Isma'il b. al-Imam al-Sadiq (a): Difference between revisions

Isma'il's father was Imam al-Sadiq (a) and his mother was Fatima, the daughter of al-Husayn b. al-Hasan b. Ali b. Abi Talib (a).  

It is reported that Imam al-Sadiq (a) loved his son Isma'il very much.  

Isma'il had two sons, Muhammad and Ali. The former had two sons, Isma'il al-Thani and Ja'far al-Akbar, and the latter had a son called Muhammad.  

Isma'il's descendants spread in different places, such as [[Khorasan]], [[Damascus]], [[Egypt]], [[Ahwaz]], [[Kufa]], [[Baghdad]], and [[Yemen]].  

[[Abu l-Hasan al-Husayn b. al-Husayn]], a descendant of Isma'il, was the first [[Husaynid sayyid]] who resided in [[Qom]].

It is reported that Isma'il would do certain things and attend certain gatherings that undermined his moral integrity and qualification for the position of [[Imamate]] after his father.

The relation between the [[Khattabiyya]] and Isma'il and the former's call for Isma'il's Imamate are reported in several sources, including Isma'ili, Imami, and non-Shi'a sources.  According to [[Sa'd b. 'Abd Allah]] and al-Nawbakhti, the Pure Isma'iliyya (al-Isma'iliyya al-khalisa) were a group of Khattabiyya, who believed in the death of Isma'il and followed [[Muhammad b. Isma'il]] as their Imam. According to [[Abu Hatam al-Razi]], the Khattabiyya believed in the [[Imamate]] of Isma'il at the time of [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]].   

In some [[Zaydi]] and [[Nusayri]] sources, the relation between Isma'il and the Khattabiyya and the latter's role in the formation of Isma'iliyya has been confirmed. Also in Umm al-Kitab, which is a secret and sacred scripture of the Isma'ilis of central Asia, Abu l-Khattab is recognized as the founder of Isma'iliyya.  

It is noteworthy that the [[Fatimids]] never recognized in their formal statements any role for Abu l-Khattab in the development of Isma'ilism, and regarded him as a [[heretic]], who was rejected and cursed by Imam al-Sadiq (a).  

[[Massignon]], on the other hand, considers the relation between Abu l-Khattab and Isma'il so strong that he claims that the origin of the teknonym Abu Isma'il—which is mentioned by al-Kashshi for Abu l-Khattab—was the fact that Abu l-Khattab was the spiritual father of Isma'il b. Ja'far.  

Some scholars believe that when Imam al-Sadiq (a) was alive, Abu l-Khattab and Isma'il together established a system of beliefs that later became the foundation of [[Isma'ilism]].  

* Mubarakiyya: According to Abu Hatam al-Razi, Mubarakiyya believed in the death of Isma'il and the Imamate of his son Muhammad b. Isma'il when Imam al-Sadiq (a) was alive. They maintained that Isma'il was the successor of his father, but since he died before his father, his son Muhammad became the next Imam. This is because after [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]], the position of Imamate would not be transferred from a brother to another brother.  

* Other sects: In Fatimid sources and the works of [[al-Qadi al-Nu'man]], there is no hadith on the Imamate of Isma'il. Only [[Ja'far b. Mansur al-Yaman]] has mentioned some infamous traditions on the Imamate of Isma'il without mentioning their chains of transmitters.

In some Isma'ili and non-Isma'ili sources, it has been clearly stated that the [[Fatimid caliphs]] first regarded [['Abd Allah al-Aftah]], Isma'il's brother, as their [[Imam]] and ancestor, but later they left this belief and adhered to the Imamate of Isma'il.

Imami scholar have denied the existence of [[hadiths]] on the Imamate of Ismai'il; rather, they have mentioned some hadiths that clearly rejects his Imamate, such as the hadith transmitted by Fayd b. al-Mukhtar, which is one of the most famous hadiths in this regard.  

However, there are some reports in Imami sources that indicate the existence of certain hadiths on the Imamate of Isma'il, which are explained by Imamis by means of the doctrine of [[bada']].

From the viewpoint of [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]], bada' in the case of Isma'il was related to his murder; that is, it was written for Isma'il to be killed, but this fate changed because of the prayers of Imam al-Sadiq (a). Al-Mufid has mentioned a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) as a support for his viewpoint.  

In some other Imami sources, bada' in the case of Isma'il was the emergence of what was hidden from the people; that is, the people regarded Isma'il as the next Imam, but when he died before his father, they realized that the reality had been something else. This explanation is based on regarding the bada' as the emergence of something that is hidden from people, even though it has always been known for [[God]].

Different years, including 133/750, 138/755, and 145/762, have been given in different sources as the year in which Isma'il passed away, though the year 138/755 seems to be more accurate.  

Isma'il passed away in a place called 'Urayd, near [[Medina]]. His coffin was then carried by to [[al-Baqi' cemetery]] , while Imam al-Sadiq (a) was walking in front of it in an exceptionally mournful way.  

In some Isma'ili sources, it is claimed that Isma'il did not pass away before his father. Some of these sources mention that he was in [[Basra]] for some time after the [[martyrdom]] of Imam al-Sadiq (a) and that he carried out some [[miracles]].  

However, according to the majority of the sources, and even the official Isma'ili reports, Isma'il passed away when his father was alive.

  | references =