|
This is an account of the Imam who was in charge (al-qai'im) after Abu
Ja'far Muhammad b. Ali, peace be on them, (including) who his mother was,
the date of his birth, evidence for his Imamate, his age, the period of
his succession (to the Imamate), the time of his death, the place of his
grave, the number of his children, and a brief outline of the reports
about him.
Al-Sadiq Ja'far b.Muhammad b. Ali b.al-Husayn, peace be on them, was
out of all his brothers (the one who was) the successor (khailfa) of his
father, Muhammad b. Ali, peace be on them, his testamentary trustee (was'i),
who was in charge of the Imamate (al-qa'im bi-al-imama) after him.
He stood out among their group for his great merit
(fadl); he was the
most celebrated, the greatest in rank and the most illustrious of them in
(the eyes) of both the non-Shia (al-amma) and the Shi'a (al-khassa).
The people transmitted, on his authority, the religious sciences which
travellers carried with them (around many countries) and thus his fame was
spread throughout the lands.
The learned scholars have transmitted on the authority of no other
member of the House (ahl al-bayt) as much as they have transmitted on his
authority. None of them met as many of the reporters of traditions (ahl
al-athar wa-naqalat al-akhbar) as he did, nor did the latter transmit on
their authority to the same extent as they transmitted on the authority of
Ab-u Abd Allah (Ja'far b. Muhammad), peace be on him.
The specialists in tradition (ashab al-hadith) have gathered together
the names of those who narrated on his authority, who were reliable
despite differences in views and doctrines and they were four thousand
men. The clear evidence for his Imamate, peace be on him, was such that it
overcame (men's) hearts and silenced (the attempts of) an opponent to
denigrate it with doubts.
He was born in Medina in the year 83 A.H. (702) and he, peace be on
him, died in (the month of) Shawwal in the year 148 A.H. (765) at the age
of sixty-five. He was buried in (the cemetery of) al-Baqi' alongside his
father, his grandfather and his (great-great) uncle, al- Hasan, peace be
on them. His mother was Umm Farwa, the daughter of al-Qasim b. Muhammad b.
Abi Bakr. His Imamate, peace be on him, lasted for thirty-four years. His
father, Abu Jafar (Muhammad b. Ali), peace be on him, clearly gave him the
trusteeship (of the Imamate) and gave him an explicit designation (nass
jali) for the Imamate.
Taken from Kitab al Irshad
By Sheikh al Mufid
[Muhammad b. Abi Umayr reported on the authority of Hisham b. Salim on the
authority of Abu Abd Allah, Jafar' b. Muhammad, peace be on them, who
said:]'
When my father was near to death he said: "Jafar I give
testamentary enjoinment to you (to treat) my followers well."
"May I be your ransom," I replied, "by God, I will make
them (know their religion so well) that any man among them in the country
will not (have to) ask anyone (for advice)."
[Aban b. 'Uthman reported on the authority of Abu-al-Sabbah al-
Kinam, who
said:]
Abu Jafar Muhammad, peace be on him, looked towards his son, Abu Abd
Allah Ja'far, peace be on him, and said (to us): "Do you see that
man? He is one of those of whom God, the Mighty and High, said: We wish to
grant a favour to those who have been humiliated in the land and we will
make them Imams and inheritors [XXVIII 5].
[Hisham b. Salim reported on the authority of Jabir b. Yazid al
Jufi:]
Abu Jafar Muhammad, peace be on him, was asked about the one who would
take charge (al-qa'im) (of the Imamate) after him. He tapped Abu Abd Allah
Jafar, peace be on him, with his hand and said: "By God, this is the
man among the family of Muhammad, peace be on them, who will take charge
(al-qa'im) (of the Imamate)."
[Ali b. al-Hakam reported on the authority of Tahir, a follower of Abu
Jafar Muhammad, peace be on him, who said:]
I was with (Abu Jafar Muhammad), peace be on him, when Jafars peace be
on him approached, Abu Ja'far, peace be on him, said, "Here is the
best of creatures."
[Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman reported on the authority of Abd al-Ala, a
retainer of the family of Sam, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah Jafar,
peace be on him, who said:]
My father, peace be on him, entrusted to me (everything) which was
there. When he was near to death, he said: "Call witnesses for
me." I summoned four men from Quraysh, among them Nafi', retainer of
Abd Allah b. Umar. (My father said:) "Write this testimony which I
bequeath (like) Jacob did to his sons: My sons, God has chosen the
religion for you. So do not die except as Muslims. [II 132] Muhammad b.
Ali; makes this last testimony to Ja'far b. Muhammad. He orders him to
shroud him in the cloak in which he used to perform the Friday prayer, to
put on him his turban, to make his grave a square, to raise it the height
of four fingers above the ground and to take his shabby clothes away from
him at his burial.
Then he said to the witnesses: "Depart, may God have mercy on you.
"Father" I said to him (after they had gone), "what was
in this that there had to be witnesses for it?"
"My son," he answered, "I was unwilling for you to be
overcome and for it to be said that no testimony had been made for him. I
wanted you to have proof."
Reports with the same meaning as this account are numerous.
The narration of the report of the tablet
(lawh) with the designation
of him, peace be upon him, for the Imamate has already been mentioned.
The rational proofs which have been mentioned earlier that the Imam can
only be the most outstanding person in merit (al- afdal) also indicate his
Imamate, peace be on him, because of the clear demonstration of his
outstanding merit in religious knowledge (ilm), in asceticism, and in
practice above all his brothers, the members of his uncle's family and the
rest of the people of his time.
The evidence for the invalidity of the Imamate of those who were not
protected (from error) like the prophets (were protected) and the clear
demonstration of the lack of protection of those others who claimed the
Imamate during his lifetime, together with their deficiency in (attaining)
complete knowledge of religion, clearly indicates his Imamate. For there
must be an Imam who is protected (from error) at all times as we have
mentioned before. The people tell of the clear signs from God which were
performed by him, peace be on him, which indicate his Imamate, his true
right and the invalidity of the statements of those who claimed the
Imamate on behalf of others.
Among those is the report about him which the reporters of history (naqalat
al-athar) recount about him with al-Mansur. Al-Mansur ordered Rabi to
bring Abu Abd Allah Ja'far, peace be on him, to him. He brought him. When
al-Mansar saw him, he said: "May God kill me, if I don't kill you.
You are attempting to harm my authority and you are seeking treachery
against me."
"By God, I am not," retorted Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be
on him, "Nor do I want to. If you have been told so, then it is by a
liar. However, even if I had done so, then Joseph was treated badly and he
forgave, Job suffered tribulation and he was patient, and Solomon received
gifts and he gave thanks. These men were prophets and your lineage goes
back to them."
"Indeed," replied al-Mansur, "Come up here." He
went up and then (al-Mansar) continued: "So-and-so has informed me
about what you have been saying."
"Bring him, Commander of the faithful," he replied, "so that
he may confront me with that."
He had the man whom he had mentioned brought and asked him:
"Did you (really) hear what you reported about Jafar, peace be on
him?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Make him swear to that," said Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace
be on him.
"Do you swear to that?" demanded al-Mansur.
"I do," he replied.
"Say: May I be outside God's power and strength and may I seek
refuge in my own power and strength (if I lie that) Jafar's peace be on
him, did such and such and said such and such," said Abu Abd Allah (Jafar),
peace be on him.
(The man) paused for a moment and then made the oath. It was only a
moment later that his leg was struck.
"Drag him by his leg and take him out, may God curse him,"
ordered Abu Jafar (al-Mansur).
Al-Rabi reported: When Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, went in to
see al-Mansur, I saw his lips moving. As he moved them, al- Mansur's anger
(gradually) became quietened, so that when he approached him, he was
pleased with him. When Abu Abd Allah (Jafar) peace be on him, came out
from Abu Jafar (al-Mansur) I followed him and said to him: "This man
was the angriest of men towards you. When you went in, you were moving
your lips as you went in and when you moved them his anger quietened. With
what (words) were you moving them?"
"The prayer of my (great) grandfather, al-Husayn b. Ali peace be
on them," he replied.
"May I be your ransom," I said, "what is this
prayer?"
He told him:
O my Provision in time of hardship, O my Help in the face of disaster,
guard me with Your Eye Which never sleeps, surround me with Your
impenetrable fortress.
Al-Rabi reported: I learned that prayer and I never fell into hard times
without saying it and it relieving me.
(At that time) I said to Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them:
"Why did you stop the slanderer from (merely) swearing by
God?"
"I was reluctant that God should see him praising His unity and
glorifying Him," he answered, "for then He would show forbearance
towards Him and delay his punishment. Therefore I made him swear in the
way you heard and God struck him fiercely."
It is reported that Dawud b. Ali b. Abd Allah b. Abbas killed al- Mualla
b. Khunays, a retainer of Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, and took
his property. Ja'far, peace be on him, went to him while he was pulling at
his cloak.
"You have killed my retainer and taken his property," (Jafar)
said to him. "Do you know that a man may sleep when he has suffered
the loss of a child but he may not sleep when he is at war? I will pray to
God against you."
"Do you threaten us with your prayer?" he retorted as if he
was ridiculing his words.
Abu Abd Allah (Jafar), peace be on him, went back to his house and
spent the whole night standing and sitting. Then, at dawn he was heard
saying in his private prayer:
O Possessor of mighty strength, O Possessor of fierce enmity, O
Possessor of power before which all Your creatures are humble, give me
satisfaction against this tyrant and take vengeance on him for me.
It was not an hour before voices were raised in screeching (lamentation)
and it was announced that Dawud b. Ali had just died. '
There are innumerable reports about him concerning signs and revealing the
unknown similar to those which we have mentioned, which would take too
long to recount.
He, peace be on him, used to say:
"Our knowledge is of what will be (ghabir), of what is past (mazbur),
of what is marked in hearts (nakt fi al-qulub), and of what is tapped into
ears (naqr fi al-asma).
We have the red case (jafr), the white case, and
the scroll of Fatima, peace be on her, and we have (the document called)
al-jami'a in which is everything the people need."
He was asked to explain these words and he said:
"Ghabir is knowledge of what will be;
Mazbur is knowledge of what was;
what is marked in the hearts (nakt fi al-qulub) is inspiration;
and what is tapped into the ears (naqr fi al- asma) are words of
angels;
we hear their speech but we do not see their forms.
The red case (jafr) is a vessel in which are the weapons of the Apostle
of God, may God bless him and his family.
It will never leave us until
the one (destined) among us members of the House, to arise (qa'im),
arises.
The white case (jafr) is a vessel in which are the Torah of
Moses, the Gospels of Jesus, the Psalms of David and the (other) Books
of God.
The scroll of Fatima, peace be on her, has in it every event
which will take place and the names of all the rulers until the (last)
hour comes.
(The document called) al-jami'a is a scroll seventy yards
long which the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family,
dictated from his own mouth and Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him, wrote
in his own handwriting.
By God, in it is everything which people need
until the end of time, including even the blood-wit for wounding, and
whether a (full) flogging or half a flogging (is due).
He, peace be on him, used to say:
"My traditions are my father's traditions; my father's
traditions are my grandfather's traditions; my grandfather's traditions
are the traditions of Ali b.Abi Talib, the Commander of the faithful; the
traditions of Ali the Commander of the faithful are the traditions of the
Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family; and the traditions of
the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, are the word of God,
the Mighty and High."
[Abu Hamza al-Thumal; has reported on the authority of Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar),
peace be on him:]
I heard Abu Abd Allah Jafar say:
"We have the tablets of Moses, peace be on him, and we have the
rod of Moses, peace be on him. We are the heirs of prophets."
[Mu'awiya b. Wahb. reported on the authority of Said al-
Simman:]
I was with Abu 'Abd Allah Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be on them, when
two of the Zaydis visited him. They asked him: "Is there among you an
Imam whom it is a duty to obey?"
"No," he replied.
"Reliable men have told us on your authority that you claim to be
him," they retorted. They named some people and said: "These are
men of piety and distinction. They are among those who do not lie."
Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be on him. became angry and said: "I have
not told them that."
When the two men saw the anger on his face, they left.
"Do you know those two?" he asked me.
"Yes," I replied, "they are from the people of our
market. They are Zaydis and they claim that Abd Allah b. al-Hasan has the
sword of Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family."
"They are liars, may God curse them," he said. "By God,
Abd Allah b. al-Hasan has never seen it either with both his eyes or even
with one of them. O God, not even his father has seen it unless he saw it
with Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on him. If they are truthful, (ask them)
what is the sign in the hilt and what is the mark on its blade. I have the
sword of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family. I have the
standard of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, and his
breast-plate, his armour and his helmet. If they are truthful (ask them)
what is the mark on the breast-plate of the Apostle of God, may God bless
him and grant him peace.
Indeed the victorious standard of the Apostle of God is with me, as are
the tablets and rod of Moses. I have the ring of Solomon, the son of
David, and the tray on which Moses used to offer sacrifice and I have
(knowledge) of the (greatest) name (of God) which when the Apostle of God,
may God bless him and his family, used to put it between the Muslims and
the polytheists no arrow from the polytheists could reach the Muslims. I
have the same as what the angels brought. We have the weapons in the same
way that the Banu Isra'll had the ark of the covenant. Prophecy was
brought to any house in which the ark of the covenant was present; the
Imamate will be brought to which ever of us receives the weapons. My
father dressed in the armour of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and
grant him peace, and it made marks on the ground. I put it on and it was
(like) it was (for my father). The one (destined to) rise up (qa'im) from
among us, will fill it (so that it fits him exactly) when he puts it on,
if God wishes.
['Abd Al-Ala b. Ayan reported:]
I heard Abu Abd Allah (Jafar) peace be on him, say: "I have the
weapons of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, but I
will never fight with them." Then he said: "These weapons are
protected, for if they were entrusted to the wickedest of God's creatures,
he would become the best of them." Then he said, "This matter
(i.e. the carrying of the Prophet's arms in war) belongs to the man, for
whom (horses') reins will be twisted (as men ride in support of him). When
God wills it, he will be brought out (into the open). Then people will
say: 'Who is this who has appeared?' God will give him support (to have
power) over his subjects."
[Umar b. Aban reported:]
I asked Abu Abd Allah (Jafar) peace be on him, about what the people
were saying that Umm Salama, the mercy of God be on her, had been handed a
sealed scroll. He said: "When the Apostle of God, may God bless him
and grant him peace, died, Ali, peace be on him, inherited his knowledge,
his weapons and what there was. Then that went to al-Hasan, peace be on
him, then to al-Husayn, peace be on him."
"Did it go to Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on them, after that, then
to his son and now has it come to you?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied.
The reports with the same meaning are numerous. However, those of them
which we have given will be sufficient to indicate what we are trying to
show, God willing.
An Extract from the Accounts of Abu Abd Allah Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq,
Peace be on them, and from his Words.
I found (this written) in the handwriting of Abu al-Faraj 'Ali b. al-
Husayn b. Muhammad al-Isfahani, in the text of his book known as Maqatil
al-Talibiyin (the Martyrdoms of (the family of Abu) Talib):
Umar b. Abd Allah al-Atki informed me
Umar b. Shabba told us: Al-Fadl b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Hashim and Ibn
Daja told us:
Abu Zayd (Umar b. Shabba) (also) told me: Abd al-Rahman b. b. Amr b.
Jabala told me: Al-Hasan b. Ayyub, retainer (mawla) of the Banu Numayr
told me, on the authority of Abd al-Ala b. Ayan:
Ibrahlm b. Muhammad b. Abl al-Kiram al-Jafari told me, on the authority
of his father:
Muhammad b. Yahya told me on the authority of Abd Allah b. Yahya:
Isa b. Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Umar b. Ali told me on the authority of
his father:
The account of some of them has been introduced into the account of the
rest (as follows):
A group of the Banu Hashim met at al-Abwa'. Among them were Ibrahim b.
Muhammad b. Ali b. Abd Allah b. Abbas and Abu Jafar al-Mansur, Salih. b.
Ali, Abd Allah b. al-Hasan, with his two sons Muhammad and Ibrahim, and
Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. 'Uthman.
Salih. b. Ali addressed (them): "You know that you are the ones
towards whom the people turn their eyes and that God has brought you
together in this place. Therefore give a pledge of allegiance to one from
among you, which you should give to him with (genuine dedication) of
yourselves. Bind yourselves so that God may bring victory, for He is the
best bringer of victory."
'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan praised and glorified God. Then he said:
"You know that this son of mine is the Mahdi Therefore come, let us
pledge allegiance to him."
"Why are you deceiving yourselves?" demanded Abu- Ja'far.
"By God you know that there is no one else to whom the people would
take greater strides nor greater speed to answer than they would to this
man," meaning Muhammad b. Abd Allah.
"True," they said, "this is he whom we
acknowledge." So they all pledged allegiance to Muhammad and took him
by the hand.
[Isa reported:]
Abd Allah b. al-Hasan's messenger came to my father, saying:
"Come to us. We are gathered for an (important) affair." He
sent (information) about that to Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them.
[Others, not including Isa, reported:]
Abd Allah b. al-Hasan said to those present: "You don't want Jafar
(here), for we fear that he would cause dissension among you in your
affair."
[Isa b. Abd Allah b. Muhammad reported:]
My father sent me to see what they had gathered for. So I went to them.
(Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be on them, sent Muhammad b. Abd Allah al-Arqat
b. Ali b. al-Husayn. We went to them). Muhammad b. Abd Allah (b. al-Hasan)
was praying on a folded carpet from a saddle.
"My father has sent me to you," I told them, "to ask you
why you have gathered together."
"We have gathered (here), " Abd Allah b. al-Hasan said,
"to pledge allegiance to the Mahdi, Muhammad b. Abd Allah."
[They (i.e. the other authorities) reported:]
Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, arrived and 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan
made room for him beside him. He repeated what he had said before.
However, Ja'far said:
"Don't do it. The time (for the Mahdi) has not
yet arrived. If you - meaning Abd Allah - consider that this son of yours
is the Mahdi, he is not, nor is this the time for him (i.e. the Mahdi).
Because you are one of our most revered elders we will not forsake you in
favour of pledging allegiance to your son, even if you only intend him to
rise in anger in God's cause, to command the good and prohibit the
evil."
Abd Allah became angry and said: "I know that (the facts are) the
opposite of what you are saying. By God, God has not acquainted you with
(knowledge of) His unseen world. Rather it is envy for my son which
prompts you to this (attitude)."
"By God, it is not that which prompts me," replied (Jafar)
"but this man, his brothers and his sons." Then he tapped with
his hand on the back of Abu al-Abbas and he tapped with his hand on the
shoulder of Abd Allah b. al-Hasan.
"By God, it (i.e. the caliphate) is not for you nor for your two
sons," (Jafar) told him, "but it is for them (i.e. the
Abbasids). Your two sons will be killed." He got up and leaning on
the arm of Abd al-Aziz b. Imran al-Zuhri, he continued, "Do you see
the owner of the yellow cloak?" - meaning Abu Ja'far (al-Mansar).
"Yes," he replied.
"By God," he said, "we have a foreboding that he (Abu
Jafar) will kill him (Muhammad b. Abd Allah)."
"Will he kill Muhammad?" Abd al-Aziz asked him.
"Yes," he replied.
[Abd al-Aziz reported:]
I said to myself, "By the Lord of the Kaba, he is envious of
him." But then, by God, I had not left this world before I saw him
(Abu Jafar) kill both of them.
When Jafar said that, the people arose and separated. Abd al- Samad and
Abu Jafar followed him and asked him, "Abu- Abd Allah, do you really
say this?"
"Yes," he replied, "by God I say it and I know it."
[Abu al-Faraj reported: Ali b. al-Abbas al-Maqani told me: Bakkar b. Ahmad
informed us: al-Hasan b. al-Husayn, on the authority of Anbasa b. Bijad'
al-Abid told us:] Whenever Jafar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, saw Muhammad b. Abd Allah
b. al-Hasan, his eyes would flow with tears and then he would say:
"(I would sacrifice) my life for him. The people say that (he is the
Mahdi while) he is to be killed. He is not in the Book of Ali, peace be on
him, as one of the caliphs of this community."
This (second report) is a famous report just like the one before it.
The historians do not differ on the accuracy of both of them. They both
(clearly) give evidence for the Imamate of Abu 'Abd Allah al- Sadiq, peace
be on him. Indeed miracles were performed by him in order that he might
make known things which were unknown and show the existence of things
before they came to be, just as prophets, peace be on them, used to make
(such things) known. That was one of their signs and indications of their
prophethood, and their truthfulness (in speaking) about their Lord, the
Mighty and Exalted.
[Abu al-Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad b. Qulawayh told me on the authority of
Muhammad b. Ya'qub al-Kulayni, on the authority of 'Ali b. Ibrahim b.
Hashim, on the authority of his father, on the authority of a group of his
men (i.e. teachers), on the authority of Yunus b. Yaqub, who said:]
I was with Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far), peace be on him, when a Syrian came
to him. He said: "I am a scholar (sahib) of theology, jurisprudence,
and the laws of inheritance. I have come to dispute with your
followers."
"Is your theology from the Apostle of God, may god bless him
and his family, or from yourself?" Abu 'Abd Allah (Ja'far), peace
be on him, asked.
"Partly from the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his
family, and partly from myself," replied (the other man).
"Then are you a partner of the Apostle of God, may God bless
him and his family?" enquired Abu 'Abd Allah (Ja'far).
"No," he answered.
"Have you heard inspiration (wahy) (direct) from God?"
"No," he replied.
"Is obedience to you required as is obedience to the Apostle of
God, may God bless him and his family?"
"No," was the answer.
Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be on him, turned to me and said: "Yunus b.
Ya'qub, this man has contradicted himself before he has begun (the real
business) of discussing." Then he said: "Yunus. if you were good
at theology, you should speak to him."
[Yunus remarked:]
How sad it was, for I said to him: "May I be your ransom, I have
heard you forbid (taking part in) theology and say: Woe to the theologians
who say that this follows and that this does not follow; that this is
entailed and that this is not entailed; that this we accept as rational
and this we do not accept as rational."
"I only said," Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be on him remarked,
"woe to them, if they abandon what I say and adopt their own
wishes." Then he told me: "Go out to the door and look for any
of the theologians you can see, and bring them in."
I went out and found Humran b. A'yan who was good at theology, and
Muhammad b. al-Numan al-Ahwal, who was a theologian, and Hisham b. Salim
and Qays b. al-Masir, both theologians. I brought them (all) in to him.
After he had settled us in the assembly - we were in the tent of Abu Abd
Allah at the top of a mountain on the edge of the sanctuary (of Mecca) (haram)
and that was (a few) days before the days of the pilgrimage, Abu Abd
Allah, peace be on him, put his head out of the tent. There appeared at
that moment a camel dashing along. He cried out: "Hisham, by the Lord
of the Kaba!"
We thought that it was Hisham, one of the sons of Aqil, who loved him
greatly. But behold, it was Hisham b. al-Hakam who came. He still only had
the first traces of his beard on his face. All of us there were older than
him. Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, made room for him and said:
"(Here is) one who helps us with his heart, his tongue and his
hand."
He told Humran: "Debate with the man" - meaning the Syrian.
Humran debated with him and overcame him. Then (Abu Abd Allah) said:
"O my Taq, debate with him." So Muhammad b. al-Numan debated
with him and overcame him. Next he said: "Hisham b. Salim, debate
with him." So they both argued together. He then told Qays b. Masir
to debate with him and he did so. Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, began to
smile at their discussion as the Syrian sought to escape in front of him.
He told the Syrian:
"Debate with this lad" - meaning Hisham b. al-Hakam.
"Yes," replied the Syrian and said, "lad, ask me about
the Imamate of this man" - meaning Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him.
Hisham was so angry that he trembled but then he said: "Fellow,
does your Lord look after His creatures or do they look after
themselves?"
"Indeed," replied the Syrian, "my Lord looks
after His
creatures."
"What does He do to look after their religion for them?"
"He gives them duties and provides them with proof
(hujja) and
evidence for the things which He has required of them. He removes any
weaknesses they might have about that."
"What is the evidence which He has established for them?"
Hisham asked him.
"It is the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family,"
the Syrian answered.
"What after the Apostle of God?" enquired Hisham.
"The Book and the Sunna."
"Do the Book and the Sunna benefit us today in our differences so
that the differences are removed from us and we are able to agree?"
asked Hisham.
"Yes," replied the Syrian.
"Then do we differ from you," retorted Hisham, "so that
you have come to us from Syria to dispute with us? You claim that personal
judgement (ra'y) is the method (of establishing the practices) of religion
while you acknowledge that personal judgement does not bring people who
differ together in one doctrine."
The Syrian was silent as if he was thinking. So Abu Abd Allah, peace be
on him, asked him: "Why aren't you debating?"
"If I say: We do not differ," he answered, "I would be
(merely) being obstinate. If I say: the Book and the sunna remove our
differences, I would be wrong because the two bear (different)
interpretations. However, I could use the same argument against him."
"Ask him, then," Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him, told him.
"You will find him competent."
So the Syrian asked Hisham: "Who looks after His creatures, their
Lord or themselves?"
"Indeed their Lord looks after them," replied Hisham.
"Does He establish for them someone who will harmonise their
doctrine, remove their differences and explain the true from the false to
them?" demanded the Syrian.
"Yes," replied Hisham.
"Who is that?" asked the Syrian.
"At the beginning of the sharia, it was the Apostle of God but
after the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, it was someone
else."
"Who is it other than the Prophet, may God bless him and his
family, who takes his place (al-qa'im maqamahu) in being His (i.e. God's)
proof?" the Syrian asked.
"Now or before?" Hisham responded.
"At the present time," answered the Syrian.
"This man who is sitting here," said Hisham - meaning Abu 'Abd
Allah. "He is the one to whom you travelled; he is the one who tells
us about heaven and is the inheritor from father and grandfather."
"How would I have knowledge of (the truth of) that?" asked
the Syrian.
"Ask him about anything which occurs to you," Hisham told
him.
"You have stopped (any) excuse of mine but I do have a
question," the Syrian declared.
"I will dispense with your questioning," Abu Abd Allah, peace
be on him, told him. "I will tell you about your travel and your
journey. You left on such and such a day. Your road was such and such. You
passed so and so and such and such (a man) passed you."
Every time he told him anything about his affair, the Syrian would say:
"True, by God." Then the Syrian said to him: "At this
moment I have submitted (aslamtu) to God."
"Rather at this moment you have faith
(famanta) in God," said
Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him. "Islam (submission to God) is before
lman (faith in God). On the basis of the former (Islam) they arrange
inheritance and marriage: on the basis of faith (iman) men are
rewarded."
"True," replied the Syrian, "at this moment I testify
that there is no god but God, that Muhammad is the Apostle of God, may God
bless him and his family, and that you are the (present) trustee (wasz)
(of God) among the trustees (appointed by God)."
Abu Abd Allah approached Humran and said: "Humran, conduct
theology on the basis of traditional knowledge (athar) and you will be
correct." He turned to Hisham b. Salim and said: "You want to
use traditional knowledge but you don't know it" Then he turned to
al-Ahwal and said: "You are a man who uses qiyas and is evasive, a
man who refutes falsehood with falsehood, even though your false argument
is stronger." Then he turned to Qays b. Masir and said: "When
you debate, the nearer you are to truth and traditions (khabar) on the
authority of the Prophet, the further you are from it: you mix up the
truth with what is false. A little truth suffices for much which is false.
You and al-Ahwal are skilful (verbal) gymnasts." Abu Abd Allah
approached Humran and said: "Humran, conduct theology on the basis of
traditional knowledge (athar) and you will be correct." He turned to
Hisham b. Salim and said: "You want to use traditional knowledge but
you don't know it" Then he turned to al-Ahwal and said: "You are
a man who uses qiyas and is evasive, a man who refutes falsehood with
falsehood, even though your false argument is stronger." Then he
turned to Qays b. Masir and said: "When you debate, the nearer you
are to truth and traditions (khabar) on the authority of the Prophet, the
further you are from it: you mix up the truth with what is false. A little
truth suffices for much which is false. You and al-Ahwal are skilful
(verbal) gymnasts."
[Yunus b. Ya'qub remarked:] By God, I thought he would say to Hisham
something close to what he had said to them.
Then he said: "Hisham, you are hardly likely to fall, for you tuck
in your legs (like a bird): when you are about to fall to the earth, you
fly. Therefore a person like you should debate with the people. Guard
against slipping and intercession will be behind you."
This report, together with what it contains of rational proof and
evidence for the Imamate, also includes the content of the two previous
reports' evidence of the miraculous ability of Abu Abd Allah, peace be on
him. It agrees with them in the (full) significance of proof.
[Abu al-Qasim Jafar b. Muhammad al-Qummi informed me on the authority of
Muhammad b. Yaqub al-Kulayni, on the authority of Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim,
on the authority of his father on the authority of 'Abbas Amr al-Faqimi:]
Ibn Abi al-Awja', Ibn Talut, Ibn al-Ama and Ibn al-Muqaffa with a group
of Zindiqs were gathered in the Sacred Mosque during the season of the
pilgrimage. Abu Abd Allah Jacfar b. Muhammad, peace be on them, was there
giving legal decisions to the people, explaining the Qur'an to them and
answering their questions with arguments and proofs. The group said to Ibn
Ab, al-Awja': "Can you induce this man sitting here to make a mistake
and question him about what would disgrace him in front of those who are
gathered around him? For you can see the fascination of the people for
him; he is (supposed to be) the great scholar of his time."
"Yes," replied Ibn Abi al-Awja'. He went forward and the
people moved aside. He said: "Abu Abd Allah, gatherings for
discussion are things to be taken care of. Everyone who has a cough must
cough, so will you permit me to ask a question?"
"Ask, if you want to," Abu Abd Allah, peace be on him,
answered him.
The Ibn Abi al-Awja' asked him: "For how long will you tread on
this threshing-floor and go round this stone? For how long will you
worship this house made of bricks and mud and amble around it like a camel
when it is scared? Whoever thinks about this and considers it, realises
that it is the action of an unintelligent and unthinking man, so explain
(it) as you are the principal exponent (lit. head and hump) of this
affair, and your father was its founder and support."
"Those whom God leads astray and whose hearts He blinds find
the truth unwholesome and will never taste its sweetness,"
retorted al-Sadiq, peace be on him.
"The devil is the friend and
lord of such a man. He will lead him to the watering places of destruction
and never let him come from them. This is a house where God's creatures
seek to worship Him in order that their obedience in coming to it may be
well known. Therefore He has urged them to magnify it and to visit it and
He has made it the place of His prophets and the direct prayer for those
who pray to Him. It is a part of Paradise and a path which leads to His
forgiveness. It is set up at the seat of perfection and at the meeting
point of majesty and glory. God created it over two thousand years before
the earth was laid out. The most worthy to be obeyed in what He orders and
to have His prohibitions refrained from is God the Creator of souls and
forms."
"You have only spoken and referred (me) to someone who is not
present, Abu Abd Allah," retorted Ibn Abi al-Awja".
"Shame on you," retorted al-Sadiq, peace be on him. "How
could One Who is present with His creatures and closer to them than a vein
in the neck, Who hears their words and knows their secrets, be someone who
is not present."
"Is He in every place or isn't He?" asked Ibn Abl al-CAwja'.
"If He is in Heaven, how can He be on earth? And if He is on earth,
how can He be in Heaven?"
"You described something which is created," retorted Abu Abd
Allah, peace be on him, "which when it moves from one place, and when
another place is occupied by it, and when (the former) place is without
it, then, in the place which it has come to, it does not know what happens
in the place in which it was. As for God, the Mighty, the Dignified, the
Ruler, the Judge,) there is no place without Him and no place occupied by
Him. He is not nearer to one place than He is to another. In that way the
traces of Himself (which He gives) bear witness to Him and His actions
give evidence for Him. He whom He has sent with precise signs and clear
proofs, Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, has brought us this
(form of) worship. If you have any doubts about any of His commandments,
ask about it and I will explain it to you."
Ibn Abi al-Awja' became stupefied and did not know what to say. He left
his presence and said to his companions: "I asked you to find me some
wine (to enjoy myself with) and you threw me on to a burning coal."
"Shut up," they told him. "You have disgraced us by your
bewilderment. We saw no one today more humiliated than you in his
discussion."
"Are you saying this to me?" he replied. "He is (only)
the son of a man who shaved the heads of those whom you see." He
indicated with his hand towards the people gathered for the pilgrimage.
[It is reported:]
One day Abu Shakir al-Daysam stood in a discussion group of Abu Abd
Allah, peace be on him, and said: "You are one of the shining stars,
your fathers were wonderful full moons and your mothers were graceful
discreet women. Your lineage is the most noble of lineages. When learned
men are mentioned, it is for you that the little finger is bent (i.e. he
is the first to be counted). So tell me, O bountiful sea, what is the
evidence for the creation of the world?"
"The easiest evidence for that is what I will show you
(now)," answered Abu- Abd Allah, peace be on him. Then he called for
an egg and put it in the palm of his hand. "This is a compact
protective container; inside it is the thin (substance of an) egg which is
surrounded by what could be compared with fluid silver and melted gold. Do
you doubt that?"
"There can be no doubt about that," replied Abu Shakir.
"Then it splits open showing a form like (for example) a
peacock," continued Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be on him. "Has
anything entered into it other than what you knew (to be there
already)?"
"No," he replied.
"This is the evidence for the creation of the world."
"You have explained, Abu Abd Allah," he said, "and you
have made it clear. You have spoken and brought improvement. You have
described it and spoken concisely. You knew that we would not accept
anything which we could not realise with our eyes, or hear with our ears,
or taste with our mouths, or smell with our noses, or touch with our
skin."
"You have mentioned the five senses," said Abu Abd Allah,
peace be on him, "but they will not bring any benefit in rational
deduction except as evidence, just as darkness cannot be removed without
light."
He, peace be on him, means by that that the senses without reason will
never lead to the understanding of things which are not present, and that
what he had shown with regard to the creation of the form was a concept
whose recognition (ilm) was based on sense- perception.
(The following is an example) of what has been recorded on his authority,
peace be on him, concerning the necessity of knowing God the Most High and
His religion: He said:
"I have found the knowledge of all the people (encompassed) by
four t*:
-
You should know your Lord;
-
You should know what He has done for you;
-
You should know what He wants from you;
-
You should know what would make you abandon your religion.
These four divisions include (all) the requirements of things which should
be known, because the first thing that a man should do is to know his Lord,
may His Majesty be exalted. When he knows that he has a Lord, it is
necessary that he must know what He has done for him. When he knows what
He has done for him, he knows of His blessings. When he knows of His blessings, it
is necessary that he should thank Him. When he wants to carry out his
thanks, he must know what He wants so that he may obey Him in his actions.
Since obedience to Him is necessary, it will be necessary for him to know
what would cause him to abandon his religion so that he might avoid it,
and in that way keep pure his obedience to his Lord and his thanks for His
blessings.
(This is an example) of what was recorded on his authority peace be on
him, concerning the unity of God and the denial of anthropomorphism.
He said to Hisham b. al-Hakam:
"God, the Exalted, should not be compared to anything, nor
should anything be compared to Him. Whatever comes to the imagination is
other than God."
(The following is an example) of what was recorded on his authority, peace
be on him, concerning his words on justice: He said to Zurara b.
Ayan:
"Zurara, shall I give you a summary of (the doctrine of) decree
(qada) and destiny (qadar)?"
"Yes, may I be your ransom," replied Zurara.
"When it is the Day of Resurrection and God has gathered His
creatures together, He will ask them about what He enjoined upon them but
He will not ask them about what He had decreed for them."
(This is an example) of what was recorded on his authority concerning wisdom
and exhortation.
He said: "Not everyone who intends something is able to do it.
Not everyone who is able to do something will be granted success in it.
Not everyone who is granted success in something will do it in the right
place. When intention, ability, success and correctness come together,
there happiness is perfected."
(This is an example) of what has been recorded of him, peace be upon him,
urging consideration of God's religion and the acquisition of knowledge
about the friends (awliya) of God.
He said: "Give close consideration to things which you cannot
afford to ignore, be true to yourselves and fight against your
(inclinations) so that you may find out those things which it is
inexcusable not to know. These are the basic elements of God's religion.
If a man ignores them, he will gain no benefit (no matter) how intense is
his striving in pursuit of the outward form of worship. On the other hand,
no harm will come to a man who knows them and abides by them with
moderation (in his behaviour). There is no way for anyone except through
the help of God, the Mighty and High."
![Al Ghafur/The Forgiver- One of the 99 Names of Allah [swt]](images/AlGhafur_The_All-Forgiving.jpg)
(The following is an example) of what has been recorded on his authority,
peace be on him, urging repentance:
He said: "To delay repentance is to be heedless; to lengthen
the time of putting off (religious duties) is (to create) confusion (in
one's mind); to attempt to justify oneself before God is (to bring about
one's own) destruction; persisting in sin makes (a person) feel secure
from God's devising. Only people who are lost feel secure from God's
devising. [VII 99]"
During the Imamate of the sixth Imam greater possibilities
and a more favourable climate existed for him to propagate religious
teachings. This came about as a result of revolts in Islamic lands,
especially the uprising of the Muswaddah to overthrow the Umayyad
caliphate, and the bloody wars which finally led to the fall and
extinction of the Umayyads. The greater opportunities for Shi'ite
teachings were also a result of the favourable ground the fifth Imam had
prepared during the twenty years of his Imamate through the propagation of
the true teachings of Islam and the sciences of the Household of the
Prophet (sawas).
The Imam took advantage of the occasion to propagate the
religious sciences until the very end of his Imamate, which was
contemporary with the end of the Umayad, and beginning of the Abbasid
caliphates. He instructed many scholars in different fields of the
intellectual and transmitted sciences, such as Zararah, Muhammad ibn
Muslim, Mu'min Taqi, Hisham ibn Hakam, Aban ibn Taghlib, Hisham ibn Salim,
Hurayz, Hisham Kalbi Nassabah, and Jabir ibn Hayyan, the alchemist. Even
some important Sunni scholars such as Sufyan Thawri, Abu Hanifah, the
founder of the Hanafi school of law, Qadi. l Sukuni, Qadi Abu'l-Bakhtari,
and others, had the honour of being his students.
Abu Hanifa gave public lectures at Kufa that attracted much
attention. In giving decisions, he claimed the right to exercise the
privilege of deduction (Qiyas) and of using his own judgement (Ra’y) to
supplement the traditions and for this departure he was severely
criticised by the scholars in Makka and Madina. His decisions were on the
point of law of Islam, however he steadfastly refused to enter the service
of the Government as judge. Thus it was as a literary or academic jurist
that he was able to carry on his work in Kufa under both the Ummayads and
the Abbasids. It is probable that he strongly sympathized with the Alids
and resented the way in which they had been set aside. Masudi mentions in
his history that once he had sent 10,000 Dinars to Zaid Ibn Ali to help
him against the Ummayads.
One is surprised to observe that these two contemporary
scholars were able to carry on teaching in their respective cities, Abu
Hanifa in Kufa and Imam Ja’afar Sadiq (AS) in Madina. The two men were
on friendly terms with each other and often Abu Hanifa accepted the advice
of his teacher Imam Ja’afar Sadiq (AS)
The number of traditions preserved from the fifth and
sixth Imams is more than all the hadith that have been recorded from the
Prophet (sawas) and the other ten Imams combined.
Jafar As Sadiq's profound knowledge of religion and other sciences was
famed throughout the entire Islamic world. People came from distant
regions to learn from him.
Among them were scholars of Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith such as Imam
Noman bin Thabit and Imam Mali Ibn Anas. Heads of other religions also
came there to discuss with the Imams students many matters of dispute and
on many occasions returned home embracing Islam. Sometimes he himself
argued with the opponents especially atheists.
Apart from religious sciences, he used to teach to some students
mathematics, chemistry, medicine and astronomy. Jabir Ibn Hayyan, the
famous pioneer of physics, chemistry and mathematics, was his disciple who
wrote about four hundred treatises based on his mentor’s instructions.
The jurists who learnt from him and wrote several volumes of books on
jurisprudence can be counted by the hundreds
As to the question of the power
(Qadr) of directing
one’s own actions, the Imam took a middle position, which is neither
compulsion (Jabr) nor committing (Tafviz) the choice to ourselves. He was
accustomed to say in prayer;
”O’ God, thine is the praise that I
give thee, and to thee is the excuse if I sin against thee. There is no
work of merit on my own behalf, or on behalf of another, and in evil there
is no excuse for me or for another”.
Yakubi in his Tarikh remarks in regard to Imam Ja’afar
Sadiq (AS) that , “it was customary for scholars who related anything
from him to say 'the learned one informed us'.” When we recall that
Malik ibn Anas (94-179) the author of Mawatta was a contemporary of the
Imam Ja’afar Sadiq (AS), at least a century before the time of Bukhari
and Muslim, it is significant to find that it is the Imam Ja’afar Sadiq
(AS) who is credited with stating what came to be regarded as the
most significant and important principle to observe in judging traditions:
“What is in agreement with the Book of God, accept it, and whatever is
contrary, reject it”.
Yakubi also relates another saying of the Imam as follows;
"There are two friends, and whoever follows them will
enter paradise”, Some one asked, “ Who are they?” He said, “The
acceptance of that which you dislike when God likes it, and the rejection
of that which you like when God dislikes it.”
Towards the end of his life the Imam was subjected to
severe restrictions by the Abbasid caliph Mansur, who ordered such torture
and merciless killing of many of the descendants of the Prophet (sawas)
who were Shi'ite that his actions even surpassed the cruelty and
heedlessness of the Umayyads. On his order they were arrested in groups,
some thrown into deep and dark prisons and tortured until they died, while
others were beheaded or buried alive or placed at the base of or between
walls of buildings, and walls were constructed over them.
Hisham, the Umayyad caliph, had ordered the sixth Imam to
be arrested and brought to Damascus. Later, the Imam was arrested by
Saffah., the Abbasid caliph, and brought to Iraq. Finally, Mansur had him
arrested again and brought to Samarrah where he had the Imam kept under
supervision and was harsh and discourteous to him, and several times
thought of killing him. Eventually the Imam was allowed-to return to
Medina where he spent the rest of his life in hiding until he was poisoned
and martyred through the intrigue of Mansur.
Upon hearing the news of the imam's martyrdom, Mansur
wrote to the governor of Medina instructing him to go to the house of the
Imam on the pretext of expressing his condolences to the family, to ask
for the Imam's will and testament and read it. Whoever was chosen by the
Imam as his inheritor and successor should be beheaded on the spot.
Of course the aim of Mansur was to put an end to the whole
question of the Imamate and to Shi'ite aspirations. When the governor of
Medina following orders, read the last will and testament. He learnt that
the Imam had chosen four people rather than one to administer his last
will and testament: the caliph himself, the governor of Medina, 'Abdallah
Aftah., the Imam's older son and Musa, his younger son. In this way the
plot of Mansur failed.
|
