Why Is Ali Ibn Musa (a.s.) Called Al-Ridha’

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.

My father, Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Motawakkil, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Majiluwayh, Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem; Al-Husayn ibn Ibrahim Natanat; Ahmad ibn Ziyad ibn Ja’far al-Hamadani; Al-Husayn 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 (a.s.), “Some of your opponents think that Al-Ma’mun called your father Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) that means ‘acceptable’ or ‘liked’ since he liked your father and chose him to be his crown-prince. Imam Al-Jawad (a.s.) said, “No, by God, they are liars. God the Almighty the Sublime named him Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) since he was accepted by God the Almighty in His Heavens [1] , and he was accepted by his Prophet (S) and the Imams (a.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 (a.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 (a.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’.”