Miracles shown by Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a). which prove the rightfulness of his Imamate and which are mentioned in books of Shi’a and which also refute the beliefs of the Waqifite sect, were the same through whose blessings some believers in Waqifite creed, like Abdur Rahman Ibn Hajjaj, Rifaa Ibn Musa, Yunus Ibn Yaqub, Jamil Ibn Darraj, Hammad Ibn Isa and others reverted from invalid beliefs. They were companions of the father of Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and doubted about Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) but repented later.

In the same way, those who were present during the time of the Imam, like: Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi Nasr, Hasan Ibn ‘Ali Washa and others; they also believed in Waqf [but seeing the proofs of Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a)] they accepted his Wilayat, became bound to him and accepted the Imamate of Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and the Imams after him from his descendants.

76- Ja’lar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Malik has narrated from Muhammad Ibn Husayn Ibn Abil Khattab from Muhammad Ibn Abi Umair from Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi Nasr - an inhabitant of Mehran - like all inhabitants of this place, he was also a follower of the Waqifite sect.

He narrates that he wrote a letter to Abul Hasan ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and in order to harass him wanted to pose some difficult questions to him. He says: Initially, I wrote a letter to him; after that I said to myself: when I meet him, I would ask him three important questions about the Holy Qur’an: like for example [40^th verse of Surah Zukhruf], which says:

أَفَأَنْتَ تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ أَوْ تَهْدِي الْعُمْيَ وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ

"What! Can you then make the deaf to hear or guide the blind and him who is in clear error?" (43:40).

And verse 25 of Surah al-’Anam, which says:

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوكَ يُجَادِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

“Therefore (for) whomsoever Allah intends that He would guide him aright, He expands his breast for Islam, and (for) whomsoever He intends that He should cause him to err, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards; thus does Allah lay uncleanness on those who do not believe.” (6:25).

And verse 56 of Surah Qasas, which says:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

“Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases; and He knows best the followers of the right way." (28:56).

Ahmad says: He replied to my letter and at the end he mentioned the verses about which I wanted to ask him, and no one had any information about them. When I received his reply, I forgot what I had told myself, therefore, I said: What is this reply, which you have given me? After that I remembered that this was the reply of the same questions that I had myself prepared.

77- In the same way, Hasan Ibn ‘Ali Washa was also a Waqifite of his time; then he returned to belief in the twelve Imams and repented for his past mistakes; the cause of his repentance, as he himself states, was that: I traveled to Khorasan for business. When I reached there, Abul Hasan ar-Ridha’ (‘a) sent someone and asked me for the striped cloth from Yemen. It was among the merchandise that I was having, but I had forgotten it, so I said: I don’t have any striped cloth. The Imam's messenger went away but returned again to inform me that I was having it in so and so bundle; I found it at the same place and sent it to the Imam. After that I wrote some questions, which I wanted to ask him. Just as I reached his place, the Imam emerged from inside and mentioned to me the replies of the questions, which I wanted to ask him and about which no one knew anything.

On witnessing this miracle, Hasan Ibn ‘Ali Washa gave up his Waqifite beliefs and adopted faith in the Imamate of Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a).

78- Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi Nasr said: Ibn Najjashi asked: Who is the Imam after your companion [Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a)]? I went to Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and asked about it.

Imam (‘a) said: The Imam after me is my son. After that he said: Can anyone who does not have a son, dare to say: 'My son'?1

79- Abdullah Ibn Ja’far Himyari has narrated from Muhammad Ibn Isa Yaqtini that he said: When people fell into discord with regard to the Imamate of Abul Hasan Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a), I collected the questions that were framed to gain confidence and certainty in his Imamate; and they totaled up to 15000, all of which the Imam replied.

80- Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Aftas says: I entered the assembly of Ma’mun; he seated me close to him and asked about my wellbeing. After that he said: May Allah have mercy on ar-Ridha’ as no one was more learned than him. After people paid allegiance to him, one evening, I posed a question to him and in reply to it he mentioned a very strange matter. I asked: May I be sacrificed on you, I see your wellbeing in the fact that you go to Iraq, and I remain in Khorasan as your successor.

The Imam smiled and said: No, by my life! Before I leave for Khorasan, the scroll of my deeds would be wrapped up [allusion to his demise]. There is a halt for us in this place, and I will not leave till my demise approaches, and definitely my end will be in Khorasan only. I said: May I be sacrificed on you, how do you know this? He replied: My knowledge about my place is like my knowledge about your place. I asked: May God bless you, what is the location of my demise? He replied: The distance between me and you is very much; I would pass away in the east and you will die in the west. I said: You are right. Almighty Allah, His Prophet and Aali Muhammad (‘a) are most knowledgeable. After that I tried my best to allure him to Caliphate, official posts and other ranks, but he was not allured and did not accept.

81- Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn al-Hasan Aftas said: One day I was drinking wine with Ma’mun, till he became intoxicated; his friends left, but he retained me. After that he brought out the slave girls and they played musical instruments and sang. Ma’mun said to one of them: If you had only sung for one who is settled in Tus. The slave girl recited the following dirge:

1- Being quenched with the land of Tus and one from the progeny of the Prophet who is located there, who has left grief and sorrow for us.

2- I mean Abul Hasan, who is the hope of all. He has right on all who express their grief and sorrow. Muhammad Ibn Abdullah says: Ma’mun wept so much that I also started crying. After that he said: Woe be on you, Muhammad, do the people of my house and people of your house consider that it is my duty to appoint Abul Hasan as heir apparent? By Allah, if he had not died, I would definitely have appointed him as my successor [whereas it was Ma’mun himself who got the Imam martyred], but he passed away so soon. May Allah curse the two sons of Hasan; Abdullah and Hamza, who killed him.

Then he said: O Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, by Allah, I am quoting a strange tradition for you. Keep it confidential. I said: Chief of believers, what tradition is that? He replied: When Zahiriya became pregnant with my son, Badr, I went to Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and said: May I be your ransom, I have received information that Musa Ibn Ja'far, Ja’far Ibn Muhammad, Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali, ‘Ali Ibn Husayn and Husayn Ibn ‘Ali (‘a) used to resort to divination2 and did not make any mistake in it. You are their successor, and their knowledge has come to you, and I am also too much fond of Zahiriya and don't prefer any of my slave girls to her. She has had many miscarriages. Do you have any solution for this?

Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) said: Do not fear miscarriage. Very soon Zahiriya would give birth to a healthy child that would resemble its mother the most and the Almighty Allah has added two things in his creation, and it is that it will have an extra finger in both its hands and feet.

I said to myself: By Allah, this is a good opportunity that if the circumstances proved against his prediction, I will remove him from heir apparency. Therefore, I was eager for this delivery till Zahiriya got labor pains. I said to the nurse: After the delivery, bring the newborn to me, whether it is a boy or a girl.

[After sometime] The nurse brought to me a newborn child with the same characteristics and the boy was glowing like the moon. [Seeing this] I decided that I would leave Caliphate and all the matters of governance to him, but he did not accept. I gave my seal ring to him and said: Please take the matters of governance in your control and you have precedence [in Caliphate] and I will not oppose you at all. By Allah, if he had accepted, I would have done that.3

82- Like the incident of the Imam with Hababa Walibiyya, owner of the pebble on which Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) placed his seal and said to her: One who places a seal on this pebble is an Imam.

Hababa survived till the Imamate of Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a). The Imam placed the seal on that pebble and Hababa witnessed the placing of seals by respected ancestors of Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) was the last Imam Hababa met.

Hababa passed away after meeting Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and the Imam gave his own shirt to serve as her shroud.

83- Same is the incident of Imam (‘a) with Umm Ghanim, the Bedouin lady, who owned a pebble, on which Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) had placed his seal; and all Imams till Imam Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) placed seals on it; her story is also well known.4

If for our master, Abul Hasan ar-Ridha’ (‘a) and respected Imams from his descendants, there were only these two evidences and statement of Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) to certify their Imamate, it would have been sufficient for one having awakened conscience and justice.

• 1. Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) did not have any issue till he was 47 years of age and that was the reason why some inimical persons and hypocrites took advantage of the circumstances and claimed that the Imam cannot have children, therefore the future of Imamate had become doubtful and it also created doubt in the matter of the Imamate of Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a). The miracle of this statement is the birth of Imam al-Jawad (‘a) as Imam ar-Ridha’ (‘a) said: No child of our Shi’a was as blessed as this newborn child of mine and with his birth a ray of hope shone on the world of guidance, which became a cause of joy for the Shi’a. Along with it, those who wished against us, the opponents, especially the Waqifiya sect also was not guided by this miracle of ours... Please refer Shevaya Peshwayan, Pg. 530-543.
• 2. But taking out Faal (divination) was a habit of Ma’mun and the Holy Imams (‘a) never followed this method; on the contrary they used to predict the future through the knowledge of the unseen that they possessed. By saying this, Ma’mun shows that he was having so much hatred and jealousy to the Holy Imams (‘a) that he is knowingly and intentionally considering their knowledge of unseen to be divination so that he may deny the divine revelation on the Holy Prophet (S) and degrade his knowledge of unseen to the level of divination. Thus, that which has come from the Holy Imams (‘a) regarding this is the knowledge of unseen and not divination.
• 3. But the practice of Ma’mun is against this absurd claim, because in fact through this practice he shifted the Imam to Tus so that he may eliminate him and end the danger his regime faced from him. On the other hand, he suppressed revolutions and movements of Shi’a and also oppressed the Imam, but the Imam through the help of Allah, was able to render all his plots ineffective. Even the last attack of Ma’mun to eliminate the Imam was not effective - curse of Allah be on him.
• 4. The complete text of this report is mentioned in Al-Kafi, Kitab al-Hujjah, Chapter of that which separates the true and false claim of Imamate, third tradition: Translation Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqir Kamrai, Vol. 2 from Pg. 596 to 601.