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The Fourth Imam: Ali ibne al-Husain (AS)

Name: Ali

Title: Zain al-Abideen

Epithet: Abu Muhammad

Father: Husain bin Ali

Mother: Shabar Bano binte Yazdigard III

Date of Birth: Jamadiul Awwal, 37 AH (January 6,659 AD)

Place of Birth: Madinah

Progeny: from Umm Abd Allah binte al-Hasan

One: Muhammad (al-Baqir)

He had many other children from other wives

Date of Death: Muharram 25, 95 AH (October 20, 713 AD)

He lived to an age of 54 years

Place of Death: Madinah

Place of Burial: Jannatul-Baqi’

THE LIFE OF ALI IBN Al-HUSAIN

FROM BIRTH TO THE TRAGEDY OF KARBALA

Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen was only two years of age when his grandfather, Imam Ali (the First Imam) was killed during prayers in the month of Ramadhan in the main mosque of Najaf (near Kufa). He was a youth of fourteen years when he saw the life and the painful death of his uncle Imam Hasan (the Second Imam). He was about twenty-three years of age when he accompanied his father, Imam Husain (the Third Imam) and witnessed the events of the tragedy of Karbala. Before he finally left his camp, Imam Husain came to the bedside of his sick son Ali, and bestowed the onerous duty of Imamate on him.

Imam Ali ibn al-Husain survived the massacre only because he was physically unable to go out to the battlefield due to his sickness. However, on the next day after the blood bath of his family and friends, he was hand tied and put in shackles, and marched on foot from the battlefield, first to Kula and then to Damascus. On this joumey of painful suffering, his aunt Zaina binte Ali ibne Abi Tallb, the sister of Imam Husain and other surviving widows and children, accompanied him.

After Karbala, he lived for another thirty-four years under the tyrannical rule of several Marwanid caliphs who took personal gratification in inflicting abuse and torture to him and his followers.

THE JOURNEY OF THE CAPTIVES OF KARBALA

The hand-tied captives were not tongue-tied. Despite the recent inflections of the loss of loved ones in the battlefield, lack of recuperation from the torturous thirst and starvation of women and children, the rag tag caravan manifested tremendous courage by defying their physical difficulties and continuing to preach the truth to the on-lookers who had gathered to line up the caravan route.

The apparent victors were pleased with their achievement of the decimation of the Imam's carnp. During their passage through the streets and bazaars of Kufa, the eloquent speeches made by the captive sister of Imam Husain, and his son Imam All Zain al-Abideen told their painful story to the onlookers who had come to line up the caravan route. When they learned and realized who the captives were, they cried out aloud and openly rebuked the killers of the family of the Prophet of Islam. From then on, the caravan was led to Damascus via an unfrequented route to prevent possible reprisals.

The retelling of the story by the captives continued every inch of the way to the palace of Yazid. This rendered an extremely valuable service to the cause of Imam Husain and made the victors look aggressors thirsty for the blood of the Imam and his family. They were then thrown in prison for a period of over one-year. Many children and the weak succumbed to fatigue and grief throughout the caravan route as well as within the prison.

RETURN OF THE CAPTIVES TO MADINAH

When the caravan of the survivors arrived in Madinah, the family and fiiends of the Imam met and told the events of the previous year to each other. Some devotees were so overwhelmed with grief that they took a trip to Damascus in 63 AH to protest against Yazid and his deeds. This infuriated the tyrant caliph. He unleashed his Syrian army on to Madinah under a most ruthless Umayyad connnander named Muslim bin Uqba. There was a bloody battle at Harrah al-Waqim, a small town just north of Madinah. Thousands of Madinan Muslims perished along with many learned and respectable elders. After the battle the soldiers ravaged the city for three full days, burning property, and looting freely homes and businesses. They drank without any inhibition and thronged the streets throwing obscenities on the surviving residents. Horrible was the havoc the Syrians played on life and limb and chaste womanhood. It is said that when they departed, they left many families and the city in utter ruins.

After the sack of Madinah, Muslim bin Uqba proceeded to Makkah to subdue and arrest the separatist Abd Allah bin Zubayr. However, on the way Muslim died near the town of Jaffa, and the command passed over to Haseen bin Numayr al-Sakooni. Approaching Makkah, they occupied the surrounding hills, and laid siege to the city for sixty-four days. They threw projectiles of fire and rock on the city causing ruinous damage to the holy sanctuary. It was at this time that the news of the death of Yazid was received and the siege of Makkah was lifted. The tyrant Umayyad captain withdrew to Damascus. This gave the much-needed reprieve to the self-proclaimed caliph of Makkah, Abd Allah bin Zubayr. He started to rebuild the holy mosque and to repair the damages caused by the Umayyad army.

There was not even a single day in the life of the Imam after Karbala that he was seen without tears in his eyes. He used to pray to Allah with such intensity and devotion that he earned the names of Syed u's-Sajad, al-Abid and Zain al-Abideen.

THE LIFE OF IMAM ZAIN AL-ABIDEEN DURING OTHER UMAYYAD CALIPHS OF HIS TIME

The tragedy of Karbala brought a wave of turmoil in the heartland of the Muslim world as well as to the house of Abu Sufyan.

After the death of Yazid bin Muawiyah in 64 AH, the succession to the throne came to his son Muawiyah bin Yazid. However, he declined it. He considered the Caliphate to have been usurped by his family, and refused to have any thing to do with it. For forty days, he did not leave his quarters in the palace. It is said that he died there with the cause of death unknown. Marwan bin Hakam, who had been managing the govenunent during this period of lull, declared himself the next caliph. However, the caliphate of Marwan was only short lived. He died in the year 65 AH and his son Abd al-Malik became the Caliph.

After Karbala, there was a faction of the believers who felt penitent over their betrayal of Imam Husain, and having the Umayyads butcher the innocent members of his family. This is known as the Tawwabun movement. They mustered a force of 16,000 strong under Sulayman bin Surad and marched towards Syria. The Umayyad force met them at Ain ul-Wada on the Euphrates. The Tawwabun charged with desperate passion, but perished at the hands of the superior Syrian army. Only a few returned to tell the story of the disaster.

There were others who were confused over why Imam Ali Zain al ­Abideen was not taking up arms against the tyranny of the Umayyads. They converged towards Muhammade Hanafia, the pious uncle of the Imam and wanted him to lead them against the tyrants. However, the question over the rightful successor to Imamate was settled in favor of Imam Ali Zain al ­Abideen the two met for Haj in Makkah. The separatists were not satisfied as the Imam refused to take up arms against the ruler or to participate in any political ambition.

The death of Yazid did bring a new wave of revolution in the province of Hijaz. Abd Allah bin Zubayr became more active in Makkah in pursuit of his campaign for a separatist movement which he had started in 64 AH. He was able to gather support for his claim from Hijaz, as well as the provinces of Iraq and Yemen. After establishing his rule in these provinces, he started his own campaign of revenge against the friends and the family of Imam Ali on account of the disposition of his father who had joined the army of Ayesha in the battle of The Carnel. The veterans like the pious Muhammad Hanafia and Ibne Abbas, among others, were arrested for execution. However, they were salvaged by the short rule of Muk-htar that had just been established in Kufa in 64 AH.

After the disaster of Ain ul-Wada, the Kufans rose again under Mukhtar bin Abu Ubaid al-Thaqafi. They sacked the governor of Abd Allah bin Zubayr and installed Muk-htar as their caliph. Muk-htar approached Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen to endorse his political venture against the Umayyad tyrants, and to lead his followers. The Imam declined his invitation. However, Mukhtar then turned to Muhammade Hanafia and was able to enlist him to be his patron. Thereafter, in the year 66 AH, in a series of successful battles, his forces rounded up the captains of the Umayyad army who were responsible for the massacre of Karbala and the sack of the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah, and had them beheaded for their despicable crimes.

In 67 AH, Abd Allah bin Zubayr regained control of the province of Iraq and sent his own brother Mus'ab bin Zubayr against Mukhtar. The city of Kufa was besieged and taken. Muk-htar was defeated and killed in battle.

When Abd al-Malik became the caliph, Abd Allah bin Zubayr was fairly established in Hijaz and Iraq. He decided to reclaim Hijaz and Iraq under the Umayyad rule. He chose Hujaj bin Yusuf as his right hand commander and despatched him to Iraq to subdue the rebel provinces. To this end, the caliph and his governor together earned for themselves the title of the most cruel and tyrannical rulers in the history of Islam. Hujaj achieved his goals by a whole sale massacre of all those who claimed any connection with Imam Ali or his progeny. The holy city of Makkah was ransacked once again, and slaughtered the separatist Abd Allah bin Zubayr in Makkah in 73 AH. His head was hung over the main road leading in andout of the city. Most Aliyyids and their followers ran for their lives and escaped to the relative safety of lands on the outer periphery of the kingdom. With the elimination of Mukhtar in Iraq, and Abd Allah in Hijaz, the entire Muslim world once again came under the rule of a single Umayyad Caliph. New conquests started at the Far West and Far East of the Caliphate, and the Caliph was able to attend to the consolidation of the internal affairs as well.

However, in the same vein as his predecessors regarding the Hashimite clan, the Caliph Abd al-Malik also kept a watchftd eye on the hnarn and his family. He used to call the Imam periodically to his court in Damascus. When Abd'al-Malik died in 86 AH, his son Walid succeeded him to the throne.

Walid was also a tyrant 'in his own ways. For the next ten years of his rule, he maintained the tradition of his predecessors and did not spare the Imam from his abuse. When he decreed that the Prophefs mosque at Madinah be enlarged the contiguous grounds were obtained by evicting the Hashimites from their homes without compensation.

The few devout believers that survived the relentless persecution of the rules of the time were grieved at the amount of abuse thrown at the Imam. Once some one taunted the Imam while he was heading to Makkah for Haj, and said, "You have chosen the relative ease of the Haj in favor of the difficulty of Jihad." The Imam replied, "Only if I had true believers behind me, I would change my Haj to Jihad."

Despite the difficult times faced by the hna@ he continued his service to Islam and to all those who sought from him the interpretation of al-Qtwan or the Sunnah of the Prophet. He managed to convey the lessons of the belief and the practice of Islam by a unique medium. He did this through prayers and supplications. These have been collected in the form of a book popularly known as SAHIFAHAS-SAJJADIYYA. An elegant English translation of this book is now available.

THE MARTYRDOM OF IMAM ALI IBN Al-HUSAIN

Even the very existence of the pious Imam was considered a threat by the rulers of his time. Hisham, a brother of Abd al-Malik, poisoned the Imam who died in Madinah in the year 95 AH, at the age of 57 years. He was buried in the graveyard of Jannat ul-Baqic. Before his death, the Imam called his son Muhammad and entrusted the responsibility of the Imamate to him.

Although his son Muhammad al-Baqir fulfilled the needs of the believers by carrying out the functions of his assignment with spectacular brilliance, the painful death of his father left a void in the lives of his companions. People remembered the Imam for his, forbearance, piety, patience, and knowledge, and for the sufferings he had to endure throughout his life.

His aunt Zainab, the sister of Imam Husain, shared the life and suffering of the Imam. Together they had turned the tide of aggression into a lasting lesson for humanity. Whereas Imam Husain had laid down his own life along with that of his beloved family and friends in the desert of Karbala, Imam Ali ibn al-Husain and his aunt Zainab binte Ali ibne Abi Talib completed the vital mission of disseminating the Truth to the ignorant and confused nation of the Muslims and their rulers.

AS-SAHIFAHAS-SAJJAIYYA (The Book of as-Saijad)

Imam Zain ul-Abideen is also known as-Sajad. Both names denote to his constant prostration in prayers. This book has another popular name as­-Sahifah al-Kamila as-Sajjadia (Me Complete or Perfect Book of as-Sajad). The book contains fifty-four supplications (and fourteen addenda), and fifteen munajat (whispered prayers). Many supplications were handed down from the Imam and carried by oral tradition from generation to generation. These were collected in later times by researchers and added to the written works. They are called the Second Sahifa, through to the Fifth Sahifa. Only the authoritative chain of traditions was used for the addenda in' the subsequent Sahifas. The first addenda were appended to the Sahifa by ash-Shaheed al­Awwal (the first martyr) Shams ud-Din Muhammad ibne Makki (d. 786 AH). The fifteen munajat were appended by Allama Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (d.II10 AH). The Sahifa was updated with addenda by various authorities in the same era as Allama Majlisi.

In Islam, supplications have a pivotal role in all forms of prayers. The supplicant first offers his prayer to Allah, and then spreads his hands to seek His bounty and benevolence. The supplications have the several names of Allah describing His various qualities. The supplicant glorifies Allah and begs for His forgiveness and mercy. It elevates the humble human from his prayer mat to the ethereal heights of spirituality.

Imam Ali ibn al-Husain used this method to reach out to his followers and preach them on the Oneness of Allah and His role as the Creator of all things. He focused on the role of man in the universe and his duties to Allah and his fellow human beings. He gives lessons on obedience to Allah and to fine human behavior in society.

Many devotees of Ahle Bait used to attend majalis (religious gatherings) held by the Imam. Much of the collection of his lectures quotations and teachings are owed to these devotees who leamt them by heart, or wrote them down for safe keeping and for future reference.

RISALE-E HUQOOQ (The Testament of Rights)

One extremely valuable treatise has been passed down to the devotees of Ahle Bait directly from Imam Zain al-Abideen. This epistle describes the rights of man in society. It accounts for over fifty circumstance by which the believer is obligated to observe the rights of others. To mention just a few, it starts with:

-the rights of man toward Allah,

-the rights of prayers,

-the rights of self and the rights of the parts of one's own body.

It goes on to enlist:

-The rights of women towards men,

-the rights of men toward women.

It reminds one towards:

-The rights of children to their parents and elders,

-the rights of parents and elders to their children.

Further:

-The rights of students towards their teachers,

-the rights of the teachers towards their students.

Further:

-The rights of neighbors,

-the rights of friends

-the rights of adversaries and foes!

It is evident that this epistle contains such wealth of ethical conduct that if followed, it would make any ordinary human being into a saint. Even if one does not aspire to become a saint, it would certainly foster tolerance and harinony with the self and the society.

The Fifth Imam: Muhammad ibne Ali (AS)

Name Muhammad

Title al-Baqir

Epithet Abu Ja'far

Father Ali bin Husain

Mother Fatima daughter of Imam Hasan

Date of Birth: Rajab 1, 57 AH (December 16, 676 AD)

Place of Birth Madinah

Progeny from Umm Farwa binte Qassim bin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr:

Two sons: Ja'far, Abd Allah

He had other children from other wives

Date of Death: Zilhaj 7, 114 AH (January 28, 733 AD)

He live to an age of 57 years

Place of Death: Madinah

Place of Burial: Jannatul-Baqi

THE LIFE AND THE TIMES OF IMAM MUHAMMAD BAQIR

Imam Muhammad (Baqir) had the blessings and the nurture of his grandfather, Imam Husain. He witnessed the tragedy of Karbala at the tender age of about three and a half years. He had sustained the thirst of three days when the Umayyad army had cut off the water supply to the camp of Imam Husain in Karbala. He was among the survivors of the massacre, and had endured the toilsorne joumey from Karbala to Damascus, followed by the year of captivation in the Umayyad prison along with his father and other members of the Able Bait.

In Madinah he lived a life of peace and piety, and remained under the patronage of his father Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen for thirty-four years. Imam Baqir grew under the care of his father and was appointed Imam by him before his martyrdom by poisoning in 95 AH by the Caliph Walid bin Abd al-Malik.

The reign of the Umayyad Caliph Walid bin Abd al-Malik ended at his death in 96 AH, and was succeeded by his brother Salaaming bin Abd al­Malik. However, the rule of Sulayman lasted for only three years until 99 AH.

Umar bin Abd al-Aziz became the next ruler of the Muslim world. He was the onlyjust ruler the people saw in a long chain of Umayyad tyrants. He is popularly known as Umar, the pious. It was during his reign that the long standing claim of the fertile groves of Faddak, originally launched by Fatima binte Muhammad was finally recognized by a ruler of the land, and was returned to the family of the rightful claimants. It was also by his orders that the ignoble tradition of throwing abuses on Imam Ali during the congregational prayers (started by Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan) was finally discontinued.

The rule of Umar bin Abd al-Aziz was also short- lived and lasted for only two years. He was succeeded by Yazid bin Abd al-Malik who ruled the land between the years 1O1 AH and 105 AH. After him, a relatively longer reign of Hisham bin Abd al-Malik followed from the year 105 AH to 125 AH. The Umayyad rulers came and went, and did what pleased them, but the Imam continued his services to the believers and to the faith of Islam. He gathered a sizeable galaxy of students and learned disciples who took his message to the far comers of the Muslim world.

The jurist Abu Hanifa attended the school of leaming under the Imam in Madinah before returning to Iraq. Abu Hanifa left Madinah with a tremendous respect and acclaim to the Imads knowledge of the Wan and the Sunnah. The Imam disagreed with Abu Hanifa on his method of resolving issues of Shatiyah (canonic law) by Raai (individual personal logic) or Qiyas (speculative derivation).

Hishain bin Abd al-Malik could not see the growing popularity of the Imam and had him martyred with poison in the year 114 AH. The Imam appointed his son Ja'far to take charge of the duties of the hnarnate to serve the faith and the faithful.

By the time of his martyrdom, he had spent twenty years of his life as the Imam of his time. A wealth of quotes and interpretations were collected by his followers.

REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF IMAM MUHAMMAD BAQIR

Imam Baqir was a complete reflection of the life of his father in sincerity, piety, knowledge and worship. His superlative conduct is considered to be the criterion for these fine qualities in the human being.

The greatest of the learned are dwarfed by the grandeur of his wisdom and knowledge. He earned the title of al-Baqir as a result of the depth of his knowledge.

He is well known for his depth of knowledge and for the vastness of his quotes and interpretations of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This material was collected by his students and companions and is available for guidance today.

Abu Hanifa, a famous jurist of his time and an Imam to a large sector of the Sunni Muslims, was a student of Imam Baqir. He acknowledged the superior knowledge of the Imam on the Qur'an and the Sunna.

THE INSTITUTION OF MAJALIS

The majalis (religious gatherings specifically intended to educate masses about the mission of Imam Husain) are the tradition of Zainab binte Ali who held her first majalis while the captives were still in Damasus. Although they were continued by Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen during his times, Imam Muhammad Baqir formalized them into an institution of leaming. Since then they have served as a unique method of propagating the Truth to the masses throughout the ages.

As the followers and the devotees of Ahle Bait visited the Imam they enquired about the tragedy which the members of Ahle Bait had to sustain. The Imam took the opportunity to retell the causes of the conflict, the events of the suffering, and in the process, was able to teach and preach Islam to them. Since the people came already receptive to listen and to learn the Imam was able to spread the Message of Islam with case and continuity. This institution of majalis has evolved with time, and has continued to be an effective vehicle for the dissemination of the teachings of the school of the Ahle Bait.

Selected Sayings

1. The best combination is knowledge with forbearance.

2. Three things are counted the best of deeds in the world and hereafter:

(i) forgiveness over someone's cruel behavior;

(ii) kindness to someone who has broken relations with you;

(iii) tolerance to someone's foolish behavior.

3. One who does listen to the call of his conscience cannot benefit from advice from others.

4. There are many who say, "may Allah see the down fall of your enemies," although Allah may Himself be that person's enemy!

5. To seek help from the newly made rich is like retrieving a coin from the snake's mouth: that there is need for it but not without danger!

6. There is vast wealth in four things:

(i) keeping your deprivation a secret to yourself,

(ii) giving charity without announcing it;

(iii) not making your pain apparent to others;

(iv) not making your troubles public.

7. The best of public behavior is to sit at a lower level than your status, wish well to one you see ahead of you, and not indulge in wasteful arguments even when you know you are right.

8. Modesty and Faith are two intertwined jewels. If you lose one, the other goes with it.

9. Keep away from laziness and inipatience. A lazy person cannot deliver the dues of others, and the impatient person lacks the elements of forbearance.

IO. To give sadaqa (a form of charity) in the morning is to protect you from the mischief of shaitan (devil).

The Sixth Imam: Ja'far ibne Muhammad (AS)

Name: Ja'far

Title: As-Saadiq

Epithet: Abu Abdullah

Father: Muhammad bin Ali

Mother: Umme Farwah

Date of Birth: Rabi-ul Awwal 17,83 AH (April 20,702 AD)

Place of Birth: Madinah

Progeny: from Fatima daughter ofhusain bin Imam Ali Zain al ­Abideen:

Two sons: Ismail, Abd Allah

One daughter: Umme Farwa

From Umm Walad

Three sons: Musa, Is'haq, Muhammad

From other wives

Two sons: Abbas, Ali

Two daughters: Asma', Fatima

Date of Death: Rajab 15, 148 AH (December 14, 765 AD)

He lived to an age of 63 years

Place of Death: Madinah

Place of Burial: Jannatul-Baqi

THE LIFE AND THE TIMES OF IMAM JA'FAR AS-SAADIQ (as)

Imam Ja'far As-Saadlq was bom in 83 AH during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik bin Marwan. He was only three years of age when Walid bin Abd al-Malik succeeded to the caliphate after his father. The Imam had the good fortune of spending the first twelve years of his life with his grandfather, Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen. He then spent the next eighteen years of his life with his father, Imam Muhammad Baqir. He was thirty-one years of age when his father was also martyred with poison by Hisham bin Abd al-Malik in II 4 AH. Thus, the hnwn had seen the reign of five Umayyad caliphs before he was appointed Imam by his father before his death. The relatively long rule of Hisham lasted for about twenty years. He was a contemporary of the Imam for twelve of these years.

Hisham had kept up the pressure on the Alkyds and their followers just like his father had done during his reign. Hisham had appointed the ruthless Khalid bin Abd Allah Qisri as the governor of Iraq and other southern provinces. Together, the caliph and his governor eclipsed the tyrarmy of Hujaj bin Yusuf and his master, the caliph Abd al-Malik bin Marwan.

During the hey days of the Umayyad dynasty, the caliphs found the members of the Aliyyld clans as easy targets for diverting the public attention from their failure and decadence. The Aliyyids were taunted and insulted, and provoked to such an extent that they would come out to defend their honor and integrity. This provided the tyrants sufficient excuse to put them to sword.

Zaid bin Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen was one such martyr who was subjected to such a fate. He could not withstand the instdts thrown at him by the governor of Hisham. In 121 AH, he came out with a small force of loyalists for the cause of the Truth, and fought bravely to Ws death in 122 AH. His head was hoisted on the spear and his body was hung on the cross for full four years. It was then taken down, only to be put to the flames.

In 125 AH, Imam Jafar as-Saadiq witnessed an exact repeat of Zaid bin All's fate meet his son Yahya bin Zaid at the hands of the Umayyad ruler Walid II bin Yazid II bin Abd-al Malik. His decapitated body was also hung on the cross until taken down by Abu Muslim of Khorasan (after he helped the Abbasids to end the yoke of the Umayyad rule). The supporters of Yahya were hunted down and ruthlessly massacred in their homes or other hideouts. The survivors and their sympathizers were relentlessly pursued out of Hijaz.

The rule of Walid 11 lasted only a year followed by Yazid III bin Walid I bin Abd al-Malik. This rule lasted for even lesser period of only six months. His brother Ibrahim succeeded him to the caliphate, only to be toppled from his seat in just two months. In 127 AH, Marwan II followed as the last caliph in the Marwanid dynasty, and ruled a shrinking empire for about five and a half years.

Not with standing the continued oppression of the Hashimites under the Umayyads, Abd Allah bin Muawiyah (a grandson of Jifar bin Abu Talib) rose to claim the cause of his clan in 127 AH. He met the same fate as that of his other clan members just a few years earlier.

By this time, the end of the tyrannical rule of the Umayyads was in sight. A secret Hashimite movement was under way in Palestine under Ibrahim Imam, brother of Abd Allah (Saffah) bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Abd Allah bin Abbas (an uncle of the Prophet). Their manifesto was to avenge the blood of Imam Husain and to liquidate the Umayyads. However, their bidden and real aim was to take over the caliphate for themselves with the help of the Aliyyids. With this ploy and the popular slogan, Ibrahim Imam was able to muster support from the oppressed Shiites. Abu Muslim who had just established an independent principality in Khorasan under the Aliyyid flag, marched on to Iraq with a massive force of seventy thousand strong, and ended the yoke of the Umayyads rule in Iraq in 129 AH. In a pre-arranged banquet in Damascus, the Umayyad princes and their heirs were arrested, and suffocated to death by encasing them in leather sacs.

Somehow one prince, named Abd ar-Rehman escaped the doorn of the family and made his way to the distant dominion of Spain, in the Far West. Here he gathered support from the long settled Syrian veteran soldiers and founded a new Umayyad dynasty.

Imam Jafar as-Saadiq thus saw the rule of the last five caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty, and the sufferings of his kinsmen perpetrated by them. He saw the reign of the first two caliphs of the new Abbasid dynasty, and the start of a new era of persecution of the Aliyyids and their followers. The atrocities unleashed by the Abbasids to their very supporters (the Aliyyids), turned out to be worst than those caused by their predecessors, the Umayyads.

The new dynasty of the Abbasids began to strengthen its establishment. The oppressed had assisted 'in getting rid of the yoke of one tyrant system only to exchange for a new one. Abu Muslim was useful to the new regime in the mopping up operation against the remaining resistance from the Umayyad loyalists. Fearing from his success and increasing popularity, the new caliph sent him on one such mission and had him assassinated in the field. In 132 AH, Muhammad (Saffah), brother of Ibrahim Imam became die Caliph of the consolidated Abbasid empire that stretched from Morocco in the West to Afghanistan in the East.

Muhammad Saffah died in 136 AH at the age of 32 years, and was succeeded by his brother Abd Allah al-Mansoor (Dwaneeqi). His rule lasted for about 21 years. Historians have written a great deal about his astute management of the empire. However, he was a ruthless ruler who would order kflling of another human being without remorse. He was nicknamed Dwaneeqi because of his extreme miserly nature. He had swom to eradicate all Aliyyids from his dominions. He targeted the Aliyyids with insults, provocation and deprivation. And, whenever they arose in arms to defend their honor or their families, they were ruthlessly slaughtered and beheaded: The survivors were thrown into dingyjails, to rot and to die there. Thus, the fate of the respected elder, Abd Allah Mahadh, and his son Muhammad (Nafse Zakk-iyah), along with many others from the progeny of Imam Hasan, was not much different from that of Zaid bin Ali and his son Yahya from the progeny of Imam Husa'm.

The jealous caliph could not tolerate the respect and popularity enjoyed by the Imam in Madinah. He very much wanted to subject the Imam to the same treatment as suffered by other members of his clansmen. The Imam refused to take to an-ned retaliation. The caliph resorted to have him summoned to his court in the presence of dignitaries and scholars from other lands without prior warning in order to slight him in public. But he failed in his schemes due to the wit of the Imam Ws knowledge, his popularity, and his purity.

Finally, the Caliph managed to have his way, and had the Imam poisoned. He succumbed to the fatal dose of poison and died in 148 AH. Before he breathed his last breath, he appointed his son Musa to lead the Ummah after him.

It is important to point out at this stage that Ismail, the older son of the Imam had died during the life of the Imam and was buried in the graveyard of Jannat ul-Baqi. Muhammad bin Ismail had hoped that people would accept his father as the successor to Imam Jafar as-Saadiq, and thus he would inherit the honor of being the next Imam. But the position of Imamate is not a matter of inheritance but that of a divine appointment, as the custodians of the Message of Islam. There was a small faction of the followers who did regard Ismail to be their hnam. And thus Muhammad bin Ismail did obtain the honor he had aspired for among his separatist faction. However, he had only a short life, and his lineage continued until Ubayd Allah bin Muhammad bin Abd Allah bin Muhammad bin Ismail proclaimed himself as the awaited Mahdi.

Ubayd Allah made his way to Morocco and laid the foundation of the Fatimid dynasty in a newly built city named Mahdiya. Later, they moved to Egypt and ruled there for many years. The present-day Ismailia sect thus follows a descendant from an offshoot of the Fatimids of Egypt.

Selected Sayings:

1. If someone comes to a fellow Muslim seeking his help, and he gives it to him, then Ns Muslim is like someone who is doing jihad in the name of Allah.

2. Allah says that people are like His family. He who treats them well, has earned His nearness.

3. 1 found wisdom in four things:

(i) get to know your Creator;

(ii) get to know what the Creator has provided you with;

(iii) get to know what the Creator expects of you and holds you responsible for;

(iv) get to know what things would throw you out of the circle of the believers.

4. There are four things in the conduct of the prophets of Allah:

(i) good deeds;

(ii) giving away in charity;

(iii) forbearance in times of trouble;

(iv) deliver the rights of the believers to them.

5 A believer is afraid of two things:

(i) the previous sins, not knowing how Allah would account these;

(ii) the remaining life, not knowing what sins he might commit before his time is up.

He would not end the night without fearing what the mom has in stock for him, and does not end his day without fearing if he was able to accrue deeds that would please Allah.

Nothing will avail him to things done straight except his fear for Allah.

6. No momin can reach the heights of fulfillment, of his faith unless he has mastered three of the following:

(i) understanding and vision in faith;

(ii) a middle-of-the-road type of conduct;

(iii) forbearance during times of trouble.

7. People cannot get away from three things:

(i) a jurist who is pious and learned;

(ii) a ruler who is caring, and who could be obeyed;

(iii) a physician who is able to heal and is reliable.

8. We are ourselves the roots of all good. All good deeds sprout from these branches. They are:

Belief in the Oneness of Allah, fasting, dispelling anger, to forgive and to forget, benevolence towards the poor, giving the right to the neighbors, to recognize and to respect others for their achievements, all count as good deeds.

Our enemies are the root cause of all sins. All evil deeds and trouble sprout from these branches. They are:

Lies, miserly behavior, back-biting, meanness, usury, usurpation of the rights of the orphans, exceeding the limits imposed by Allah, committing any sinful act hidden or openly, rape or adultery, all of these count as sinful deeds.

9. Three types of men can be recognized under these conditions:

(i) anger of the kind and tolerant person;

(ii) battle for a brave and fearless person;

(iii) the time of need for a friend or a brother.

10. When this world becomes generous towards someone, it adds the good deed of others into his account; but when it turns against him, then his good deeds are added onto someone else's account.

II. It is best to sleep less at night, and talk less during the day.

12. When troubles mount on top of troubles, then the days of the troubles are numbered.

REFLECFIONS ON THE LIFE OFIMAM JA'FAR AS-SAADIQ

Imam Baqir appointed his son as-Saadiq Imam after him. He lived through most of the Marwanid Umayyad rule and witnessed their downfall. He also endured the rule of the first two caliphs of the new Abbasid dynasty. The decaying dynasty of the Umayyads and the political turmoil generated by the Hashimite movement of the Abbasids had created a vacuum of theological leaming. However, the Imam continued to teach large numbers of students in Madinah, and his followers continued to benefit from him in their search for the knowledge of the school of Ahle Bait during those difficult times.

Imam Ja'far as-Saadiq is known for the reporting of authentic ahadith of the Prophet as passed on to him through his father and forefathers. His truthfulness and sincerity earned him the title of as-Saadiq.

Upon his death, his contemporary fuqaha (plural of the wordfaqih: leadingjurists of Islam) expressed their feelings thus:

Imam Abu Hanifa said, "Ja'far as-Saadlq was the greatest scholar of Islamic theology and jurisprudence. "

Imam Malik said, "My eyes have not seen a more learned, pious, and God­fearing man than Imam Ja'far as-Saadiq."

The Imam is renoned by the vast number of his students and disciples, some of whom had become revered as Imams among many of the Sunni sects. His students collected volumes of quotes from him including invaluable interpretations of the Quran and the Sunnah. These works are available today for reference and guidance. One of his greatest disciple was Jabir ibne Hayyan whose name is well known in history for his prolific writings and works on the physical sciences and on al-chemy.

FIQH JAFARIYYA (The Ja'fariyya School of Islamic Jurisprudence)

The laws by which Allah wanted human society to be governed, were sent down by Him through revelations in the Book, al-Qur'an. The meditun of its conveyance was through His Messenger, the Prophet of Islam. The Prophet lived a simple life amongst a simple people and demonstrated to them how to deal with other people and how to live a life of piety and harmony with fellow men and nature.

Before his death, the Prophet of Islam had told the Muslims that he was leaving among them two most valued things to which they must remain attached, if they wished not to go astray. One of them is the holy Quran, and the other is his Ahle Bait. Clearly those who profess that the Quran suffices them, have failed to recognize the advice of the Prophet.

When Islam had spread to far off places as also the Muslims across other regions and cultures, the need for expanded meanings of al-Quran and the interpretation of Sunnah became imperative. Often false quotes ascribed to the Prophet were comed to offer explanations when no examples were found in the classic Sunnah. The political caliphate had diverted the Muslims away from the Ahig Bait, and were themselves incapable of providing the necessary solutions to complicated questions on the faith and the practice of Islam. The period of decay of the Umayyad dynasty, and the coming of the Abbasids was particularly a difficult time in this regard. This was also the time when several jurists became active among the Sunni Musl'uns to fill the gap. Some of them wrote books of reference on Islamic Law.

Two major schools emerged simultaneously, one in Iraq under Abu Hanifa, popularly known as Ahle Raai and the other in Hijaz under Malik bin Anas, known as the Classical School, or the Ahle Hadith. However, the proponents and the supporters of these two schools used Raai (individual and personal logic) and Qiyas (speculative derivation) whenever relevant Hadith was either unavailable or was weak, based on island or twatur (authenticity or continuity of reporting all the way to the Prophet). This methodology called for the use of speculative logic and personal opinion to arrive at a fatwa (verdict on questions of Islamic Law) on a particular question. This meant that people could interpret the laws of Allah according to their logic or opinion. However, the laws of Allah are beyond the scope of the human interpolation. Man must use his intelligence to fmd ways and means to obey the ordinances of Allah and not to fmd the ways and means of going around them!

Imam Ja'far as-Saadiq offered such an enormous variety of answers to all Idnds of complicated questions in Islamic Law based on Ahadith and the Sunnah of the Prophet that he categorically rejected the methodology of Raai and Qiyas in Fiqh.

It is important that Fiqh Ja’fariyya should not be confused to authorship of Imam Ja'far as-Saadiq. It is essentially based on the Ahadith and Sunnah of the Prophet and the jurisprudence that had been passed down to the believers through oral tradition by the Imams of Ahle Bait. The eponym Fiqh Ja’fariyya (or the alternative name 'Fiqh Itrat) is applied simply to identify it from other methods of jurisprudence evolved by other fuqaha (jurists of Islamic Law).

Thousands of students attended and leamt Fiqh from the Imam. Much of his teaching was committed to writing and was gathered by his students. Four of the major compilations of the Imam's teachings have been extracted from the older literature:

1. Kafi: by Muhanunad Ya'qub Kulni.

2. Man la Yahdhr al-Faqih: by Muhammad Ali Baabwaih.

3. Tahzib, and Istibsar: by Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Tusi.

4. Kitab al-Irshad: by Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Nieman al-Baghdadi.

RISALA E TAWHEED MUFADHAL (The Epistle on the Unity of Allah)

The cornerstone of Islam is Tawheed, the belief of the Oneness of Allah. Once a companion of the Imam, called Mufadhal, requested him to expounded on the subject of Tawheed as he was faced with a contest with a group of atheists. The Imam delivered the answer to his question in four sittings. As he spoke, Mufadhal went on writing it down, resulting in the Risala. This is popularly known as the Risalah-e Tawheed Mufadhal.

It is inscribed as a separate chapter in the mammoth works of Allama Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi.