Imam
Jafar as Sadiq [A.S.]
This is an account
of the Imam who was in charge (al-qai'im) after Abu Ja'far Muhammad b.
Ali, peace be on them, (including) who his mother was, the date of his
birth, evidence for his Imamate, his age, the period of his succession
(to the Imamate), the time of his death, the place of his grave, the
number of his children, and a brief outline of the reports about him.
Al-Sadiq Ja'far b.
Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on them, was out of all his
brothers (the one who was) the successor (khailfa) of his father,
Muhammad b. Ali, peace be on them, his testamentary trustee (was'i), who
was in charge of the Imamate (al- qa'im bi-al-imama) after him.
He stood out among
their group for his great merit (fadl); he was the most celebrated, the
greatest in rank and the most illustrious of them in (the eyes) of both
the non-Shia (al-amma) and the Shi'a (al-khassa).
The people
transmitted on his authority the religious sciences which travellers
carried with them (around many countries) and thus his fame was spread
throughout the lands.
The learned scholars
have transmitted on the authority of no other member of the House (ahl
al-bayt) as much as they have transmitted on his authority. None of them
met as many of the reporters of traditions (ahl al-athar wa-naqalat al-akhbar)
as he did, nor did the latter transmit on their authority to the same
extent as they transmitted on the authority of Ab-u Abd Allah (Ja'far b.
Muhammad), peace be on him.
The specialists in
tradition (ashab al- hadith) have gathered together the names of those
who narrated on his authority, who were reliable despite differences in
views and doctrines and they were four thousand men. The clear evidence
for his Imamate, peace be on him, was such that it overcame (men's)
hearts and silenced (the attempts of) an opponent to denigrate it with
doubts.
He was born in
Medina in the year 83 A.H. (702) and he, peace be on him, died in (the
month of) Shawwal in the year 148 A.H. (765) at the age of sixty-five.
He was buried in (the cemetery of) al-Baqi' alongside his father, his
grandfather and his (great-great) uncle, al- Hasan, peace be on them.
His mother was Umm Farwa, the daughter of al-Qasim b. Muhammad b. Abi
Bakr. His Imamate, peace be on him, lasted for thirty-four years. His
father, Abu Jafar (Muhammad b. Ali), peace be on him, clearly gave him
the trusteeship (of the Imamate) and gave him an explicit designation (nass
jali) for the Imamate.
Taken from Kitab al Irshad
By Sheikh al Mufid
[Muhammad b. Abi
Umayr reported on the authority of Hisham b. Salim on the authority of
Abu Abd Allah, Jafar' b. Muhammad, peace be on them, who said:]'
When my father was
near to death he said: "Jafar I give testamentary enjoinment to you (to
treat) my followers well."
"May I be your
ransom," I replied, "by God, I will make them (know their religion so
well) that any man among them in the country will not (have to) ask
anyone (for advice)."
[Aban b. 'Uthman
reported on the authority of Abu-al-Sabbah al- Kinam, who said:]
Abu Jafar Muhammad,
peace be on him, looked towards his son, Abu Abd Allah Ja'far, peace be
on him, and said (to us): "Do you see that man? He is one of those of
whom God, the Mighty and High, said: We wish to grant a favour to those
who have been humiliated in the land and we will make them Imams and
inheritors [XXVIII 5].
[Hisham b. Salim
reported on the authority of Jabir b. Yazid al Jufi:]
Abu Jafar Muhammad,
peace be on him, was asked about the one who would take charge (al-qa'im)
(of the Imamate) after him. He tapped Abu Abd Allah Jafar, peace be on
him, with his hand and said: "By God, this is the man among the family
of Muhammad, peace be on them, who will take charge (al-qa'im) (of the
Imamate)."
[Ali b. al-Hakam
reported on the authority of Tahir, a follower of Abu Jafar Muhammad,
peace be on him, who said:]
I was with (Abu
Jafar Muhammad), peace be on him, when Jafars peace be on him
approached, Abu Ja'far, peace be on him, said, "Here is the best of
creatures."
[Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman
reported on the authority of Abd al-Ala, a retainer of the family of
Sam, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah Jafar, peace be on him, who
said:]
My father, peace be
on him, entrusted to me (everything) which was there. When he was near
to death, he said: "Call witnesses for me." I summoned four men from
Quraysh, among them Nafi', retainer of Abd Allah b. Umar. (My father
said:) "Write this testimony which I bequeath (like) Jacob did to his
sons: My sons, God has chosen the religion for you. So do not die except
as Muslims. [II 132] Muhammad b. Ali; makes this last testimony to
Ja'far b. Muhammad. He orders him to shroud him in the cloak in which he
used to perform the Friday prayer, to put on him his turban, to make his
grave a square, to raise it the height of four fingers above the ground
and to take his shabby clothes away from him at his burial.
Then he said to the
witnesses: "Depart, may God have mercy on you.
"Father" I said to
him (after they had gone), "what was in this that there had to be
witnesses for it?"
"My son," he
answered, "I was unwilling for you to be overcome and for it to be said
that no testimony had been made for him. I wanted you to have proof."
Reports with the
same meaning as this account are numerous.
The narration of the
report of the tablet (lawh) with the designation of him, peace be upon
him, for the Imamate has already been mentioned.
The rational proofs
which have been mentioned earlier that the Imam can only be the most
outstanding person in merit (al- afdal) also indicate his Imamate, peace
be on him, because of the clear demonstration of his outstanding merit
in religious knowledge (ilm), in asceticism, and in practice above all
his brothers, the members of his uncle's family and the rest of the
people of his time.
The evidence for the
invalidity of the Imamate of those who were not protected (from error)
like the prophets (were protected) and the clear demonstration of the
lack of protection of those others who claimed the Imamate during his
lifetime, together with their deficiency in (attaining) complete
knowledge of religion, clearly indicates his Imamate. For there must be
an Imam who is protected (from error) at all times as we have mentioned
before. The people tell of the clear signs from God which were performed
by him, peace be on him, which indicate his Imamate, his true right and
the invalidity of the statements of those who claimed the Imamate on
behalf of others.
Among those is the
report about him which the reporters of history (naqalat al-athar)
recount about him with al-Mansur. Al-Mansur ordered Rabi to bring Abu
Abd Allah Ja'far, peace be on him, to him. He brought him. When al-Mansar
saw him, he said: "May God kill me, if I don't kill you. You are
attempting to harm my authority and you are seeking treachery against
me."
"By God, I am not,"
retorted Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be on him, "Nor do I want to. If
you have been told so, then it is by a liar. However, even if I had done
so, then Joseph was treated badly and he forgave, Job suffered
tribulation and he was patient, and Solomon received gifts and he gave
thanks. These men were prophets and your lineage goes back to them."
"Indeed," replied
al-Mansur, "Come up here." He went up and then (al-Mansar) continued:
"So-and-so has informed me about what you have been saying."
"Bring him,
Commander of the faithful," he replied, "so that he may confront me with
that."
He had the man whom
he had mentioned brought and asked him:
"Did you (really)
hear what you reported about Jafar, peace be on him?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Make him swear to
that," said Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be on him.
"Do you swear to
that?" demanded al-Mansur.
"I do," he replied.
"Say: May I be
outside God's power and strength and may I seek refuge in my own power
and strength (if I lie that) Jafar's peace be on him, did such and such
and said such and such," said Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be on him.
(The man) paused for
a moment and then made the oath. It was only a moment later that his leg
was struck.
"Drag him by his leg
and take him out, may God curse him," ordered Abu Jafar (al-Mansur).
Al-Rabi reported:
When Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, went in to see al-Mansur, I
saw his lips moving. As he moved them, al- Mansur's anger (gradually)
became quietened, so that when he approached him, he was pleased with
him. When Abu Abd Allah (Jafar) peace be on him, came out from Abu Jafar
(al-Mansur) I followed him and said to him: "This man was the angriest
of men towards you. When you went in, you were moving your lips as you
went in and when you moved them his anger quietened. With what (words)
were you moving them?"
"The prayer of my
(great) grandfather, al-Husayn b. Ali peace be on them," he replied.
"May I be your
ransom," I said, "what is this prayer?"
He told him:
O my Provision in
time of hardship, O my Help in the face of disaster, guard me with
Your Eye Which never sleeps, surround me with Your impenetrable
fortress.
Al-Rabi reported: I
learned that prayer and I never fell into hard times without saying it
and it relieving me.
(At that time) I
said to Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them:
"Why did you stop
the slanderer from (merely) swearing by God?"
"I was reluctant
that God should see him praising His unity and glorifying Him," he
answered, "for then He would show forbearance towards Him and delay his
punishment. Therefore I made him swear in the way you heard and God
struck him fiercely."
It is reported that
Dawud b. Ali b. Abd Allah b. Abbas killed al- Mualla b. Khunays, a
retainer of Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, and took his property.
Ja'far, peace be on him, went to him while he was pulling at his cloak.
"You have killed my
retainer and taken his property," (Jafar) said to him. "Do you know that
a man may sleep when he has suffered the loss of a child but he may not
sleep when he is at war? I will pray to God against you."
"Do you threaten us
with your prayer?" he retorted as if he was ridiculing his words.
Abu Abd Allah
(Jafar), peace be on him, went back to his house and spent the whole
night standing and sitting. Then, at dawn he was heard saying in his
private prayer:
O Possessor of
mighty strength, O Possessor of fierce enmity, O Possessor of power
before which all Your creatures are humble, give me satisfaction
against this tyrant and take vengeance on him for me.
It was not an hour
before voices were raised in screeching (lamentation) and it was
announced that Dawud b. Ali had just died. '
There are
innumerable reports about him concerning signs and revealing the unknown
similar to those which we have mentioned, which would take too long to
recount.
He, peace be on him,
used to say:
"Our knowledge is
of what will be (ghabir), of what is past (mazbur), of what is marked in
hearts (nakt fi al-qulub), and of what is tapped into ears (naqr fi al-asma).
We have the red case (jafr), the white case, and the scroll of Fatima,
peace be on her, and we have (the document called) al-jami'a in which is
everything the people need."
He was asked to
explain these words and he said:
"Ghabir
is knowledge of what will be;
mazbur is knowledge of what was;
what is marked in the hearts (nakt fi al-qulub) is inspiration;
and what is tapped into the ears (naqr fi al- asma) are words of
angels;
we hear their speech but we do not see their forms.
The red case (jafr) is a vessel in which are the weapons of the
Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family. It will never leave
us until the one (destined) among us members of the House, to arise (qa'im),
arises. The white case (jafr) is a vessel in which are the Torah of
Moses, the Gospels of Jesus, the Psalms of David and the (other) Books
of God. The scroll of Fatima, peace be on her, has in it every event
which will take place and the names of all the rulers until the (last)
hour comes. (The document called) al-jami'a is a scroll seventy yards
long which the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family,
dictated from his own mouth and Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him,
wrote in his own handwriting. By God, in it is everything which people
need until the end of time, including even the blood-wit for wounding,
and whether a (full) flogging or half a flogging (is due).
He, peace be on
him, used to say:
"My traditions
are my father's traditions; my father's traditions are my grandfather's
traditions; my grandfather's traditions are the traditions of Ali b.Abi
Talib, the Commander of the faithful; the traditions of Ali the
Commander of the faithful are the traditions of the Apostle of God, may
God bless him and his family; and the traditions of the Apostle of God,
may God bless him and his family, are the word of God, the Mighty and
High."
[Abu Hamza al-Thumal;
has reported on the authority of Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be on
him:]
I heard Abu Abd
Allah Jafar say:
"We have the tablets of Moses, peace be on him, and we have the rod
of Moses, peace be on him. We are the heirs of prophets."
[Mu'awiya b. Wahb.
reported on the authority of Said al- Simman:]
I was with Abu 'Abd
Allah Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be on them, when two of the Zaydis
visited him. They asked him: "Is there among you an Imam whom it is a
duty to obey?"
"No," he replied.
"Reliable men have
told us on your authority that you claim to be him," they retorted. They
named some people and said: "These are men of piety and distinction.
They are among those who do not lie."
Abu 'Abd Allah,
peace be on him. became angry and said: "I have not told them that."
When the two men saw
the anger on his face, they left.
"Do you know those
two?" he asked me.
"Yes," I replied,
"they are from the people of our market. They are Zaydis and they claim
that Abd Allah b. al-Hasan has the sword of Apostle of God, may God
bless him and his family."
"They are liars, may
God curse them," he said. "By God, Abd Allah b. al-Hasan has never seen
it either with both his eyes or even with one of them. O God, not even
his father has seen it unless he saw it with Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be
on him. If they are truthful, (ask them) what is the sign in the hilt
and what is the mark on its blade. I have the sword of the Apostle of
God, may God bless him and his family. I have the standard of the
Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, and his breast-plate,
his armour and his helmet. If they are truthful (ask them) what is the
mark on the breast-plate of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and
grant him peace.
Indeed the
victorious standard of the Apostle of God is with me, as are the tablets
and rod of Moses. I have the ring of Solomon, the son of David, and the
tray on which Moses used to offer sacrifice and I have (knowledge) of
the (greatest) name (of God) which when the Apostle of God, may God
bless him and his family, used to put it between the Muslims and the
polytheists no arrow from the polytheists could reach the Muslims. I
have the same as what the angels brought. We have the weapons in the
same way that the Banu Isra'll had the ark of the covenant. Prophecy was
brought to any house in which the ark of the covenant was present; the
Imamate will be brought to which ever of us receives the weapons. My
father dressed in the armour of the Apostle of God, may God bless him
and grant him peace, and it made marks on the ground. I put it on and it
was (like) it was (for my father). The one (destined to) rise up (qa'im)
from among us, will fill it (so that it fits him exactly) when he puts
it on, if God wishes.
['Abd Al-Ala b. Ayan
reported:]
I heard Abu Abd
Allah (Jafar) peace be on him, say: "I have the weapons of the Apostle
of God, may God bless him and his family, but I will never fight with
them." Then he said: "These weapons are protected, for if they were
entrusted to the wickedest of God's creatures, he would become the best
of them." Then he said, "This matter (i.e. the carrying of the Prophet's
arms in war) belongs to the man, for whom (horses') reins will be
twisted (as men ride in support of him). When God wills it, he will be
brought out (into the open). Then people will say: 'Who is this who has
appeared?' God will give him support (to have power) over his subjects."
[Umar b. Aban
reported:]
I asked Abu Abd
Allah (Jafar) peace be on him, about what the people were saying that
Umm Salama, the mercy of God be on her, had been handed a sealed scroll.
He said: "When the Apostle of God, may God bless him and grant him
peace, died, Ali, peace be on him, inherited his knowledge, his weapons
and what there was. Then that went to al-Hasan, peace be on him, then to
al-Husayn, peace be on him."
"Did it go to Ali b.
al-Husayn, peace be on them, after that, then to his son and now has it
come to you?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied.
The reports with
the same meaning are numerous. However, those of them which we have
given will be sufficient to indicate what we are trying to show, God
willing.
An Extract from
the Accounts of Abu Abd Allah Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq, Peace be on
them, and from his Words.
I found (this
written) in the handwriting of Abu al-Faraj 'Ali b. al- Husayn b.
Muhammad al-Isfahani, in the text of his book known as Maqatil al-Talibiyin
(the Martyrdoms of (the family of Abu) Talib):
Umar b. Abd Allah
al-Atki informed me
Umar b. Shabba told
us: Al-Fadl b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Hashim and Ibn Daja told us:
Abu Zayd (Umar b.
Shabba) (also) told me: Abd al-Rahman b. b. Amr b. Jabala told me:
Al-Hasan b. Ayyub, retainer (mawla) of the Banu Numayr told me, on the
authority of Abd al-Ala b. Ayan:
Ibrahlm b. Muhammad
b. Abl al-Kiram al-Jafari told me, on the authority of his father:
Muhammad b. Yahya
told me on the authority of Abd Allah b. Yahya:
Isa b. Abd Allah b.
Muhammad b. Umar b. Ali told me on the authority of his father:
The account of some
of them has been introduced into the account of the rest (as follows):
A group of the Banu
Hashim met at al-Abwa'. Among them were Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Ali b.
Abd Allah b. Abbas and Abu Jafar al-Mansur, Salih. b. Ali, Abd Allah b.
al-Hasan, with his two sons Muhammad and Ibrahim, and Muhammad b. Abd
Allah b. 'Amr b. 'Uthman.
Salih. b. Ali
addressed (them): "You know that you are the ones towards whom the
people turn their eyes and that God has brought you together in this
place. Therefore give a pledge of allegiance to one from among you,
which you should give to him with (genuine dedication) of yourselves.
Bind yourselves so that God may bring victory, for He is the best
bringer of victory."
'Abd Allah b.
al-Hasan praised and glorified God. Then he said: "You know that this
son of mine is the Mahdi Therefore come, let us pledge allegiance to
him."
"Why are you
deceiving yourselves?" demanded Abu- Ja'far. "By God you know that there
is no one else to whom the people would take greater strides nor greater
speed to answer than they would to this man," meaning Muhammad b. Abd
Allah.
"True," they said,
"this is he whom we acknowledge." So they all pledged allegiance to
Muhammad and took him by the hand.
[Isa reported:]
Abd Allah b. al-Hasan's
messenger came to my father, saying:
"Come to us. We are
gathered for an (important) affair." He sent (information) about that to
Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them.
[Others, not
including Isa, reported:]
Abd Allah b.
al-Hasan said to those present: "You don't want Jafar (here), for we
fear that he would cause dissension among you in your affair."
[Isa b. Abd Allah b.
Muhammad reported:]
My father sent me to
see what they had gathered for. So I went to them. (Ja'far b. Muhammad,
peace be on them, sent Muhammad b. Abd Allah al-Arqat b. Ali b.
al-Husayn. We went to them). Muhammad b. Abd Allah (b. al-Hasan) was
praying on a folded carpet from a saddle.
"My father has sent
me to you," I told them, "to ask you why you have gathered together."
"We have gathered
(here), " Abd Allah b. al-Hasan said, "to pledge allegiance to the
Mahdi, Muhammad b. Abd Allah."
[They (i.e. the
other authorities) reported:]
Jafar b. Muhammad,
peace be on them, arrived and 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan made room for him
beside him. He repeated what he had said before. However, Ja'far said:
"Don't do it. The time (for the Mahdi) has not yet arrived. If you -
meaning Abd Allah - consider that this son of yours is the Mahdi, he is
not, nor is this the time for him (i.e. the Mahdi). Because you are one
of our most revered elders we will not forsake you in favour of pledging
allegiance to your son, even if you only intend him to rise in anger in
God's cause, to command the good and prohibit the evil."
Abd Allah became
angry and said: "I know that (the facts are) the opposite of what you
are saying. By God, God has not acquainted you with (knowledge of) His
unseen world. Rather it is envy for my son which prompts you to this
(attitude)."
"By God, it is not
that which prompts me," replied (Jafar) "but this man, his brothers and
his sons." Then he tapped with his hand on the back of Abu al-Abbas and
he tapped with his hand on the shoulder of Abd Allah b. al-Hasan.
"By God, it (i.e.
the caliphate) is not for you nor for your two sons," (Jafar) told him,
"but it is for them (i.e. the Abbasids). Your two sons will be killed."
He got up and leaning on the arm of Abd al-Aziz b. Imran al-Zuhri, he
continued, "Do you see the owner of the yellow cloak?" - meaning Abu
Ja'far (al-Mansar).
"Yes," he replied.
"By God," he said,
"we have a foreboding that he (Abu Jafar) will kill him (Muhammad b. Abd
Allah)."
"Will he kill
Muhammad?" Abd al-Aziz asked him.
"Yes," he replied.
[Abd al-Aziz
reported:]
I said to myself,
"By the Lord of the Kaba, he is envious of him." But then, by God, I had
not left this world before I saw him (Abu Jafar) kill both of them.
When Jafar said
that, the people arose and separated. Abd al- Samad and Abu Jafar
followed him and asked him, "Abu- Abd Allah, do you really say this?"
"Yes," he replied,
"by God I say it and I know it."
[Abu al-Faraj
reported: Ali b. al-Abbas al-Maqani told me: Bakkar b. Ahmad informed
us: al-Hasan b. al-Husayn, on the authority of Anbasa b. Bijad' al-Abid
told us:]
Whenever Jafar b.
Muhammad, peace be on them, saw Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. al-Hasan, his
eyes would flow with tears and then he would say: "(I would sacrifice)
my life for him. The people say that (he is the Mahdl while) he is to be
killed. He is not in the Book of Ali, peace be on him, as one of the
caliphs of this community."
This (second report)
is a famous report just like the one before it. The historians do not
differ on the accuracy of both of them. They both (clearly) give
evidence for the Imamate of Abu 'Abd Allah al- Sadiq, peace be on him.
Indeed miracles were performed by him in order that he might make known
things which were unknown and show the existence of things before they
came to be, just as prophets, peace be on them, used to make (such
things) known. That was one of their signs and indications of their
prophethood, and their truthfulness (in speaking) about their Lord, the
Mighty and Exalted.
[Abu al-Qasim
Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Qulawayh told me on the authority of Muhammad b.
Ya'qub al-Kulayni, on the authority of 'Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim, on the
authority of his father, on the authority of a group of his men (i.e.
teachers), on the authority of Yunus b. Yaqub, who said:]
I was with Abu Abd
Allah (Ja'far), peace be on him, when a Syrian came to him. He said: "I
am a scholar (sahib) of theology, jurisprudence, and the laws of
inheritance. I have come to dispute with your followers."
"Is your theology
from the Apostle of God, may god bless him and his family, or from
yourself?" Abu 'Abd Allah (Ja'far),
peace be on him, asked.
"Partly from the
Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, and partly from
myself," replied (the other
man).
"Then are you a
partner of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family?"
enquired Abu 'Abd Allah (Ja'far).
"No," he answered.
"Have you heard
inspiration (wahy) (direct) from God?"
"No," he replied.
"Is obedience to
you required as is obedience to the Apostle of God, may God bless him
and his family?"
"No," was the
answer.
Abu 'Abd Allah,
peace be on him, turned to me and said: "Yunus b. Ya'qub, this man has
contradicted himself before he has begun (the real business) of
discussing." Then he said: "Yunus. if you were good at theology, you
should speak to him."
[Yunus remarked:]
How sad it was, for
I said to him: "May I be your ransom, I have heard you forbid (taking
part in) theology and say: Woe to the theologians who say that this
follows and that this does not follow; that this is entailed and that
this is not entailed; that this we accept as rational and this we do not
accept as rational."
"I only said," Abu 'Abd
Allah, peace be on him remarked, "woe to them, if they abandon what I
say and adopt their own wishes." Then he told me: "Go out to the door
and look for any of the theologians you can see, and bring them in."
I went out and found
Humran b. A'yan who was good at theology, and Muhammad b. al-Numan al-Ahwal,
who was a theologian, and Hisham b. Salim and Qays b. al-Masir, both
theologians. I brought them (all) in to him. After he had settled us in
the assembly - we were in the tent of Abu Abd Allah at the top of a
mountain on the edge of the sanctuary (of Mecca) (haram) and that was (a
few) days before the days of the pilgrimage, Abu Abd Allah, peace be on
him, put his head out of the tent. There appeared at that moment a camel
dashing along. He cried out: "Hisham, by the Lord of the Kaba!"
We thought that it
was Hisham, one of the sons of Aqil, who loved him greatly. But behold,
it was Hisham b. al-Hakam who came. He still only had the first traces
of his beard on his face. All of us there were older than him. Abu Abd
Allah, peace be on him, made room for him and said: "(Here is) one who
helps us with his heart, his tongue and his hand."
He told Humran:
"Debate with the man" - meaning the Syrian. Humran debated with him and
overcame him. Then (Abu Abd Allah) said: "O my Taq, debate with him." So
Muhammad b. al-Numan debated with him and overcame him. Next he said: "Hisham
b. Salim, debate with him." So they both argued together. He then told
Qays b. Masir to debate with him and he did so. Abu Abd Allah, peace be
on him, began to smile at their discussion as the Syrian sought to
escape in front of him. He told the Syrian:
"Debate with this
lad" - meaning Hisham b. al-Hakam.
"Yes," replied the
Syrian and said, "lad, ask me about the Imamate of this man" - meaning
Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him.
Hisham was so angry
that he trembled but then he said: "Fellow, does your Lord look after
His creatures or do they look after themselves?"
"Indeed," replied
the Syrian, "my Lord looks atter His creatures."
"What does He do to
look after their religion for them?"
"He gives them
duties and provides them with proof (hujja) and evidence for the things
which He has required of them. He removes any weaknesses they might have
about that."
"What is the
evidence which He has established for them?" Hisham asked him.
"It is the Apostle
of God, may God bless him and his family," the Syrian answered.
"What after the
Apostle of God?" enquired Hisham.
"The Book and the
sunna."
"Do the Book and the
sunna benefit us today in our differences so that the differences are
removed from us and we are able to agree?" asked Hisham.
"Yes," replied the
Syrian.
"Then do we differ
from you," retorted Hisham, "so that you have come to us from Syria to
dispute with us? You claim that personal judgement (ra'y) is the method
(of establishing the practices) of religion while you acknowledge that
personal judgement does not bring people who differ together in one
doctrine."
The Syrian was
silent as if he was thinking. So Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, asked
him: "Why aren't you debating?"
"If I say: We do not
differ," he answered, "I would be (merely) being obstinate. If I say:
the Book and the sunna remove our differences, I would be wrong because
the two bear (different) interpretations. However, I could use the same
argument against him."
"Ask him, then," Abu
Abd Allah, peace be on him, told him.
"You will find him
competent."
So the Syrian asked
Hisham: "Who looks after His creatures, their Lord or themselves?"
"Indeed their Lord
looks after them," replied Hisham.
"Does He establish
for them someone who will harmonise their doctrine, remove their
differences and explain the true from the false to them?" demanded the
Syrian.
"Yes," replied
Hisham.
"Who is that?" asked
the Syrian.
"At the beginning of
the sharia, it was the Apostle of God but after the Prophet, blessings
and peace be on him, it was someone else."
"Who is it other
than the Prophet, may God bless him and his family, who takes his place
(al-qa'im maqamahu) in being His (i.e. God's) proof?" the Syrian asked.
"Now or before?"
Hisham responded.
"At the present
time," answered the Syrian.
"This man who is
sitting here," said Hisham - meaning Abu 'Abd Allah. "He is the one to
whom you travelled; he is the one who tells us about heaven and is the
inheritor from father and grandfather."
"How would I have
knowledge of (the truth of) that?" asked the Syrian.
"Ask him about
anything which occurs to you," Hisham told him.
"You have stopped
(any) excuse of mine but I do have a question," the Syrian declared.
"I will dispense
with your questioning," Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, told him. "I
will tell you about your travel and your journey. You left on such and
such a day. Your road was such and such. You passed so and so and such
and such (a man) passed you."
Every time he told
him anything about his affair, the Syrian would say: "True, by God."
Then the Syrian said to him: "At this moment I have submitted (aslamtu)
to God."
"Rather at this
moment you have faith famanta) in God," said Abu Abd Allah, peace be on
him. "Islam (submission to God) is before lman (faith in God). On the
basis of the former (Islam) they arrange inheritance and marriage: on
the basis of faith (iman) men are rewarded."
"True," replied the
Syrian, "at this moment I testify that there is no god but God, that
Muhammad is the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, and
that you are the (present) trustee (wasz) (of God) among the trustees
(appointed by God)."
Abu Abd Allah
approached Humran and said: "Humran, conduct theology on the basis of
traditional knowledge (athar) and you will be correct." He turned to
Hisham b. Salim and said: "You want to use traditional knowledge but you
don't know it" Then he turned to al-Ahwal and said: "You are a man who
uses qiyas and is evasive, a man who refutes falsehood with falsehood,
even though your false argument is stronger." Then he turned to Qays b.
Masir and said: "When you debate, the nearer you are to truth and
traditions (khabar) on the authority of the Prophet, the further you are
from it: you mix up the truth with what is false. A little truth
suffices for much which is false. You and al-Ahwal are skilful (verbal)
gymnasts." Abu Abd Allah approached Humran and said: "Humran, conduct
theology on the basis of traditional knowledge (athar) and you will be
correct." He turned to Hisham b. Salim and said: "You want to use
traditional knowledge but you don't know it" Then he turned to al-Ahwal
and said: "You are a man who uses qiyas and is evasive, a man who
refutes falsehood with falsehood, even though your false argument is
stronger." Then he turned to Qays b. Masir and said: "When you debate,
the nearer you are to truth and traditions (khabar) on the authority of
the Prophet, the further you are from it: you mix up the truth with what
is false. A little truth suffices for much which is false. You and al-Ahwal
are skilful (verbal) gymnasts."
[Yunus b. Ya'qub
remarked:] By God, I thought he would say to Hisham something close to
what he had said to them.
Then he said: "Hisham,
you are hardly likely to fall, for you tuck in your legs (like a bird):
when you are about to fall to the earth, you fly. Therefore a person
like you should debate with the people. Guard against slipping and
intercession will be behind you."
This report,
together with what it contains of rational proof and evidence for the
Imamate, also includes the content of the two previous reports' evidence
of the miraculous ability of Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him. It agrees
with them in the (full) significance of proof.
[Abu al-Qasim Jafar
b. Muhammad al-Qummi informed me on the authority of Muhammad b. Yaqub
al-Kulayni, on the authority of Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim, on the
authority of his father on the authority of 'Abbas Amr al-Faqimi:]
Ibn Abi al-Awja',
Ibn Talut, Ibn al-Ama and Ibn al-Muqaffa with a group of Zindiqs were
gathered in the Sacred Mosque during the season of the pilgrimage. Abu
Abd Allah Jacfar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, was there giving legal
decisions to the people, explaining the Qur'an to them and answering
their questions with arguments and proofs. The group said to Ibn Ab, al-Awja':
"Can you induce this man sitting here to make a mistake and question him
about what would disgrace him in front of those who are gathered around
him? For you can see the fascination of the people for him; he is
(supposed to be) the great scholar of his time."
"Yes," replied Ibn
Abi al-Awja'. He went forward and the people moved aside. He said: "Abu
Abd Allah, gatherings for discussion are things to be taken care of.
Everyone who has a cough must cough, so will you permit me to ask a
question?"
"Ask, if you want
to," Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, answered him.
The Ibn Abi al-Awja'
asked him: "For how long will you tread on this threshing-floor and go
round this stone? For how long will you worship this house made of
bricks and mud and amble around it like a camel when it is scared?
Whoever thinks about this and considers it, realises that it is the
action of an unintelligent and unthinking man, so explain (it) as you
are the principal exponent (lit. head and hump) of this affair, and your
father was its founder and support."
"Those whom God
leads astray and whose hearts He blinds find the truth unwholesome and
will never taste its sweetness," retorted al-Sadiq, peace be on him.
"The devil is the friend and lord of such a man. He will lead him to
the watering places of destruction and never let him come from them.
This is a house where God's creatures seek to worship Him in order that
their obedience in coming to it may be well known. Therefore He has
urged them to magnify it and to visit it and He has made it the place of
His prophets and the direct prayer for those who pray to Him. It is a
part of Paradise and a path which leads to His forgiveness. It is set up
at the seat of perfection and at the meeting point of majesty and glory.
God created it over two thousand years before the earth was laid out.
The most worthy to be obeyed in what He orders and to have His
prohibitions refrained from is God the Creator of souls and forms."
"You have only
spoken and referred (me) to someone who is not present, Abu Abd Allah,"
retorted Ibn Abi al-Awja".
"Shame on you,"
retorted al-Sadiq, peace be on him. "How could One Who is present with
His creatures and closer to them than a vein in the neck, Who hears
their words and knows their secrets, be someone who is not present."
"Is He in every
place or isn't He?" asked Ibn Abl al-CAwja'. "If He is in Heaven, how
can He be on earth? And if He is on earth, how can He be in Heaven?"
"You described
something which is created," retorted Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him,
"which when it moves from one place, and when another place is occupied
by it, and when (the former) place is without it, then, in the place
which it has come to, it does not know what happens in the place in
which it was. As for God, the Mighty, the Dignified, the Ruler, the
Judge,) there is no place without Him and no place occupied by Him. He
is not nearer to one place than He is to another. In that way the traces
of Himself (which He gives) bear witness to Him and His actions give
evidence for Him. He whom He has sent with precise signs and clear
proofs, Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, has brought us this
(form of) worship. If you have any doubts about any of His commandments,
ask about it and I will explain it to you."
Ibn Abi al-Awja'
became stupefied and did not know what to say. He left his presence and
said to his companions: "I asked you to find me some wine (to enjoy
myself with) and you threw me on to a burning coal."
"Shut up," they told
him. "You have disgraced us by your bewilderment. We saw no one today
more humiliated than you in his discussion."
"Are you saying this
to me?" he replied. "He is (only) the son of a man who shaved the heads
of those whom you see." He indicated with his hand towards the people
gathered for the pilgrimage.
[It is reported:]
One day Abu Shakir
al-Daysam stood in a discussion group of Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him,
and said: "You are one of the shining stars, your fathers were wonderful
full moons and your mothers were graceful discreet women. Your lineage
is the most noble of lineages. When learned men are mentioned, it is for
you that the little finger is bent (i.e. he is the first to be counted).
So tell me, O bountiful sea, what is the evidence for the creation of
the world?"
"The easiest
evidence for that is what I will show you (now)," answered Abu- Abd
Allah, peace be on him. Then he called for an egg and put it in the palm
of his hand. "This is a compact protective container; inside it is the
thin (substance of an) egg which is surrounded by what could be compared
with fluid silver and melted gold. Do you doubt that?"
"There can be no
doubt about that," replied Abu Shakir.
"Then it splits open
showing a form like (for example) a peacock," continued Abu 'Abd Allah,
peace be on him. "Has anything entered into it other than what you knew
(to be there already)?"
"No," he replied.
"This is the
evidence for the creation of the world."
"You have explained,
Abu Abd Allah," he said, "and you have made it clear. You have spoken
and brought improvement. You have described it and spoken concisely. You
knew that we would not accept anything which we could not realise with
our eyes, or hear with our ears, or taste with our mouths, or smell with
our noses, or touch with our skin."
"You have mentioned
the five senses," said Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, "but they will
not bring any benefit in rational deduction except as evidence, just as
darkness cannot be removed without light."
He, peace be on him,
means by that that the senses without reason will never lead to the
understanding of things which are not present, and that what he had
shown with regard to the creation of the form was a concept whose
recognition (ilm) was based on sense- perception.
(The following is
an example) of what has been recorded on his authority, peace be on him,
concerning the necessity of knowing God the Most High and His religion:
He said:
"I have found the
knowledge of all the people (encompassed) by four t*:
-
You should
know your Lord;
-
You should
know what He has done for you;
-
You should
know what He wants from you;
-
You should
know what would make you abandon your religion.
These four
divisions include (all) the requirements of things which should be
known, because the first thing that a man should do is to know his Lord,
may His Majesty be exalted. When he knows that he has a Lord, it is
necessary that he must know what He has done for him. When he knows what
He has done for him, he knows of His blessings. When he knows of His
blessings, it is necessary that he should thank Him. When he wants to
carry out his thanks, he must know what He wants so that he may obey Him
in his actions. Since obedience to Him is necessary, it will be
necessary for him to know what would cause him to abandon his religion
so that he might avoid it, and in that way keep pure his obedience to
his Lord and his thanks for His blessings.
(This is an example)
of what was recorded on his authority peace be on him, concerning the
unity of God and the denial of anthropomorphism.
He said to Hisham b.
al-Hakam:
"God, the
Exalted, should not be compared to anything, nor should anything be
compared to Him. Whatever comes to the imagination is other than God."
(The following is
an example) of what was recorded on his authority, peace be on him,
concerning his words on justice: He said to Zurara b. Ayan:
"Zurara, shall I
give you a summary of (the doctrine of) decree (qada) and destiny (qadar)?"
"Yes, may I be your
ransom," replied Zurara.
"When it is the
Day of Resurrection and God has gathered His creatures together, He will
ask them about what He enjoined upon them but He will not ask them about
what He had decreed for them."
(This is an
example) of what was recorded on his authority concerning wisdom and
exhortation.
He said: "Not
everyone who intends something is able to do it. Not everyone who is
able to do something will be granted success in it. Not everyone who is
granted success in something will do it in the right place. When
intention, ability, success and correctness come together, there
happiness is perfected."
(This is an
example) of what has been recorded of him, peace be upon him, urging
consideration of God's religion and the acquisition of knowledge about
the friends (awliya) of God.
He said: "Give
close consideration to things which you cannot afford to ignore, be true
to yourselves and fight against your (inclinations) so that you may find
out those things which it is inexcusable not to know. These are the
basic elements of God's religion. If a man ignores them, he will gain no
benefit (no matter) how intense is his striving in pursuit of the
outward form of worship. On the other hand, no harm will come to a man
who knows them and abides by them with moderation (in his behaviour).
There is no way for anyone except through the help of God, the Mighty
and High."
(The following is
an example) of what has been recorded on his authority, peace be on him,
urging repentance:
He said: "To
delay repentance is to be heedless; to lengthen the time of putting off
(religious duties) is (to create) confusion (in one's mind); to attempt
to justify oneself before God is (to bring about one's own) destruction;
persisting in sin makes (a person) feel secure from God's devising. Only
people who are lost feel secure from God's devising. [VII 99]"
During the Imamate
of the Sixth Imam
During the Imamate
of the sixth Imam greater possibilities and a more favourable climate
existed for him to propagate religious teachings. This came about as a
result of revolts in Islamic lands, especially the uprising of the
Muswaddah to overthrow the Umayyad caliphate, and the bloody wars which
finally led to the fall and extinction of the Umayyads. The greater
opportunities for Shi'ite teachings were also a result of the favourable
ground the fifth Imam had prepared during the twenty years of his
Imamate through the propagation of the true teachings of Islam and the
sciences of the Household of the Prophet (sawas).
The Imam took
advantage of the occasion to propagate the religious sciences until the
very end of his Imamate, which was contemporary with the end of the
Umayad, and beginning of the Abbasid caliphates. He instructed many
scholars in different fields of the intellectual and transmitted
sciences, such as Zararah, Muhammad ibn Muslim, Mu'min Taqi, Hisham ibn
Hakam, Aban ibn Taghlib, Hisham ibn Salim, Hurayz, Hisham Kalbi Nassabah,
and Jabir ibn Hayyan, the alchemist. Even some important Sunni scholars
such as Sufyan Thawri, Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi school of
law, Qadi. l Sukuni, Qadi Abu'l-Bakhtari, and others, had the honour of
being his students.
Abu Hanifa
Abu Hanifa gave
public lectures at Kufa that attracted much attention. In giving
decisions, he claimed the right to exercise the privilege of deduction (Qiyas)
and of using his own judgement (Ra’y) to supplement the traditions and
for this departure he was severely criticised by the scholars in Makka
and Madina. His decisions were on the point of law of Islam, however he
steadfastly refused to enter the service of the Government as judge.
Thus it was as a literary or academic jurist that he was able to carry
on his work in Kufa under both the Ummayads and the Abbasids. It is
probable that he strongly sympathized with the Alids and resented the
way in which they had been set aside. Masudi mentions in his history
that once he had sent 10,000 Dinars to Zaid Ibn Ali to help him against
the Ummayads.
One is surprised to
observe that these two contemporary scholars were able to carry on
teaching in their respective cities, Abu Hanifa in Kufa and Imam Ja’afar
Sadiq (AS) in Madina. The two men were on friendly terms with each other
and often Abu Hanifa accepted the advice of his teacher Imam Ja’afar
Sadiq (AS)
Traditions
The number of
traditions preserved from the fifth and sixth Imams is more than all the
hadith that have been recorded from the Prophet (sawas) and the other
ten Imams combined.
Jafar As Sadiq's
profound knowledge of religion and other sciences was famed throughout
the entire Islamic world. People came from distant regions to learn from
him.
Among them were
scholars of Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith such as Imam Noman bin Thabit
and Imam Mali Ibn Anas. Heads of other religions also came there to
discuss with the Imams students many matters of dispute and on many
occasions returned home embracing Islam. Sometimes he himself argued
with the opponents especially atheists.
Apart from religious
sciences, he used to teach to some students mathematics, chemistry,
medicine and astronomy. Jabir Ibn Hayyan, the famous pioneer of physics,
chemistry and mathematics, was his disciple who wrote about four hundred
treatises based on his mentor’s instructions. The jurists who learnt
from him and wrote several volumes of books on jurisprudence can be
counted by the hundreds
Qadr
As to the question
of the power (Qadr) of directing one’s own actions, the Imam took a
middle position, which is neither compulsion (Jabr) nor committing (Tafviz)
the choice to ourselves. He was accustomed to say in prayer,”O’
God, thine is the praise that I give thee, and to thee is the excuse if
I sin against thee. There is no work of merit on my own behalf, or on
behalf of another, and in evil there is no excuse for me or for
another”.
Yakubi in his Tarikh
remarks in regard to Imam Ja’afar Sadiq (AS) that , “it was customary
for scholars who related anything from him to say 'the learned one
informed us'.” When we recall that Malik ibn Anas (94-179) the author of
Mawatta was a contemporary of the Imam Ja’afar Sadiq (AS), at least a
century before the time of Bukhari and Muslim, it is significant to find
that it is the Imam Ja’afar Sadiq(AS) who is credited with stating what
came to be regarded as the most significant and important principle to
observe in judging traditions: “What is in agreement with the Book of
God, accept it, and whatever is contrary, reject it”.
Yakubi also relates
another saying of the Imam as follows;
"There are two
friends, and whoever follows them will enter paradise”, Some one asked,
“ Who are they?” He said, “The acceptance of that which you dislike when
God likes it, and the rejection of that which you like when God dislikes
it.”
Towards the end of
his life the Imam was subjected to severe restrictions by the Abbasid
caliph Mansur, who ordered such torture and merciless killing of many of
the descendants of the Prophet (sawas) who were Shi'ite that his actions
even surpassed the cruelty and heedlessness of the Umayyads. On his
order they were arrested in groups, some thrown into deep and dark
prisons and tortured until they died, while others were beheaded or
buried alive or placed at the base of or between walls of buildings, and
walls were constructed over them.
Martyrded
Hisham, the Umayyad
caliph, had ordered the sixth Imam to be arrested and brought to
Damascus. Later, the Imam was arrested by Saffah., the Abbasid caliph,
and brought to Iraq. Finally, Mansur had him arrested again and brought
to Samarrah where he had the Imam kept under supervision and was harsh
and discourteous to him, and several times thought of killing him.
Eventually the Imam was allowed-to return to Medina where he spent the
rest of his life in hiding until he was poisoned and martyred through
the intrigue of Mansur.
Upon hearing the
news of the imam's martyrdom, Mansur wrote to the governor of Medina
instructing him to go to the house of the Imam on the pretext of
expressing his condolences to the family, to ask for the Imam's will and
testament and read it. Whoever was chosen by the Imam as his inheritor
and successor should be beheaded on the spot.
Of course the aim of
Mansur was to put an end to the whole question of the Imamate and to
Shi'ite aspirations. When the governor of Medina following orders, read
the last will and testament. He learnt that the Imam had chosen four
people rather than one to administer his last will and testament: the
caliph himself, the governor of Medina, 'Abdallah Aftah., the Imam's
older son and Musa, his younger son. In this way the plot of Mansur
failed. |