A00116 - 'Ali al-Rida

ʿAlī al-Riḍā, in full Abū al-Ḥasan ibn Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar ʿAlī al-Riḍā, (also
'Alī ibn Mūsā ar-Riḍā (Arabic: علي ابن موسى الرّضا‎); Abu al-Hasan, and Ali al-Reza) (b.c. December 29, 765 [11 Dhu al-Qidah 148AH], Medina, Hijaz, Abbasid Empire (now Saudi Arabia) - d. June 6, 818 [17 Safar 202 AH], Tus, Persia, Abbasid Empire (now Iran)) was the eighth imam of the Twelver Shi'ites.  He was noted for his piety and learning. In 817, the caliph al-Ma'mun, in an attempt to heal the division between the majority Sunnis and the Shi'ites, appointed 'Ali al-Rida to be his successor. The appointment aroused varying reactions. Few of the reactions, even among the Shīʿites, were  favorable.  Already irritated by al-Maʾmūn’s transfer of the capital from Baghdad to Merv and by other offenses, rose up in rebellion. al-Maʾmūn gradually changed his policy. The court party set out from Merv for Baghdad, and on the way, 'Ali al-Rida died, after a brief illness, at Ṭūs. Shīʿite historians attribute his death to poison, possibly administered by the caliph himself. The shrine (the mashhad) of 'Ali al-Rida at Ṭūs became a pilgrimage place and gave its name to the city of Mashhad  (in Iran). Many miracles are attributed to ʿAlī al-Riḍā by the Shīʿites.