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Al-Baqir Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on them, was,
out of (all) his brothers the successor of his father, Ali b. al-Husayn,
his testamentary trustee (wasi), and the one who undertook (qaim)
the office of Imam after him. He surpassed all of them through his
outstanding merit (fadl) in traditional knowledge (ilm),
asceticism and leadership. He was the most renowned of them, the
one among them who was most esteemed by both non-Shia (amma) and
Shia (khassa), and the most able of them. None of the sons of al-
Hassan and al-Hussayn, peace be on them, showed the same ability in
knowledge of religion, traditions, the knowledge of the
Qur'an and the life of the Prophet (sira), and the techniques of
literature, as Abu- Jafar (Muhammad al-Baqir) showed. The
surviving Companions (of the Prophet), the leading members of the
next generation (tabieun) and the leaders of the Muslim jurists
reported the principal features (ma'alim) of religion on his
authority. By virtue of his outstanding merit he became a signpost
(of knowledge) to his family. Proverbs were coined about him and
reports and verses were written to describe him.
He, peace be on him, was born in Medina, in 57 A.H. (676/7). He
died in 114 A.H. (732) at the age of fifty-seven. He was a
(leading) member of the Hashimite family within the Hashimites. He
was a (leading) descendant of Ali ('a) among the descendants of
Ali ('a).. He
was buried in (the cemetery of) al-Baqi'i in (Medina) the city of
the Apostle, may God bless him and his family.
In the testamentary bequest (wasiyya) which the Commander of
the faithful, peace be on him, made to his children, mention was
made of Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn ('a) and of his trusteeship. The
Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, named him and
caused him to be known as the one who split open (religious)
knowledge (ulum) as the narrators of tradition (ashab al-athar)
report.
Thus it is reported on the authority of Jabir
b. Abd Allah in a direct (mujarrad) tradition:
The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, said to me:
"It will happen
that you will live until you meet one of my children descended
from al-Husayn, peace be on him, called Muhammad, who will split
wide open knowledge of religion. When you meet him, recite my
greeting to him."
The Shia give an account of the tablet which Gabriel, peace be
on him, brought down to the Apostle of God, may God bless him and
his family, from heaven. (The Apostle) gave it to Fatima, peace be
on her. In it are the names of the Imams after (the Apostle) and
in it is Muhammad b. Ali, the Imam after his father.
The Shia also report that God, the Mighty and High, sent down
to His Prophet, the blessings and peace of God be on him, a
document sealed with twelve seals. He ordered him to give it to
the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, and to tell him to
break the first seal, and he should act according to what is in
(that part of the document). At the time of his death, he should
pass it to his son, al-Hassan, peace be on him, and tell him to
break the second seal and act according to what is in (that part
of) the document. At the time of his death he should pass it to
his brother al-Hussayn, peace be on him. He should tell him to
break the third seal and act according to what is below it. Then
at his death, he should pass it to his son, Ali b. al-Hussayn al-
Akbar (the elder) and he should instruct him in a similar way.
Then Muhammad should pass it to his son right down to the last of
the Imams.
They report also numerous designations (nusus) of him for the
Imamate after his father on the authority of the Prophet, may God
bless him and his family, on the authority of the Commander of the
faithful and on the authority of al-Hassan, al-Hussayn and Ali b.
al- Hussayn, peace be on them.
The people report (accounts) of his outstanding virtues and
accomplishments which would be too numerous to include. We will
mention what will be sufficient in meaning for our purposes, if
God wills.
Abu Jafar, peace be on him, recounted reports of the beginnings
of history (mubtada') and reports of the prophets. Stories of the
campaigns of the Prophet (maghazi) were written on his authority.
(Men) followed the practices of the Prophet (sunan) on his
authority and relied on him with regard to the rites of the
pilgrimage which he reported on the authority of the Apostle of
God, may God bless him and his family. They (also) wrote a
commentary of the Qur'an on his authority. Both the Shia (khassa)
and the non-Shia (amma) report traditions on his authority. He
debated with the exponents of individual reasoning (ahl al-ara')
and the people learnt a great deal of theology (ilm al-kalam) from
him.
Reports have come down that Nafi b. al-Azraq
came to Muhammad b. Ali, peace be on them, and sat before him to
ask him questions about what was permitted and what forbidden. Abu
Jafar, peace be on him, said in the course of his answer:
Say to these
deviators (from the true course): How did you make separation from
the Commander of the faithful (Ali), peace be on him, lawful when
you had earlier shed your own blood on his behalf and in obedience
to him and (you were then close) to God through helping him? Then
they will answer you: He allowed arbitration with regard to the
religion of God. Say to them: God, the Exalted, allowed
arbitration in the law (sharia) of His Prophet, may God bless him
and his family, between two of His creatures. For He said:
Send an arbitrator
from his family and an arbitrator from her family if they want
reconciliation (to take place) between them with the agreement of
God [IV 35].
The Apostle of
God, may God bless him and his family, appointed Sad b. Muadh as
an arbitrator over the tribe of Qurayza. He judged them according
to what God had accomplished. Did you not know that the Commander
of the faithful, peace be on him, ordered the arbitrators only to
judge according to the Qur'an and not to go beyond it? He
stipulated the rejection of any of the laws of men which opposed
the Qur'an. They said to him: 'You have appointed as arbitrator
over yourself, men who will judge you.' He replied: 'I have not
appointed a creature as an arbitrator. I have only made the Book
of God an arbitrator. Therefore where do the deviators find the
wrong-doing in the matter of arbitration by the Qur'an, when he
stipulated the rejection of whatever opposed it, unless they are
persisting in a false accusation?
"By God", said Nafi b.
al-Azraq,
"these are words which I have never heard before and which
have never occurred to my mind. It is the truth, God
willing."
He, peace be on him, used to say:
"The people cause us
great trouble. We summon them but they do not answer us. If we
abandoned them, they would be guided by no one."
He, peace be on him, (also) used to say:
"What is it that
the people hate in us who are the family of the House of Mercy,
the Tree of Prophethood, the Source of Wisdom, (the people)
frequented by angels and (those upon whom) inspiration
descended?"
He, peace be on him, died and left behind seven sons. Each of his
brothers had great merit, even though they did not attain his
merit because of his position with regard to the Imamate, because
of his rank with God with regard to closeness and love (wilaya),
and because of his position with regard to succession (khilafa) of
the Prophet, may God bless him and his family. The period of his
Imamate and of his undertaking the position of his father in the
succession (on behalf of) God, the Mighty and High, over His
servants was nineteen years.
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