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Birth Anniversary of
Imam Sadeq (PBUH)
In the Name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful
Zakariya, who was a
Christian drew the attention of his Muslim friend Abdollah towards a
person who was going to the mosque, and said: "Do you know him? Do you
know how kind he is?
Abdollah replied: Yes,
but I thought that only Muslims know him and not the followers of other
religions.
Zakariya, the Christian
gentleman, who was still not properly acquainted with the identity of
the man going towards the mosque, said: I am indebted for my life to
him. Once when I had lost my way in the desert and was dying of thirst,
he kindly approached me, gave me water to drink from his goatskin water
carrier, although it was almost empty. He even gave his food to me and
showed me the way towards Medina. I thought Prophet Jesus (PBUH) has
come to my help.
Abdollah told his
Christian friend: He is the leader of Muslims, he is Imam Ja'far as-Sadeq
(PBUH) who is a direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of
Allah be upon him and his progeny). He adheres to the ways and behaviour
of his forefathers and his name is a byword for generosity, forgiveness
and virtue.
Zakariya, the Christian
gentleman, who had pinned his eyes to the mosque even after Imam Sadeq
(PBUH) had entered it, saw several youths hurrying towards the mosque
although it was not the time for prayer. He asked his friends: Why are
they going to the mosque?
Abdollah replied: Soon
Imam Sadeq (PBUH) will start giving lessons and these are his students
who have come from different lands to learn different sciences from him.
Zakariya
enthusiastically got up and said he was eager to hear the words of the
Imam.
Abdollah said: do not
hurry, we will go together. I am one of his students and I have
benefited much from the vast sea of his knowledge.
The two entered the
mosque and sat down among the students. Although a Christian,
Zakariya listened with rapt attention to the Imam's discourse. He felt
amazed at the depth of knowledge of Imam Sadeq (PBUH). He had regularly
visited Churches and monasteries but had never heard such wise words
with clear reasoning.
Abdollah realized the
change of state of Zakariya and turning to him said that soon you will
be a student and disciple of the Prophet's successor. It was not long
when the clear reasoning and rational proofs of the 6th Imam
transformed Zakariyah into a devoted Muslim and follower of the Ahl ol-Bayt.
The birthday of Imam
Jafar Sadeq (PBUH) certainly affords us the chance to ponder on the
position of the Ahl ol-Bayt in the light of the Holy Qur'an and the
sayings of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah be upon him and his
progeny).
The famous statement of
the Prophet called Hadith as-Saqalayn stands out in this regard. He
stressed on several occasions:
"I am leaving
behind among you two invaluable things, the Book of God and My progeny
the Ahl ol-Beyt. If you hold fast to them you will not go astray, for
the two will never separate with each other even when they return to
me at the pool of Kowsar on the resurrection day."
Imam Sadeq, as the 6th
heir of the Prophet was a member of the infallible Ahl ol-Bayt,
regarding whom the Holy Qur'an says in ayah 33 of Surah Ahzab:
"Allah desires to keep away all uncleanness O' Ahl al-Bayt and keep you
pure as pure can be."
There are numerous
other ayahs in the Qur'an and statements from the Prophet considering
the leadership of the Ahl ol-Bayt after his passing away. At times the
Prophet, by God's command likened them to the Ark of Noah with those
boarding it reaching the shores of salvation while those who desert it
or keep away from it are drowned in the turbulent seas. He also referred
to them as lodestars which guide travellers and seafarers. Imam Ja'far
Sadeq (PBUH) was thus the 6th infallible Imam. He was born in
83 AH and was twelve years old when his grandfather, Imam Zain ol-Abedin,
the survivor of the tragedy of Karbala, passed away. At the age of 31
the mantle of divinely-decreed leadership fell on his shoulders when his
father, Imam Muhammad Baqer (PBUH), was fatally poisoned. For the next
34 years Imam Sadeq built up the nucleus of the Muslim society by
training a whole generation of Islamic scholars in various fields of
knowledge including practical sciences. Gaber ibn Hayyan who is
considered as the Father of Chemistry, was among his students.
The political
conditions of the time when the Omayyuds and the Abbasids were fighting
for control of the realm, provided precious breathing space to Imam
Sadeq (PBUH) to propound to the Muslim masses the practice, behaviour,
hadith and jurisprudence of the Prophet. For this reason, the genuine
Islamic jurisprudence is also known as Fiqh-e Ja'fari in honour of Imam
Ja'far Sadeq (PBUH) although whatever he thought was not innovation but
the word and deed of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of Allah be upon him
and his progeny). This school of thought with its dynamic concept of
ijtehad or independent reasoning on the basis of the Holy Qur'an and the
teachings of the Prophet had excellently catered to the expanding human
needs in view of the times and conditions .
On the auspicious
birthday of Imam Sadeq (PBUH) we bring you two wise statements from that
him: He said:
"Either be a scholar,
or try to seek knowledge or at least be a follower of the possessors
of knowledge."
"No comfort is better
than good temper. Good temper promotes love and affection."
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