Father: Imam Ali al-Sajjad(A.S.)
Mother: Umme Abdullah,the daughter of Imam Hasan(A.S.)
Kunniyat(Patronymic); Abu Jafar
Laqab(Title): Al-Baqir
Birth: The Holy Imam(A.S.) was born in the holy city of Madina on first day of the month of Rajab in the year 57 A.H.
Martydom: The
Holy Imam(A.S.) was martyred in Madina by poisoning in the year 114
A.H. and was buried at Baqi cemetery beside his holy father
The Birth of Imam Muhammad Baqir(A.S.)
The
members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, received the baby
with much rejoicing and pleasure. They were very happy with him, for he
was in whom the elements of the two grandsons (of the Prophet), al-Hasan
and al-Husayn , mixed. Those noble origins through which Allah
strengthened the Arabs and the Moslems mixed in him, too. As for the
noble backbones and the pure from which he branched, they are:
His Mother
As
for his mother, she was a pure chaste woman. She was Fatima, the
daughter of Imam al-Hasan, the Lord of the youth of Heaven. She was
given the kunya of Umm 'Abd Allah (the mother of 'Abd Allah)(Thahdhib
al-Lugha wa al-Asma' vol. 1, p. 87. Ibn Khullakan, Wafayat al-A'yan,
vol. 3, p. 384. Al-Mahbar, p. 57. Al-Ya'qubi, Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 60.
A'yan al-Shi'a, 1/4/464).
She was among the Hashimite women. Ima`m
Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, called her al-Siddiqa (the very
truthful one).(Abu al-Hasan al-'Amili, Diya' al-Amilin, vol. 2. Al-Dur
al-Nazim, serial 2879).
Concerning her Imam Abu 'Abd Allah
al-Sa`diq, peace be on him, said : "She was very truthful. No one in the
family of al-Hasan looked like her.(Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 469).
It
is enough for her highness that she was part of the plant of the sweet
basil of the Apostle of Allah (i. e. Imam al-Hasan), and that she grew
up "in the houses which Allah permitted to be exalted and that His name
may be remembered in them."She brought up Ima`m al-Ba`qir, peace be on
him, in her pure lap. She poured upon him rays of her pure soul. She fed
him with her noble ideas that became part of his qualities.
His Father
His
father Imam Zayn al-Abidin(A.S.) was the Lord of the prostrators (in
worship) and ornament of the worshipers. He was the best of all the
Moslem figures in jurisprudence, knowledge, and religious piety. We will
mention a brief study on his affairs in the following researches.
The Great Baby
The
world shone on the birthday of the pure Ima`m (Mohammed al-Ba`qir). The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, had given good news to him
before his birth. The members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on
them, waited for him impatiently. That is because he was among the
Ima`ms of Moslems. Namely the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his
family, nominated those Imams.
He made them leaders for his
community and related them to the Koran. Ima`m Mohammed al-Ba`qir was
born in Medina, on the third day of the month of Safar, in the year 56
A. H.1 It was said (that he was) on Friday, during the early days of the
month of Rajab.( Dala'il al-Imama, p. 94. Farid Wajjdi, Da'irat
al-Ma'arif, vol. 3, p. 563).
He was born three years before his
grandfather, Ima`m Husayn, peace be on him, was killed. (Ibn al-Wardi,
Tarikh, vol. 1, p. 184. Akhbar al-Duwal, p. 111. Ibn Khulakan, Wafayat
al-A'yan, vol. 3, p. 314).
It was said (that he was born) four
years, as he, peace be on him, said, (before the martyrdom oh his
grandfather). (Al-Ya'qubi, Tarikh, vol. 2, p. 60).
It was also
said (that he was born) two years and some months (before the murder of
his grandfather). 1The last date is unusual. No one accepts it.
The
religious rituals such as adhan and iqama in his ears were performed
for him when he was born. Other rites were also performed for him on the
seventh day of his birth: His hair was shaved. The weight of his cut
hair in sliver was given to the needy as alms. A ram was sacrificed for
him and was given to the poor as alms.
He was born during the
time of Mu'a`wiya. At that time the Islamic countries were full of
oppression. Moreover, they were full of disasters and misfortunes. That
was because of the oppression of Mu'a`wiya and the injustice of his
governors who spread terrorism and oppression in the country. Ima`m
al-Ba`qir talked about that dreadful injustice. We will mention his
speech in this book.
His Name
His
grandfather, Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, named
him Mohammed. He also gave him the Kunya of al-Ba`qir. That was ten
years before al-Ba`qir was born. That was among the Prophet's
prophecies, as some researchers said. The Prophet, may Allah bless him
and his family, knew from the unseen that his grandson would do such as
proclaiming knowledge among his community. Thus, he gave good news to
his community about him. He also sent him his greetings through the
great Companion (of the Prophet), Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri. We
will mention that in the following (chapters).
His Title
He
had only one kunya. It was Abu` Ja'far. He was called by the name of
his son, Ja'far al-Sa`diq, peace be on him, who renewed the life of this
community and split open the fountains of wisdom in the earth.
His Nick-Names
As for his nick-names, they indicate the qualities of his great character and his high inclinations. They are as follows:
1. Al-Amin (the trusted one).
2.
Al-Shabih (the one who was like the Prophet , may Allah bless him and
his family).( Al-Dur al-Nazim fi Manaqib al-A'imma. Diya' al-Amilin,
vol. 2. A'yan al-Shi'a, 1/2/464).
3. Al-Sha`kir (the grateful one).
4. Al-Ha`di (the one who guides).
5. Al-Sa`bir (the patient one).
6. Al-Sha`hid (the proof).(Jannat al-Khuld. Nasikh al-Tawarikh).
7.
Al-Ba`qir (the one who split open knowledge). (Tadhkirat al-Huffaz,
vol. 1, p. 124. Nazhat al-Jalis, vol. 2, p. 36. Mirr'at al-Jinan, vol.1,
p. 247. Farid Wajjdi, Da'irat al-Ma'arif, vol.3, p. 563).
This is
the most famous nick-name of his. He and his son, Ima`m al-Sa`diq, were
given the nick-name of al-Ba`qirayn (the two ones who split open
knowledge). They were also given the nick-name of al-Sa`diqayn (the two
truthful ones). (Shaykh al-Turayhi, Jami'al-Maqal).
The
historians and the biographers of the Ima`m have unanimously agreed on
that he was given the nick-name of al-Ba`qir because he split open
knowledge. Namely, he studied knowledge in detail. Thus, he understood
its origin and its hidden (branches). (Ayun al-Akhbar wa Funun al-Athar,
p. 213. 'Umdat al-Talib, p. 183).
Concerning him, Ima`m al-Reza said:
"O
(you) who split open knowledge (making it available) to the people of
piety and the best of those who seek to answer the call of the Exalted.
(Jawhart al-Kalam fi Madh al-Sada al--A'lam, p. 133).
It is as if
that the people called him al-Ba`qir because of his great knowledge and
his many sciences. It was also said that he was given the nick-name of
al-Ba`qir because of his many prostrations (in worship). Thus, he split
open his forehead. (Mir'at al-Zaman fi Tawarikh al-A'yan, vol. 5, p.
78).
Moreover, he was given the nick-name (of al-Ba`qir) because of these words of his:
"The
truth called me for help after the untruth had gathered it in its
abdomen. So, I split open its flank and brought out the truth from its
hiding, so it appeared and spread after it had been hidden. (Mir'at
al-Zaman fi Tawarikh al-A'yan, vol. 5, p. 78).
However, the first meaning is the most famous with the historians.
The Greetings of the Prophet to al-Baqir
The
historians and the narrators have unanimously agreed that the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and his family, sent his greetings to his grandson,
al-Ba`qir, through the great companion, Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri.
Thus, Ja`bir was impatiently waiting for his birth to give him the
message of his grandfather. When the Ima`m was born and became a
grown-up, Ja`bir met him and gave him the greetings of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and his family. The historians have reported that in
various ways. The following are some of them:
1. Aba`n b. Taghlub
reported on the authority of Abi 'Abd Allah, peace be on him, who said:
"Indeed Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri was the last of the surviving
Companions of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family.
He devoted himself to us, we, the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt). He
sat at the place of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his
family. He wore a black turban.
He called out:' O you who will
split open knowledge (baqir)! O You who will split open knowledge!'
Thus, the people of Medina said: 'Ja`bir is hallucinating!' So, he
(Ja`bir) said:'By Allah, I have never hallucinated. However, I heard the
Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, say:'Indeed, you
will meet a man who belongs to me. His name is similar to mine. His
qualities are similar to mine. He will split open knowledge thoroughly.
'These
words have motivated me to say what I say.' He (Abi Abd Allah) said:
"One day while Ja`bir was walking through some streets of Medina, he
passed by a street. Mohammed b. 'Ali (al-Ba`qir) was in the street. When
he looked at him he said: 'O boy, come.' The boy came. then Ja`bir said
to the boy: 'Turn back.'
The boy turned back. Then Ja`bir said:
"By him in whose hand is my soul, (they are) the qualities of the
Apostle of Allah. O Boy, what is your name?"The boy replied: "My name is
Mohammed b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn."Ja`bir kissed his head and said: 'May my
farther and mother be ransom for you, your grandfather, Allah's
Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, sends you his greetings.'
Abi 'Abd Allah said: 'Mohammed came back frightened to his father and
told him about what had happened. His father said to him: 'My little
boy, has Ja`bir done it ?' Mohammed replied:'Yes.' His father said: 'Do
not leave your house, my little boy.(Usul al-Kafi, vol.1, pp. 496-470.
Al-Kashi, Rijal, pp. 27-28).
As for the contents of this report, they are as follows:
A.
The qualities and features of Ima`m al-Ba`qir, peace be on him, were
similar to those of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family.
B.
It was the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, named his
grandson Mohammed and gave him the nick-name of al-Ba`qir. (The Prophet
told the People that Ima`m Mohammed al-Ba`qir) would split open
knowledge completely.
C. Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him,
feared for the safety of his son when Ja`bir reported the tradition of
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, concerning him. That is
because the Umayyad government imposed an intense observation on Ima`m
Zayn al-'Abidin. It counted his breaths against him. It wanted to know
who would succeed him to punish him severely. So, the Ima`m, peace be on
him, wanted the affair of his son to be secret lest the Umayyads should
mistreat him or subject him to misfortunes.
2. Ibn 'Asa`kir
reported that Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, and his son,
al-Ba`qir came to Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri. Ja`bir asked him:
"Son of the Apostle of Allah, who is with you?""My son, Mohammed, is
with me,"replied Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin. Ja`bir embraced Mohammed. Then
he wept and said: "My death is at hand. Mohammed, Allah's Apostle, may
Allah bless him and his family, sends you his greetings."
"What
is that?"asked Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin. Ja`bir replied: "I heard Allah's
Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, say to al-Husayn b. 'Ali:
'A son will be born for this grandson of mine. The son will be the Lord
of worshipers. On the Day of Judgment, a caller will call:'Let the Lord
of worshipers stand up. So, 'Ali b. al-Husayn will rise. A son will be
born for 'Ali b. al-Husayn. The son will be called Mohammed. Ja`bir,
when you see him, give him my greetings. Ja`bir, know that al-Mahdi will
be among his sons. Know, Ja`bir, that you will stay for a short time
after him.(Ibn 'Asakir, Tarikh, vol 51, p. 41).
3. Taj al-Din b.
Mohammed, the head of Aleppo , reported on the authority of Ima`m
Mohammed al-Ba`qir, who said: "I came to Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah and
greeted him. He said to me: 'Who are you?' That was after he had become
blind. I said to him:
'Mohammed b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn.' He said:
'May my father and mother be ransom for you, come nearer to me.' I came
nearer to him. He kissed my hand, and then he stooped down to my foot to
kiss it.
However, I pulled it from him. Then he said: 'The
Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, recites his
greeting to you.' 'Peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be on the
Apostle of Allah,' I said. 'How is that, Ja`bir?' He said:'One day I was
with him when he said to me: 'Perhaps you will live until you meet one
of my descendants called Mohammed b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn on whom Allah
will bestow light and wisdom. Then recite to him my greetigs. (Ghayat
al-Ikhtisar, p. 64).
4. Salah al-Din al-Safadi said: Ja`bir
walked in Medina and said: 'Ba`qir, when will I meet you?' One day he
passed through a street in Medina. A female slave gave him the boy who
was in her lap. He said to the female slave: 'Who is this?' 'Mohammed b.
'Ali b. al-Husayn,' she replied. He embraced him, kissed his head and
his hands, and then he said: 'My little boy, your grandfather, Allah's
Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, sends you his greetings.'
Then he said: 'Ba`qir, my death is at hand.' He died at that
night.(Al-Wafi bi al-Wafayat, vol. 4, p. 192).
5. Some Isma`'ilis
reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, said to
Ja`bir: "You will meet a son of this son of mine. He appointed at
al-Husayn. When you meet him, give him my greetings. Say to him: O you
who will split open knowledge, split it completely."Ja`bir did that.(
Masa'il Majmu'a mina al-Hada'iq al-'Aliya wa al-Asrar al-Samiya, p. 99).
6.
Al-Ha`fiz Nu`r al-Din al-Haythami reported on the authority of Abu`
Ja'far, peace be on him, who said: "Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah visited me
while I was reading the Book. He said to me: 'Uncover your abdomen.' I
uncovered my abdomen. He kissed it, and then he said: 'Allah's Apostle,
may Allah bless him and his family, ordered me to give you his
greetings.(Majjma' al-Zawa'id, vol. 1, p. 22).
These are some
reports that have unanimously agreed that the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and his family, ordered Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri to send his
greetings to Ima`m al-Ba`qir, peace be on him. The Prophet, may Allah
bless him and his family, knew from beyond the unseen that his grandson
would spread knowledge among people and that he would split open wisdom
and light in the earth.
His Features
Ja`bir
b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri said that his features were similar to those
of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family.( Usul al-Kafi,
vol. 1, p. 469).
His morals were also similar to the Prophet's high ones that distinguished him from the other prophets.
Some
contemporary people have described Imam al-Baqir as follows: He was a
man of medium height. He was brown.( Akhbar al-Duwal, p. 111. Jawhart
al-Kalam fi Madh al-Sada al-A'lam, 132).
He had soft skin with moles. He had a thin waist. His voice was good. He always bowed his head.( A'yan al-Shi'a, 1/4/471).
His Early Childhood
Ima`m
al-Ba`qir, peace be on him, was clever and genius during his childhood.
The reporters said that Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri, though an old
man, came to him, sat before him, and learned from him. Ja`bir admired
the Ima`m's abundant knowledge and sciences. Thus, he said: "Ba`qir, you
have been given wisdom while you are still a boy.( 'Ilal al-Sharai', p.
234).
The Companions (of the Prophet) knew that the Ima`m was
endowed with outstanding merits and abundant knowledge. So, they
consulted him concerning the problems which they did not understand. The
historians said that a man 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar about a certain problem.
However, 'Abd Allah could not answer the problem.
So, he said to
the man: "Go to that boy, he pointed at Ima`m al-Ba`qir, ask him, and
tell me about his answer."The man went to the Ima`m and asked him. The
Ima`m, peace be on him, answered his problem. Thus, the man came back to
'Abd Allah b. 'Umar and told him about the Ima`m's answer. So, the
latter admired the Ima`m, saying : "They are the knowledgeable members
of the House.( Al-Manaqib, vol. 4, p. 147).
Allah singled out the
Ima`ms of the members of the House, peace be on them, with knowledge
and outstanding merits. He granted them absolute perfection which He had
granted to His prophets and His apostles. The historians said that the
Ima`m was nine years of age when he was asked about difficult problems
and answered them.
His Solemnity and His Prestige
The
features of the Ima`m, peace be on him, represented the solemnity and
the prestige of the prophets. Everybody respected and admired him. For
example, Qatta`da, the jurist of the people of Basrah, met him. Still
his heart trembled because of the Ima`m's solemnity. Thus, he said to
him: "I sit before the jurists and b. 'Abba`s. My heart does not tremble
because of them as it does because of you.(Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 5, p.
176).
The Ima`m was the rest of Allah in His earth. Allah
bestowed solemnity and prestige on His friends and His lovers. Their
qualities appeared in the Ima`m's character. Among those who admired the
Ima`m's solemnity was the Moroccan poet, who described the Ima`m,
saying:
O you who was the son of him by whose tongue and eloquence people were guided and the revelation was sent down.
The Book talked about his outstanding merits. The Torah and the Bible announced his coming.
Were it not for the cessation of the revelation after Mohammed, we would say: Mohammed was the alternative to his grandfather.
He was similar to him in outstanding merits, but Gabriel did not bring him a message.( Al-Manaqib, vol. 4, p. 181).
The
historians reported that nobody saw the Ima`m, peace be on him,
laughing. When he laughed, he said: "O Allah, do not detest me.(Safwat
al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 62. Tadhkirat al-Khawas, p. 349).
Indeed,
he refrained from all that which contradicts solemnity and high
character. Among his prominent qualities was that he always praised
Allah. We will mention that when we talk about the aspects of his
character.
The Inscription of his Ring
As for the inscription of his ring, it was: "All might is for Allah.( Hulyat al-Awliya', vol. 1.3, p. 189).
He
wore the ring of his grandfather, Ima`m Husayn, peace be on him, whose
inscription was: "Surely Allah attains His purpose.( A'yan al-Shi'a,
1/4/169).
This indicates that he devoted himself to Allah and cleaved to Him strongly.
His Residence
The
Ima`m, peace be on him, resided in Medina throughout his life. He did
not leave it for another city. In it, he was the first teacher and great
pioneer for scientific cultural movements. He used the Prophetic Mosque
as school for him. There he gave his lectures to his students.
/129