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

Ja'far b. Muhammad b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) was the sixth Imam of [[Shi'a]] and the fifth Imam of [[Isma'ilis]]. His father was [[Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a)]]. His mother was Fatima or Qariba who is known by her Kunya [[Umm Farwa bt. al-Qasim|Umm Farwa]].<ref>Shahīdī, ''Zindigānī-yi Imām Ṣādiq Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad (a)'', p. 5.</ref> She was the daughter of [[al-Qasim|al-Qasim b. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr]] son of [[Muhammad b. Abi Bakr]].<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 180.</ref> Imam al-Sadiq (a) is reported to have said, “Abu Bakr begot me twice.”{{cn}} Some scholars explain this by saying that it refers to the fact that the Imam's (a) mother was a descendant of Abu Bakr both from her mother's and her father's sides. However, some scholars such as [[Allama Shushtari]] and [[al-Allama al-Majlisi]] do not consider this hadith authentic.{{cn}} [[Umm Dawud]], [[al-Hasan al-Muthanna]]'s wife, was his foster mother.<ref>Sayyid b. Ṭāwūs, ''al-Iqbāl bi-l-aʿmāl al-ḥasana'', vol. 3, p. 241.</ref>  

He was born on [[Rabi' I 17]], [[83]]/[[April 24]], 702 in [[Medina]].<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 180</ref> Some historians and biographers have mentioned his birth in 80/699.<ref>Irbilī, ''Kashf al-ghumma'', vol. 2, p. 691.</ref> Twelve years of his life were contemporary with his grandfather and nineteen years of it were contemporary with his father and his [[imamate]] period was thirty four years.<ref>Ṭabrisī, ''Iʿlām al-warā'', vol. 1, p. 514.</ref>

His famous [[Kunya]] was Abu 'Abd Allah (because of his second son, [['Abd Allah al-Aftah]]). In some sources, other kunyas such as Abu Isma'il (because of his eldest son, [[Isma'il b. Ja'far al-Sadiq |Isma'il]]) and Abu Musa (because of his son [[Imam Musa al-Kazim (a)|Musa al-Kazim (a)]]) are mentioned.

His famous title was al-Sadiq which means "truthful".<ref>''Alqāb al-Rasūl wa ʿitratih'', p. 59-60.</ref> According to a [[hadith]], the [[Prophet (s)]] gave this title to Imam (a) to distinguish him from [[Ja'far al-Kadhdhab]].<ref>Ṣadūq, ''Kamāl al-dīn'', p. 319.</ref> According to an analysis of the history, Imam al-Sadiq (a) was titled "al-Sadiq" because he (a) avoided any involvement in the uprisings of his time, especially in comparison with [['Abd Allah b. al-Hasan]] who was Imam's (a) rival among the [[descendants of Imam al-Hasan (a)]] and made an uprising against Abbasids and later was called "al-Kadhdhab" (the liar). [[Malik b. Anas]]<ref>Ḥimyarī, ''Qurb al-asnād'', p. 22.</ref>, [[Ahmad b. Hanbal]]<ref>See: Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, ''Musnad'', vol. 5, p. 122</ref>, and al-Jahiz<ref>Jāḥiẓ, "Faḍl Hāshim ʿalā ʿAbd al-Shams", p. 422.</ref> mentioned the Imam (a) by this title.

[[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] listed 10 children for him:<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 209.</ref>

| [[Hamida Wife of Imam al-Sadiq (a)|Hamida]]<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 215; Ṭabrisī, ''Iʿlām al-warā'', vol. 1, p. 546</ref> || daughter of Sa'id or Salih|| [[Musa al-Kazim (a)|Musa]], [[Ishaq b. al-Imam al-Sadiq (a)|Ishaq]], [[Muhammad b. al-Imam al-Sadiq (a)|Muhammad]] || Musa al-Kazim (a) is the seventh imam of Twelver Shi'as

| [[Fatima bt. al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a)|Fatima]]<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 209.</ref> || daughter of al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. al-Imam al-Husayn (a) || [[Isam'il b. al-Imam al-Sadiq (a)|Isam'il]], [['Abd Allah al-Aftah|'Abd Allah]], [[Umm Farwa bt. Imam al-Sadiq (a)|Umm Farwa]]|| 'Abd Allah claimed imamate after the demise of Imam al-Sadiq (a) and his followers are known as [[Fatahiyya]]. Isma'il died in the lifetime of his father, but a group didn't accept his demise and were named [[Isma'ilis]].

| Concubines<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 209.</ref> || - || [['Abbas b. Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq (a)|'Abbas]], [['Ali b. Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq (a)|'Ali]], [[Asma' bt. Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq (a)|Asma']], Fatima || these children were from different concubines  

The life of Imam al-Sadiq (a) was simultaneous with the reign of the last ten Umayyad caliphs, including [['Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz]] and [[Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik]], and the reign of the first two Abbasid caliphs, [[al-Saffah]] and [[al-Mansur al-Dawaniqi]].  

Imam al-Sadiq (a) accompanied his father on the latter's travel to [[Syria]] when Imam al-Baqir (a) was summoned by Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik.  

During Imam al-Sadiq's (a) imamate, the Umayyad rule became weak and eventually fell, and then the Abbasids came to power. The weakness of the rulers created a good opportunity for the Imam (a) to engage in scholarly activities. This relatively free environment existed only in the third decade of the second/eighth century; the Imam (a) and his followers were under great pressure before that under the Umayyads and also after it because of the revolt of [[Muhammad an-Nafs al-Zakiyya]] and his brother [[Ibrahim b. 'Abd Allah|Ibrahim]].