Every year on Imam Reza's martyrdom anniversary, his holy shrine gets jampacked with pilgrims, who attend his shrine to mark one of the major occasions on the Islamic calendar, the martyrdom anniversary of the eighth Shia Imam.
Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, described the holy shrine of Imam Reza (‘a) in the holy city of Mashhad as source of abundance.
He went onto say that the victory of Islamic revolution also owes to people’s devotion towards Imam Reza and other infallibles from the Holy Prophet's Household.
Imam Khomeini described the holy shrine of Imam Rida (PBUH) in city of Mashhad as a site of knowledge, wisdom and landing place of divine angels. Imam Khomeini defined through his historic speeches the holy shrine as source of spiritual abundances and divine mercy.
Imam Ali bin Mousa al Reza (PBUH), the eighth Imam of Shia Muslims, is of the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his eighth successor. At age 35 he became the leader of the Islamic community.
His life was contemporary to the Abbasid reign and therefore, he suffered great difficulties made by the Abbasids. He was martyred by Ma’moon (the contemporary Abbasid Caliph) at the age of 55.
Imam Reza was martyred in the year 818 A.D. According to historical accounts, he was invited by Abbassid caliph Ma’moun from Medina to modern day Iranian city of Mashhad to hold the position of crown prince of the Islamic territory.
Iranians refer to Imam Reza as the guarantor of the deer. The title is rooted in a story about a deer trapped by a haunter. The deer was guaranteed by Imam Reza that she would go and breastfeed her fawns and then return.
The magnificent shrine of the eighth Shia Imam beside the mass mourning ceremonies are a true testament to the long standing love Iranians have for Imam Reza.
Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the contemporary Muslim leader once said in a historic address said that it was source of pride for Iranians as they are living shelter of holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), which is sources of abundance for all believers and faithful people.