The 10th of Rajab is the anniversary of the birth of our ninth Imam, Imam Muhammad b. Ali, known as at-Taqī and al-Jawād. The former title is used for someone who is adorned with the quality of taqwā (self-guarding themselves against that which Allah has forbidden), while the latter means “the generous”.
The ninth blessed Imam was born on the 10th of Rajab in the year 195 AH. Due to the blessings of his father Imam ar-Riḍā’s (a) efforts and the fact that Imam ar-Riḍā (a) was forced to move from Madinah to Marv (located in today’s Tajikistān), the love and teachings of the Ahlul-Bayt had spread far and wide during his time.
Many people who lived far away from Ḥijāz were moved by the dignity, piety, ethics, honour, and light that they saw in Imam ar-Riḍā (a). Imam ar-Riḍā’s status was so high that Imam al-Jawād (a) and the subsequent Imams after him were know as ibn ar-Riḍā, ar-Riḍā’s son. His efforts were so successful that the Caliph Ma’mun was forced to overtly show himself as a supporter of the Ahlul-Bayt (a). He appointed Imam ar-Riḍā (a) as his crown prince and later married his daughter to Imam al-Jawād (a).