Waqifites and Imam al-Reza's(A.S.) Struggle against them

Imam al-Reza's(A.S.) Imamate began in 183/799 with the martyrdom of his noble father and lasted for twenty years, i.e., until 203/818.
During this period, his holiness encountered various problems proportionate to the time.
At the beginning of his Imamate, the big excruciating problem of Waqifites (Wāqifiyya) happened, which got the Shī‘a community engaged for a long time.

The First Problem: Waqifites and Imam al-Reza's(A.S.) Struggle against them
After the martyrdom of Imam al-Kazim(A.S.), in that sever crisis during which the then government had martyred the leader of the society and the Shī‘a community was in a distressing situation, all of a sudden one of the greatest divine tribulations occurred, i.e., Waqifite misconception (shubha) which caused the deviation, disintegration, and weakening of many of the Shī‘as. Severity and expansion of this shubha was due to the fact that the founders of this fabricated school of thought were from among the legal representatives of Imam al-Kazim(A.S.) and the well-known people in the Shī‘a community, whom people would refer to during the time when his holiness Imam al-Kazim(A.S.) was in prison and a lot of the Imam’s properties were accumulated with them. After the martyrdom of Imam al-Kazim(A.S.), in order to appropriate the properties, they claimed that the Imam had not been martyred and that he was alive and he was in fact the awaited Imam who would rise up after a while!
Shaykh Tūsī (may God sanctify his spirit) said, “The first who promulgated this school were three people named ‘Alī b. Abī Hamza al-Baṭā’inī, Ziyād b. Marwān al-Qandī, and Uthmān b. ‘Īsā. They did this because of the worldly gains and bought off a group of people such as Ḥamza b. Bazī‘, Ibn al-Mukārī, and Karrām al-Khath‘amī and made them conform to them.
Yūnus b. ‘Abd al-Rahmān said, “When Imam al-Kazim(A.S.) deceased, there was a lot of property gathered with each one of his administrators; Ziyād b. Marwān, seventy thousand dinars and ‘Alī b. Abī Hamza, thirty thousand dinars and this caused the waqf (stand still and stop) and denial of the holy Imam’s martyrdom. When I got to know the truth and began to call people to Imam al-Reza(A.S.), those two (‘Alī b. Abī Hamza and Ziyād b. Marwān) protested to me and said, ‘If you intend to acquire money, we will make you free from need.’ They offered me ten thousand dinars to keep me silent, but I told them: ‘It is related from Imam al-Sadiq and Imam al-Bāqir (A.S.) that when innovations (bid‘a) appear, it is upon the scholars to surface their knowledge, otherwise their faith will be taken away from them. [So] I will not abandon jihād in the way of Allāh in no way, that is why they became my enemy.”

Most of the Shi'as Deviated due to the Waqf Misconception
The Waqifite misconception was in the beginning very widespread for the reason explained above, to the extent that it deviated many of the Shi'asand put Imam al-Reza(A.S.) in a lot of trouble. However, little by little the extensive endeavors of Imam al-Reza(A.S.) and his loyal companions caused its containment and the Waqifites were exposed. Unfortunately, many of the dignitaries such as ‘Abd al-Rahmān b. al-Hajjāj, Rifā‘at b. Mūsā, Yūnus b. Yā‘qūb, Jamīl b. Darrāj, Ḥammād b. ‘Īsā, Aḥmad b. Muhammad b. Abī Naṣr, Ḥasan b. ‘Alī al-Washshā’, and others , were among their members, who realized their own mistakes and woke up to the truth.
Aḥmad b. Muhammad said, “Imam al-Reza(A.S.) told me out loud: ‘O Ahmad! When the Apostle of Allāh (S.A.W.) passed away, people made great efforts to put out the light of Allāh, but Allāh was intent on perfecting His light through Commander of the Faithful ‘Alī (A.S.). When Abū al-Hasan (Mūsā b. Ja‘far – A.S.) passed away, ‘Alī b. Ḥamza and his comrades tried to put out the light of Allāh, but Allāh’s intention was to perfect His light. Verily, when someone joins the people of Truth, they become glad but when someone leaves them, they will not show impatience since they are certain about their faith; however when someone joins the people of falsehood, they become glad and when someone leaves them they become impatient because they are doubtful about their own faith. The Exalted and Glorified Allāh says: ﴾the enduring abode (fa mustaqarr) and the place of temporary lodging (wa mustawdi‘) [abode] ﴿.Qur'an: 6/98. And Abū ‘Abd Allāh said, ‘mustaqarr is the (one who is) enduring (in faith) and mustawdi‘ is the (one whose faith is) temporary; that is to say, no one should become shaky and doubtful for the deviation of the companions of Imam al-Kazim(A.S.), since their faith had been temporary.

Imam al-Reza's (A.S.) Measures against the Waqifites
His holiness made widespread attempts to fight off this misconception and confront this deviant and perilous group; sometimes, he would debate with their chiefs or followers and guided some groups through showing them certain miracles and sometimes, exposed them and disclosed their treacheries and lying. Sometimes, he would prohibit the Shi'asfrom associating with them and other times he would strongly curse and remonstrated them.

Imam al-Reza's (A.S.) Negotiation with the Chiefs of the Waqifites
It is related that three of the Waqifite chiefs by the name of ‘Alī b. Abī al-Ḥamza, Aḥmad b. Sarrāj, and Husaynb. Hāshim, also known as Ibn al-Mukārī went to Imam al-Reza(A.S.). ‘Alī b. Abī Hamza said to the holy Imam: “What happened to your father?” The Imam answered: “He passed away.” He asked: “Through death?” The Imam said, “Yes.” He asked: “Who did he sign his last will to?” The Imam replied: “To me.” Then, he asked again: “So, you are the Imam whose obedience is made obligatory by God?” The Imam said, “Yes.”
The other two said, “God has given you power.” The holy Imam said, “Woe on you! What power? Do you want me to go to Baghdad and say to Hārūn that I am the Imam whose obedience is obligatory? By God, this is not my duty. What I told you was because I was informed that you have disunited; I wanted that your secret would not get into the hands of the enemies.” ‘Alī b. Ḥamza said, “You have unveiled something that none of your forefathers would not have unveiled and uttered.” His holiness said, “It is not so. By God, the best of my forefathers, the Apostle of Allāh (S.A.W.) uttered this when Allāh commanded him to warn his close of kin and he invited forty people of his relatives and told them that he was the messenger of Allāh to them; and the one who denied and attacked him most of all was his uncle Abū Lahab. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) told them: ‘If Abū Lahab inflicts a single scratch on me, I am not a Holy Prophet; and this is the first sign of my Holy Prophethood that I express to you.’ (Then the holy Imam said) and I also say if Hārūn inflicts a single scratch on me, I am not an Imam; and this is the first sign of my Imamate that I express to you.”
‘Alī b. Abī Ḥamza said, “We have a ḥadīth from your forefathers that the Imam’s affairs (funeral and burial practices and saying funeral prayer over the body) is undertaken only by an Imam (meaning: if you were an Imam, you should have done these things for your father Imam Mūsā b. Ja‘far, although you were in Medina and he was in Baghdad).” The holy Imam said, “Was Husaynb. ‘Alī an Imam or not?” He said, “Yes.” The Imam asked: “Who was to undertake his affairs.” He said, “‘Alī b. al-Husayn.” The Imam asked: “Where was ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn? Was he not in ‘Ubayd Allāh b. al-Ziād’s captivity?” He said, “Yes, but he secretly came and undertook his father’s funeral practices and returned. The Imam said, “If ‘Alī b. al-Husayn(who was captive in prison) was able to come to Karbalā and carry out his father’s funeral, the possessor of this authority – i.e., Imam al-Reza– is also able to come (from Baghdad) to Medina and undertake his father’s affairs and return, although he is not captive in prison.”

Commanding to Distance from the Waqifites
Muhammadb. ‘Āsim said, “His holiness Imam al-Reza(A.S.) said, ‘I was informed that you are associating with the Waqifite.’ I said, ‘May I be your ransom! I am associating with them, but I am not of the same opinion with them.’ The holy Imam said, ‘Do not associate with them; the Almighty and Glorious Allāh says: ﴾Certainly He has sent down to you in the Book that when you hear Allāh's signs being disbelieved and derided, do not sit with them until they engage in some other discourse, or else you] too [will be like them﴿ (Q. 4: 140).”
This noble hadīth and its like is a lesson for the followers of Imam al-Reza(A.S.) to avoid associating with those who oppose religion and/or the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) and do not attend their sessions.
Reference:
Story of the Sun
A Look at Imam al-Reza's Life
Author: Sayyid Muhammad Najafi Yazdi
Translated by: Ahmad Rezwani
Published by: Islamic Research Foundation, Astan Quds Razavi, Mashhad - I.R. Iran