An important event during the government of Haroon was the discovery of the hidden grave of Imam Ali (AS) in Najaf. The Shia Imams knew its hidden location and had kept it as a secret. They had only revealed it to their close companions. This location was hidden from the public for about 130 years until the government of Haroon. During this long period, the holy grave of Imam Ali was protected from the vengeful actions of the Khawarij and the Umayyads, who hated Imam Ali’s justice. For example, during the government of Hajjaj in Kufa, around 3,000 graves were exhumed by his order in an attempt to find and disrespect Imam Ali’s grave. At the time of Haroon, no serious threat was facing the unveiled grave of Imam Ali. The Khawarij ideology had been weakened and their activities were limited to the boundaries of the Islamic territory in Northern Iraq, Khorasan, and Sistan. Also, the Umayyads were overthrown by the Abbasids, who were proud of being related to the Prophet and Imam Ali. Thus, Haroon ordered the construction of a building upon the gravesite of Imam Ali.
