Ayatullah Fazel Lankarani's speech about Imam Jawadi (as)

Firstly, after the birth of Imam Jawad (peace be upon him), Imam Reza (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "This newborn brought the greatest blessings to our Shia." Even though the lifespan of Imam Jawad was short—he became an Imam at the age of seven and was martyred at the age of 25—he is considered, as stated by the Eighth Imam (peace be upon him), "the greatest blessing for the Shia".

Why did Imam Reza (peace be upon him) describe Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) as "the greatest blessing"? One reason might be that Imam Jawad was very young when he became an Imam. Scholars and people were astonished and sometimes raised doubts. The Abbasid caliph, Mamun, would hold sessions, inviting prominent scholars and experts from various fields and different schools of thought. In these sessions, Imam Jawad would prevail over them, leaving no room for doubt.

It is even recorded in the Imam’s biography that many scholars and jurists of other denominations were drawn to the Imamiyyah school of thought because of his rationally convincing arguments. This might be one of the reasons why Imam Jawad is considered a great blessing for the Shia. With a more in-depth study, additional reasons could be discovered.

When we look closely, scholars from different schools of thought—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i—all acknowledged the greatness of Imam Jawad (peace be upon him).

Mohammad ibn Hasan ibn Ammar narrates: Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) entered the Prophet's Mosque, and Ali ibn Ja'far, his father's uncle, rose and went to welcome him without wearing his shoes and cloak. When Imam Jawad, despite his young age, visited Ali ibn Ja'far, who was an elderly man with white beard, Ali ibn Ja’far quickly stood up and hastened to greet the Imam. He kissed the Imam’s hand and showed him great respect.

Imam Jawad kindly said to him, “Please sit down, Uncle. May Allah have mercy on you.”

Ali ibn Ja'far replied: “My master, how can I sit while you, my Imam, are standing?”

When Ali ibn Ja'far returned to his place, his companions reproached him and said, “You are his father's uncle, why do you act this way towards him?”

He said: “Be silent! God Almighty did not deem my white beard worthy of Imamate but deemed this young man worthy and placed him in this lofty position. Shall I deny his virtue? We seek refuge in Allah from what you say.” Then he added, “I am his servant.”

This is a remarkable expression from Imam Reza's uncle, despite the considerable age difference between him and Imam Jawad (as). Imam Jawad (as) was granted to Imam Reza (as) in the last years of his life. Imam Reza had foretold the birth of Imam Jawad before he was born.

Ali ibn Ja'far’s statement, that is, “I am his servant,” shows utmost respect. Sometimes, in the words of some western minded or those who are not aware of the truth of Imamate, this notion is raised that “today, there is some exaggeration regarding Imamate.” When we ask why, they say that the positions and ranks you attribute to the Imam, such as “infallibility” and “knowledge of what was, what is, and what will be,” were not held by the companions of the Imams.

We say that Ali ibn Ja'far was not a companions of Imam Jawad (as) but the uncle of the father of the Imam, and he was much older than Imam Jawad (as) and was not himself an ordinary person from an ordinary family, since he was the son of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), despite all this, he said, "I am Imam Jawad’s servant."

These statements should make us realize that the truth of Imamate is a truth that our minds and imaginations can never fully comprehend.

It is also narrated (in the Mustadrak of Awalim al-Uloom, Vol. 23, Page 159) that after the martyrdom of the Eighth Imam (peace be upon him), Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) was brought to the Prophet's Mosque as a child. He came to the pulpit, climbed a step, and then spoke, introducing himself by saying, "I am Muhammad ibn Ali al-Ridha, I am al-Jawad, I have knowledge of the genealogies of people in their loins, I know your inner and outer aspects, and what you are destined for. This knowledge has been granted to us before the creation of other people, and after the annihilation of the heavens and the earth."

Then he said, "If the people of falsehood did not openly manifest falsehood, if misguidance was not in power, and if the skeptics did not cast doubts, I would say things that the first and the last human would marvel at!"

Afterwards, he placed his blessed hand on his mouth and said to himself, "Oh Muhammad, remain silent, just as your fathers remained silent before you."

We are blessed today to have access to the words of the pure Imams (peace be upon them). Today, it is impossible to imagine the completeness of religion without the words of the Imams. Alongside the Quran, the words of the pure Imams must be carefully studied. Without these words, it is impossible to understand the religion, claim its completeness, or assert that we want to implement it in human society.

I told some scholars from Al-Azhar - who came to meet us in Qom - that today, solving the problems of the Takfiri groups in the world is only possible by paying attention to the school of Ahlul-Bayt, and there is no other way. They admitted and agreed. I said that if there was a central point around which we could gather, a point that precisely defined the criteria for belief and disbelief, all these problems would be solved.

I told them, what have you done to your jurisprudence today? You have distanced yourselves from the jurisprudence of your predecessors. At least, there used to be a criterion for common understanding. But today, from Ibn Taymiyyah onwards, you consider even the visitation of graves as disbelief. Or you declare other matters as disbelief. You have distanced yourselves from the jurists of your predecessors.

Ultimately, to understand what disbelief is and what its opposite is, we need a central point, which is the Quran and the Ahlul-Bayt. Without them, nothing else will suffice, and as long as this criterion is not resolved, the issue of the Takfiri groups will not be solved.

According to this narration, it is evident that the Imams (peace be upon them) did not convey many matters to us. At that time, there were not many people who could benefit from what the Imams said, or their numbers were limited, but even this limited understanding can solve many of our problems.

Finally, let me read this narration which is relevant to our discussion. The narration says that after the martyrdom of the Eighth Imam (peace be upon him), the Shia people in Baghdad and other cities were doubtful and said that the son of the Eighth Imam was a child; he could not be the Imam.

Then the jurists and dignitaries of the Shia at that time prepared some questions during the Hajj season and decided to meet Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) to see if he could answer those questions.

When they came to Medina, they went to the house of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). There, Abdullah ibn Musa ibn Ja'far was sitting at the head of the assembly, and people were asking him questions. Abdullah ibn Musa ibn Ja'far gave answers that only increased the people's confusion and bewilderment.

They became worried and were about to leave when they saw that Muwaffaq, the servant of the Imam, together with Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) entered and said, “This is the Imam.” They all rose up to greet him and welcomed him. The one with the questions stood up and asked him his questions, and he answered them correctly. They became happy, prayed for him, and praised him.

They then told the Imam: "Your uncle Abdullah ibn Musa ibn Ja'far gave answers such as 'if this is the case, if that is the case, if such-and-such.' He answered us like that."

The Imam said: "There is no deity except Allah. Oh Uncle! It would be grave to stand before Allah on the Day of Judgment and He asks you, 'Why did you issue rulings to My servants without having the knowledge, while there were in ummah those who were more knowledgeable than you?'"As it appears, Abdullah ibn Musa ibn Ja'far was present when the Imam said this. 

The Imam says this is one of the grave stations, one of the most difficult stations on the Day of Judgment for a human being. It seems that perhaps answering for one's sins might be easier than issuing a ruling without knowledge. If someone asks us something we don't know, we should say we don't know. What is the harm in that?

My late father (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him), considering his scientific and jurisprudential efforts, was truly one of the most diligent figures in contemporary jurisprudence. The vast number of books he authored are so many that when one sees his handwritten manuscripts, he might wonder if it is possible to read them all in an ordinary lifetime. When he became a Marja', despite having written marginal notes on Al-Urwa al-Wuthqa, his book on Islamic Law was incomplete for a long time. Some topics like inheritance had not been covered in Al-Urwa, and thus he had not issued his opinion on them. Therefore, his book on Islamic Law remained incomplete until he later reviewed these matters and gave his opinions.

This is very important for us because, on the Day of Judgment, one cannot say, "I issued this ruling because other famous scholars had given a similar opinion." Those famous scholars themselves must answer why they issued such rulings. Also, one cannot say, "I did not issue this ruling because the other learned scholars had not given such an opinion." These excuses will not suffice on the Day of Judgment. One must explain why they issued a ruling, citing which verse, narration, or reason they relied upon to come to this conclusion.

A noteworthy point is the difference between Abdullah ibn Musa ibn Ja'far and Ali ibn Ja'far, whose story we mentioned earlier. Ali accepted the Imamate of Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) and said, "I am his servant," but this uncle did not accept it, or at least had not accepted it at the time of this discussion. Perhaps he accepted it later.

"More knowledgeable" in this context does not mean the most learned in jurisprudence and ijtihad; it means you are ignorant, and I am knowledgeable. I have criticized many of the arguments of other scholars regarding the necessity of following the most learned. This narration cannot be proof for the necessity of referring to the most learned because here, "more knowledgeable" means in contrast to ignorant. However, the Imam uses this expression, meaning you are ignorant, and you should refer these matters to the knowledgeable.

In any case, this is a very important narration that we should keep in mind in scientific matters. May Allah bestow His special favor upon all of us through Imam Jawad (peace be upon him).

Peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.