After different narratives about the reward of going on pilgrimage to Sayyid-ashohada’s holy shrine, the narratives about the reward of going on pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s holy shrine are in the second place one of the reasons of which is annulling thoughts of wrong cults.

About the birth of the eighth Imam, the more reliable narrative is that of Zilqa’de eleventh of 148 AH in Medina which is mentioned in various texts such as “Mesbah Kaf’ami” and “Tarix-al-Mavalid fel-Mavalid Aemma va Vafayatehem” and expatiated in “Mer’at-ol-haq” and “Avalem-ol-Qeib”. Of course there are different reports on the birthday of the kind Imam in “Oyun Axbar-al-Reza” and “al-Ershad” expressing the fact that his birthday was Thursday, and some others have claimed Friday as well.

Except Zilqa’de eleventh, unacceptable or not very valid opinions have been posed such as Shavval third, seventh, and eighth, Zilhajje eleventh, Rabi-ol-Avval and Rabi-ol-Axar eleventh, but in the more valid books like “Kafi”, “Tahzib-al-Ahkam”, and “al-Ershad” Zilqa’de eleventh is mentioned.

The reason of calling Zilqa’de 23th “the special day for going on pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s holy shrine”

There are many narratives about going on pilgrimage. In Ibn Quleveih’s “Kamel-ol-Ziarah” which is the oldest and the most valid book on pilgrimage and is written about a thousand years ago (forth century AH), there are numerous narratives on the reward of going on pilgrimage to Aemma (as).

Zilqa’de 23th, Rajab month, and Imam Reza(as)’s martyrdom anniversary are introduced as the special day for going on pilgrimage to his holy shrine, and Ahl-al-Beit (as) have meant Shiite people to pay particular attention to Imam Reza (as) in order for that to be an answer to abberance of Shiites who believe only in seven Imams (and are called Vaqefie) because they believe that Imam Kazem was the last Imam and disappeared and will someday reappear hence they denied Imam Reza’s being an Imam.

In fact, Ahl-al-Beit (as) have given this hint to Shiites in order to abrogate this aberrance and appointing a day as the special day for pilgrimage is refuting the beliefs of the wrong cults. Therefore, movement of Shiites on a specific day from different cities for pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s haram at the time of Abbasian was very valuable.

After different narratives about the reward of going on pilgrimage to Sayyid-ashohada’s holy shrine, the narratives about the reward of going on pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s holy shrine are in the second place, and there is one narrative in which Javad-al-Aemma (as) has defined pilgrimage to his honorable father more rewarding than that to Imam Hosein (as). Ibn Quleveih Qomi has quoted Hamdan: once I visited Imam Javad (as) and told him: what is the reward of a person who goes on pilgrimage to your father’s shrine in Xorasan? He replied: God will forgive the past and the future sins of one who goes on pilgrimage to my father’s shrine. Hamdan says: I met Ayyub ibn Nuh and said: O’ Abalhasein! I heard such things from God’s Hojjat, Imam Javad. Ayyub said: Do not you want me to add to what you have heard? I said I do. He answered: I heard this narrative from Imam Javad, and then his holiness added: Those who go on pilgrimage to my father will have pulpits in front of Rasul-Allah (God’s greetings be upon him and his household) on judgement day and will be exempted from the judgement.

Then Hamdan says: after a while, I saw Ayyub ibn Nuh pilgrimaging to Imam Reza (as) in a. As he saw me, he said: I have come on pilgrimage to my Imam, and my goal is accomplishing the pulpit mentioned by Imam Javad (as).