Imam Musa b. Ja'far al-Kazim (a): Difference between revisions

'''Mūsā b. Jaʿfar (a)''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|موسی بن جعفر}}) titled as '''al-Kāẓim''' ({{iarabic|الکاظم}}) and '''Bāb al-Ḥawāʾij''' ({{ia|باب الحوائج}} was the seventh [[Imamate|Imam]] of [[Shi'a]], born in [[128]]/745 in the village of [[Abwa']] (between [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]). After his father [[Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a)]] was [[martyrdom|martyred]] he (a) became the Imam of Shi'a. The 35 years of his [[imamate]] coincided with the [[caliphate]] of [[al-Mansur al-'Abbasi|al-Mansur]], [[al-Hadi al-'Abbasi|al-Hadi]], [[al-Mahdi al-'Abbasi|al-Mahdi]], and [[Harun al-Rashid]]. He was repeatedly imprisoned by al-Mahdi and Harun, and was finally martyred in [[183]]/799 in [[al-Sindi b. Shahik]]'s prison. After his martyrdom, he was succeeded by his son, [['Ali b. Musa (a)]], as the next Imam.

Imam al-Kazim's (a) life coincided with the peak of the Abbasid caliphate. He practiced [[taqiyya]] (dissimulation) with regard to the government and recommended the Shi'as to do the same. Thus, there is no report of him taking explicit positions against the Abbasid caliphs or with regard to [[Alawite]] uprisings, such as the [[Uprising of Fakhkh]]. However, in his debates and dialogues with Abbasid caliphs and others, he tried to question the legitimacy of the Abbasid caliphate.

Some debates and dialogues between Musa b. Ja'far (a) and some Jewish and Christian scholars have been reported in sources of history and [[hadiths]]. His dialogues with the scholars of other religions have been collected in ''Musnad al-Imam al-Kazim'', some of which have been transmitted by [[People of Consensus]]. He also expanded the [[System of Wikala]] (system of deputyship), appointing people as his representatives or deputies in different areas. His life also coincided with some divisions within Shiism as well. At the beginning of his imamate, [[Isma'iliyya]], [[Fatahiyya]], and [[Nawusiyya]] were formed, and after his martyrdom, the [[Waqifiyya]] came to existence.

His lineage was, Musa b. Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Husayn b. Ali b. Abi Talib (a). His mother was [[Hamida al-Barbariyya]]<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 215.</ref> and his [[Kunya]]s were Abu Ibrahim, Abu l-Hasan al-Awwal, Abu l-Hasan al-Madi, and also Abu Ali.

He (a) was known as al-'Abd al-Salih due to his great piety and worshiping,<ref>Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, ''Tārīkh Baghdād'', vol. 13, p. 29.</ref> and known as al-Kazim since he (a) forbore against maltreatment of others <ref>Ibn al-Athīr, ''al-Kāmil'', vol. 6, p. 164; Ibn al-Jawzī, ''Tadhkirat al-khawāṣṣ'', p. 312.</ref> . His other title is [[Bab al-Hawa'ij]].<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 227-236.</ref>

There is a disagreement over the date of Imam al-Kazim's (a) birth. Al-Tabari takes it to be in [[Dhu l-Hijja]],<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Dalāʾil al-Imāma'', p. 303.</ref> and al-Tabrisi takes it to on [[Safar 7th]]<ref>Ṭabrisī, ''Iʿlām al-warā'', vol. 2, p. 6.</ref>. According to some sources, [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] strongly loved him.<ref>Shabrāwī, ''al-Itḥāf bi-ḥubb al-ashrāf'', p. 295.</ref> According to a hadith transmitted by [[Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqi|al-Barqi]], Imam al-Sadiq (a) gave food to people for three days after the birth of his son, Musa.<ref>Amīn, ''Sīri-yi Maʿṣūmān'', vol. 6, p. 113.</ref>

Musa b. Ja'far (a) was born in the period of the transfer of the power from the [[Umayyads]] to the Abbasids. When he was 4 years old, the first Abbasid caliph took over the power. There is no information in historical sources about Imam al-Kazim's (a) life before his imamate, except for a few scholarly dialogues during his childhood, such as his dialogue with [[Abu Hanifa]]<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 3, p. 297.</ref> and scholars of other religions in [[Medina]]<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 10, p. 244-245.</ref>.

About Imam's (a) children, there are different historical reports. According to [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]], Imam al-Kazim (a) had thirty seven children (eighteen sons and nineteen daughters).<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 244.</ref> [[Imam al-Rida (a)]], [[Ibrahim b. al-Imam al-Kazim (a)|Ibrahim]], [[Ahmad b. al-Imam al-Kazim (a)|Ahmad]], [[Hamza b. al-Imam al-Kazim (a)|Hamza]], [[Ishaq b. al-Imam al-Kazim (a)|Ishaq]] are among his sons and [[Fatima al-Ma'suma (a)|Fatima]] and [[Hakima bt. Imam al-Kazim (a)|Hakima]] are among his daughters.

Descendants of Imam al-Kazim (a) are known as [[Musawi Sayyids]]

The period of Imam al-Kazim's (a) imamate coincided with the periods of four Abbasid caliphs.<ref>Ṭabrisī, ''Iʿlām al-warā'', vol. 2, p. 6.</ref> About 10 years of his imamate occurred in the period of al-Mansur's caliphate (reign: 136/754-158/775); 11 years of it occurred in the period of the caliphate of al-Mahdi al-'Abbasi (reign: 158/775-169/785); one year of it occurred in the period of the caliphate of al-Hadi al-'Abbasi (reign: 169/785-170/786); and 13 years of it occurred in the period of Harun's caliphate (reign: 170/786-193/809).<ref>Pīshwāyī, ''Sīri-yi Pīshwāyān'', p. 413.</ref> Musa b. Ja'far's (a) imamate lasted for 35 years, and he was succeeded by his son, [[Imam al-Rida (a)]], after his martyrdom in 183/799.<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Ḥayāt-i fikrī wa sīyāsī-yi Imāmān-i Shīʿa'', p. 385.</ref>

From the Shiite point of view, an Imam can only be designated by the previous Imam. That is, every Imam should explicitly select and introduce his successor. On a number of occasions, [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] announced the imamate of his son, Musa, to his close companions. There are sections about the designations for the imamate of Musa b. Ja'far (a) in ''[[al-Kafi]]''<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 1, p. 307-311.</ref>, ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]''<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 48, p. 12-29.</ref>, ''[[al-Irshad]]''<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 216-222.</ref>, and ''[[I'lam al-wara]]''<ref>Ṭabrisī, ''Iʿlām al-warā'', vol. 2, p. 7-16.</ref> which have, respectively, cited 16, 46, 12, and 14 hadiths in this regard. Here are some of such hadiths:

According to a report in ''[['Uyun akhbar al-Rida (a)]]'', Harun al-Rashid told his son that Musa b. Ja'far was the right Imam and the most competent person for the succession of [[the Prophet (s)]], describing his own caliphate or leadership to be only apparent or based on force.<ref>Ṣadūq, ''ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā'', vol. 1, p. 91.</ref>

Some [[Shi'a]] of the time of [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] believed in the [[imamate]] of his son [[Isma'il b. al-Imam al-Sadiq (a)|Isma'il]] and although he passed away while Imam al-Sadiq (a) was alive, they did not believe his demise and still believed in his imamate. After [[martyrdom]] of Imam al-Sadiq (a), some who were disappointed of the imamate of Isma'il considered his son [[Muhammad b. Isma'il]] as [[Imam]] and were later known as [[Isma'ilis]].

Many hadiths have been transmitted from Imam al-Kazim (a) in Shiite collections of hadiths. They are mostly concerned with theological issues, such as [[monotheism]]<ref>e.g. Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 1, p. 141.</ref>, [[bada']]<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 1, p. 148-149.</ref> and [[faith]]<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 2, p. 38-39.</ref>, as well as moral issues<ref>Qarashī, ''Ḥayāt al-Imām Mūsā b. Jaʿfar'', vol. 2, p. 190-278, 297-307.</ref>. Some supplications, such as [[al-Jawshan al-Kabir]], have also been transmitted from him. In the chains of the transmitters of such hadiths, the Imam (a) has been referred to "al-Kazim", "Abu l-Hasan", "Abu l-Hasan al-Awwal", "Abu l-Hasan al-Madi" (the late Abu l-Hasan), "al-'Alim",<ref>Kulaynī, ''al-Kāfī'', vol. 3, p. 297.</ref> and "al-'Abd al-Salih". [['Aziz Allah 'Atarudi]] has collected 3,134 hadiths from him in his ''Musnad al-Imam al-Kazim''.<ref>ʿAṭārudī, ''Musnad Imām al-Kāẓim'', vol. 1, introduction.</ref> Abu 'Imran al-Marwzi, a Sunni scholar, has also collected some of the Imam's (a) hadiths in his ''Musnad al-Imam Musa b. Ja'far''.<ref>Marwzī, ''Musnad al-Imām Musā ibn Jaʿfar (a)'', p. 187-232.</ref>

*Pīshwāyī, Mihdī. ''Sīri-yi Pīshwāyān''. Qom: Muʾassisi-yi Imām Ṣādiq, 1372 Sh.