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

In this period, Imam al-Baqir (a) made a great scientific movement which reached its peak at the time of his son, [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]]. He (a) was superior to all nobles of [[Banu Hashim]] in knowledge, piety, dignity, and merits. His narrations in religion, conduct of the [[Prophet (s)]], [[Qur'an sciences]], moral conduct, and manners are more than what remained from the children of [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] until then.

Although the Shi'i viewpoints were still limited at that time and included [[Adhan]], [[Taqiyya]], [[funeral prayer]], etc., there was a great step taken after Imam al-Baqir (a) and an admirable cultural movement emerged from the Shi'a. It was in this age that Shi'a school of thought began establishing its culture which included fiqh, tafsir, and [[ethics]].

Imam al-Baqir (a) strongly rejected reasoning of the followers of analogy and took sharp stances against other Islamic sects and this way tried to separate the authentic ideological domain of the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] in different fields from other sects. About Khawarij, he (a) said, "Khawarij took it hard on themselves out of ignorance; while religion is more lenient and flexible than how they know it."

The scientific fame of Imam al-Baqir (a) was not only known in Hijaz but also had spread in [[Iraq]] and [[Khorasan]], there is even a report saying about the Imam (a), "I saw people of Khorasan had circled around him and asked him their scientific questions."

Imam (a) had dedicated a part of his time to explain tafsir issues by holding tafsir sessions and answering the questions of scholars and other people. It is said that Imam al-Baqir (a) wrote a book in [[Tafsir]] of the [[Qur'an]] which Muhammad b. Ishaq Nadim has mentioned in his ''al-Fihrist''.

Imam (a) considered the knowledge of the Qur'an only held by the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], since it is only they who can distinguish the [[Muhkamat|clear issues]] in the Qur'an from [[Mutashabihat|unclear ones]] and the [[Nasikh|abrogating]] from the [[Mansukh|abrogated]]. And such a power is not held by anyone other than the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and thus Imam al-Baqir (a) said, "Nothing is farther than Tafsir of the Qur'an from the reason of people; since, a [[verse]] which is an cohesive speech, the beginning of which happens to be about one issue and the end of it about another issue and this cohesive speech is interpreted from different aspects."

Imam al-Baqir (a) did not suffice to only narrating and spreading traditions but he (a) also encouraged his companions to strive in understanding traditions and learning their meanings. In a statement, he (a) said, "Know the levels of our [[Shi'a]] by the number of hadiths from the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] they narrate and their knowledge to them, which is the knowledge to hadith ([[Dirayat al-Hadith]]); and it is through understanding of hadiths that the faithful reach highest levels of faith."

At the time of Imam al-Baqir (a), due to opportunity and the lessening of pressure and control of the government, the foundations for emerging and expression of different beliefs and thoughts were laid and this caused deviant thoughts in society. In this situation, the Imam (a) had to announce genuine and authentic Shi'a beliefs, renounce and reject false beliefs, and answer related questions. Therefore, he (a) held his theological discussions with the direction towards the mentioned issues. Among such issues is the inability of human intellect from understanding the truth of [[God]], eternal existence of the [[Necessary Existent]], and the necessity of obedience that the Imam (a) addressed.

Other legacies left from Imam (a) are jurisprudential and historical legacies.

[[Zurara b. A'yan|Zurara]] narrated that, "I was sitting before Imam al-Baqir (a) while he (a) was facing [[Kaaba]] said, 'Looking at the Kaaba is an act of worship.' At that time, a man called 'Asim b. 'Umar came to Imam (a) and said [[Ka'b al-Ahbar]] says, 'Every morning, Kaaba prostrates towards [[Jerusalem]].' Imam (a) said, 'What do you think about the opinion of Ka'b al-Ahbar?' The man answered, 'His talk is right.' Imam al-Baqir (a) said, 'You and Ka'b al-Ahbar both are lying [wrong],' then angrily said, '[[God]] has not created a monument more beloved than Kaaba on earth.'"

That was how people like [[Muhammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafi|Muhammad b. Muslim]] managed to narrate 30,000 hadiths and [[Jabir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi|Jabir al-Ju'fi]] narrated 70,000 hadiths from Imam al-Baqir (a).

From the viewpoint of Shi'a scholars, the most prominent fiqh scholars of the beginning centuries of Islam were six people who were all companions of Imam al-Baqir (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a): Zurara b. A'yan, [[Ma'ruf b. Kharrabudh al-Makki]], [[Yahya b. Abi l-Qasim al-Asadi|Abu Basir al-Asadi]], [[Fudayl b. Yasar al-Basri|Fudayl b. Yasar]], [[Muhammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafi]] and [[Burayd b. Mu'awiya al-'Ijli]].

[[Ibn Hajar al-Haytami]] wrote, "Abu Ja'far Muhammad al-Baqir (a) had so much disclosed hidden treasures of sciences, truth behind rulings, and points of wisdom that are not hidden except to ignorant or ill-wishers and thus they have called him Baqir al-'ilm [splitter of knowledge] and he is great source and the establisher of knowledge. He (a) spent his life in worshipping God and in the ranks of mystics reached is beyond description. He (a) has many words in the journey towards [[God]] and Islamic teachings."

About Imam al-Baqir (a), [[al-Dhahabi]] wrote, "He (a) is among those who have gathered knowledge, its observation, dignity, honor, reliability, serenity and he (a) was competent for [[caliphate]]."