The Scientific Contributions of Imam Askari (AS)

The Imam was the true source of divine knowledge in society. Many people referred to him with their questions about various aspects of Islamic sciences. 149 names of those who narrated the Imam’s sayings are recorded in history. Due to the intense surveillance and pressure on the Imam, he could not always meet with his representatives and followers in person. Thus, Imam Askari became the first Shia Imam who primarily communicated with the Shias through letters. Whenever the Shias had a disagreement about any of their Islamic beliefs, they would send a letter to the Imam and ask for his guidance. Tens of letters from the Imam are recorded in history and are still available. These letters contain the Imam’s guidance on the false theological beliefs of the time and his answers to doubts about the Islamic principles, such as monotheism (tawhid) and Islamic laws such as Hajj, fasting, and marriage, etc. There are also multiple general letters from the Imam to his Shia followers. In one of these letters, the Imam advised his Shias to maintain piety, and gave them a list of ethical recommendations for their life and interactions with other people in society. In this letter, the Imam asked his Shia followers to be good members of society and to treat others respectfully. Historical records show that the Imam was in continuous communication with his followers and representatives until his martyrdom.
The Imam would respect and pay high regards to the Shia scholars for guiding people to the true teachings of the Prophet and the Imams, for defending the Shia beliefs, and for their direct role in spreading Shi’ism. The Imam wanted to prepare the Shias for the upcoming time during which they would have to refer to Shia scholars for their Islamic affairs. Abd al-Azim al-Hasani was a Shia scholar and a descendant of Imam Hasan (AS). Imam Hadi had referred his Shia followers living close to Abd al-Azim al-Hasani to ask him their questions. Once, a group of Shias from Rey, in Iran, visited Imam Askari in Samarra and told him that they were returning from visiting Imam Hossein (AS)’s shrine in Karbala. To their surprise, the Imam told them, “If you had visited the tomb of Abd al-Azim al-Hasani in Rey, it would be like visiting the tomb of Imam Hossein in Karbala.” The Imam wanted to remind them of Abd al-Azim al-Hasani’s high status, his righteousness, and his service to the Imams and the Shia community.
Fazl ibn Shazan was another great Shia scholar during the time of Imam Askari. He was an expert in various Islamic literature, such as Islamic laws and Ilm al-Kalam, which is the study of Islamic doctrine that involves defending the Islamic principles against skeptics. He authored dozens of books on various topics, such as defending Shia belief and falsifying the claims of various sects and theologies. Historical records show Fazl ibn Shazan’s high status before Imam Askari. The Imam had once remembered him by saying, “The people of Khorasan are blessed and fortu