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

'''Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. ʾAbī Ṭālib''' (Arabic:{{iarabic| محمد بن علي بن حسین بن علي بن أبي طالب}}) (b. [[57]]/677 – d. [[114]]/733) known as ʾImām al-Bāqir (a), was the fifth Imam of the [[Shi'a]] school of thought, whose period of [[Imamate]] lasted nineteen years.

The period of the imamate of Imam al-Baqir (a) was contemporary with the weakening of the [[Umayyad]] government and the struggle among them for power. 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 greater than anyone in knowledge, piety, grandeur, and merits. His narrations in religion, [[conduct of the Prophet (s)]], [[Qur'an sciences]], moral conduct, and manner is more than what is remained from the children of [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]]. Thus, during his [[imamate]], a great step was taken towards organization of Shi'i thought in different fields including [[ethics]], [[fiqh]], [[kalam]], [[tafsir]], etc.

His titles were, al-Shakir (the thankful to God), al-Hadi (the guide), and al-Baqir, the latter of which is his most famous title. The meaning of "al-Baqir" is "splitter." Al-Ya'qubi wrote that, "He (a) was named al-Baqir since he split knowledge."<ref>Al-Ya'qubi, ''Tarikh al-Ya'qubi'', Vol. 2, P. 289</ref> His famous kunya is Abu Ja'far.<ref>Al-Tabari, ''Dala'il al-imama'', p. 216</ref> In hadith references, he (a) is mostly referred to as Abu Ja'far al-Awwal.

[[Al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] said Imam al-Baqir (a) was superior to all his brothers in knowledge, piety, and dignity. He had a higher position in relation to his siblings. Everyone praised him with glory and he was respected by the Shuuni and Shi'a scholars. He (a) had knowledge of religion, the [[Qur'an]], ethics, and morals to such a great extent, that even these had not been formerly taught by any of the children of al-Hasan (a) and al-Husayn (a). The rest of the [[companions of the Prophet (s)]], noble ones among the [[Tabi'un|Followers]], and highest ranking of fiqh scholars have narrated from him. His position in merits and nobility reached a level of being exemplary among the people of knowledge. They wrote works and composed poems to praise his personality<ref>Al-Mufid, ''al-Irshad'', Vol. 2, P. 157</ref>.

From 94/712-713 to 114/732-732, there was a period of different schools of [[fiqh]] emerging and narrating many hadiths about [[tafsir]]. This was because of the weakening of the [[Umayyad]] government and the conflicts among statesmen over power. [[Sunni]] scholars, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Makhul al-Shami, Hisham b. 'Urwa, etc. were active in narrating hadiths and issuing [[Fatwa]], and other groups tried to spread their own beliefs such as [[Khawarij]], [[Murji'a]], [[Kaysaniyya]], and [[Ghulat]].{{citation needed}}

Before Imam al-Baqir Shi'a viewpoint were clear only in a few fiqh issues, but 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 the Shi'a school of thought began establishing its culture which included [[fiqh]], [[tafsir]], and [[ethics]].<ref>Ahmad al-Amin, ''Duha l-Islam'', vol. 1, p. 386; Ja'far Murtada al-'Amili, ''Dirasat wa buhuth fi tarikh wa l-Islam'', vol. 1, pp. 56-7, cited in  Rasul Ja'fariyan, ''Hayat-i fikri wa siyasi-yi Imaman-i Shi'a'', p. 295</ref>

=== Tafsir ===

Imam al-Baqir (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 Ibn Nadim has mentioned in his ''al-Fihrist''.<ref>Ibn Nadim, ''al-Fihrist'', P. 59; Al-Sharif al-Qurashi, Baqir, ''Hayat al-Imam Muhammad al-Baqir'', Vol. 1, P. 174</ref>

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]]. Such 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 a 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."<ref>Group of authors, ''Pishwayan-i hidayat'', P. 320</ref>

The situation at that time prepared a foundation that Imam al-Baqir (a) and [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] benefitted highly from. That opportune situation was the result of weakness of the [[Umayyad]] government. Internal crises of their political system did not allow the rulers to suppress the voices of [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] and isolate them as previous rulers had done. This situation helped Imam al-Baqir (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a) to give jurisprudential, tafsir-related, ethical opinions in [[fiqh]] and [[hadith]] books.{{citation needed}}