According to a narration, the martyrdom of Imam Ali Ridha (peace be upon him) occurred on the 23rd of Dhul al-Qa’dah. While commemorating the martyrdom of this gracious Imam it befits to remember one of the incidents wherein the Imam shows the way and also warns his followers who are not cautious of their conduct and only depend upon the intercession of the Imams.
Zayd, one of the brothers of the Imam, was spared by Ma’mun for his troublesome behavior for the sake of the Imam. One day, he was seen boasting about his lineage and connection to the Imams. Imam Ridha (peace be upon him) saw this and confronted him by saying, “O Zayd, have you trusted the words of the grocers of Kufa and are conveying them to the people? What kind of things are you talking about? The sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah Zahra are worthy and outstanding only when they obey the command of Allah, and keep themselves away from sin and blunder. Do you think you are like Musa al-Kadhim, Ali ibn Husayn, and other Imams? Whereas, they took pains and bore hardships on the way to Allah and prayed to Allah day and night. Do you think you will gain without pain? O, brother! The one who obeys Allah is from us the Ahl al-Bayt and the one who is a sinner is not from us. Allah said about the son of Noah who cut the spiritual bondage with his father, "He is not out of your lineage.” This is exactly the same situation that holds true for us. Whichever one of us does not obey God, the Honorable, the Exalted, does not belong to us.”
We ask Allah to help us obey His commands and be rightful Shias for our Imam, Al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance).