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- Hasan and al-Husayn, peace be on them,
showed the same ability in knowledge of religion, traditions,
the sunna, 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 among the descendants
of Ali. 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 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-Hasan, 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-Husayn, 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-Husayn 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-Hasan, al-Husayn
and Ali b. al- Husayn, 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.
