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Nurmuhammad Site Muhammadan Reality Site
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The son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, son of al-Imam Zain al-'Abidin, son of al-Husayn, son of Ali bin Abi Talib (r), Ja'far was born on the eighth of Ramadan in the year 83 H. His mother was the daughter of al-Qassim (r), whose great grandfather was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r). He spent his life in worship and acts of piety for the sake of Allah. He rejected all positions of fame in favor of cuzla or isolation from the lower world. One of his contemporaries, cUmar ibn Abi-l- Muqdam, said, "When I look at Ja'far bin Mu ammad I see the lineage and the secret of the Prophet Muhammad (s) united in him." He received from the Prophet (s) two lines of inheritance: the secret of the Prophet (s) through 'Ali (r) and the secret of the Prophet (s) through Abu Bakr (r). In him the two lineages met and for that reason he was called "The Inheritor of the Prophetic Station (Maqam an-Nubuwwa) and the Inheritor of the Truthful Station (Maqam as-siddiqiyya)." In him was reflected the light of the knowledge of Truth and Reality. That light shone forth and that knowledge was spread widely through him during his lifetime. Ja'far narrated from his father, Mu ammad al-Baqir, that a man came to his grandfather, Zain al-'Abidin, and said, "Tell me about Abu Bakr!" He said, "You mean as-Siddiq?" The man said, "How do you call him as-Siddiq when he is against you, the Family of the Prophet (s)?" He replied, "Woe to you. The Prophet (s) called him as-Siddiq, and Allah accepted his title of as-Siddiq. If you want to come to me, keep the love of Abu Bakr and 'Umar in your heart." Ja'far said, "The best intercession that I hope for is the intercession of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r)." From him is reported also the following invocation: "O Allah, You are my Witness that I love Abu Bakr and I love 'Umar and if what I am saying is not true may Allah cut me off from the intercession of Mu ammad (s)." He took the knowledge of hadith from two sources: from his father through 'Ali (r) and from his maternal grandfather al-Qassim. Then he increased his knowledge of hadith by sitting with 'Urwa, 'Aata, Na'fi and Zuhri. The two Sufyans, Sufyan ath-Thawri and Sufyan bin Ayinah, Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa, and al-Qattan all narrated hadith through him, as did many others from later hadith scholars. He was a mufassir al-Qur'an or master in exegesis, a scholar of jurisprudence, and one of the greatest mujtahids (qualified to give legal decisions) in Madinah. Ja'far (r) acquired both the external religious knowledge as well as the internal confirmation of its reality in the heart. The latter was reflected in his many visions and miraculous powers, too numerous to tell. One time someone complained to al-Mansur, the governor of Madinah, about Ja'far (r). They brought him before Mansur and asked the man who had complained, "Do you swear that Ja'far did as you say?" He said, "I swear that he did that." Ja'far said, "Let him swear that I did what he accused me of and let him swear that Allah punish him if he is lying." The man insisted on his complaint and Ja'far insisted that he take the oath. Finally the man accepted to take the oath. No sooner were the words of the oath out of his mouth than he fell down dead. Once he heard that al-Hakm bin al-'Abbas al-Kalbi crucified his own uncle Zaid on a date palm. He was so unhappy about this that he raised his hands and said, "O Allah send him one of your dogs to teach him a lesson." Only a brief time passed before al-Hakm was eaten by a lion in the desert. Imam at-Tabari narrates that Wahb said, "I heard Layth ibn Sacd say, I went on pilgrimage in the year 113 H., and after I prayed 'Asr I was reading some verses of the Holy Qur'an and I saw someone sitting beside me invoking Allah saying 'Ya Allah, Ya Allah...' repeatedly until he lost his breath. He then continued by saying 'Ya Hayy, Ya Hayy...' until his breath was again lost. He then raised his hands and said, 'O Allah, I have the desire to eat grapes, O Allah give me some. And my robe (jubba) is becoming so old and tattered, please O Allah grant me a new one.' Laith bin Sa'ad said that 'He had hardly finished his words before a basket of grapes appeared in front of him, and at that time there were no grapes in season. Beside the basket of grapes there appeared two cloaks more beautiful than I had ever seen before.' I said, 'O my partner let me share with you.' He said, 'How are you a partner?' I replied, 'You were praying and I was saying Amin.' Then Imam Ja'far said, 'Then come and eat with me,' and he gave me one of the two cloaks. Then he walked off until he met a man who said, 'O son of the Prophet (s), cover me because I have nothing but these tattered garments to cover me.' He immediately gave him the cloak that he had just received. I asked that man, 'Who is that?' He replied, 'That is the great Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq.' I ran after him to find him but he had disappeared." This is only a sample of the many anecdotes and stories of the karamat (miraculous events worked by Allah through whomever He chooses) of Ja'far as-Sadiq (r). From his knowledge he used to say to Sufyan ath-Thawri, "If Allah bestows on you a favor, and you wish to keep that favor, then you must praise and thank Him excessively, because He said, "If you are thankful Allah will increase for you" [14:7]. He also said, "If the door of provision is closed for you, then make a great deal of istighfaar (begging forgiveness), because Allah said, "Seek forgiveness of your Lord, certainly Your Lord is oft-Forgiving" [11:52]. And he said to Sufyan, "If you are upset by the tyranny of a Sultan or other oppression that you witness, say "There is no change and no power except with Allah," because it is the key to Relief and one of the Treasures of Paradise." From His Sayings"The Nun [letter "n"] at the beginning of Surat 68 represents the light of Pre-eternity, out of which Allah created all creations, and which is Mu ammad (s). That is why He said in the same surat [verse 4]: 'Truly Thou art of a sublime nature' -- that is: you were priviledged with that light from pre-eternity." His DeathImam Ja'far (RAA) passed away in 148 H. and was buried in Jannat al-Baqi in the same grave as that of his father, Muhammad al-Baqir, his grandfather, Zain al-'Abidin, and the uncle of his grandfather, al-Hasan ibn 'Ali (r). |