Ali b. al-Imam al-Sadiq (a): Difference between revisions

He has narrated a lot of [[hadith]]s. He was very pious and well educated. He accompanied his brother, [[Imam al-Kazim (a)|Musa b. Ja'far (a)]] and narrated a lot of hadiths from him. He is counted the youngest child of Imam al-Sadiq (a) who also experienced the [[Imam al-Hadi (a)|Imam al-Hadi's]] (a) period. Mausoleums in [['Urayd]], a village near [[Medina]], and [[Qom]] and [[Semnan]] in [[Iran]], are attributed to him.

His father was [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] and his mother's name is not reported and only it is known that she was [[umm al-walad]].

There is no report about his exact birth date. Some say that he was 2 when [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] was martyred ([[148]]/765), on the other hand, some believe that he was in his early youth at that time. For example, [['Abd Allah al-Mamaqani|al-Mamaqani]] believes that he was between 16 to 20; because, narrating from his father requires this age.

==Kunay and Surname==

His [[kunay]] was Abu l-Hasan. Due to his relationship with [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] he was given various surnames such as: al-Husayni, al-Hashimi, and 'Alavi, but the most famous one is al-'Uraydi. 'Urayd is a village located one [[farsakh]] away from [[Medina]], [[Arabia]]. It was a private property of [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]], who left it for [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]], and later according to the will of Imam al-Sadiq (a) it was given to his youngest son, 'Ali b. Ja'far.

According to [[Muhaddith Qummi]] his wife was Fatima b. [['Abd Allah Bahir]] son of [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]]. Genealogists have counted 13 sons and 7 daughters for him:

# Muhsin

# Fatima

It is said that 'Ali b. Ja'far is one of the few people who experienced 5 [[Imams]]. [[Al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] has listed him in his father's ([[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]]) [[List of companions of Imam al-Sadiq (a)|companions]]. According to ''[[Tarikh Qom]]'', which says that he was 2 years old when Imam al-Sadiq (a) was martyred, his direct narration from him remains dubious; unless we accept the opinion of [['Abd Allah al-Mamaqani|al-Mamaqani]], who believes that he was between 16 to 20 years old at that time.

Al-Shaykh al-Tusi also listed him among [[Imam al-Kazim]]'s (a) [[List of Companions of Imam al-Kazim (a)|companions]] and added that he had a book in which he had compiled his questions from Imam al-Kazim (a) and the Imam's answers.  

He was the nearest companion to Imam al-Kazim (s) to the point that he said: "I performed [['Umra]] 4 times along with my brother and his family. One lasted 26 days, the other 25, the other 24, and the last one 21 days."

Also, his name is counted among [[Imam al-Rida]]'s (a) [[List of Companions of Imam al-Rida (a)|companions]] in the book ''[[Rijal al-Tusi|Rijal]]'' written by al-Shaykh al-Tusi. He had a book of narrations from Imam al-Rida (a). [[Al-Hasan b. Faddal]] quoted in a narration that Imam al-Kazim (a) informed 'Ali b. Ja'far about the [[imamate]] of Imam al-Rida (a) and he accepted that. In another hadith [[Zakariyya b. Yahya]] narrated that 'Ali b. Ja'far explained the imamate of Imam al-Rida (a) in his conversation with [[al-Hasan b. al-Husayn b. Imam al-Sajjad (a)]].

He replied: "O my master! How I can sit, while you are standing." When 'Ali b. Ja'far returned to his place, his companions criticized him and said: "you are his father's uncle. Why do you treat him like this?" he grabbed his white beard and said: "be silent! If Allah did not see [the owner] of this beard suitable for imamate, but this child, should I deny his merits? -I seek protection to God from what you are saying- rather I am his servant.

He also met [[Imam al-Hadi (a)]] but there is no hadith in narration sources, that he has narrated it form Imam al-Hadi (a).

* [[Al-Husayn b. Zayd b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn]]; his nickname is Dhu l-Dam'a, and his surname is al-Madani.

* [[Sufyan b. 'Uyayna b. 'Umran al-Hilali]]; whose great grandfather was an agent of Khlid al-Qasri.

* Mu'tab; the servant of Imam al-Sadiq (a).

Most of the scholars of [['ilm al-rijal]] has reported a book titled ''[[Masa'il 'Ali b. Ja'far]]'' for him ([[al-Najashi]] mentioned that he had one book); but [[Sayyid Musa Shubayri Zanjani]] believes that he had 3 books:

* ''[[Kitab fi al-halal wa l-haram]]''

* ''[[Manasik]]''

* ''[[Mas'il li-akhih Musa l-Kazim (a)]]''.

There are different reports about his demise date. Some said that he passed away in 210/826, some said in 220/835 and some other said that it is not improbable that he lived to 252/866 and consequently, believed that he lived for 120 years or even more.

[['Ali b. Husayn al-Mas'udi|Al-Mas'udi]] believes that he passed away in [[Dhu l-Hijja 27]], [[233]]/[[August 6]], 848 and he was 72; but this report can not be right, because he was a child and at least 2 years old when his father as martyred, and if we accept the demise year that al-Mas'udi reported, he was at least 87 when he passed away in 233/848, not 72.

[[Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi]] wrote in his autobiography that the buried person in the [[cemetery of Bagh-i Bihisht]], [[Qom]] is 'Ali b. Ja'far al-'Uraydi and added that he travelled to Qom because of the invitation of its people. Also, [[Sayyid Husayn Mudarrisi Yazdi|Mudarrisi Yazdi]] has the same opinion.

[[Muhaddith Nuri]] believes that the burial of 'Ali b. Ja'far in [[Qom]] is very improbable; because, firstly: there is no report about this in [['ilm al-rijal]] sources, secondly: narrators of Qom, who would even travel to narrate [[hadith]]s, did not narrate any hadith from him, and thirdly about 100 of Sayyids and Imams' descendants who traveled to Qom have been listed in the book ''Tarikh Qom'' but there is no indication about 'Ali b. Ja'far or his travel to Qom in the book. Consequently, he Muhaddith Nuri believes that 'Ali b. Ja'far was buried in [['Urayd]] located about one [[farsakh]] away from [[Medina]]. Nowadays there are a mausoleum and a mosque by his name.

In downtown [[Semnan]], there is a mausoleum attributed to him.