Abdolazim Hasani

Abdolazim Hasani, known as Shah Abdulazim and Seyyed al-Karim, is one of the scholars of the Sadat Hasani (It means the preophet’s descendants)and one of the narrators of Hadith. His lineage reaches Imam Hassan Mojtaba (peace be upon him) through four intermediaries. He is considered a pious man, known for his trustworthiness, honesty in speech, knowledge of religious affairs, belief in the principles of the Shiite religion, and a traditionist. Sheikh al-Saduq has compiled his collection of narrations under the title” Jame’ Akhbar Abdulazim”. Abdolazim Hasani has met and visited  Imam Reza (peace be upon him) and Imam Jawad (peace be upon him). It is said that he offered his faith to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) and died during his time. The shrine of Hazrat Abdulazim, located in the city of Rey, is a place of pilgrimage for Shiites. In some narrations, the reward of visiting his grave is considered equal to the reward of visiting the grave of Imam Hossein (peace be upon him).

Birth of Hazrat Abdolazim  Hasani

Born on the 4th of Rabi’ Al-Thani, 173 AH in the city of Medina. He was the son of Abdullah ibn Ali, a descendant of Imam Hassan al-Mojtaba (a.s.), who was related to that Imam through four intermediaries.

Abdolazim was a Shiite scholar and narrator of the hadiths of the infallible Imams (a.s.), and was also considered a very popular and trusted figure among the(Ahl al-Bayt)(a.s.). Although his era was during Abbasid rule and the creation of oppression and strictness towards the Shiites, the defenders of the religion and the preservers of the  shiite school who recorded and narrated the hadiths of the Imams (a.s.) played a major role in protecting and preserving the noble culture of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.). This noble man is also considered one of the guardians of the radiant Shiite belief, who was diligent in preserving and disseminating the sayings and words of the infallible Imams (a.s.), and the numerous praises of the Imams (a.s.) for him indicate his noble scientific and spiritual personality.

The courtesy  of Abdolazim towards the Imams

Sheikh Mohammad Sharif Razi” writes in his book, about the courtesy of Hazrat Abdolazim towards the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them): “The noble behavior and habit of Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him) was that whenever he entered the session  of Hazrat Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) or Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), with complete courtesy, humility and utmost modesty, he would greet those Imams with complete courtesy. After the Imam returned the greeting, he would call him close to him and make him sit next to him; and the Imam would ask him thoroughly about his well-being, which would cause regret and envy among others.”

Mohammad Sharif Razi continues: "One of the aspects of the respect and veneration of Imam Jawad (a.s.) and Imam Hadi (a.s.) for Abdolazim Hasani was that they never called him by name and always addressed him by his nickname - which was "Abol-Qasem" - and scholars of literature say that the nickname was established for veneration, honor, and respect.

Therefore, it is well understood to what extent the Infallible Imams (a.s.) respected Abdolzim, and this is nothing other than the fact that Abdolazim's piety, and knowledge, combined with his actions, have made him particularly popular near the Infallible Imams."

The position  of Abdolazim in  Imams’ View

Sheikh al-Saduq writes in his book “Kamal al-Deen”: “When Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) came to Imam Hadi (a.s.) and expressed his beliefs, the Imam said: You are one of our true friends.”

And the author of the book “Jannat al-Na’eem” says: “A person named Abu Hammad Razi – one of the Shiites in  the city of Rey  went to “Samerra” despite the difficulties of that time and reached the Imam of his time, Hazrat Ali al-Naqi -tenth Imam)(a.s.) and asked him some questions. The Imam, while answering his questions, said: “O Abu Hammad! Whenever you have a problem in religious matters, ask Abdolazim Hasani for the answer to your problem and convey my greetings to him.”

The position  of Abdolazim  in Islamic Scholars’ View

The great Seyyed, Hazrat Abdolazim Hasani, as one of the descendants of the Imams (peace be upon them) enjoys a high position that most of the scholars and geniuses of the Islamic world, each in turn, have praised him with innovative expressions and subtle statements; some of which are mentioned here are interesting and lead to a greater knowledge about  Abdolazim Hasani:

Sheikh al-Saduq writes: “Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him) was a God-fearing, pious person who was loved by God, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) and the people.

Saheb ibn Ebad (who was minister of Fakhr al-Dowlah) says: “Abdolazim  Hasani (peace be upon him) was a pious  religious  and God-fearing man, known for his trustworthiness and honesty of speech,knowledgeable in religious matters, and the one who was calling to  monotheism and justice. In his time, after the Imam of his time, he was superior to all his contemporaries in knowledge, manners, virtue, wisdom and piety. No one was in his position and he followed and imitated the Imams (peace be upon them) compeletly. Among the descendants and grandchildren of Imam Hassan al-Mojtaba (peace be upon them), no one has reached his level and position.

In his book "Rejal", Najashi also says about the personality of Hazrat Abdulazim: "Abdolazim(peace be upon him) entered the city of Rey in fear and fleeing from the Caliph and settled in the basement of a Shiite's house; in that underground, which was his hiding place, he would fast during the days and pray at night."

Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) Met three Imams

One of the important events  in the life of Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) was that he was able to visit the three Imams; Imam Reza, Imam Jawad, and Imam Hadi (a.s.),and benefit from the teachings of those great men, and transmit their words and narrations to later generations.

When Imam Reza (a.s.) was in Medina, Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) had the opportunity to meet his Imam; after the martyrdom of that Imam, when the Imamate passed to Imam Jawad (a.s.), during the time that the ninth Imam was in Medina, this happiness and success was also available to Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) to have contact and meet with that Imam and benefit from the knowledge of that great man. Sometimes he would ask his questions to the Imam in the form of letters and receive written answers from the Imam.

The most important and sensitive period of Hazrat Abdulazim's life was the period of Imam Hadi (a.s.); although Imam Hadi (a.s.) spent part of his life in a military protected and monitored area in Samerra, and during that period, the possibility of Shiites communicating with that Imam was less and with problems; however, Abdolazim Hasani (a.s.) would also visit Imam Hadi (a.s.) at the same time and seek guidance and advice  from him.

Why  Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) migrated  from Medina to Rey?

The reason for the migration of Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) from Medina to Rey and his residence in exile should be sought in the political and social conditions of that era. The Abbasid caliphs were very strict towards the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and the Shiites of the Imams (a.s.). One of the most cruel and ill-mannered of these caliphs was Motawakkel, who during his caliphate not only destroyed the tomb of Hazart Imam Hossein (a.s) in Karbala several times, but also prevented people from visiting the grave of the Imam. Imam Hadi (a.s.) was a contemporary of five Abbasid caliphs, including Motawakkel. In order to protect himself from the revolutionary anger of the oppressed people and to prevent the Shiites from gathering around the Imam Hadi (a.s.), so  Motawakkel took the Imam from Medina to Samerra, to monitor all the activities and communications of the Imam. The Caliph's agents even broke into the Imam's house several times and searched his house with complete impudence. When there were such harsh reactions towards the infallible Imam, in that sensitive situation, there was even more strictness, fear and danger towards their followers and others  figures.

Since Hazrat Abdolazim(a.s.) sometimes came to see Imam Hadi (a.s.) in Samerra  so, the Caliph's spies reported his connection with Imam Hadi (a.s.) and following that, the Caliph issued an order to pursue and arrest him. Therefore, Hazrat Abdolazim Hasani hid himself from the eyes of the agents and traveled in different cities anonymously, in order to remain safe from the danger of the Abbasid Caliph. This situation continued until Hazrat Abdolazim  reached the city of "Rey" and intended to stay there.

Hazrat Abdolazim in Rey

Hazrat Abdolazim  entered Rey as an unknown traveler and went to the house of a Shiite in the neighborhood of “Sareban” in the alley of “Sekkat al-Mawali”. For a while he stayed in the basement of that house and people were unaware of his presence and only a handful of Shiites knew him and were aware of his presence in that neighborhood and they also tried to keep this news from being revealed so that no danger would threaten his life. But as time passed, more people came to know Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him) and came to his house to benefit from his knowledge and narrations and to smell the fragrance of the family of Imam  from him.

Yes! The Shiites of that region considered Hazrat Abdolazim memorial of their Imams and circled him like butterflies, esteeming his scientific and religious position and solving their religious issues and problems through him.

The virtue and reward of pilgrimage of Abdolazim

The culture of pilgrimage in the Shiite school is one of the basic methods of reviving the names and memories of the great ones, scholars, and saint people. Being present at the graves of noble and prominent people is both appreciating their purity, honesty, faith, and jihad, and also taking a role model from their lives and seeking inspiration from their names and memories. Therefore, the many encouragements that have been mentioned in Islamic narrations regarding the pilgrimage to the shrines of the infallible Imams and the noble descendants of the Imams are an educational and guiding advice. The pilgrimage to the beautiful shrine of Hazrat Abdolazim Hasani (peace be upon him) has also been emphasized and paid attention to in this regard, as it is stated in a narration from Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) that whoever visits the grave of Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him), God will reward him with Paradise!.

It is also stated in another narration that a man from the people of Rey came to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him). The Imam asked him: Where have you been? He said: I had gone to visit Imam Hossein (peace be upon him). The Imam said: Know that if you visit the grave of Abdolazim Hasani, as if you have visited Hossein ibn Ali (peace be upon him).

The fact that visiting the grave of Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him) is rewarded with Paradise or is as valuable as visiting Karbala is a proof and sign of the high and exalted position of that great man near God and the infallible Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon him); because in that difficult and dangerous time, he was obedient to the Imams and spread the light of the hadiths and the luminous words of the pure Imams (peace be upon him) in different cities; therefore, his activity in such dangerous conditions had  of special value.

Pure Gems

In addition to his knowledge, piety, struggle, and high moral position  and spiritual virtues, Hazrat Abdolazim(as)was one of the most reliable narrators of hadiths from the infallible family of the Prophet (AS). His name shines in the chain of transmission of a number of hadiths, in subjects  of interpretation, jurisprudence, morality, and belief. We will narrate some of the hadiths that Hazrat Abdolazim(as)heard directly from the infallible Imam (AS).

Imam Reza (as)addressed Hazrat Abdolazim(as)and said: “O Abdul Azim! Convey my greetings to my friends and tell them not to let Satan have their way and dominion. Instruct them to speak the truth, be trustworthy, be silent, and abandon arguing in vain matters, and to meet and pay attention to each other; Because these are the means of drawing closer to me. Do not engage in enmity with one another or tear each other apart! I have made a covenant with myself that whoever does this and angers one of my friends, I will ask God to punish him in the most severe way in this world. In the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.

Hazrat Abdolazim  Hasani (a.s.) narrates from Imam Jawad (a.s.) that the Imam said: “Whoever visits my father - Imam Reza (a.s.) - in “Toos” with knowledge  towards Imam, I guarantee him Paradise with God.

Hazrat Abdolazim says: “Imam Jawad (a.s.) told me: “Truly, the Qaem of our family is the same ‘Mahdi’ who must be awaited during his occultation and obeyed upon his reappearance. By God, who raised Mohammad to be a prophet and sent us to be Imams, if only one day remains in this world, that day will be so long that the Mahdi (may God hasten his return) will emerge from behind the veil of occultation and fill the earth with justice and fairness. God will rectify the affairs of  Imam Mahdi  in one night, just as He rectified the affairs of Moses ibn Imran in one night... The best deeds of our Shiites are to await the return.

Death

In the last days of his  life, Hazrat Abdolazim(as) became ill. He was in bed , and the followers of the Ahlul Bayt (as)were on the verge of being deprived benefiting of this noble man. In addition of suffering from illness, exile, and being away from his relatives, Abdolazim Hasani (as)was also deeply saddened by the continuous calamities of the people and the bitter times of the Shiites during the Abbasid era. He found peace in his soul by constantly remembering God and praying, and he bore the burden of exile and illness on his shoulders.

According to a famous saying, the shining sun of Rey, Hazrat Abdolazim  Hasani (as)set on the 15th of Shawwal 252 AH and the long-lasting flame of truth and faith in that land went out. The news of the death of that great man spread from mouth to mouth, and the people of the city all dressed in black and raised their voices in weeping and wailing at the door of his house, and after that, the pure body of Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him) was buried in that city amidst a huge crowd of people attending the funeral. For centuries, the magnificent shrine of Hazrat Abdolazim(peace be upon him), with its heavenly and spiritual appearance, has been the amber of eager souls and pure hearts, and the hearts of the people of knowledge have always circled around its shrine like doves.