THE HOLY Imam Ja'far as.-Sadiq
was the sixth in the succession of the twelve Apostolic Imams. His
epithet was Abu 'Abdillah and his famous titles were as-Sadiq, al-Fadil
and at.-Tahir. He was the son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, the Fifth
Imam, and his mother was the daughter of al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn
Abi Bakr.
Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was brought up by his grand- father, Imam Zaynu
'I-'Abidm in Medina for twelve years and then remained under the
sacred patronage of his father Imam Muhammad al-Baqir for a period
of nine- teen years.
Imamate: After the death of his holy father in 114 AH, he succeeded
him as the Sixth Imam, and thus the sacred trust of Islamic mission
and spiritual guidance was relayed down to his custody right from
the Holy Prophet through the succession of the preceding Imams.
Political Condition
The period of his Imamate coincided with the most revolutionary and
eventful era of Islamic history which saw the downfall of the
Umayyad Empire and the rise of the 'Abbasid caliphate. The internal
wars and political upheavals were bringing about speedy
reshufflements in government. Thus, the Holy Imam witnessed the
reigns of various kings starting from 'Abdu 'l-Malik down to the
Umayyad ruler Marwan al-Himar. He further survived till the time of
Abu 'l-'Abbas as-Saffah and al-Mansur among the 'Abbasids. It was
due to the political strife between two groups viz., the Umayyads
and 'Abbasids for power that Imam was left alone undisturbed to
carry out his devotional duties and peacefully carry on his mission
to propagate Islam and spreading the teachings of the Holy Prophet.
In the last days of the Umayyad rule, their Empire was tottering and
was on the verge of collapse, and a most chaotic and demoralized
state of affairs prevailed throughout the Islamic State. The
'Abbasids exploited such an opportunity and availing themselves of
this political instability, assumed the title of "Avengers of Banu
Hashim". They pretended to have stood for the cause of taking
revenge on the Umayyads for shedding the innocent blood of the Holy
Imam Husayn. The common people who were groaning under the yoke of
the Umayyads were fed up with their atrocities and were secretly
yearning for the progeny of the Holy Prophet to take power. They
realized that if the leadership went to the Ahlul-Bayt, who were its
legitimate heir, the prestige of Islam would be enhanced and the
Prophet's mission would be genuinely propagated. However, a group of
the 'Abbasids secretly dedicated their lives to a campaign for
seizing power from the hands of the Umayyads on the pretext that
they were seizing it only to surrender it to the Banu Hashim.
Actually, they were plotting for their own ends. The common people
were thus deceived into supporting them and when these 'Abbasids did
succeed in snatching the power from the Umayyads, they tuned against
the Ahlu 'l-Bayt.
Religious Condition
The downfall of the
Umayyads and the rise of the 'Abbasids constituted the two principal
plots in the drama of Islamic history. This was a most chaotic and
revolutionary period when the religious morals of Islam had gone
down and the teachings of the Holy Prophet were being neglected, and
a state of anarchy was rampant. It was amidst such deadly gloom that
the virtuous personage of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq stood like a beacon
of light shedding its lustre to illuminate the ocean of sinful
darkness around. The world got inclined towards his virtuous and
admirable personality. Abu Salamah al-Khallal also offered him the
throne of the caliphate. But the Imam keeping up the characteristic
tradition of his ancestors flatly declined to accept it, and
preferred to content himself with his devotional pursuits and
service to Islam. On account of his many debates with the priests of
rival orders like Atheists, Christians, Jews, etc.
Teachings
The versatile genius of Imam Ja'far as.-Sadiq in all branches of
knowledge was acclaimed throughout the Islamic world, which
attracted students from far-off places towards him till the strength
of his disciples had reached four thousand. The scholars and experts
in Divine Law have quoted many ahadith (traditions) from Imam Ja'far
as.-Sadiq. His disciples compiled hundred of books on various
branches of science and arts. Other than fiqh (Islamic
jurisprudence), hadith (tradition), tafslr (exegesis of the Holy
Qur'an), etc., the Holy Imam also imparted mathematics and chemistry
to some of his disciples. Jabir ibn Hayyan at.-Tusi, a famous
scholar of mathematics, was one of the Imam's disciples who
benefited from the Imam's knowledge and guidance and was able to
write four hundred books on different subjects.
It is an undeniable historical truth that all the great scholars of
Islam were indebted for their learning to the very presence of the
Ahlu 'I-Bayt who were the fountain of knowledge and learning for
all. Allamah ash-shibli writes in his book Siratu'n- Nu'man: "Abu
Hanifah remained for a considerable period in the attendance of Imam
Ja'far as-Sadiq, acquiring from him a great deal of precious
research on fiqh and hadith. Both the sects - Shi'ah and Sunni -
believe that the source of Abu Hanifah's knowledge was mostly
derived from his association with Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq." The Imam
devoted his whole life to the cause of religious preaching and
propagation of the teachings of the Holy Prophet and never strove
for power. Because of his great knowledge and fine teaching, the
people gathered around him, giving devotion and respect that was his
due. This excited the envy of the 'Abbasid ruler al-Mansur ad-Dawaniqi
who fearing the popularity of the Imam, decided to do away with
him.
Allamah Tabatabai writes
Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad, the son of the Fifth Imam, was born in
83/702. He died in 148/765 according to Shi'ite tradition, poisoned
and martyred through the intrigue of the 'Abbasid caliph al-Mansur.
After the death of his father he became Imam by Divine Command and
decree of those who came before him. 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.
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 Umayyad and beginning of the 'Abbasid
caliphates. He instructed many scholars in different fields of the
intellectual and transmitted sciences, such as Zurarah ibn A'yan,
Muhammad ibn Muslim, Mu'minu 't.-Taq, Hisham ibn al-Hakam, Aban ibn
Taghlib, Hisham ibn Salim, Hurayz, Hisham al- Kalbi an-Nassabah and
Jabir ibn Hayyan (the alchemist). Even some important Sunni scholars
such as Sufyan ath-Thawri, Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi
school of law, al-Qadi as-Sukuni, al-Qadi Abu 'I-Bakhtari, and
others, had the honour of being his students. It is said that his
classes and sessions of instructions produced four thousand scholars
of hadith and other sciences.
The number of traditions preserved from the Fifth and Sixth Imams is
more than all the hadith that have been recorded from the Prophet
and the other ten Imams combined. But toward the end of his life the
Imam was subjected to severe restrictions placed upon him by the
'Abbasid caliph al-Mansur, who ordered such torture and merciless
killing of many of the descendants of the Prophet who were Shi`te
that his actions even surpassed the cruelty and heedlessness of the
Umayyads. At his order they were arrested in groups, some thrown
into deep and dark prisons and tortured until they died, while
others were be- headed or buried alive or placed at the base of or
between walls of buildings, and walls were constructed over them.
Hisham, the Umayyad caliph, had ordered the Sixth Imam to be
arrested and brought to Damascus.
Later, the Imam was arrested by as-Saffah, the 'Abbasid caliph, and
brought to Iraq. Finally, al-Mansur had him arrested again and
brought to Samarrah where he had the Imam kept under supervision,
was in every way 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 al-Mansur. Upon
hearing the news of the Imam's martyrdom, al-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 al-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 saw that the Imam had chosen four people rather than
one to administer his last will and testament: the caliph him- self,
the governor of Medina, 'Abdullah Aftah, the Imam's older son, and
Musa, his younger son. In this way the plot of al-Mansur failed.
(Shi'ite Islam)
Death
On 25th Shawwal 148 AH, the governor of Medina by the order of al-Mansur,
got the Imam martyred through poison. The funeral prayer was
conducted by his son Imam Musa al-Kazim, the Seventh Imam, and his
body was laid to rest in the cemetery of Jannatu'l-Baqi'.
Al-Imam as-Sadiq, peace be Upon him, said:
One who has these five characteristics is the choicest of men: one
who feels joyous when he does something good; one who repents when
he does something bad; one who is grateful when he receives
something from Allah; one who patiently endures Allah's trials; one
who forgives when he is done some injustice or wrong.
closer to Allah: forgiving one who has wronged him; being generous
to one who had deprived him; being kind to a kinsman who has not
observed his rights of kinship.
The true believer does not transgress the limits of fairness in a
fit of anger; he does not do anything unjutifiable for the sake of
favour to some; neither does he take more than his due share, though
he may have the power. |