The School of Imam al-Hadi (as): Strategies, Innovations, and a Lasting Model of Propagation

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

Introduction

As the anniversary of the martyrdom of the tenth leader of the Shiites, Imam Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi (peace be upon him), approaches, the memory of one of the most oppressed yet strategically minded Imams of the Shiites is revived in the hearts and minds of the faithful. He was a leader who spent the majority of his noble life in exile, under the surveillance of the Abbasid government, and in an environment saturated with fear, control, and humiliation. However, from the heart of these constraints, he established a profound and future-oriented school of thought focused on propagating the religion and safeguarding the Imamate.

The martyrdom of Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) was not merely the physical removal of a divine leader; it stands as a testament to the fact that the caliphate feared the “soft power” of the Imamate more than any military uprising. Re-examining the missionary school of this noble Imam is not just a historical recollection today, but a strategic necessity for understanding “propagation under pressure”.

A General Overview of the Era of Imam al-Hadi (PBUH): Propagation under Siege

The period of Imam al-Hadi’s leadership (220 to 254 AH) coincided with the caliphates of Mu’tasim, Wathiq, Mutawakkil, Muntasir, Musta’in, and Mu’tazz. During this era, particularly under Mutawakkil, official government policy was based on boundless violence and tight surveillance (keeping the Imam in the military camps of Samarra). The goal was to sever the Imam’s connection with the body of society, destroy Shiite symbols, and suppress the movement through soft power.

The forced transfer of the Imam from Medina to Samarra, a purely military city, was not a ceremonial decision but a security measure.[1] The Imam lived in a state of permanent house arrest; movements were controlled, his home was monitored, and the slightest contact with his followers could serve as a pretext for security crackdowns. In this environment, the Imam faced three simultaneous threats:

1. The disconnection of the Imam from the Shiite body.
2. The intellectual erosion of Shiism through the creation of doubts and deviant movements.
3. The potential historical rupture of the Imamate, especially with the approaching Era of Occultation (Ghaybah).

Propagating the religion in this space was not only difficult but extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, Imam al-Hadi (PBUH) designed a new “propagation geometry” that not only preserved the faith but prepared the Shiites for the Occultation, turning this period into one of the most productive eras in the “engineering of Shiite survival”.

Redefining the Concept of Propagation in the School of Imam al-Hadi (PBUH)

A key point in understanding the Imam’s school is that he did not view propagation merely as lecturing, social presence, or the outward expansion of an audience. In the Imam’s view, religious propagation under oppression is “preservative and deepening” rather than “expansive”. In this school:

• Protecting the “ideological core” takes precedence over numerical recruitment.
• The correct transmission of teachings is more important than creating emotional excitement.
• The security of the Shiite community is considered a religious duty.

Strategic Innovation I: Intelligent Remote Management (The Wikala Network)

The Wikala Network (System of Deputyship), which had been established since the time of Imam al-Kadhim (PBUH), reached its zenith during the era of Imam al-Hadi, becoming a cohesive, multi-level, and secure network. This network acted as a bridge between the Imam and remote regions, ensuring the religious and financial needs of the followers were met without leaving a trail for Abbasid spies.

Prominent features of this network included:

• Wide geographical coverage (Iraq, Iran, Hejaz, Yemen, and Egypt).
• Specialized missions (legal, financial, and doctrinal).
• Decentralized communication to minimize security risks.
• Trust based on long-term testing of agents.

Sheikh Tusi reports in Kitab al-Ghaybah that some deputies did not even know each other’s names and only communicated with the Imam or their direct superior. This level of caution demonstrates the Imam’s deep understanding of the security conditions of propagation.

Strategic Innovation II: Producing Identity-Building Texts instead of Direct Advocacy

Imam al-Hadi (PBUH) knew that under pressure, the risk of doctrinal deviation and extremism (Ghuluw) was high. Therefore, he taught one of his greatest missionary legacies, the “Ziyarat Jami’ah al-Kabirah”.[2] Rather than a simple prayer, this text is a comprehensive and coherent course on “Imamology” that defined the precise boundaries of the Imamate and protected the core of the religion from distortion.

In this Ziyarat:

• The position of the Imam within the system of Monotheism (Tawhid) is explained.
• The relationship between the Imamate, Prophethood, and Revelation is clarified.
• The boundary between authentic Shiism and extremism is defined.

By providing deep texts like this, the Imam substituted high-risk physical presence with profound, enduring content. In his school, supplication (Dua) and visitation (Ziyarat) became tools for conveying belief and preserving the collective identity of the Shiites without triggering political sensitivity.

Strategic Innovation III: Training Quiet and Time-Conscious Elites

The Imam knew the survival of the faith depended on precise, low-profile, and profound individuals rather than high-profile, emotional “heroes”. He trained figures such as Abdul Azim al-Hasani, Uthman ibn Sa’id, and Ayyub ibn Nuh, who managed to uphold and introduce Shiism amidst Abbasid dictatorship. Some historians count up to 346 close companions of the Imam.[3]

• Abdul Azim al-Hasani: A model of a reliable missionary. When he presented his beliefs to the Imam for verification, the Imam told him: «أنتَ ولینا حقاً؛ “You are truly our friend”.
• Uthman ibn Sa’id al-Amri: He served as a special deputy to both Imam al-Hadi and Imam al-Askari, later becoming the first deputy of the Promised Mahdi (AJ). Training such a figure shows that the Imam designed his propagation with a view toward the future of Shiism.

Strategic Innovation IV: Intelligent Management of Doubts and Deviations

This era saw the spread of deviant intellectual currents like the Ghalat (extremists), Waqifiyya, and court-sponsored Mu’tazila. Extremists often claimed to be close to the Imam to promote repulsive ideas. Imam al-Hadi (PBUH) confronted these movements not with loud media conflict, but with transparent boundaries and concise, decisive responses. For instance, he openly cursed the extremists, stating: «لیسوا منّا ولسنا منهم؛ “They are not of us, and we are not of them”.

Preparing Society for the Era of Occultation

One of the most important dimensions of his school was the psychological and organizational preparation for the Occultation. He achieved this by:

• Accustoming Shiites to indirect communication with the Imam.
• Strengthening the authority of the deputies (Wakils).
• Emphasizing written knowledge and texts.
• Reducing dependence on the physical presence of the Imam.

Conclusion and Proposed Model for Missionaries

The school of Imam al-Hadi (PBUH) teaches us that military restriction is never a “propagation dead-end”. By combining “letter-writing diplomacy,” the organization of deputies, and the production of top-tier theological content, he transformed Shiism from a persecuted group into a cohesive school ready for the Occultation.

The “Resilient and Intelligent Propagation Model” based on his principles:

1. Prioritize quality over quantity:Focus on the depth of the audience.
2. Develop intellectual kernels:Train small but deeply knowledgeable core groups.
3. Indirect education:Use written content and subtle instruction.
4. Strategic patience:Avoid fleeting excitement and act with a sense of timing.
5. Future-oriented vision:Connect today’s propagation to the long-term future of the faith.

Imam al-Hadi (PBUH) proved that propagation is often more effective in intelligent silence, human networks, and enduring texts than through loudspeakers and pulpits. His martyrdom was not an end, but a certificate of success for a school that delivered Shiism safely and preparedly through the Abbasid suffocating grip to the era of the Hidden Imam.

[1] . Barihah al-Abbasi, who was the official responsible for overseeing the establishment of prayer in the Two Holy Mosques (Mecca and Medina), wrote to Mutawakkil regarding Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him): “If you have any need for Mecca and Medina, then remove Ali bin Muhammad from these two cities; for he has called the people to himself and a large group has followed him”. Due to the persistent slanders and reports by Barihah, Mutawakkil exiled Imam al-Hadi (peace be upon him) from the side of his noble grandfather’s sanctuary to Samarra.

[2] . Allamah Majlisi writes: “This Ziyarat (Jami’ah al-Kabirah) is the most authentic of all visitations in terms of its chain of narration (Sanal) and the most comprehensive of them regarding the Imams (peace be upon them); compared to other visitations, it possesses superior eloquence, rhetoric, and status.” Bihar al-Anwar, Allamah Majlisi, Vol. 99, p. 144.

[3] . Qazvini, Al-Imam al-Hadi Man al-Mahd al-Lahd, 1413 AH, pp. 467-140.