THE BIOGRAPHY OF IMAM BAQIR (AS)

[Taqavi]

 

What is the biography of Imam al-Baqir (AS) like?

 

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS), full name Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, is the fifth of the Twelve Imams and one of the Fourteen Infallibles in Shia Islam. His title “al-Baqir” reflects his profound knowledge and ability to uncover the depths of divine wisdom.

His noble mother, Fatimah bint Imam Hasan (AS), linked him to both the Alawite and Fatimid lineages, highlighting the honor and purity of his ancestry.[1] Imam al-Baqir was born in Medina, with most Shia sources citing 57 AH as his birth year, [2] though some mention 56 AH. [3] The exact date of birth varies, with reports suggesting either the 1st of Rajab[4] or the 3rd of Safar. [5]

He was the first Imam whose lineage united the descendants of both Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (AS). His mother, Umm Abdullah, was the daughter of Imam Hasan (AS). He was known for his truthfulness, radiant character, and unwavering dedication to the path of truth. [6]

Despite not being the eldest son of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (AS), Imam al-Baqir (AS) was divinely appointed to lead the Ummah. When asked why he did not pass the Imamate to his eldest son, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (AS) replied that leadership is based on wisdom and merit, not age, and that the Prophet (SAW) had designated Imam al-Baqir (AS) for this role. [7]

Imam al-Baqir (AS) married two noble women: Umm Farwa bint al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, a descendant of Imam Hasan (AS), and Umm Hakim bint Usayd ibn al-Mughira al-Thaqafi from the noble Thaqafi tribe of Ta’if. Additionally, two other women, whose names are not recorded, were honored to be his wives. [8]

Most sources mention that Imam al-Baqir (AS) had six children—four sons and two daughters—though some historical accounts differ in names and numbers, reflecting the diversity of narrations. [9]

During his lifetime, Imam al-Baqir (AS) witnessed the rule of five Umayyad caliphs: al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik, and Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Among them, only ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz showed some departure from the oppressive policies of his predecessors, while the others continued the legacy of tyranny and repression. [10]

The Islamic society during Imam al-Baqir (AS)’s time was on the verge of a major transformation. Beneath a surface of calm, widespread dissatisfaction simmered, eventually leading to the Abbasid revolution after the Imam’s martyrdom, during the era of Imam al-Sadiq (AS).

Imam al-Baqir (AS)’s opposition to the Umayyad regime was evident in many events, including his Hajj journey with Imam al-Sadiq (AS) during Hisham’s reign. After Imam al-Sadiq (AS) clarified the divine status of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) in Mecca, Hisham summoned them to Damascus. There, Imam al-Baqir (AS) impressed the court with his archery skills, but the real confrontation was intellectual. He emphasized, based on the Qur’an, that divine knowledge and the true interpretation of the Qur’an were entrusted solely to Imam Ali and his descendants (AS). This sacred knowledge is a legacy exclusive to the family of the Prophet (SAW), inaccessible to others. [11]

After a lifetime of spiritual, intellectual, and political struggle against the Umayyad regime, Imam al-Baqir (AS) was poisoned by order of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, carried out by Ibrahim ibn al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik. [12]

There is some variation in historical sources regarding the exact year of his martyrdom, ranging from 113 to 118 AH. [13] However, most scholars agree on the year 114 AH, with his age at the time being 57. [14] The month and day of his passing are also disputed, but the 7th of Dhu al-Hijjah is most commonly cited. [15]

 

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[1] . Manaqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, Ibn Shahrāshūb, vol. 3, p. 338.

[2] . Al-Kāfī, Shaykh al-Kulaynī, vol. 1, p. 469 / Al-Irshād, Shaykh al-Mufīd, vol. 2, p. 158.

[3] . Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, al-Dhahabī, Shams al-Dīn, vol. 4, p. 401.

[4] . Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, p. 801 / Biḥār al-Anwār, ʿAllāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 46, p. 212.

[5] . Aʿyān al-Shīʿah, al-Amīn, Sayyid Muḥsin, vol. 1, p. 645 / Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, Ibn Khallikān, vol. 4, p. 174.

[6] . Manaqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, Ibn Shahrāshūb, vol. 3, p. 338.

[7] . Zindagānī-ye Bāqir al-ʿUlūm Ḥaḍrat Muḥammad ibn (AS), Madrasī, Sayyid Muḥammad Taqī, p. 11.

[8] . Biḥār al-Anwār, ʿAllāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 64, p. 365.

[9] . Kashf al-Ghummah, Ibn Abī al-Fatḥ al-Arbilī, vol. 2, p. 331 / al-Majdī fī Ansāb al-Ṭālibīn, al-ʿAlawī, ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad, p. 94.

[10] . Partowī az Sīrah va Sīmā-ye Imām Muḥammad Bāqir, Muḥammad Tījānī Samāwī, p. 3.

[11] . Dalāʾil al-Imāmah, al-Ṭabarī al-Ṣaghīr, Muḥammad ibn Jarīr, p. 233.

[12] . Manaqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, Ibn Shahrāshūb, vol. 3, p. 340 / al-Imām Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (AS) Sīrah wa Tārīkh, al-Kaʿbī, ʿAlī Mūsā, p. 292 / al-Iʿtiqādāt, Shaykh al-Mufīd, p. 98 / al-Iʿtiqādāt, Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, p. 98 / Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl, ʿAllāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 6, p. 14.

[13] . al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, Ibn Saʿd, vol. 5, p. 324 / al-Kāmil fī al-Tārīkh, Ibn al-Athīr, ʿIzz al-Dīn, vol. 5, p. 180 / Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, Aḥmad ibn Abī Yaʿqūb, vol. 2, p. 320.

[14] . Shadharāt al-Dhahab fī Akhbār Man Dhahab, Ibn al-ʿImād al-Ḥanbalī, vol. 2, p. 72 / Biḥār al-Anwār, ʿAllāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 46, p. 212.

[15] . Biḥār al-Anwār, ʿAllāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 46, p. 212 / Aʿyān al-Shīʿah, al-Amīn, Sayyid Muḥsin, vol. 1, p. 645.