Fourteen Infallibles

Imam Hadi (as) Hafiz and Aalim of Noble Qur'an in Childhood

Imam Hadi (as) assumed the official role of Imamate at a very young age of 7 or 8 years. At that tender age, he (as) had become a point of reference for the Muslims. People would refer to him and seek his guidance in almost everything pertaining to their lives. When the enemies of Ahlul Bayt (as) saw this, they were displeased with the situation. So, in conjunction with the Caliphate of the time, which was in opposition of Ahlul Bayt (as), they began looking for a person who was the most knowledgeable of the time yet a sworn enemy of Ahlul Bayt (as) so that Imam Hadi (as) is put under his care for training and the Muslims, particularly the Shias do not get any access to him. Also anything that Imam Hadi (as) said or did in his life would be according to the teachings that he had received from his teacher.

Finally, Ubaydullah Junaydi, a prominent scholar from Iraq and a sworn enemy of Ahlul Bayt (as) was appointed for the task. Ubaydullah Junaydi took our 10th Imam, Imam Hadi (as) into his care and did not allow any Shia to visit him. This way, the guidance of Imam Hadi (as) was suspended for his Shias.

After some time a person came to Ubaydullah Junaydi and asked him, "How is the Hashemite servant doing?" Ubaydullah Junaydi a sworn enemy of Ahlul Bayt (as) became extremely furious with the man and said to him, "Do not call him a Hashemite servant for he is not a servant but a leader of Banu Hashim. By Allah (SWT)! Despite his young age, he is more knowledgeable than I am. People think that I am disciplining him but the truth is that he is disciplining me. I swear by Allah (SWT)! He is not only the Hafiz of Noble Qur'an (Hafiz-e-Quran) but also possesses its knowledge. To be precise, he is the best of all on the face of this earth".

Moral: Imams (as) have a supreme knowledge so that they are able to answer whatever question is put to them. What age you are does not matter but how much you know matters. People will treat you like a child unless you can show them otherwise - through your knowledge and your Akhlaq (characters).