The Concealment of the Grave

Imam Ali's Instructions
The Imam of the pious, Imam Ali (peace be upon him), advised his family to hide his grave after his death. He knew that his enemies would take over and might not hesitate to desecrate his grave out of hatred and enmity. Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) answered the question of one of his companions, Safwan al-Jamal, about the reason for hiding the grave. He said: "Beware of the Banu Marwan and the Kharijites, lest they seek to harm him."

Hajjaj bin Yusuf's Attempt
Sheikh Jaafar, in the book "Mukhtab al-Tawarikh," mentioned that Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi dug three thousand graves in Najaf in search of the body of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him). This illustrates the extent of the enmity towards Imam Ali and the lengths his enemies would go to desecrate his grave.

Ibn Tawus's Explanation
Al-Sayyid Ibn Tawus explained the reason for the concealment, saying: "This necessitated that he commanded that he be buried secretly out of fear of the Umayyads and their helpers, the Kharijites, and their likes. Perhaps if they exhumed him, despite their knowledge of his location, this would cause the Banu Hashim to wage war and confrontation. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) condoned war during his lifetime, so he recommended leaving what is subject to dispute after his death, as there were countless benefits in his grave that are not known to us in detail."

Secret Grave in Najaf
The location of the honorable grave in Najaf remained a secret known only to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the elite among their Shiites, following the will of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). This secrecy lasted from the fortieth year of the Hijra until the fall of the Umayyad state and the establishment of the Abbasid state in 132 AH/749 AD.

The Revelation of the Grave
Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq's Revelation
After the disappearance of fear and caution, Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) revealed the honorable grave and directed his Shiites to it. He ordered them to visit it when he arrived in Iraq at the request of the first Abbasid Caliph, Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah, when he met him in al-Hira. The Imam (peace be upon him) built a bench on the grave to indicate its location.

Sheikh Al-Mufid's Account
Sheikh Al-Mufid said: "His grave remained hidden until Al-Sadiq Jaafar bin Muhammad (peace be upon them both) led him to it in the Abbasid Empire." Ishaq bin Jarir narrated on the authority of Abu Abdullah Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: "When I was in Al-Hira with Abu Al-Abbas, I used to go to the grave of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) at night, which is in the district of Najaf Al-Hira, next to Ghari Al-Nu’man, and I would pray the night prayer with him and leave before dawn."

Visits and Repairs
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) visited the grave of his grandfather, the Master of the Guardians, many times during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansur. In one of these visits, the Imam gave Safwan al-Jamal a sum of money to repair the grave. Safwan said: "I said: Sir: Do you permit me to tell our companions from the people of Kufa about him?" He said yes and gave me dirhams to repair the grave.

Misconceptions and Clarifications

Historians' Delusions
Unfortunately, some ancient and recent historians fell into delusion when they dealt with the narratives about the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) without investigation and scrutiny. They moved away from the truth when they stated that Harun al-Abbasi was the first to uncover the grave in 170 AH/786 AD or 175 AH/791 AD, ignoring what Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) did in 132 AH when he uncovered the grave and built a bench on it.

Harun Al-Abbasi's Alleged Role
Sheikh Al-Mufid mentioned in "Al-Irshad" the details of this story: Muhammad bin Zakaria narrated, saying: Abdullah bin Muhammad told us on the authority of Ibn Aisha, he said: "One day we went out with Al-Rashid from Kufa hunting, so we went to the area of Al-Ghariyan and Al-Thawiya. We saw an antelope, so we sent hawks and dogs towards it, and they roamed with it for an hour. Then the antelope took refuge in a hill and stood on it, and the hawks fell to one side, and the dogs returned. Al-Rashid was amazed. Then the antelope descended from the hill, so the hawks and dogs descended, and the antelope returned to the hill, so the hawks and dogs retreated from them, doing this three times. Al-Rashid said: 'Run, and whoever you meet, bring him.' We brought him an old man from Banu Asad. Harun said to him: 'Tell me what this hill is.' He said: 'If you give me safety, I will tell you.' He said: 'You have a covenant from God that I will not disturb you or harm you.' He said: 'My father told me on the authority of his fathers that they used to say that in this hill is the grave of Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him). God has made it a sanctuary where no one can take shelter unless he is safe.'"

Doubts About Harun's Construction
As for what was mentioned about Harun rebuilding the Holy Grave, it requires careful consideration. Ibn Tawus narrated a narration that said: "Al-Rashid built a structure on it with white bricks smaller than this shrine today, on each side by an arm’s length, and when we uncovered the noble shrine, we found it built with earth and plaster on it. Al-Rashid ordered that a dome be built over it, which was built of red clay, and a green jar was placed on top of it, which is in the treasury to this day."

Professor Dr. Salah Al-Fartusi's Doubts
Professor Dr. Salah Al-Fartusi, in his book "The Shrine and Shrine of the Commander of the Faithful," cast doubt on the reality of the architecture attributed to Harun. He said: "If we reconsider the narration of Ibn al-Tahhal, we will see it without any support or source to support it. Rather, I see it as being jostled and unable to withstand, for the holy shrine was built on it without a building between the third and sixth centuries. The most famous of its buildings is the building with a white dome, which is the Adad al-Dawla Building."

Domes Over Graves
It is worth noting that Al-Dumayri, in his book "The Great Life of the Animal," quoted from Ibn Khallikan what indicates that Harun Al-Abbasi stoned the grave only, and there is no reference to any luxurious building that was built to replace the bench that Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) erected. Al-Dumairi said: "Al-Rashid ordered the place to be stoned, and it was the first foundation to be laid in it. Then the buildings in it increased during the days of the Samanidah and Banu Hamdan, and it increased during the days of Daylam, that is, the days of Banu Buyeh."

Building Domes Over Graves
Building domes over graves was not known at that time. The first dome built on a shrine in Iraq was over the tomb of Al-Muntasir Billah ibn Al-Mutawakkil Al-Abbasi in Samarra, who died in 248/862 AD. Dr. Souad Maher said: "The mother of Caliph Al-Muntasir - who was of Greek origin - was keen to build a shrine for him far from the palace in which he lived, known as the Crusader Dome."