It is a living legacy that both helped preserve the authenticity of Islamic culture and laid the foundation of civilization for future generations, Sadisa Halawi Hamoud, a lecturer at Wasit University in Iraq, wrote in an article, which is as follows:

Imam Reza (AS) lived in a period when the Islamic Ummah was accepting the heritage of nations that had recently entered the Islamic world and were contributing to the construction of Islamic civilization. This cultural openness reached its peak in his era; And if those concerned about the authenticity of Islamic culture did not somehow stand up to it, Islamic culture would be exposed to dissolution in foreign cultures.

Imam Reza (AS) correctly understood this danger and stood up to it. He educated a generation of scholars who were the guardians of the Islamic heritage; those who took on the task of spreading the correct Islamic thought throughout the Islamic world and raised generations to convey this message to the entire world.

The result of this effort was a living and dynamic school in Khorasan; a school composed of scholars and intellectuals with a unique missionary dimension. This school is considered a part of the living legacy of Imam Reza (AS) and a distinct dimension of his rich legacy.

The number of narrators of Imam Reza (AS) varies between 319 and 367, according to available sources. They were students of the school and graduates of this school. The author of “Musnad al-Imam al-Rida” (compiled by Sheikh Azizullah Attari, who compiled the Hadiths of Imam al-Rida (AS)) has considered this number to be 319 and has explained each one briefly, based on what is mentioned in the series of hadiths in the Musnad. Sheikh Tusi has named 315 companions of the Imam (AS), and Sheikh Baqir Sharif Qureshi (a Shia scholar from Iraq) has mentioned their number as 367.

A brief look at “Musnad al-Imam al-Rida” provides a general picture of the trends of the Imam’s school and the scientific and moral characteristics of his era. In addition, it reveals the special preparation that the Imams of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) had made for the near and distant future; Anyone who reflects on the totality of the texts issued by them and their guidance towards the bright horizons ahead for the followers of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS), will understand this readiness well.

The scientific activity of the Shias increased during this period and was manifested by the abundance of writing, recording, teaching and narration, and it encompassed all the fields of knowledge known at that time. The number of jurists and narrators affiliated with the school of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS.) and other Islamic sects also increased significantly; something that can be seen in many places in the list of narrators of Imam Reza (AS).

This list shows their eagerness to acquire knowledge from the school of Imam Reza (AS) - the very missionary school of their time; Especially considering the diversity of their scientific levels, the diversity of their lands, and the difference in their scientific interests, which is evident from the diversity of questions and topics of the hadiths transmitted from them.

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Imam Reza’s (AS) Hadiths have also been narrated by some students of his great grandfather, Imam Sadiq (AS), some students of his father, Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS), and a group of scholars of his time. The biographies of his most important companions and narrators of Hadith are also available to researchers, because in our opinion, these biographies are considered complementary to the research on the school of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (AS) and reveal an important aspect of his scientific life and his intellectual and civilizational influence on the Islamic world, especially on the Islamic East.

One of the most important works of Imam Reza (AS) is the noble treatise “Sahifa al-Rida”, which a group of narrators have called “Musnad al-Imam al-Rida”. This name is closer to the high status of the book, because it contains the news that the Imam (AS) narrated from his grandfather the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and from his noble fathers the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS). A group of researchers have emphasized the attribution of this treatise to Imam Reza (AS).

In any case, this work is a treasure trove of the treasures of prophecy and the noble legacy of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS), and in terms of its chain of transmission, it has reached the height of honor and glory.

The legacy of Imam Reza (AS) is a perfect model for demonstrating the greatness of the legacy of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) and the diversity of its intellectual and scientific goals and fields; a living legacy that both helped preserve the authenticity of Islamic culture and laid the foundation of civilization for future generations.

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