Ja'far b. Abi Talib: Difference between revisions

It is reported that the Prophet (s) said,"One night I entered the heavens and saw that Ja'far was flying with the angels." There is a hadith from [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]] to the effect that God honors Ja'far for four things he avoided during Jahiliyya (the period of ignorance before Islam). It was aked,"What are they?" He answered,"Ja'far avoided drinking wine, lying, fornication, and idolatory." The Prophet (s) prayed for him and said,"May God give you two wings, with which to fly in the company of the angels."

He was the second man who accepted Islam, his brother [[Imam 'Ali (a)|'Ali (a)]] being the first. Seeing that his son, 'Ali (a), was praying with the [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]], Abu Talib told Ja'far to pray on the left side of the Prophet. Some have also said that he was the 26th or the 32nd man to believe in Islam. Ibn Sa'd reports that he accepted Islam before the Prophet (s) entered Bayt Arqam.

It is reported that the Prophet (s) said, "People are created from different trees. Ja'far and I are created from the same tree, and we have the same substance." In another hadith, he said, "Ja'far, you are like me in appearance and behavior." This similarity was so much that sometimes people greeted Ja'far by saying, "Assalamu Alaykum, O the messenger of God!" Ja'far replied,"I am not the messenger of God, but Ja'far."

Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani says,"Ja'far b. Abi Talib was a powerful orator, who was also generous, brave, and mystical." [[Ibn Qudama]] says that he was tolerant and humble. al-Dhahabi says that Ja'far b. Abi Talib was high-ranking, the master of the martyrs and soldiers.

One of Ja'far's honors is that some of the Qur'anic verses refer to him. In his interpretation of Qur'an 33:23 ("Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them are still are waiting"), [['Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi]] reports a hadith from [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]] to the effect that the former group includes [[Hamza b. 'Abd al-Muttalib|Hamza]] and Ja'far. Al-Qummi also believes that the Qur'an 22:39 ("Permission is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged") refers to Imam 'Ali (a), Hamza, and Ja'far.

Five years after the [[Prophet (s)]] started his mission (614 AD), as a consequence of being annoyed by pagans of [[Mecca]], and upon a commandment from the Prophet (s), a group of Muslims migrated from Mecca to [[Abyssinia]] to take refuge from persecution. Ja'far led the group, which was composed of 82 men and some women and children. The Prophet (s) said to these people,"Take refuge in Abyssinia. Their king is a righteous man, who does not wrong anyone. Travel there until God makes an opening for Muslims.

Upon learning about the entrance of the Muslim group, [[Negus]] called them to the court. Ja'far b. Abi Talib said to Negus, "I will tell you what I have heard from my leader, the Prophet (s)." Then as a spokesperson of Islam, he said, "A prophet has emerged among us to call us to avoid idolatory, usury, wronging others, unjust bloodshed, adultery, and fornication. He has invited us to prayer, [[zakat]] (charity), justice and kindness to neighbors." Then, Negus asked him, "Do you have anything from what the Prophet (s) has brought you from God?" Ja'far read verses from the Sura 19 ([[Sura Maryam|Maryam]]) which was about the story of [[Mary]] and [[Jesus (a)]]. Negus wept after he heard these verses. Meccan unbelievers had tried to persuade Negus with gifts to reject the Muslim group; but he refused their request. Muslims could live safely in that land.

Ja'far was killed in the [[Battle of Mūta]] in [[Jumada al-Awwal]] of the year 8 AH/September,629. [[Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahani]], believes that Ja'far was the first child of Abu Talib to be martyred for Islam. [[Al-Tabari]] says,"After Zayd martyred, Ja'far took over the commandment of war. When he saw that he was surrounded by the enemy, he got off from his horse and cut off its legs [so that it would not fall into the hands of the enemy]. Then he fought until his hands were cut off and he died." It is mostly believed that he was then 41 years old and was the tenth person to die in this battle.