Abd Allah al-Aftah: Difference between revisions

‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far known as ‘Abd Allah Aftah was the second son of Imam al-Sadiq (a) who claimed imamate after the martyrdom of Imam al-Sadiq (a) and his followers became famous as Fathiyya. Some of those who followed ‘Abd Allah soon left him due to his lack of religious knowledge. ‘Abd Allah died 70 days after claiming imamate and since he did not have any children, the rest of his followers returned to Imam al-Kazim (a).

‘Abd Allah was the second son of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a) (after Isma’il). His mother was daughter of Husayn b. Husayn b. Hasan b. Ali (a). He was known as ‘Abd Allah Aftah because of having wide toes.

According to Shaykh Mufid, the position of ‘Abd Allah before his father was not like his other brothers because he was against his father in beliefs. He also associated with Hashwiyya and tended toward Murji’a.

‘Abd Allah had no children, but in some Isma’ili and other sources, it has been said that instead of Isma’il, Fatimid caliphs introduced his brother, ‘Abd Allah Aftah as their imam and their ancestor, but later changed their manner and introduced Isma’il as their imam.

‘Abd Allah died 70 days after the martyrdom of Imam al-Sadiq (a).

Upon the martyrdom of Imam al-Sadiq (a), ‘Abd Allah was his eldest son. With this justification that imamate reaches the eldest son of Imam, claimed imamate and soon some Shia followed him. It is narrated that before his martyrdom, Imam al-Sadiq (a) foresaw about claiming imamate by ‘Abd Allah and advised Imam al-Kazim (a) to leave ‘Abd Allah, because he would die soon afterwards.

It is mentioned that Shia and companions of Imam al-Sadiq (a) asked ‘Abd Allah some questions to ensure about his claim, but he could not give proper answers and thus many Shia left him. These questions have been mentioned in different sources, for example Some Shia from Khurasan came to Medina after the martyrdom of Imam al-Sadiq (a) and asked some questions from ‘Abd Allah but he could not answer them.

Hisham b. Salim and Mu’min Taq asked him about Zakat of 100 Dirhams. He answered two dirhams. It is said that he mentioned 2 dirhams.

It is reported that he was asked, “if someone tell his wife, without having a witness, ‘I have divorced from you by as many times as the number of stars in the sky’, would it be correct?” He answered, “the divorce is correct.”

When ‘Abd Allah claimed imamate, some Shia followed him and were known as Fathiyya. At the time of Imam al-Sadiq (a), it was a commonly said among Shias that the eldest son reaches the position of imamate. Accordingly, some who did not hear about Imam al-Sadiq’s (a) declaration of Imam al-Kazim’s imamate, followed ‘Abd Allah who was the elder brother and had claimed imamate. When he died 70 days after the martyrdom of Imam al-Sadiq (a), the rest of his followers returned to Imam al-Kazim (a).