Why Is Ali Ibn Musa (s) Called al-Ridha
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1 - حَدَّثَنا أَبي وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنِ مُوسَى بْنِ المُتَوَكِّل؛ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنِ عَلِيِّ ماجِيلَوَيْه؛ وَأحْمَدُ بْنِ على بن إِبْراهيمَ بْنِ هاشِم؛ وَالحُسَيْنُ بْنُ إِبْراهيم ناتانَةَ؛ وَأَحْمَدُ بْنِ زِيادِ بْنِ جَعْفَر الْهَمَذانيُّ؛ وَالحُسَيْنُ بْنِ إِبْراهيمَ بْنِ هشام المُكَتَّبُ؛ وَعَلِيُّ بْنِ عَبْدِاللَّهِ الْوَرَّاقُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ جَمِيعاً - قالُوا: حَدَّثَنا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبراهيمَ بْنِ هاشِم، عَنْ أَبيهِ، عَنْ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبي نَصْرِ البِزَنْطِيِّ قالَ: قُلتُ لأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُوسَى‏ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ: إِنَّ قَوْماً مِنْ مُخالِفِيكُمْ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ أَباكَ إِنَّما سَمَّاهُ الْمَأمُون الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ لَمّا رَضِيَهُ لِوِلايَةِ عَهْدِهِ فَقالَ: كَذَبُوا وَاللَّهِ وَفَجَرُوا، بَلِ اللَّهُ تَبارَكَ وَتَعالى‏ سَمَّاهُ الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ ، لأَنَّهُ كانَ رضىِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي سَمائِهِ، وَرَضِىَ لِرَسُولِهِ وَالأَئِمَّةِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ - صَلَواتُ اللَّه عَلَيْهِم - فِي أَرْضِهِ، قالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَلَمْ يَكُنْ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنْ آبائِكَ الماضِينَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ رَضِىَ لِلَّهِ تَعالى‏ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَالأَئِمَّةِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ فَقالَ: بَلى‏، فَقُلْتُ: فَلِمَ سُمِّيَ أَبُوكَ مِنْ بَيْنِهِم الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ ؟ قالَ: لأَنَّهُ رَضِيَ بِهِ الُْمخالِفُونَ مِنْ أَعْدائِهِ كَما رَضِيَ بِهِ الْمُوافِقُونَ مِنْ أَوْلِيائِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ ذلِكَ لأَحَدٍ مِنْ آبائِهِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ، فَلِذلِكَ سُمِّيَ مِنْ بَيْنِهِمُ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ الرِّضا.
1-1 My father, Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Motawakkil, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Majiluwayh, Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem; Al-Hussein ibn Ibrahim Natanat; Ahmad ibn Ziyad ibn Ja’far al-Hamadani; Al-Hussein ibn Ibrahim ibn Hisham al-Mokattib, and Ali ibn Abdullah - may God be pleased with them all - narrated that Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem quoted on the authority of his father that Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr al-Bezanti told Abi Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Musa (s), “Some of your opponents think that Al-Ma’mun called your father Al-Ridha (s) that means ‘acceptable’ or ‘liked’ since he liked your father and chose him to be his crown-prince. Imam Al-Jawad (s) said, “No, by God, they are liars. God the Almighty the Sublime named him Al-Ridha (s) since he was accepted by God the Almighty in His Heavens , and he was accepted by his Prophet (s) and the Imams (s) that followed the Prophet (s) on His Earth.” Al-Bezanti said, “Were not your father and grandfathers accepted by God, the Prophet and the Imams?” Imam Al-Jawad (s) said, “Yes, they were.” He then asked, “Why then only was your father called Al-Ridha and they were not?” Then Imam Al-Jawad (s) said, “That is because his friends and followers as well as his opponents accepted him, while this was never the case for my forefathers. Therefore, he is the only one who is called Al-Ridha.”
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2 - حَدَّثَنا عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِمْرانَ الدَّقَّاق رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنِ أَبي عَبْدِاللَّهِ الكُوفِيُ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيادِ الأَدَمِيِ عَنْ عَبْدِالعَظِيم الْحَسَنِيِّ عَنْ سُلَيْمانَ بْنِحَفْصٍ الْمَرْوَزِيِّ قالَ: كانَ مُوسَى بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلىِّ بْنِ الحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلىِّ بْنِ أَبي طالِب عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ يُسَمِّي وَلَدَهُ عَلِيّاً عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ، الرِّضا وَكانَ يَقُولُ: «اُدْعُوا لِي وَلَدِيَ الرِّضا» وَ«قُلتُ لِوَلَدِيَ الرِّضا» وَ«قالَ لِي وَلَدِيَ الرِّضا» وَإِذا خاطَبَهُ قالَ: «يا أَبَا الحَسَنِ».
1-2 Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Imran ad-Daqqaq - with whom God may be pleased - narrated that Muhammad ibn Abi Abdullah al-Kufiquoted on the authority of Sahil ibn Ziyad al-Adami, on the authority of Abdul Azeem ibn Abdullah Al-Hassani, on the authority of Soleiman ibn Hafs al-Marwazy that Imam Al-Kadhim (s) used to call his son Al-Ridha and said, ‘Call my son, Al-Ridha’, or ‘I called my son Al-Ridha.’ When he talked to his son Al-Ridha, he called him Abul Hassan (that is the same as Abul Hassan or Abil Hassan).