His Father

Ja'far al-Sadiq's father, Muhammad al-Baqir (57-114 AH), was a highly respected scholar of the Qur'an, hadith, and religious law in his time. Muhammad al-Baqir was the most distinguished member of the House of the Prophet at the turn of the first century^[29] and as such was regarded as the spiritual leader by the pro-'Alid communities in Iraq^[30] who hoped that someday he might challenge the Umayyads and establish a moral government.^[31] This he never ventured to do.

There is a fair amount of information about him in the standard biograph­ical works^[32] as well as in monographs and encyclopedia entries^[33] in different languages. Additional information on his life and character can be found in collections of early Shi hadith.

We are told, for example, that as a child, Muhammad was very attached to 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas,^[34] the first cousin of the Prophet and one of the most learned members of the first generation of Muslims. He reportedly met and quoted a number of other Companions of the Prophet including Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari^{[35] [36] and 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar,[37] the learned son of the second caliph. He also quoted Aisha[38] the wife of the Prophet, obviously through an intermediary as he was too young when she died to quote her directly. As expected, however, his main source of hadith was his father, 'All b. al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidln.}

In terms of character, Muhammad al-Baqir was peace-loving and rejected violence.^[39] He boldly contradicted the scholars of his town, Medina, when he thought their established standpoints were wrong,^[40] but for obvious rea­sons he would not openly challenge the government on matters of lifestyle that he considered unlawful.

He was respected and recognized by his contemporaries as an eminent jurist.^[42] Hakam b. 'Utayba, a prominent jurist of Kufa in his time (d. 115), said that he had never seen a person as quick to apprehend and answer delicate legal questions as Muhammad al-Baqir.^[43] For his part, Muhammad also treated his fellow jurists and their opinions with due respect. In an instance in which he disagreed with other jurists on a case, he explained to the person seeking his opinion that the divergent opinion of his peers was also based on an inter­pretation of a statement by the Prophet.^{[44] [45] The Umayyad caliphs occasionally25 consulted him about matters on which the Syrian jurists disagreed among themselves.[46] At times, he attended the court of the governor of Medina[47] and the judicial sessions of its judges, where he would also note their mistakes.[48]}

In his personal life, Muhammad al-Baqir is attested to have purchased land^[49] and engaged in trade.^[50] A conversation between him and Muhammad b. al-Munkadir, a well-known ascetic of Medina (d. 130) who tells the story, shows Muhammad al-Baqir's stance on managing his personal life:

خرجت إلى بعض نواي المدينة ي ساعة حار فلقيئ أبو جعفر محتد ين علي، وكان رجال بادئا ثقيلا، وهو متكاً علي غلامين أسودين )أو مولين)، فقلت ي نغسي: سبحان الله! شيخ من أشياخ قريش ي هذه الساعة علي هذه الحال ي طلت الدنيأ؟ أما لأعظثه.

عفة ٠ ٠٠ ٠٠ * د يا ص ٠ ٠٠ ٠٠ ق

الناس. وإنداكتت أخاف أن لوجاءني الموت وأنا علي معصية من معاص هللا.

I went to one of the districts of Medina during a hot part of the day and ran into Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. 'Ah. He was a corpulent, heavy man, and he was leaning on two black slaves (or two servants). I said to myself, “Praise be to God! An elder of the Quraysh in pursuit of worldly life at this hour and in this condition? I will counsel him.” I approached and greeted him, and he returned the greeting with labored breathing while dripping with sweat. I said, “May God put you on the right path! An elder of the Quraysh in pursuit of worldly life at this hour and in this condition? What do you think you would do if death came to you in this condition?” He said, “If death came to me in this condition, it would come while I was in obedience to God, the Mighty and Majestic, keeping myself and my family free of need to seek help from you or other people. I would fear death's coming to me while I were in a state of disobedience to God.” I said, “You have spoken the truth. May God have mercy on you! I wanted to counsel you, but you counseled me.”

He thus appears to have led a reasonably comfortable life, even if he was not rich by the standards of the time.^[52] At the time of his death, he owned sixty slaves, one third of whom, determined by casting lots, were to be set free in his will.^[53]

He was considerably overweight,^[54] to the extent that walking was a chal­lenge for him.^[55] The problem might have been caused by his diet, which always included a lot of meat,^[56] something he greatly liked.^[57] His diet also included dates^[58] and occasionally cheese,^[59] among other foods.^[60]

In his marital life, he seems to have been an agreeable and loving spouse.^[61] At home, he lived and dressed in the way that his wife demanded, to the astonishment of his admirers, who did not expect him to inhabit a luxurious home, or to wear cheerful colors.^[62] If asked, he would explain to them that the house belonged to his wife.^[63] He told a group of visitors that he dyed his beard^[64] to please his women.^[65] He would keep his beard light and round^[66] and dye it, usually black^[67] but occasionally with henna^[68] and/or wasma (woad, an herbal dye that produced an azure blue color).^[69] The use of the latter, he thought, had gradually made his teeth loose,^[70] so he had to fasten them with gold and chew a special kind of gum.^[71] He once married a wife^[72] from the Arab tribe of Thaqif whom he loved dearly but eventually had to divorce as she adhered to the doctrine of the Khawarij and would not stop cursing 'All.^[73] However, the separation from her left him sad and suffering, a situation that noticeably affected his health.^{[74] [75]}

In his daily life, he was described by his son Ja'far as follows:

كان أبي كثير الذكر.

My father frequently recited the name of God. I used to walk with him while he kept reciting the name of God and have my meals with him while he continued to recite the name of God. He used to talk to people but that did not distract him from remembering God. I would see him as if his tongue were stuck in his palate constantly saying “There is no deity save God.”

He left a will with details of his wishes for his funeral,^[76] including the designation of eight hundred dirhams from his inheritance to be spent on his memorial.^[77] He made a special endowment for eulogizers to eulogize him for ten successive years after his death^[78] in the desert of Mina, outside of Mecca, during the annual hajj, which he used to attend every year. For thirty-four years after his death, as long as his son Ja'far was alive, a light burned every night in the room in which he had lived.^[79]

II.