TEHRAN – Hassan Ruholamin, an Iranian artist whose paintings mostly revolve around stories from the history of Islam, has portrayed in his new artwork the arrival of Hazrat Masumeh (SA) in Qom. 

For the past few days, he has been in Qom at the shrine of Hazrat Masumeh (SA), portraying the story of her arrival to the Iranian city on Rabi’ al-Awwal 23, 201 on the Islamic calendar (October 23, 816 CE).

The artwork is scheduled to be unveiled on October 25 during a celebration marking the anniversary of the event.

In 815 CE, Hazrat Masumeh (SA) and a large number of her relatives embarked on a journey from Medina to meet her brother, Imam Reza (AS), in Khorasan. 

Due to his hostility toward Shias, Abbasid caliph Mamun ordered his men to stop them in Saveh, a city near Qom, home to a large population of Shias.

Mamun’s soldiers killed a large number of the companions of Hazrat Masumeh (SA) in Saveh, where she was taken ill. Therefore, she decided to take refuge in Qom.

Shia Muslims in Qom gave Hazrat Masumeh (SA) and her companions a very warm welcome upon their arrival in the city. However, she was in critical condition and ultimately met her death on November 9, 816 CE. She is buried in Qom.      

Earlier in the Fars region, Mamun had killed her brothers Hazrat Ahmad ibn Musa (AS) and Seyyed Alaeddin Hossein (AS).

The Imam Reza (AS) International Foundation for Culture and Arts donated a copy of Ruholamin’s painting “Condition of Tawheed (Monotheism)” to the holy shrine of Hazrat Masumeh (SA) in June.

“Condition of Tawheed” has been created based on the Hadith of Silsilah al-Dhahab (The Hadith of the Golden Chain).

The 2 X 3.6-meter oil painting was made public during a special ceremony at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Tehran on May 12.  

The artwork depicts the story of the Hadith of the Golden Chain narrated by Imam Reza (AS) upon his arrival at the northeastern Iranian town of Neyshabur.

The hadith refers to the continuity of spiritual authority that is passed down from the Prophet Muhammad (S) to Imam Ali (AS), the first Imam of the Shia, and through each of the successive Imams to Imam Reza (AS).

This painting has been commissioned by the Imam Reza (AS) International Foundation for Culture and Arts based on a contract with Ruholamin. Four other paintings about the life of the Imam will be created under this contract.

Photo: This combination photo shows Hassan Ruholamin at the shrine of Hazrat Masumeh (SA) in Qom, drawing a painting of her arrival in the city.

MMS/YAW