In the Name of Allah

Imam Jawad (PBUH) and his relation with the Shia

The politics ruling the Abbasid dynasty had during the lifetime of Imam Jawad (PBUH) was set to create as many barriers as possible to prevent the connection of the Imam with his followers.  But despite the limitations, Shiites from all over the Islamic Ummah would strive to find a way to connect with the Imam.  These connections expanded from the lifetime of Imam Reza (PBUH) and onward.  This spanning out of Shiites and their evermore connection with the Imams became possible after the move of Imam Reza (PBUH) to Khorasan as well as representatives of the Imams to various regions of the Middle East.

Along these lines and during the lifetime of Imam Jawad (PBUH), Shiites from different cities could contact the Imam through his representatives.  They were also able to see the Imam in person during the Hajj season or other times in Medina.

One such example are the Shiites who lived in Rey, whose number continued to grow.¹   Various sources have reported that a group of Shia visited Imam Jawad (PBUH) to ask their questions.²

Khorasan was another major area where the Shia would gather.  According to a source, a Shia from Khorasan visited Imam Jawad (PBUH) and received a gift from the Imam.³

Qum was also a crucial Shiite city that Shiites would travel from and had a very close relationship with Imam Jawad (PBUH).  One such Shia was Muhammad ibn Isa (Sheikh al Ghomeen) who was a companion of Imam Reza (PBUH) and after was among the companions of Imam Jawad (PBUH), Imam Hadi (PBUH), and Imam Hassan Askari (PBUH).  He left behind many works of Hadith collections.⁴

Saleh ibn Muhammad ibn Sahl was yet another companion of Imam Jawad (PBUH).  He lived in Qum and took care of donated properties to the Imam in his area.

There’s also another narration that a person from the area of Sistan (between current Iran and Pakistan) visited the Imam for his personal problem and Imam Jawad (PBUH) helped him.

Ali Ibn Mahziar was also amongst the well-known companions of Imam Jawad (PBUH).  He was initially Christian and had later become a close companion of Imam al-Ridha (PBUH).  He lived in a village near Tigris and later lived in Ahwaz province. He was able to see Imam Jawad (PBUH) throughout the Imam’s brief lifetime and recorded numerous traditions from the Imam and his father (PBUT).

Selection taken from the work of Hujjatul Islam Rasul Jafarian, The Intellectual and Political Life of the Shiite Imams