will give it out as alms on your behalf." Ali al-Rida got up and went to another room, brought an amount of two hundred dirhams and gave it to him from behind the door and said, "Take this and go and it is not necessary to give it away as alms on my behalf."

They asked the Ali al-Ridha, "Why did you do it this way that he may not see you."

He said, "So that he does not catch my sight and get ashamed (embarrassed)."

Sulaiman, one of the friends of Ali al-Ridha says, "I went along with the Ali Ridha to the house. The labors were busy at work. There was a stranger among them whom the Ali al-Ridha did not recognize." He said, "Who is this man?" They said we have brought him from outside, so that he may help us. He said, "Have you concluded an agreement with him and fixed his wages?" They said, "No, he is a good man, whatever we pay him he accepts it and does not utter a word."

Ali al-Ridha was angry and annoyed and said, "I have always told you that when you employ someone for a job first of all fix his wages. Because, when his wages are fixed and you give more than that to him, he will become happy. But if you do not fix his wages and give him three times the amount, he thinks you have not given him the correct wages."

Ali al-Ridha admonishes his brother

Once Ali al-Ridha was summoned to Khurasan and he forcibly accepted the special conditions of the succession of al-Ma'mun, al-Ma'mun summoned his brother, Zayd, who had revolted and brought about a riot in Medina to his court in Khurasan. Al-Ma'mun kept him free as a regard and honor to Ali al-Ridha and overlooked his punishment.

One day, when Ali al-Ridha was delivering a speech in a grand assembly, he heard Zayd praising himself before the people, saying I am so and so. Ali al-Ridha shouted at him saying, "Oh Zayd, have you trusted upon the words of the grocers of Kufa and are conveying them to the people? What kind of things are you talking about? The sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah Zahra are worthy and outstanding only when they obey the command of Allah, and keep themselves away from sin and blunder. You think you are like Musa al-Kadhim, Ali ibn Husayn, and other Imams? Whereas, they took pains and bore hardships on the way to Allah and prayed to Allah day and night. Do you think you will gain without pain? Be aware, that if a person out of us the Ahl al-Bayt performs a good deed, he gets twice the reward. Because not only he performed good deeds like others but also that he has maintained the honor of Muhammad. If he practices something bad and does a sin, he has performed two sins. One is that he performed a bad act like the rest of the people and the other one is that he has negated the honor of Muhammad."

Oh brother! The one who obeys Allah is from us the Ahl al-Bayt and the one who is a sinner is not ours. Allah Said about the son of Noah who cut the spiritual bondage with his father, "He is not out of your lineage; if he was out of your lineage, I would have (saved) and granted him salvation."

Connection to Sufism

Maruf Karkhi who was converted to Islam through Ali ar-Ridha is one of the foremost figures in the golden chain of most Sufi orders. He was a devoted student of Ali ar-Ridha and is an important figure for Sufism and Shi'ism.

Death

Ali al-Ridha did not outlive al-Ma'mun, died on May 26, 818, in Persia while accompanying al-Ma'mun at Tus. Shia scholars agree he was poisoned by al-Ma'mun using grapes. Ali al-Ridha is buried within Imam Ridha Mosque, in Mashhad, Iran.

After the death of Hārūn Rashīd, Hārūn's two sons began fighting for control of the Abbāsid Empire. One son, Al-Amin, had an Arab mother and thus had the support of Arabs, while his half-brother Al-Ma'mun had a Persian mother and the support of Persia. Al-Ma'mun believed that Persia was sympathetic to the Hashemites and asked for Ali al-Ridha to meet him in Persia. Ali al-Ridha left his only son, Muħammad at-Taqī, and his wife and set out for Merv.

After defeating his brother, al-Ma'mun named Ali al-Ridha his successor. He hoped to win Shī'a support through this move, but the passage of caliphate would occur only if Ali al-Rida outlived al-Ma'mun (as with all promises of succession). Al-Ma'mun even changed the black Abbāsid flags to green, the traditional color of the house of Alī ibn Abī-Tālib, the first Shī'a imam.

On the night of his death Ali al-Ridha saw his grandfather Muhammad in the dream saying, "Come to us tomorrow, what we have for you is better than the condition you are in."

Harthama says, Ali al-Ridha got up in the mid of the night and called me so that I be present before him. I put on my dress and went to Ali al-Ridha. He said to me, "al-Ma'mun has decided to poison me through grapes tomorrow. Be aware, after my martyrdom he wishes to give me a bath. Tell him to refrain from it. If you do that Allah will not give you chance and respite (any-longer). At that time my son will arrive from Medina and give me a bath and coffin, without anyone seeing it or getting informed.

Then, they will carry me to the tomb of Hārūn al-Rashīd. Al-Ma'mun wants to bury me behind him. But howsoever they work on the earth the pickaxe; they will fail to dig the soil. At that time tell al-Ma'mun to dig the earth in front of the grave so that a ready-made grave will appear. At that instance a white water boils out of the head-side (grave) and rises up. Small fish appear in that. Then a big fish appears which eats up the small fish. Thereafter, the water will settle down. After that lay me in the grave. Do not put the soil on my grave since; it will be filled up by itself. Oh Harthama, do what I have said and do not allow things to happen against what I told you, otherwise, Allah will torment you (people)."

At last al-Ma'mun poisoned Ali al-Ridha through grapes in Tus, on the way back from Merv to Baghdad. Ali al-Ridha came to the house and said to his old friend Aba Salat, "Collect the carpets of the house and do not allow anyone to enter the house, as this is the time when my soul departs (dying) I want to die on the earth like my grandfather Husayn ibn Ali."

Before the death of Ali ar-Ridha, al-Ma’mun stood next to his pillow (head side). Ali Rida opened his eyes and said to him, "have a good conduct with my son Muhammad al-Taqi for his death and yours are close to each other and do not have much distance in between."

The body of Ali al-Ridha was buried in Mashhad. This occurred when Ali Ridha was 55 years of age.

Following the death of Ali al-Ridha a revolt took place in Khorasan. Al-Ma’mun wept and beat upon his head to show that he was a mourner. Despite this, A wave of despises and noise awn against al-Ma’mun. So that he did not allow the funeral to be carried out for a day and a night. Because, he was afraid that the disturbance may expand and the angry hostile and flared up masses may annihilate all the set ups and organizations. This is the reason why he sent a few men among the people to exhibit and shows the death of Ali al-Ridha as a natural one and tells them that al-Ma’mun did not have a hand in it. But for all he did, he could not get himself acquitted off and prove his innocence. At last, day-by-day he became more and more worthless and despicable in the eyes of the people, until he died in a very bad shape.

Imam Ridha Mosque

Today the Imam Riza Mosque in Mashhad occupies a total area of 598,657 m² (6,443,890 sq ft) - the shrine area occupies 267,079m² while the seven courtyards which surround it cover an area of 331,578m². Thus making it the largest mosque in the world, having an area larger than Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabawi (which have areas of 356,800 m² and 400,500 m² respectively).

The courtyards also contain a total of 14 minarets, and 3 fountains. From the courtyards, external hallways named after scholars lead to the inner areas of the mosque. They are referred to as Bast (Sanctuary), since they were meant to be a safeguard for the shrine areas.

The Bast hallways lead towards a total of 21 internal halls (Riwaq) which surround the burial chamber of Ali al-Ridha. Adjacent to the burial chamber is also a mosque dating back to the 10^th century known as, Bala-e-Sar mosque.

Timeline

See also

Ali al-Hadi

Hajar Khatoon Mosque

Hasan al-Askari

Hasan ibn Ali

Muhammad al-Baqir

Muhammad al-Mahdi

Musa al-Kazim

References

External links

Ali al-Riza an article by Encyclopædia Iranica

About Imam Reza

'Ali ar-Riza an article of Encyclopædia Britannica online

The Eighth Imām

The life of Imām ʻAlī ibn-Mūsā ar-Riđā by Bāqir Sharīf al-Qarashī.

Imam Ali ar-Rida

Imam Ali ar-Rida : Official Site of Astane Quds

Imam Ali Reza on Baabeilm.com

A Glance at the Biography of Emam Reza

Ali ibn Musa Rida biography and Hadith

Imam Ali Reza (p) Holy Shrine in Mashad - Live Broadcast

Category:765 births Category:818 deaths Category:Assassinated Shi'a imams Category:Deaths by poisoning Category:Family of Muhammad Category:Iranian Arab people Category:People of African descent Category:Twelver imams Category:People of Moroccan descent Category:Zaidi imams

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