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Ja'far al-Sadiq (Arabic: جعفر الصادق) (April 20, 702 – December 4, 765), in full Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayn, is considered the sixth Shi'a imam by Ja’fari Shi'a Muslims. He was a theologian and jurist. His rulings are the basis of the Jafari school of Shi'a jurisprudence (fiqh); but he is well respected by Sunnis for his contributions to the Sunni scholarship as well. The dispute over who was to succeed him led to the split of the Ismailis from the mainstream Twelver Shi'a and the establishment of the Aga Khan's family line.
Birth and family life
Ja'far al-Sadiq was born Ja'far ibn Muhammad in Medina on April 20, 702. He was the son of Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Shi'a imam, and the grandson of Ali ibn Husayn, the fourth Shi'a imam. He was a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, through Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima Zahra and their son Husayn ibn Ali. His mother Farwah binte al-Qasim was the great-granddaughter of Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the early Islamic state.
Scholarly attainments
As a child, Ja'far studied under his grandfather, Ali ibn Husayn. After his grandfather's death, he studied under and accompanied his father, Muhammad al-Baqir, until Muhammad died in 743.
Ja'far became well versed in Islamic sciences, including Hadith, Sunnah, and the Quran. In addition to his knowledge of Islamic sciences, Ja'far was also an adept in natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, anatomy, alchemy and other subjects.
The foremost Islamic alchemist, Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan, known in Europe as Geber, was Jafar's most prominent student. Ja'far was known for his liberal views on learning, and was keen to debate with scholars of different faiths and of different beliefs.
The Shi'a believe that the founders of three schools of Sunni jurisprudence studied under Ja'far and should be considered his students; the Sunni say that this unduly exaggerates Jafar's influence. Many scholars attended each other's lectures.
Scholars believed to have studied extensively with Ja'far:
1. Jabir Ibn Hayyan - known in Europe as Geber, a great alchemist
2. Musa al-Kazim - his son, the seventh Shi’a imam according to the Jafari Madhab
Sunni scholars who either attended Ja'far's lectures or studied with him: 1. Wasil ibn Ata - founder of the Mutazilite school of thought
2. Abu Hanifa - founder of the Hanafi school of thought
3. Malik ibn Anas - founder of the Maliki school of thought
Under the Umayyad rulers
Ja'far al-Sadiq lived in violent times. Ja'far was considered by many followers of 'Ali to be the sixth Shi'a imam, however, the Shi'as were considered heretics and rebels by the Umayyad caliphs. Many of Jafar's relatives had died at the hands of the Umayyad. Shortly after his father's death, Jafar's uncle, Zayd bin Ali led a rebellion against the Umayyad. Ja'far did not participate, but many of his kinsmen, including his uncle, were killed, and others were punished. There were other rebellions during these last years of the Umayyad, before the Abbasids succeeded in grasping the caliphate and establishing the Abbasid dynasty in 750 CE, when Ja'far was forty-eight years old.
Many rebel factions tried to convince Ja'far al-Sadiq to support their claims. Ja'far evaded their requests without explicitly advancing his own claims. He is said to burned their letters (letters promising him the caliphate) commenting, "This man is not from me and cannot give me what is in the province of Allah". Jafar's prudent silence on his true views is said to have established Taqiyya as a Shi'a doctrine. Taqiyya says that it is acceptable to hide one's true opinions if by revealing them, one put oneself or others in danger.
Under the Abbasid rulers
The new Abbasid rulers, who had risen to power on the basis of their claim to descent from Muhammad's uncle Abbas, were extremely suspicious of Ja'far, whom many considered to have a better claim to the caliphate. Ja'far was watched closely and, occasionally, imprisoned to cut his ties with his followers. Ja'far endured the persecution patiently and continued his study and writing wherever he found himself.
He died on December 4, 765. Some say that he was poisoned, thus becoming a martyr, like the Shi'a imams before him. He is buried in Medina, in the famous Jannat al-Baqi cemetery.
The Imamate
After Jafar's death, there arose a major split between the partisans of the Ithna Ashari Shi’as (Twelvers) and the Ismailis. The Ismailis felt that Jafar's first son, Ismail bin Jafar, was the rightful successor as the seventh imam. On the other hand, the Ithna Asharis felt that Ismail's younger brother Musa al-Kazim was the rightful successor to Jafar. The Ismailis eventually became a separate sect; their supreme spiritual leaders, the Aga Khans, are descendants of Ismail.
Sayings
1. Whoever attacks a matter without knowledge cuts off his own nose. 2. Intellect is the guide of the believer.
3. The perfection of intellect is in three (things): humbleness for God, good certainty, and silence except for good.
4. Ignorance is in three (things): Arrogance, the intensity of dispute, and the ignorance about God.
5. Certainly, knowledge is a lock and its key is the question.
6. When the believer becomes angry, his anger should not take him out of the truth; and when he becomes satisfied, his satisfaction should not bring him into falsehood.
7. Some manners of the ignorant are: the answer before he hears, the opposition before he understands, and the judgment with what he does not know.
Anecdotes
Someone once asked Ja'far to show him God. The imam replied, "Look at the sun." The man replied that he could not look at the sun because it was too bright. Said Ja'far: "If you cannot see the created, how can you expect to see the creator?"
See also
External links
702 births | 765 deaths | Shia Imams
جعفر الصادق | Dschaʿfar as-Sādiq | Jafar as-Sadiq | Jafer Sadiq | İmam Cafer-i Sadık
"Ja'far al-Sadiq"