Political Stance
Few people in Mecca[177] or Basra[178] were supporters of the House of the Prophet in Jafar's time. But Iraq in general,[179] and in particular Kufa,[180] the town in which 'Ah spent the last years of his time as caliph, was home to the largest concentration of Ja'far's followers anywhere.[181] It is said that the majority of the people of Kufa during his lifetime were his followers.[182] Other reports estimate the number of his followers there at fifty thousand[183] or more.[184]
This community was under constant suspicion and surveillance by the caliphate, which considered it a potential threat.
In some periods during the lifetime of Ja'far al-Sadiq, the community was so afraid of government persecution that its members did not even greet one another in the mosque lest they be identified by government agents and harassed.[185]When it came to politics, Ja'far al-Sadiq was very much like his father: non-participating, peaceful, and against violence.[186] His peaceful disposition is exemplified by his comment on a report according to which the Prophet said that anybody killed defending his own property is a martyr.[187]
Quoting that statement from the Prophet, Ja'far alSdiq commented, “But if I were there, I would leave the thief alone and would not fight him.”[188] He would disassociate himself from anyone who used violence. He even did so with one of his close, learned associates, Haiz b. 'Abd Allah al-Azdi, when the latter got involved in armed struggle against the Khawarij in Sijistan. Ja'far said to a companion of his who tried to intercede for Haiz:[189]
ويحك؛ إن حريتنا شهرالسيف وليس مى من شهرالسيف.
ق ٠ ء٠ ح " * ٠٠ ه "
Beware! Hariz has taken up arms, and whoever takes up arms is not mine.
To a follower who asked him about joining the revolt of Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah al-Nafs al-Zakiyya in the year 145, Ja'far responded:
أسكتوا ما سكتت اسلماء والأرض.[190]
Remain tranquil as long as the sky and the earth remain tranquil.
And he counseled another follower:
بتا سدير.' ألزم بيتك وكن حلئا من أحلاسه واسكن ما سكن اللل والهار.[191]
O Sadir! Stay in your home, and be like one of its fixtures, and remain tranquil as long as the night and the day remain tranquil.
Many people of the time believed in the right of the House of the Prophet to lead the Muslim community.[192] Criticizing the practices of the government, Ja'far also commented at times, 'Were we in charge [we would do such-and-such].”[193] However, he was very careful not to put his own life or that of others in danger. There were a good number of instances in which he acted against what he said was required by the strict dictates of the law in order to protect lives.[194] The Zaydis criticized him. They asserted that they had no disagreement with him except on the point that he did not believe in jihad.[195] He rejected this accusation and noted that there were specific conditions for the obligatoriness of the duty of jihad that the Zaydis did not know or care about.[196]
He visited both Abu alAbbas al-Saffah[197] and Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, the first and second Abbasid caliphs, in Iraq.
In the case of Saffah, the purpose of the visit was presumably to congratulate him on his accession.[198] Jafar's visit to Mansur, at the beginning of the latter's reign, was probably for the same reason,[199] but one or more times he was summoned or brought to the caliph for interrogation.[200] Mansur also summoned him in Mecca or Medina on occasion during the caliph's hajj trips.[201] At one time, when Mansur left Mecca after a visit, Ja'far had to accompany him along the road to say goodbye to him.[202]Two episodes in Ja'far al-Sadiq's life brought him face to face with politics and its consequences. Early in the fourth decade of the second century, when the anti-Umayyad revolution began under the banner of ending oppression of the House of the Prophet, there were major expectations that Ja'far al-Sadiq, as the most revered member of the House, would take the lead. A passionate follower told him that “half of the world” supported his claim to the leadership of the Islamic state.[203] The people of Kufa allegedly waited only for his order to seize the city from its garrison.[204] Many leaders of society,[205] even the Abbasids who eventually took the reins of power, reportedly looked to him in the early days of the insurrection as one of their first choices for the spiritual leadership of the movement.[206] To the dismay and disappointment of some of his Kufan followers and admirers,[207] Ja'far remained quiet and did not embark on any political activity.[208] He also forbade his followers to engage in politics[209] or join any armed group.[210] Until 145, as explained below, the Abbasid governors of Medina usually treated Ja'far with great respect. For his part, he occasionally visited them when they held court.[211]
Some twelve years later, in 145, he resisted strong pressures,[212] including even acts of disrespect and threats to his life,[213] from those who supported the uprising led by a member of the more active and politically ambitious Hasanid branch of the House, Muhammad b.
'Abd Allah al-Nafs al-Zakiyya,[214] whose revolt Ja'far did not support.[215] He even left Medina to avoid the event.[216] However, he did not support the government against the rebellion either. In fact, he occasionally confirmed that the government was unjust but said that the timing and unprofessional planning of the uprising would doom the attempt to remove the oppressors.[217]In the eyes of the government, however, the revolt was an act of the 'Alids against the Abbasids. It did not matter much whether Ja'far al-Sadiq did or did not endorse the rebellion. After the movement's failure, Mansur sent a new governor to Medina and ordered that all properties belonging to the 'Alids in Medina be seized unless they showed up to welcome his designated governor for the town. Ja'far al-Sadiq did not appear for the purpose and his estate at 'Ayn Abi Ziyad was seized.[218] Later, when he asked Mansur to return the estate to him, the caliph refused and said it had been “your [that is, the 'Alids'] Mahdi" (the title that Nafs al-Zakiyya assumed for himself)[219] who had taken control of it.[220] The estate remained in government hands and was not returned to Ja'far during his lifetime. Years later, Mansur's son and successor, Mahdi (r. 158-69), returned it to Ja'far's heirs.[221]
The young Abbasid government, which had been established on the strength of Muslim sentiment in favor of the House of the Prophet, was now engaged in a bloody battle with the descendants of the Prophet. It realized the sensitivity of the conflict and thus tried to strike a quick and decisive blow against the rebels. Ja'far al-Sadiq was respected by the Muslim community as the most prominent member of the Family, and that fact by itself was enough to make him an object of the caliph's jealousy, concern, and revenge. Even though he did not join or support the rebellion, the government considered him a serious potential threat.
There is a report that Mansur ordered Ja'far's house to be burnt. This was reportedly attempted, but the fire did not spread beyond the door and the entrance.[222] If the episode actually happened, that was perhaps as much as the government intended.During his first trip to Medina after the crackdown on the 'Alids, late in 147, the year that he led the pilgrimage ceremonies,[223] the caliph ordered Ja'far al-Sadiq, who had failed to appear among those welcoming the caliph to town and had not attended prayer with him, to be brought into his pres- ence.[224] When he arrived, the caliph accused him of harboring sympathy for the rebels, an accusation that Ja'far categorically denied. He reminded the caliph that if he had any political ambitions, he would have used the momentum fifteen years earlier when he was younger and the conditions were ripe and more suitable. The caliph knew what Ja'far had done at that time but was not moved by the reminder. A report claims that Mansur openly threatened to kill him[225] and that Ja'far responded to the threat by saying that he would not live much longer anyway. Additionally, he noted that the caliph should be assured that Ja'far would never bother him with anything, nor would he bother the caliph's successor should it happen that Ja'far outlived the caliph.[226] Ja'far was released and allowed to go home but remained under suspicion and surveillance.[227] This was the last meeting between the two, as the Imam passed away a few months later.[228]
While as a matter of principle, Ja'far al-Sadiq did not participate in or support any political uprising against the established order, he was very much opposed to any support for, or involvement with, unjust rulers, even at the level of working for them in a construction or farming project.[229] He quoted the Prophet's warning to religious scholars who associated with rulers:
الفقهاء أمناء الرسل ما لم يدخلوا ي الدنيأ.
قيل: يا رسول هللا! وما دخولهم ي الدنيأ؟ قال: انباع السلطان، فإذا فعلوا ذكل فاحذروهم على ديكم.[230]“The Muslim jurists are the trustees of the prophets as long as they do not get involved in worldly matters.” He was asked, “O Messenger of God! What is [the meaning of] their involvement in worldly matters?” He said, “Following the rulers. When they do that, be vigilant about your religion.”
He advised his followers against going to unjust rulers even to defend their own legitimate rights.[231]
Living with constant suspicion and harassment on the part of the government was naturally challenging, especially in the last years of Ja'far's life. He is reported to have said to a group, most probably of Kufan visitors:
أشكوا إلى هللا وحدتي وتقلغلي بجز، أهل المدينة حى تقدموا وأركم وآنس عم، فلت هذا الطاغية أذن لي فايجنذت قرصا في الطائف فسكنته وأسكنتكم مي وأضئتن لهم أن لايجئ من ناحيتنا مكروه أبدا.[232]
I grieve before God for my loneliness and anxiety among the people of Medina until you come and I see you and get companionable with you. If only this tyrant would allow me to take up residence in Tif to live there. I would put you up with me. I would guarantee them that nothing odious would ever come from our side.
And to another transmitter he said,
وددت أي وأصحابي في بلدة من الأرض حى نموت أويأتي هللا بالفرج.[233]
I wish I could live with my disciples in a remote town until we die, or until God finds us a way out [of this difficult situation].
IV.