How did Imam Reza (AS) Become the Crown Prince of an Abbasid Caliph?
- last year
After Amin’s death, Ma’mun officially became the only Abbasid Caliph. Instead of relocating to the capital, Baghdad, Ma’mun decided to stay in Merv and made it the capital of his government. With this decision, Ma’mun wanted to show appreciation to his companions and the people of Khorasan who had supported him to gain power. Also, Baghdad was the center of the Abbasid royal family who had betrayed Ma’mun and supported Amin in the battles against him. They were hostile toward Ma’mun, so Ma’mun preferred to distance himself from them.
The Alavid Uprisings:
About five years after Haroon’s death, Ma’mun was finally able to oust Amin from power and take control over the entire Abbasid territory. However, his government remained unstable, and various uprisings and riots kept threatening his power. The main threat to his government was led by the Alavids, who had viewed the Abbasids as an illegitimate government since their establishment. The term ‘Alavids’ refers to the children of Imam Ali (AS), which also includes the Prophet’s descendants from his daughter, Lady Fatimah (SA). The Shia Imams were also from the Alavids.
The Alavid uprisings were initiated in Kufa by one of the descendants of Imam Hasan, known as Ibn Tabataba. Ibn Tabataba initially met Abul-Saraya, one of Ma’mun’s former military leaders who had separated from Ma’mun’s army due to a financial conflict. Ibn Tabataba, as the spiritual leader, and Abul-Saraya, as the army leader, led a joint uprising in Kufa, the center of the Shias. They were able to quickly gather many supporters for their cause, including the Zaidi Shias. They seized Kufa and took it under their control. Shortly after the victory, Ibn Tabataba died suspiciously . Some believe that he was eliminated by Abul-Saraya, who then became the sole powerful leader of the uprising. After seizing Kufa, Abul-Saraya sent delegates to the other cities to encourage them to join his uprising. Soon, his uprising expanded to the other cities including Mecca, Medina, Yemen, Basrah, Madain, and Ahvaz, and became a serious threat for Mamun’s newly established government. The governors of the seized cities were selected from among the Prophet’s descendants. Imam Reza’s brothers, Ibrahim, Zaid, and Isma’il became the governors of Yemen, Ahvaz, and Fars, respectively. After nearly ten challenging months, Ma’mun was able to defeat these widespread uprisings.
Imam Reza did not approve nor comment on the Alavid uprisings, though his close family members, including his own brothers, participated in them. Obviously, the Imam could not support these uprisings led by someone like Abul-Saraya, who was seeking his own power. The nominated governor for Medina during the Alavid uprisings was Muhammad ibn Sulayman, one of the descendants of Imam Hasan (AS). The majority of the Prophet’s descendants and the other members of Banu Hashim accepted him as the governor and paid allegiance to him. They then sent the head of their army as a messenger to Ima
The Alavid Uprisings:
About five years after Haroon’s death, Ma’mun was finally able to oust Amin from power and take control over the entire Abbasid territory. However, his government remained unstable, and various uprisings and riots kept threatening his power. The main threat to his government was led by the Alavids, who had viewed the Abbasids as an illegitimate government since their establishment. The term ‘Alavids’ refers to the children of Imam Ali (AS), which also includes the Prophet’s descendants from his daughter, Lady Fatimah (SA). The Shia Imams were also from the Alavids.
The Alavid uprisings were initiated in Kufa by one of the descendants of Imam Hasan, known as Ibn Tabataba. Ibn Tabataba initially met Abul-Saraya, one of Ma’mun’s former military leaders who had separated from Ma’mun’s army due to a financial conflict. Ibn Tabataba, as the spiritual leader, and Abul-Saraya, as the army leader, led a joint uprising in Kufa, the center of the Shias. They were able to quickly gather many supporters for their cause, including the Zaidi Shias. They seized Kufa and took it under their control. Shortly after the victory, Ibn Tabataba died suspiciously . Some believe that he was eliminated by Abul-Saraya, who then became the sole powerful leader of the uprising. After seizing Kufa, Abul-Saraya sent delegates to the other cities to encourage them to join his uprising. Soon, his uprising expanded to the other cities including Mecca, Medina, Yemen, Basrah, Madain, and Ahvaz, and became a serious threat for Mamun’s newly established government. The governors of the seized cities were selected from among the Prophet’s descendants. Imam Reza’s brothers, Ibrahim, Zaid, and Isma’il became the governors of Yemen, Ahvaz, and Fars, respectively. After nearly ten challenging months, Ma’mun was able to defeat these widespread uprisings.
Imam Reza did not approve nor comment on the Alavid uprisings, though his close family members, including his own brothers, participated in them. Obviously, the Imam could not support these uprisings led by someone like Abul-Saraya, who was seeking his own power. The nominated governor for Medina during the Alavid uprisings was Muhammad ibn Sulayman, one of the descendants of Imam Hasan (AS). The majority of the Prophet’s descendants and the other members of Banu Hashim accepted him as the governor and paid allegiance to him. They then sent the head of their army as a messenger to Ima