Imam Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq (a): Difference between revisions

Toward the end of the caliphate of [[Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik]], proper grounds for anti-Umayyad uprisings were provided which had religious motives. Above all these uprisings, the uprising of [[Zayd b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn (a)]] in 122/739-740 and the uprising of [[Yahya b. Zayd]] in 125/742-743 can be mentioned which were directly linked with Imam al-Sadiq (a) since Zayd was Imam's (a) uncle and Yahya was his cousin and thus he (a) could not be indifferent towards these uprisings. The uprisings of [['Abd Allah b. Muhammad al-Baqir (a)]] and 'Ubayd Allah A'raj b. Husayn b. Zayn al-'Abidin (a) need to be added to the uprisings occurred at the time of Imam al-Sadiq (a).<ref>Pakatchi, ''Da'irat al-ma'arif buzurg islami'', vol.18 p.183</ref>

Imam (a) said, 'Do not compare my brother with Zayd b. 'Ali (a)! He was among the scholars of the progeny of Muhammad (s). He raged for the sake of God and fought the enemies until he was killed. My father [[Musa b. Ja'far (a)]] heard from his father Ja'far b. Muhammad (Imam al-Sadiq (a)) saying, 'May God forgives Zayd! He called people to 'al-Rida min Al Muhammad' and if he could become successful, he would fulfill his promises. He consulted me when he wanted to rise. I told him, 'O uncle! If you are pleased to be killed and be hanged at the Kunasa of Kufa, you go on.'"<ref>Saduq, '''Uyun akhbar al-Rida'', vol.1 pp.194-195</ref>

On the verge of [[Abbasid]] [[caliphate]], they had a cold but non-hostile relation with Imam al-Sadiq (a) and even [[Mansur Abbasi]] praised Imam (a).

The first wave of Abbasid pressure on Imam (a) was made in the first two years of Abbasid caliphate when they were not yet unconcerned about Imam (a). Some months after Ababsids took the power from Umayyads in 132/750, Abu Salama Khilal, known as the minister of Al Muhammad, and a former inviter of Abbasids, tried to support a branch of [[Alawis]] from [[Bani Hashim]] against Abbasids and take them to caliphate. First, he proposed caliphate to Imam (a), but he (a) openly rejected it and avoided going along with him. Even when Abu Salama mentioned his idea to [['Abd Allah al-Mahd|Abd Allah Mahd]] and he went to Imam (a), Imam (a) prohibited him from accepting it.

In 134/752, Basam b. Ibrahim decided to make an uprising against Abbasids and wrote a letter to Imam (a) and promised that if he (a) wants to become the caliph, Basam could take the allegiance of the people of [[Khurasan]] for him, but Imam (a) considered this suggestion a plot and warned the caliph about the intention of Basam.

Thus, the Abbasid government became certain that Imam (a) did not want to make an uprising or become the caliph. While, in the last years of the caliphate of [[Saffah]] and first years of the caliphate of Mansur Dawaniqi, there was a kind of tolerance between Imam (a) and the government, Imam (a) used every occasion to criticize tyranny and seeking worldly desires and criticized the liking and tendency toward the kings.

Toward the end of the rule of Umayyads, some of Bani Hashim including Abd Allah al-Mahd and his sons and also Saffah and Mansur gathered in [[Abwa]] to give allegiance to a person among themselves. In that session, Abd Allah introduced his son as "Mahdi" and asked others to give allegiance to him. When Imam al-Sadiq (a) was informed about their intention, advised them that,  

: "Do not do this, for its time (coming of Mahdi (a)) has not come." and told Abd Allah, "If you think your son is Mahdi, [you are wrong]; he is not Mahdi and it is not the time for the coming of Mahdi (a) yet. But if you are going to make an uprising for the sake of God and enjoining to the good and forbidding the evil; by God I swear, we will not abandon you, since you are a chief and we will give allegiance to your son."

Abd Allah became angry and said, "by God I swear that God has not informed you of the unseen and what you say is out of envy you have toward my son." Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, "By God I swear that what I said is not out of envy, but this and his brothers and his sons… (put his hand on the shoulder of Abu l-'Abbas Saffah and then on the shoulder of Abd Allah b. Hasan); yes, by God, (caliphate) is not yours or your sons’ and both of your sons will be killed."

After Abbasids reached power and began putting pressure on Alawis, the ground for the uprising was prepared and Muhammad and Ibrahim, the two sons of Abd Allah, made uprisings in 145/763, but both of them were defeated and the foreseeing of Imam al-Sadiq (a) about their killing happened. It is mentioned that at the time of the uprising of [[al-Nafs al-Zakiyya]] in [[Medina]], Imam (a) went out of the city to avoid interference to the benefit of either party and stayed in the house he (a) had in the suburb of Medina and returned to the city after the end of the uprising and defeat of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya.