Imam Jafar-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws Ibn Ali-asws’s Kuniya is Abu Abd Allah-asws
Imam Jafar-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws‘s (Abu Abd Allah-asws’s) ‘Nazool’ is on the 17th of Rabi’ul Awwal in the year 83 A.H. Our 6th Imam-asws was martyred in the month of Shawwal (on the 15th of Shawwal) in the year 148 at the age of sixty-five. The 6th Imam-asws was buried in Al-Baqi’ cemetery, Medina, in the same graveyard, where his father-asws and grandfather-asws and Imam Al-Hassan-asws Ibn Ali-asws, were buried.
‘Abu’ Abd Allah-asws (Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq-asws) has said: ‘My-asws mother-asws was a true believer, pious and a person of good deeds. Allah-azwj Loves the people of good deeds.’ He has also said: ‘My mother-asws told me that my father used to say: “O ‘Umm Farwah, I pray to Allah-asws to Forgive the sins of the sinners of our Shia (followers) a thousand times a day because we-asws exercise patience in the face of hardships knowing well the facts of reward (in the next life) but they exercise patience in that of which they have no knowledge.”’[1]
It has been narrated that once Al-Mansur ordered his governor of Makkah and Madina, al-Hassan Ibn Al-Zayd, to set fire to the house of Imam Ja’far-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws in order to burn him-asws to death. The house of Abu Abd Allah-asws was set on fire but it only burned the door and the corridor.
Abu Abd Allah-asws came out walking in the fire and said, while stepping on (and extinguishing) it (the fire), ‘I am the son of ‘A’raq al-Thara (Isma’il-as), I am the son of Ibrahim-as (Abraham), the beloved friend of Allah-asws.’[2]
The narrator says that Abu Abd Allah-asws (the 6th Imam-asws) said: ‘We-asws (Ahl Al-Bayt) have the key to the treasures of the Earth. If I-asws move one of my feet to say to the earth, “Let out whatever gold that is there in you,” it will do so.’
(The narrator) says that he-asws then said that to one of his feet and made a line with it on the Earth. The Earth ripped open, then with his hand, the Imam-asws took out a brick of gold of the size of a hand. He-asws then said: ‘Watch carefully.’ They then looked again and saw many such pieces of gold one over the other shining. A certain person said: ‘May Allah-azwj Keep my soul in service for your-asws cause, you have been granted whatever there is but your Shias are needy (and poor).’
The narrator says that the Imam-asws then said: ‘Allah-azwj will soon Grant to our Shias and to us-asws the bounties of both this and the next life. Allah-azwj will Admit them in Paradise and its blessings. And our-asws enemies will be (sent) to the hell.’[3]
The narrator says: ‘I had a neighbour who worked for the Sultan (the ruler) and he had gained certain properties. He often arranged parties and invited female singers. They would drink wine and this would disturb me. I complained to the man several times but he did not pay any attention. When I insisted he said: “O man, I am an addicted person and you are sober. I wish you take me to your master and I hope Allah-azwj will Save me through him-asws.” His words impressed me a great deal. Upon my visiting to Abu ‘Abd Allah (Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq-asws), I mentioned the condition of that man to him-asws. The Imam-asws said: “When you will go back to Kufa he may come to you, say to him: ‘Imam Ja’far-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws has asked you, to stay away from what you are involved in. I guarantee that Allah-azwj will admit you in the Paradise.” When I returned to Kufa he came to me. I kept him with me until just two of us were there alone. I then said to him: “O man, I told about you to Abu Abd Allah-asws, Ja’far-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws, Al-Sadiq-asws, and he-asws said to me: When you will return to Al-Kufa, the man will soon come to you. Say to him, Imam Ja’far-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws said to you Stay away from what you are involved in and I-asws will guarantee that Allah-azwj will Admit you to the Paradise.’’’
The narrator has said: ‘The man then wept and asked me: “I ask you by Allah-azwj, did Abu Abd Allah-asws, really say this to you?” I then swore before him that Abu Abd Allah-asws did really say so. He said: “This is enough for you,” and he left. After few days he called me while he was behind his house and had no clothes on him and he said to me: “O Abu Basil’, by Allah-azwj, there is nothing left in my house. I gave all of them away and I am left as you see.” I then went to our people and made a collection to clothe him. Shortly thereafter he sent someone to inform me that he was ill and that I must see him. Thereafter I often went to him to provide treatment until he was about to die. I was sitting near him and he was experiencing the agony of death. He fainted and then regained conscience and said to me: “O Abu Basir, your master-asws has fulfilled his-asws promise to me.” He then passed away. May Allah-azwj Grant him blessings. When I went for Hajj I went to see Abu ‘Abd Allah-asws and asked permission for a meeting. As I was about to enter in his-asws presence, one foot in the corridor and one inside, the Imam-asws, before my saying anything, said from the inside: “O Abu Basir’, we-asws have fulfilled our promise to your friend.”’[4]
Imam Musa e Kazim-asws said: ‘Abu’ Abd Allah-asws, Imam Ja’far-asws Ibn Muhammad-asws, was martyred (by the poison of Mansoor Al-Dawaniq)[5] at the age of fifty-six in 148 A.H. He-asws lived after Imam Abu Ja’far-asws (Mohammed Baqir-asws), his father-asws, for thirty-four years.’[6]
Imam Musa e Kazim-asws also said: ‘I-asws shrouded my father-asws with two pieces of winter cloth that he had used as clothes for Ihram[7]. One of his shirts, the ‘Amama (turban) that belonged to Imam Ali-asws Ibn Al-Hussain-asws and a cloak that he-asws had bought for forty Dinars were also used.’[8]
Bequest of 6th Imam-asws:
‘A Bedouin came to Abu Hamza Al-Sumali. He asked him the news. He said, ‘Ja’far Al-Sadiq-asws has expired’. He (Abu Hamza) sighed a sigh and there was unconsciousness upon him. When he woke up, he said, ‘Has he bequeathed to anyone?’ He said, ‘Yes, he-asws has bequeathed to his-asws son Abdullah, and Musa-asws and Abu Ja’far Al-Mansour’.
Abu Hamza laughed and said, ‘The Praise is for Allah-azwj Who Guided us to the guidance! and he-asws has clarified to us about the elder and Pointed us to the younger and hid the mighty matter’.
He was asked about his words. He said, ‘He-asws clarified faults of the elders and pointed upon the younger due to his-asws adding him-asws to it, and concealed the bequest to Al-Mansour, because if Al-Mansour were to be asked about the bequest, it would be said, ‘You’’.[9]
(The book) ‘Al Kharaij Wa Al Jaraih’ – It is reported from Mufazzal Bin Umar who said,
‘When Al-Sadiq-asws passed away, it was in his-asws bequest, the Imamate being to Musa-asws Al-Kazim-asws. His-asws brother Abdullah claimed the Imamate, and he was eldest of the (living) children of Ja’far-asws at that time, and he is well known as ‘Al-Aftah’.
Musa-asws instructed with gathering a lot of firewood in the middle of his-asws house and sent a message to Abdullah asking him to come to him-asws. When he came to be in his-asws presence, there was a group from the Imamite faces with Musa-asws. When his-asws brother Abdullah sat to him-asws, Musa-asws instructed to make the fire to be in that firewood, all of it. So all of it burned down, and the people did not know the reason regarding it, until all the firewood became ember.
Then Musa-asws stood up and sat with his clothes in the middle of the fire and went on to narrate to the people for a while. Then he-asws stood, shook his-asws clothes, and returned to the seat. He-asws said to his-asws brother Abdullah: ‘If you are claiming that you are the (real) Imam-asws after your father-asws, then sit in that seat! (in the embers).
They said, ‘We saw Abdullah, his colour had changed. He stood up dragging his cloak until he went out from the house of Musa-asws’’.[10]
[1] Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, Chapter on Imam Jafar-e-Sadiqasws, h. 1.
[2] Ibid, h. 2.
[3] Ibid, h 4.
[4] Ibid, h 5.
[5] Bihar ul Anwar, vol. 8, pp6
[6] Ibid, h 7.
[7] Two large white sheets worn during Hajj
[8] Ibid, h 8.
[9] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 47, The book of History – Ja’far Al-Sadiq-asws, Ch 1 H 11
[10] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 47, The book of History – Ja’far Al-Sadiq-asws, Ch 8 H 22