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The 5th Imam His Holiness Mohammad Baqir (AS)
The Preserver of the Ascents of Certainty and the Inheritor of the Knowledge
of the Prophets and the Revealer of the Truth of the Esoteric and Exoteric
and the Acquisitor of the Sciences of the First and the Last, His Holiness
Imam Mohammad Baqir. His distinguished
name was Mohammad and patronym of His Holiness was Abu Jafar, his auspicious
titles were Baqir and Hadi and Shahid-ul-Olum
but on account of his mastery in science his most famous title Baqir is used
more than the others. His Holiness has this privilege that he was born in
the family of Imams Hassan (AS) and Hossein (AS), and from two sides he was
born as Alawi and from two sides was descendant of Bani Hashem and from two
directions he was the brightness of the eye of Fatimah Zahra, because his
honorable father His Holiness Ali bin Al-Hossein and his paragon exalted
mother Fatimah known as Umme Abdullah was the kind hearted benevolent
daughter of His Holiness Hassan bin Ali (AS). His blessed birth date was on
the 3rd Safar in the year 57 Hijri (677 AD) and in the event of
Karbala, he was three years old and was
present, and witness to the tragic event of Taff (territory of
Karbala) and with the rest of the family was captivated, then after, at the
time of caliphate of his father went to Medina and for
thirty-four years witnessed the
blessings of companionship of his honorable father. According to most
narrations the title of Baqir was specified and bestowed by His Holiness the
Prophet (PBUH) through Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari to him, because narrations
have reached that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said to Jabir: O' Jabir, it will
be soon that you will see my grandson from my descendants whose name will be
like mine, he will be a splitter of knowledge, just like a cow who splits
the earth, when you see him convey my greetings to him.
His Holiness is famed in magnanimity and generosity and is renowned
for knowledge and wisdom. Traditions and sayings which
have been mentioned from His Holiness
on any subject and in any topic cannot
be enumerated, and the narration books
are full of his wise statements and speeches that citation of the
tithe of the tithe of them is out of the capacity of this document.
Generosities and miracles emanated from His Holiness are too many that to
mention them, it needs many books and publications.
His Holiness as noted before was at the services of his gracious father for
thirty-four years till on the 12th Muharram in the year
94 Hijri (713 AD) when his honorable father His Holiness
Sajjad (AS) passed away, according to
the will of His Holiness was appointed to be the vicegerent and was promoted
to the Imam of the people and the proof of God over everything other than
God. At this time His Holiness was
thirty-seven years old, and
Walid bin Abd-ul-Malik Marwan had sat on the throne of Islamic sultanate.
And His Holiness Baqir (AS) used to spend his leisure time attending and
supervising his farms and properties which he had, till Walid left the
sultanate after nine years and some, and in the year 96 Hijri (715 AD)
hastened towards his final abode and Suleiman bin Abdul Malik sat on the
throne of sultanate and ordered that all government correspondence and
documents in all Islamic regions to be written in the Arabic language and
characters and in the year 98 Hijri (717 AD), Abu Hashem bin Abdullah bin
Mohammad Al Hanafiya who the Shiite of the Kisaniya had devotion towards him
and secretly had inviters around to
invite people to Bayat (swear allegiance) to him, was returning from
Damascus from Suleiman bin Abdul Malik, on the way, on the orders of
Suleiman he was poisoned and when he entered the Hamimiya farm of Mohammad
bin Ali Abdullah bin Abbas the leader of the Bani Abbas, which was his
resident and headquarters of invitation and saw his death as direct vision
and moreover he did not have any children, handed execution of his Will to
Mohammad bin Ali and assigned the affairs of invitation to him and
introduced and recommended his supporters and the
inviters to him and the invitation of
Kisaniya and Abbasiya actually became one, and Mohammad ibn Ali was engaged
in work without a rival, till the year 99 Hijri (718 AD)
approached, and Suleiman bin Abdul Malik became ill and from his bed
wrote his decree based on his vicegerency and sultanate to Amr bin Abdul
Aziz and after him to Yazid bin Abdul Malik. After his death his commander
in chief gathered the people in a masjid according to his orders and in the
name of someone whose name was in the sealed will and testament of Suleiman
was specified, took Bayat (allegiance) from them, then the letter was opened
and was read to the people and revealed the list of those assigned were Amr
bin Abdullah and Yazid bin Abdullah.
Because Amr bin Abdul Aziz was a pious and religious man accepted the
sultanate reluctantly and went to the palace without greed and craving, even
did not use the king's cavalcade and royal coach which was made ready for
him while going to the palace and rode on his own horse and set out to the
palace without formalities. And in his first sermon which he made said:
Swear to God I never was desirous of this position nor actually neither
intentionally and at present if there are a group who are averse from my caliphate I am
ready to put down this burden from my shoulder. In one voice the crowd said:
if you do want to cause sedition and corruption and dissension among the
people, stay faithful in the affairs of the
caliphate and consider all submissive and followers to yourself.
Anyway, Amr bin Abdul Aziz was a just man and abstemious and as far as he
could he tried to spread social justice and preservation of the Islamic
precepts and customs and he would work
in the execution of brotherhood and equality among Muslims. The very first
good act he did was that he prohibited
repulsive behavior and wicked acts of his predecessors, meaning he forbade
and abolished cursing and bad saying about His Holiness Commander of the
Faithful (AS) in tribunes and wrote letters to all cities and towns
prohibiting this wicked act and ordered if anyone endeavors in such affairs,
he would severely punish him. Next, in
the first year of his caliphate, he
sent yields of Fadak which his predecessors used to seize and in that year
amounted to six thousand Dinars to his governor in Medina so that he can
distribute it to the Bani Fatima’s children. During the time he went to
Medina, commanded that Fadak, to be
given back to His Holiness Baqir.
In brief Amr bin Abdul Aziz left his
caliphate and passed away in the month of Rajab in the year 101 Hijri (720
AD) after two years and some months. It is said his tribe and relatives who
were discontent with his
justice-seeking and administration of
justice, poisoned him. After him according to the will, Suleiman Yazid bin
Abdul Malik sat on the throne of sultanate and emirate in his place. He was
the grandson of Yazid bin Muawiyah
from his mother’s side and grandson of Marwan
bin Al-Hakam from his father’s side. The essence of his heredity was kneaded
with tyranny and hardheartedness, and
his nature was conjoined with impiety and wickedness, in the short duration
of his sultanate,
he did such injustice and impieties
that disclosure of them is shameful. After one year of his sultanate he
compelled the people to swear allegiance to his brother
Hisham bin Abdul Malik and after him
to his son Valid and for four years and some he ruled accompanied with
oppression and tyranny. Finally in the month of Shaaban in the year 105
Hijri (724 AD) he died and went to the other world. After him
Hisham bin Abdul Malik sat on the throne of sultanate and in the
year 106 Hijri (725 AD) went to the house of God for pilgrimage and in the
Masjid-al-Haram saw His Holiness Imam Mohammad Baqir who was sitting in a
corner, to examine his knowledge through Salem his servant, asked questions
to His Holiness and heard adequate and sufficient answers. After returning
back to Damascus demanded to see His
Holiness. His Holiness with his honourable
son Sadiq went to Damascus. That apostate after three days time gave His
Holiness permission to meet him when
he was engaged in archery with a group and with insistence compelled His
Holiness to participate in arrow shooting. His Holiness shot at the target
and successively aimed nine arrows to the target wooden post in the same
place of the first arrow. The fire of jealousy and hatred blazed in the
chest of Hisham and he was decisive to
kill His Holiness, but he pretended not to become exasperated and treated
his Holiness with respect and honour and that time when His Holiness expressed an
inclination to return to Medina, he
agreed to the request. According to the
narrations, His Holiness Baqir (AS) made a journey to Damascus during
the time of Abdul Malik Marwan that
the matter about instructions to mint Islamic coins was
rendered
on the same
voyage. The event of
occurring such a
journey would have been done during
the lifetime of his
honourable father His Holiness Sayed
Sajjad; and according to the indication of that
noble Hazrat when Abdul Malik summoned
His Holiness Sajjad, His Holiness due to old age must have sent his
exuberant son His Excellency Baqir instead of himself. This case was
recorded as such, that one day a sum of money and goods were brought to
Abdul Malik from Egypt, he became aware of the symbols and design on the
products and garments which were
printed in Roman characters and commanded to translate them into the Arabic
language. It became known that their symbols were (Father, Son and the Holy
Ghost). Abdul Malik considered the circulation of this slogan which was
against the monotheism of Islam among the Muslims as impermissible and
ordered where ever they observed this symbol in the Islamic cities to
eradicate it and engrave and stamp the slogan “Allah bears witness that
there is no God but He” and he would imprison and torment anyone
thereafter if the goods with the former symbol was seen with anyone, when
this news reached the country of Rome, the emperor of Rome sent a letter to
Abdul Malik along with presents and gifts and wrote in that letter, this
Roman symbol is always ornament of goods from the countries of Rome for any
borders and region. Now I request that the
caliph commands cancellation of the decree to change the symbol.
Abdul Malik returned the gifts and did not answer his letter. The emperor of
Rome again wrote a threatening letter to Abdul Malik that if he does not
order the aforesaid decree to be cancelled, he will order to engrave insults
and curse the Prophet of Islam on the Dirham and Dinar which is a medium of
trade in every bazaar and are circulated in every city and country, Abdul
Malik merged in thought in his own work because during that time Roman
Dirham and Dinars were circulating
everywhere. He gathered the wise and grandees of the people and consulted
with them; no one could suggest reconciliation for the case and for no one’s
solution was sufficient. Finally one of the consultants said it would be
better if we ask the solution of the problem from the family of prophecy and
household of the prophetic messenger who is
more learned in the affairs of religion. Abdul Malik was delighted from this
suggestion and requested either from His Holiness Baqir to come to Damascus
or asked His Holiness Sajjad to go to Damascus. His Holiness due to old
age and weak physical health sent His
Holiness Baqir to Damascus instead of himself.
Anyway, according to the narrations, the governor of Medina sent His
Holiness Baqir (AS) to Damascus in a
dignified and respectable condition. His Holiness arrived at Abdul
Malik's palace, and Abdul Malik
explained the situation and requested for a solution. His Holiness said:
rectifying this situation is not so
complicated as you think, the solution for this is that you
immediately order to gather a group of coin minters, and make them available
the tools for minting coins so that they can be engaged in
minting Islamic Dinar and Dirham and
each Dirham with 50 grams and each Dinar with weight of 35 grams and on one
side of the coin to engrave Surah of Toheed
(Unity) and on the other side
engrave testimony of the prophetic
mission of the Prophet of Islam and also engrave the date and place of
minting on each coin, then in each Islamic city as required to establish a
mint and to engage in minting coins and distribute the Islamic coins among
the people and to make a ruling to do business with Islamic coins and forbid
transactions with foreign coins and order that anyone who has foreign coins
must exchange with Islamic coins. After this, whoever has foreign coins with
goods engraved with the nullified symbol to be imprisoned and persecuted.
Abdul Malik was delighted and enforced the instructions of His Holiness and
dismissed the messenger of the emperor of Rome with a few Islamic coins and
wrote to the emperor of Rome: We do not have any need for your Dirham and
Dinar after this time, and the
Almighty God will not give you victory for the heinous act you had in mind.
Then he returned His Holiness Baqir (AS) to Medina respectfully. This event
was recorded in history in the year 76 Hijri (696
AD), and at this time the age of His
Holiness Baqir was about twenty years old. Anyway His Holiness Baqir
reclined on the throne of Divine Imamate and caliphate and was engaged in
publication of sciences and broadcasting the narrations and traditions of
his great ancestors and high exalted
fathers and traditions of His Holiness the best of the people (PBUH) (namely
the Holy Prophet) till the year 114 Hijri (733 AD). The narrations and
traditions from His Holiness in every subject are so numerous and
abundant, and his generosity is so extensive and so much
distinguished that recording them is not possible except in many volumes and
the author is excused from mentioning them in this document.
His Holiness was poisoned by Hisham
bin Abdul Malik on the influence of backbiting by Zaid bin Al-Hassan by
means of applying poison on His Holiness’s horse’s saddle, or it is said by
putting poison in His Holiness’s food, that on the 7th Dulhajjah
114 Hijri (733 AD) in a place called Hammima
or in Medina he was martyred and was united with his respected fathers. His
sacred body was buried in Al Baqi. His Holiness’s age during the time of his
martyrdom was a little less than fifty-seven
years, and his Imamate was for a
period of twenty years and some. His Holiness on his deathbed said to his
worthy son His Holiness Sadiq (AS) to bring in his presence a group of the
Quraysh and in their presence expressed his precepts to His Holiness (Sadiq)
and appointed him as guardian and his successor and Imam of the people and
introduced him.
Marriage and children of His Holiness:
His Holiness had two formal (non–bondswoman) wives: First Umme Farwah bint
Qasim bin Mohammad bin Abi Bakr who was the
exalted mother of His Holiness Sadiq and His Excellency Abdullah.
Second, Umme Hakim bint Asad bin Muqaira al-Thagafahi who was the mother of
His Excellency Ibrahim and Abdullah Akbar and the rest of His Holiness’s
children were from (Umme–Walad)
bondswomen.
The children of His Holiness were five
boys and two girls:
1 .His Holiness Jaffer Sadiq
2. Abdullah
3. Ibrahim
4. Abdullah Asghar
5. Ali
And Daughters:
1. Zainab
2.Umme Salama
Some notable disciples of His Holiness
1. Jaber bin Yazid Al-Jo’fi that
according to the narration in Bihar,
he was the outstanding companion of
His Holiness.
2. Mohammad bin Muslim bin Riyah
Al-Kufi
3. Aban bin Taghlab
4. Zarareh bin
A’ayon
5. Abul Qasim Yazid bin Muawiyah
Ijli
6. Abu Nasir Laith bin Al-Bakhtari
Al-Moradi
7. Abu Obaid Ziyad bin Isa
8. Ibn Abi Ya’fur
9. Abu Hamzeh Somali
10. Abdullah bin Shareek Al-Ameri
11. Saa’d bin Zarif Al-Hanzali
12. Salem bin Abi Hafasah Al-Ijli
13. Ibn Abi Maymon Ismail bin Abdul
Khaliq
14. Hamran bin
A’yon Al-Sheybani
15. Mohammad bin Qaith Abu Nasr
Al-Asadi
16. Ismael Abul Fazl bin Yaqoob
17. Abu Harun
18. Rafeh bin Ziad
Ashja Al-Kufi
19. Ismael bin Ammar bin Abi Hayyan
Contemporary Caliphs and Rulers of His Holiness:
1. Walid bin Abdul Malik
2. Suleiman bin Abdul Malik
3. Amr bin Abdul Aziz
4. Yazid bin Abdul Malik
5. Hisham bin Abdul Malik.
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