Video summary
The video recounts a historical confrontation between Imam al-Rida and Al-Jaludi, a notorious ruffian who served as an enforcer for Caliph Harun al-Rashid. At one point, the Caliph ordered Jaludi to terrorize the Imam's household by stealing all their belongings while causing distress to his family. Instead of allowing violence against his children or disturbing his home, the Imam offered a noble compromise: he volunteered to collect and hand over all possessions himself so that Jaludi could leave without harming anyone else. This act demonstrated immense patience and mercy even when facing an aggressor backed by imperial authority.
Years later, after Harun al-Rashid had killed his own brother Al-Amin and consolidated power through tyranny, the Caliph ordered a mass roundup of those who served him to be brought into the palace for punishment or execution. Among these captives was Jaludi himself, still bound in chains from his earlier crimes against the Imam's family. When Jaludi saw the Imam standing before him as one of the prisoners, he assumed that al-Rida would finally seize the opportunity for revenge and order his death. In a moment filled with tension and potential retribution, Jaludi waited anxiously to see if the Imam would command his executioner or abuse him in return for past wrongs.
In a stunning display of divine character, the Imam leaned over and whispered something into Caliph Harun al-Rashid's ear that immediately freed Jaludi from captivity. The tyrant assumed the whisper was an order to kill him based on what he heard later reported by narrators; however, in reality, the Imam had asked for his release so he could serve as a servant within his own household. When Jaludi realized this and shouted out demanding the opposite—that the Caliph should not free him—the enraged Harun al-Rashid ironically fulfilled that request himself, ordering Jaludi's death precisely because of his plea to do otherwise. Thus, through an act of profound mercy toward his enemy, the Imam inadvertently caused the downfall of a cruel oppressor who had once threatened innocent families.
The story serves as a powerful lesson on how true faith and values are most clearly revealed during moments of intense testing rather than in times of ease or power. It challenges listeners to reflect on their own lives and consider whether they would uphold cherished principles like forgiveness, compassion, and justice when faced with personal grievances or opportunities for retaliation. The narrative illustrates that Allah often tests believers by placing them in situations where they must choose between satisfying worldly desires or living up to higher moral standards, emphasizing that genuine belief is proven not by what one says but by how one acts under pressure.
Read the full video transcript
Our [music]
eighth imbn
had a particular antagonizer
by the name of Aljaludi.
In history, this man was known as sort
of a
a ruffian, a person who I you know, you
might call a leg breaker. You know, that
kind of person. He used to do the dirty
work on behalf of the califfs. And the
califfs wanted something done. They
would call jaludi and they would say,
"This is the person you need to
terrorize."
Mm- Rashid. Sorry, before Mm. Harun
Rashid asked al Jal Jal um Jaludi to
attack the house of Imisam.
He asked him to go and ransack the
house. He said go into the house and
take everything out. I just want you to
steal everything. I want you to take the
the the jewelry off the the the women
and children. I want you to take his his
belongings. It's yours. Take it.
So he went
and of course he comes to the house.
Alisam says, "What do you want?" He
says, "I've got an order from Harun
Rashid to take everything into the
house. Let me in."
Imisam
responded by saying, "Look, if that's
your order and you're going to carry it
out, there's nothing I can do. But you
don't need to terrorize my family. If
you want all the belongings, I will go
in. I will collect the belongings and
I'll hand everything over to you. But
there's no need for you to go into the
house and disturb the family, terrorize
my children. There's no need for this.
Now, when you're standing in front of
Imam,
this is this is a reflection of Allah on
earth. This is the manifestation of the
prophet on earth, right? When a a holy
soul like this talks to you, you can't
help but melt just a little bit, right?
And so he responded by agreeing to this
plea from Imam.
Imar did as he promised. He went back
into the house, told his family members,
"Everything must go. That's it. They're
waiting outside. Everything." They
packed up their jewelry. They packed up
their belongings. They carried it out
and gave it to him and he left with it.
Fine.
Years later,
Harun Rashid does after Harun is the
calf
als
killed his own brother for it. Right? So
eventually he becomes the Kaliff. Now,
what you might not realize is that not
only did he have to kill his brother as
a tyrant tends to do, he has to wreak
havoc on all his enemies as well. So,
what does he do? He now tells his army,
"Gather up all those who are working for
Alin," his brother, the one that he
deposed, "Gather up all those who are
working for Alin. Bring them in and
we'll slaughter them or we'll do
whatever we want." So his army gathers
up all the workers for Almin and brings
them into the palace.
This is years later. Who is sitting
inside the palace? Our Ethi
is meeting out against his enemies.
As those captives are being brought into
his palace, who does he see? Yes. The
very one who attacked his house, who
made him hand over all his belongings,
I imam
did not forget
what happened on that day.
Now, before I tell you the rest of the
story, I want to go back to that
question. Do you think that you'll be
left alone to say that you believe and
not be tested?
Oh you who believe, why do you say that
which you do not know?
Or that famous saying, it is easier for
you to fight for your values than it is
to live up to your values.
Now you all know what would be the
values of Imisam.
Living up to values in that moment is
the hardest thing. Be honest with
yourselves. How many of us would delight
in seeing that man paraded in front of
us,
right? How many of us would now seeing
him and I'm number two. I'm now
I'm the number two of the calif. I can
do whatever I want. I can put this man
to death. I can abuse him. I can torture
him. The power is in my hands. True.
Technically, that was within the grasp
of Imam.
What do you think happened?
The hadith says, "Imam
leans over and whispers something into
the ear of Rashid." You know what he
whispered?
"Free him for my sake.
I will take him as a servant in my
house."
And he only whispered that. No one knows
other than when the hadith narrators
explain it. No one knew what was being
said in that moment.
this tyrant alu
uh I forget his name always because it's
a strange name. He is sitting there with
the rest of his bandits all cuffed and
he sees Imam whisper something into the
ear of
what does he think is being said? He
thinks imam is telling Rashid to kill
him. So you know what he does? He calls
out to Ma Rashid and he says, "Whatever
he has said to you, don't let him do it.
Don't agree with him. Do the opposite."
Mam Rashid says, "Fine,
he asked for you to be freed,
but because you just demanded from me to
do the opposite of what he has said,
then I shall do it." And that was the
end of him.
Fine.
But the story is very indicative of
mercy, isn't it?
That in the moment in which they are
tested, a moment in which they have the
potential of revenge in their hands, the
moment in which you can imagine that
they would want to be able to satisfy
their own desire.
actually
their godly characteristics come out the
most in those moments.
It is easier for them to have called
upon all governments in history. Be
merciful to captives, be merciful to
your enemy, look after your enemy. How
many times I imam must have said that
hundreds of times.
But when that one opportunity to live
his value was presented to him, Allah is
asking him, do you think you'll be left
alone to say that you believe that
you're going to call others? But when
you are tested that this is not going to
be for you, no, you are going to be
tested with these same things.
The same thing happens in our own lives.
all the values that we have. You will
see how often you and I are tested in
those moments with the very values
that we claim to have and the ones that
we have been trying to uphold in our
lives.
Think about it for yourself for a
moment.
What are the values that you've had most
dear to you that you've claimed, you've
you've promoted?
Have you noticed at times when you've
been tested by those very same values to
see whether you truly believe in them,
truly uphold them or not? This is always
going to be the sunnah of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.