It was narrated from Ja'far al-Sadiq (d. 148 AH/766 CE) (may Allah be pleased with him) that [he said]: "Whatever is known is said, nor everything that is said is timely, nor everything that is said is timely, nor everything that is prepared for its time is attended by its brothers, nor everything that is attended by its brothers is attended by its conditions, nor everything that is attended by its conditions is safe for its nakedness.

This quote is what Imam Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi al-Maliki (d. 684 AH / 1285 AD) concluded his great book "Al-Thakhira" on jurisprudence, and perhaps it is the best thing that we open this study with, which tries to provide a contextual vision to understand the personality of this imam Al-Alam, in the sense that it aims to return him to his time and Egypt and what was happening in them of events stampede, generating positions that crystallize and visions prevail, in which this imam appears part of the general main current of the population of imams of the nation.

Although Jaafar al-Sadiq was at the forefront and heart of that crowd, he breathed the air of his time (the era of the followers) and reflected the personality of his place (the Prophet's city), and if he had privacy or exclusivity, it is the uniqueness of the representative of his era who belonged to him and influenced him.

This saying, which we issued these lines, is a golden key that can open many doors to identify the personality of this Imam Tabi Sheikh Bani Hashim Abi Abdullah Jaafar Al-Sadiq, and it is also a saying explaining many of the intellectual and political positions that this imam decided to oblige in his life, it is a comprehensive principle and founder of what is called in our days "the jurisprudence of priorities", which is one of the features of political rationality and scientific integrity that characterized the life of Al-Sadiq and broadcast it in the sons of His time.

The saying also expresses the delicate balances set by Imam Jaafar on his words, deeds, decisions and readings, as he knows the sensitivity of his presence and knows the anticipation of his opponents and the eagerness of his audience for every word or position issued by him, and before and after all this he knows the bitter harvest of difficult experiences that open his consciousness to it, as he is a descendant of Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib (d. 61 AH / 682 AD), who suffered his death as a martyr of the Muslim conscience from that day until the present moment, and the wife of his uncle Zaid bin Ali Zain al-Abidin (d. 122 AH / 741 AD). Imam of the revolutionaries in their time.

He is also the son of Doha, the Prophet's city, which is naturally struggling against injustice and tyranny, which was then under the iron control of the Umayyad authority, and Jaafar was alert to the movements of his extremists who dissected their necks for unrest, revolutions and political leadership, and their susceptibility to extremism in the imams of "Ahl al-Bayt" increases with the days.

In addition, the great Sunni historians of Islam considered Imam Ja'far to be qualified for the position of caliphate like his father Muhammad al-Baqir (d. 114 AH/733 CE), and therefore he is one of the leading figures who are unanimous and candidates to assume the caliphate at any moment of political vacuum, and this is enough to strain the atmosphere around him.

Imam Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH/1347 CE) narrates – in Biographies of the Nobles – Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq as saying: "The jurists are faithful to the messengers, and if you see the jurists who have relied on the sultans, accuse them!" With this statement, Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq chose to lay the first brick for the authority of the scholars, which was established and rooted in the ages following his time, and his life was a practical application of this model through his scientific presence in the narratives of most Islamic sects.

Jaafar was one of the pillars of the great scientific dash in the history of Muslims, so two imams of the four schools of jurisprudence received knowledge from him and a third was influenced by him, and thus he had his appreciated contribution to tightening the bonds of Islamic knowledge, and even providing the personality of the jurist with prestige, dignity and effectiveness, all of which became a model for the authority of jurists throughout history.

Unlike some of the imams of Ahl al-Bayt among his contemporaries, Jaafar al-Sadiq decided not to confront the oppressive authority, whether Umayyad or Abbasid, and preferred to be part of the context of public peace that most of the jurists of his time adhered to, after revolutions and bloody unrest that deeply wounded the nation for nearly nine decades.

Jaafar al-Sadiq's choice of civil peace came as a result of his awareness of the imbalances of political power in his time, and his understanding of the dangers that the revolutions left on the unity of Muslims, so it seems that he decided to revive the doctrine of his grandfather al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 51 AH/672 CE) to strengthen the principle of "community" in the life of the nation.

Thus, he is considered one of the founders of the political rationality current in his time, and one of the pioneers who preferred to fight the battle on the land of knowledge and influence away from the approach of reconciliation and separation, influencing - at the same time - to be close to society away from power, and therefore we see this imam counted among the men of established knowledge and the owners of asceticism and acclamation on whose shoulders the features of Islamic spiritual education were based.

He poured a lot of inks into the biography of this imam, but what interests us in this article is to reach an understanding of the logic of Imam Jaafar and his way of thinking and to know the keys to his personality, which we will enter its space from multiple doors, because we claim that this is the dearest experience that we can get after reading this article, which seeks to introduce Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq, draw the features of the general environment in which he grew up, his most prominent influences on scientific life, and his most famous positions in political events.


A good
plant Ja'far al-Sadiq grew up in a house of knowledge and wisdom, and his father was Muhammad (known as al-Baqir) ibn Ali Zayn al-Abidin (d. 114 AH/733 CE) ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 40 AH/661 CE), the great companion and fourth of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Ali Zayn al-Abidin (d. 95 AH/715 CE) did not witness the battle of Karbala with his father Husayn (d. 61 AH/82 CE), the "martyr of Karbala" in the words of Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH/1347 CE), and then retired from politics and worked on worship and science, until he was called "carpets" because of his frequent prostration.

Zayn al-'Abidin was accepted among the believers and became famous because of his knowledge and virtue, as evidenced by the story narrated by Ibn al-Jawzi al-Hanbali (d. 597 AH/1201 CE) in al-Mu'ta'di, who said: "The pilgrimage of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik (d. 125 AH/744 CE) and the caliphate did not yet follow, so he went around the house and tried to reach the stone and receive it, but he could not do it, so he set up a pulpit for him and sat on it looking at the people.

Ali ibn al-Husayn came to the house, and when he reached the stone, the people stepped down for him until he received it, and a man from the people of the Levant said: Who is this who has been endowed by people with this prestige?! Hisham said, "I don't know him! Fearing that the people of the Levant would desire it, and Al-Farazdaq (d. 114 AH / 733 AD) was present, Al-Farazdaq said: But I know him, and Shami said: Who is this, O Abu Firas?, He said: This is the one who knows Al-Batha and his impact ** and the house knows him and the solution and the sanctuary
This is the son of the best servants of God all ** This pure pious and pure knowledge
and not your saying:
Who is this? With his misfortunes ** the Arabs know who denied and the non-Arabs."

Despite his high status socially and scientifically, Imam Zain al-Abidin was known for his humility and lowering the wing to the general public, as al-Dhahabi narrates – in 'History of Islam' – from Ja'far al-Sadiq that his grandfather Zain al-Abidin "If he walked on his mule in the railways (= roads) of Medina, he would not say to anyone: [Khal] the road, and he would say: The road is shared, I do not have to remove anyone from it." Ali Zain al-Abidin and his grandson Ja'far al-Sadiq died at the age of fourteen, so it is likely that he received knowledge from him at this age.

Ja'far al-Sadiq Ghosn from the blessed Doha of Prophethood grew a good plant in the fragrant garden of al-Siddiq Abu Bakr (d. 13 AH/635 CE), as his father Muhammad al-Baqir married um Farwa bint al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddiq (died 107 AH/726 CE) and Ja'far al-Sadiq gave birth to him, as Ibn al-Jawzi tells us in al-Musta'im. Al-Sadiq's maternal grandfather is Al-Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, who is counted among the "seven jurists of Medina" who had the orbit of knowledge and fatwa in it, and Al-Qasim and Jaafar died at the age of twenty-eight, so there is no doubt that he was a disciple of him.

Al-Sadiq therefore combined the honor of lineage liquidated on the part of Ali's grandson, father, and the old lineage on the part of the mother, descendant of "Ateeq" (Abu Bakr al-Siddiq). Concerning this auspicious encounter, Shahrastani (d. 548 AH/1153 CE) says in al-Mulal wal-Nahl that Ja'far al-Sadiq said: "On the father's side he belongs to the Prophet's tree, and on the mother's side he belongs to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq... He repudiated what some extremists attributed to him and acquitted them." His uncle was 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddiq (d. 126 AH/747 CE), and he is also, as al-Dhahabi describes him in Tareekh al-Islam, one of the most prominent jurists of Medina.

Metal Imamate
Ja'far was a complicating encounter between these pure lineages, and he belonged to the first two men who believed in the message of his grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Ali bin Abi Talib. Al-Dhahabi did well – in 'Biographies of the Nobles' – when he expressed this meeting of blessed genealogy in the purest and truest terms, and he said in Ja'far that:

"The son of the martyr Abu 'Abdullah Rayhana the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his tribe and beloved al-Husayn ibn Amir al-Mu'minin Abi al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Abi Talib... Imam al-Sadiq Sheikh Bani Hashim, Abu Abdullah al-Qurashi al-Hashemi al-Alawi al-Prophet al-Madani, one of the flags. His mother was um Farwa bint al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Taymi, and her mother was Asmaa bint 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, and that is why [Ja'far al-Sadiq] used to say: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq gave birth to me twice."

His father, Muhammad al-Baqir, translated by Imam Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH/1372 CE) in al-Bidaya wa al-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End), saying: "Follow Jalil al-Qadr, who is very knowledgeable, one of the flags of this nation in knowledge, work, worship, lineage and honor... Al-Baqir was named for his cow of science and his derivation of judgment." Imam Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah (d. 198 AH/814 CE) narrated that his sheikh Ja'far al-Sadiq said in his father al-Baqir: "My father spoke to me and he was the best Mohammedan on earth!"

Al-Dhahabi ruled to al-Baqir that he was eligible to assume the position of caliphate, a significant ruling from a Salafi imam and a great modernizer who is an expert in men who wound and modify like al-Dhahabi, and he said in 'History of Islam': "He was one of the collectors of knowledge and jurisprudence, honor and religion, trust and supremacy, and he was fit for the caliphate." Al-Baqir and his son Jaafar died at the age of thirty-four, after taking from him jurisprudence and narration and becoming one of the great scholars of his time.

Ja'far Zaid ibn 'Ali Zayn al-'Abidin (d. 122 AH/741 CE) was a companion and close relative of his age, and he was a disciple of his brother al-Baqir after the death of their father, Zayn al-'Abidin. The house is a house of knowledge and wisdom, and then it was obvious that Jaafar was one of the imams of the followers and established scholars, after he reached a large amount of knowledge and piety, until Al-Dhahabi said – in the 'History of Islam' – about his eligibility for the caliphate, as he said about his father al-Baqir: "The virtues of Jafar are many, and he was fit for the caliphate for his supremacy, virtue, knowledge and honor, may God be pleased with him."

A new
tendency Imam Jaafar – towards the political tensions that prevailed in his era witnessed by the ends of the Umayyad state and the Abbasid states – did not have a different political position from the political option that prevailed at the time among the largest sector of scholars, and represented by that school that took a distance for itself from the uncalculated armed clash with the authority adopted by revolutionary groups that decided to clash with the de facto authority.

These currents have sought radical change, regardless of the different capabilities and the imbalance of power between them and the authority. Thus, Al-Sadiq did not deviate in his political position from the general curriculum of most of the city's contemporary people, so he rejected the revolution and preferred to work on education to build a sound scientific school.

In order to understand the foundations of the school of political vision that characterized this broad Sunni current to which Ja'far belonged, we extend the connection a little to the scene of shock after the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (d. 61 AH/682 CE) in the famous incident of Karbala, in which Muslims were deeply saddened by the major cities of Islam at the time, namely Mecca, Medina, Kufa, and Basra.

This incident – along with other factors – fueled the fire of massive revolts against the rule of the Umayyads, so the people of Medina – most of whom were companions and their sons – tried to depose Yazid ibn Muawiyah (d. 64 AH / 685 AD) in 63 AH / 684 AD, so their revolution in the incident of Al-Hurra was aborted with the blood it caused and the violation of the sanctity of the Prophet's city, but it paved the way for continuous revolutions led by jurists and modernists.

Then in 64 AH / 685 CE was the movement of the "Army of the Repentants" in Iraq, led by the great companion Suleiman bin Sard al-Khuza'i (d. 65 AH / 686 CE), and one of its main demands was retribution for the blood of Hussein bin Ali, and then came the clash between the Umayyads and the great companion Abdullah bin Zubayr, which ended with his martyrdom in 73 AH / 693 CE after the Umayyad army led by Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi (d. 95 AH / 715 CE) besieged the Kaaba and struck it with a catapult.

In 81 AH/701 CE, the "Revolution of the Jurists" broke out, who gave their leadership to the Umayyad military commander 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Ash'ath al-Kindi (d. 84 AH/704 CE), but suffered a decisive defeat at the battle of Deir al-Jamajem in 83 AH/703 CE. Thus, all these revolutions failed to achieve their stated goals of restoring allegiance and consultation to the nation and the people of solution and contract.

Therefore, this continuous repression and continuous crushing of all opponents - since the martyrdom of Hussein - has caused the crystallization of a broad scholarly position, who has come to view the political issue with caution and suspicion for fear of more bloodshed, and perhaps he also saw in the scientific lesson - collection and delivery - a gradual reform way instead of politics, especially if it is likely that damage will be caused by shedding the blood of Muslims without achieving a change that requires it.

This school also revolved around the idea of a major intention, the "unity of Muslims", a Hassaniya idea that the Prophet (PBUH) spoke of and predicted that Muslims would receive it at the hands of his tribe al-Hasan ibn Ali (d. 49 AH/670 CE), which happened in the so-called "Year of the Community" in 41 AH / 662 CE.

Gradual
reform In fact, this school, to which a number of scholars of the Prophet's family belonged, extended and took root until it prevailed over Islamic thought throughout the following centuries. Of course, there is a delicate hair between acquiescence to tyranny and rationality in confronting it; rationality is based on preserving values, higher principles and cohesion, and then resisting injustice and tyranny by building a conscious society capable of liquidating it with the least damage.

ومن ثمّ فلم يكن جعفر الصادق -كإمامٍ من أئمة المدينة النبوية- من أنصار الثورة المجازفة، وفي نفس الوقت لم يكن من المؤيدين للسلطة بالمطلق، بل أقبل على التدريس باعتباره سبيلا للتغيير السياسيّ الطويل الأمد.

وقد شخّص الشهرستاني منهج جعفر هذا بمقولة دقيقة جامعة فقال: "وقد أقام [جعفر] بالمدينة مدة يفيد الشيعة المنتمين إليه..، ثم دخل العراق وأقام بها مدة ما تعرض للإمامة قَطّ، ولا نازع أحدا في الخلافة قَطّ".

كان موقف جعفر الرافض للثورات -كسبيل للتغيير السياسيّ- عامًّا وليس انتقائيا، حتى ولو كان دعاتها من داخل البيت الهاشمي الذي ينتمي إليه. ولذا فإنه رفض المشاركة في الثورة المجهضة التي قادها عمه زيد بن علي زين العابدين -الذي يُنسب إليه المذهب الزيدي الفقهي- في الكوفة سنة 122هـ/741م ضدّ الخليفة الأموي هشام بن عبد الملك (ت 125هـ/744م).

وكذلك عارض جعفر الصادق الانخراط في ثورة مجهضة مماثلة قام بها ابن عمه محمد بن عبد الله -الملقب بـ‘النفس الزكيّة‘- في المدينة على حكم المنصور العباسي (ت 158هـ/776م) سنة 145هـ/764م، وقد يكون من أسباب ذلك تحفظه على أهلية قائد الثورة المقدَّم للخلافة.

فحين اجتمع بنو هاشم لعقد البيعة للنفس الزكية رفض الصادق حضور الاجتماع، وقال مخاطبا والد النفس الزكية حين جاءه يدعوه لحضور البيعة: "إنك شيخ، وإن شئتَ بايعتك، وأما ابنك فوالله لا أبايعه وأدعك"؛ كما يخبرنا أبو الفَرَج الأصفهاني (ت 356هـ/967م) في ‘مقاتل الطالبيين‘.

ويقول الذهبيّ -في ‘تاريخ الإسلام‘- عن موقف جعفر من ثورة ‘النفس الزكية‘ إنه كان يثبّط عنها كلَّ مَن أراد الالتحاق بها من أهل بيته و"يقول له: هو والله مقتول"!

وحين اندلعت أحداث الثورة "اختفى جعفر الصادق وذهب إلى مال له بالفُـرُع (= بلدة كانت تابعة للمدينة) معتزلا للفتنة"، مع أنه حينها كان "سيد العلويين في زمانه"؛ وفق تعبير الذهبي في كتابه ‘العلوّ للعلي الغفار‘. كما يأتي موقفه هذا مخالفا لـ"جماعة كثيرة من الفقهاء وأهل العلم" شاركت في هذه الثورة؛ حسبما يقوله الطبري (ت 310هـ/922م) في تاريخه.

بقدر ما كان جعفر مناهضا للثورة المسلحة؛ كان كارها لمجرد الدخول على السلاطين حتى ولو لنصيحتهم. ويمكن القول إن مجانبة جعفر للسلطة نابع من الصدام المرير الذي وقع بين المسلمين، وقد أثر موقفه هذا في الاتجاه العام للأمة سنّةً وشيعةً بعد أن تبلور مساراهما المتمايزان بعد عصره بعقود

وقد نقل الإمام الشافعيّ ما يشير إلى علاقة منهج جعفر الصادق -وهو أحد أئمة المدينة- بما كان يراه الصحابي الجليل عبد الله بن عمر (ت 73هـ/م)، الذي يعدّ المؤسس للمدرسة المدنية ذات المنزع السلمي في التعامل مع السلطة؛ فقد قال الشافعي في كتابه ‘الأم‘:

"وقد صلى أصحاب النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- خلف من لا يحمدون فِعاله من السلطان وغيره. أخبرنا مسلم (بن خالد الزنجي المتوفى 180هـ/م) عن ابن جُرَيج (ت 151هـ/م) عن نافع (ت 117هـ/م) أن عبد الله بن عمر اعتزل بمنى في قتال ابن الزبير والحَجّاج بمنى، فصلى مع الحَجّاج…، قال (= الشافعيّ): أخبرنا حاتم عن جعفر [الصادق] بن محمد [الباقر] عن أبيه أن الحسن والحسين.. كانا يصليان خلف مروان (بن الحكم المتوفى 65هـ/م)، قال فقال: أما كانا يصليان إذا رجعا إلى منازلهما؟ فقال: لا والله، ما كانا يزيدان على صلاة الأئمة".

وبقدر ما كان جعفر مناهضا للثورة المسلحة؛ كان كارها لمجرد الدخول على السلاطين حتى ولو لنصيحتهم حرصا منه على استقلالية مواقف العلماء. ويمكن القول إن مجانبة جعفر للسلطة نابع من الصدام المرير الذي وقع بين المسلمين، وقد أثر موقفه هذا في الاتجاه الأساسي الذي شكّل الرأي العام للأمة -سنّةً وشيعةً- بعد أن تبلور مساراهما المتمايزان بعد عصر جعفر الصادق بعقود.

كما أن تعزيز جعفر لسلطة الفقهاء -في مقابل سلطة الحكام- ظل واضحا إلى عهد الإمام أبي المعالي الجويني (ت 478هـ/1185م) الذي أعطى لهذا التوجه دفعا تنظيريا أكبر في كتابه ‘غياث الأمم في الْتياث الظُّلَم‘؛ فالذهبي يروي -في ‘السِّيَر‘- عن الإمام الصادق قوله: "الفقهاء أمناء الرُّسُل، فإذا رأيتم الفقهاء قد ركنوا إلى السلاطين فاتّهِموهم".

ولذلك نجد أن أقران جعفر وتلامذته والمتأثرين بموقفه اتخذوا المنحى نفسه في العلاقة بالسلطة؛ فمعروف موقف الإمام أبي حنيفة (ت 150هـ/768م) -وهو أحد تلامذة والده محمد الباقر- الرافض لتولي وظيفة القضاء للعباسيين أو أخذ أي من عطايا الدولة من مؤسسة بيت مال المسلمين.

ثم تعزز هذا الاتجاه أكثر حتى وجدنا الإمام الغزالي (ت 505هـ/1111م) ينتقد ارتياد علماء زمانه لقصور السلاطين، فيصف معظمهم -في ‘إحياء علوم الدين‘- قائلا: "أكَبّوا على علم الفتاوى، وعرضوا أنفسهم على الولاة، وتعرّفوا إليهم، وطلبوا الولايات والصِّلات منهم، فأصبح الفقهاء بعد أن كانوا مطلوبين طالبين، وبعد أن كانوا أعزة بالإعراض عن السلاطين أذلة بالإقبال عليهم".

حسم للغلو
لقد رأينا في مسيرة جعفر الصادق أنّه كان رجل علم وتزكية وإصلاح، وهو ما ساهم في جعله مرجعية علمية في عصره، كما يفسر محاربته للغلوّ والغلاة الذين اتهمهم بوضع الحديث عليه وعلى علماء وأئمة آل البيت عموما؛ فكان يقول مخاطبا تلامذته ومرتادي مجالس علمه: "لا تقبلوا علينا حديثاً إلا ما وافقَ الكتاب والسنّة"؛ كما يروي عنه العلامة الشيعي أبو القاسم الخوئي (ت 1413هـ/1992م) في ‘معجم رجال الحديث‘.

بل إن القاضي المؤرخ ابن خلدون (ت 808هـ/1405م) يقول -في تاريخه ‘العِبَر‘- إن بعض هؤلاء "الغلاة تجاوزوا حد العقل والإيمان في القول بألوهية هؤلاء الأئمة…، ولقد حرّق علي -رضي الله عنه- بالنار من ذهب فيه إلى ذلك منهم؛ وسخط محمد بن الحنفية (= محمد بن علي بن أبي طالب المتوفى 81هـ/701م) المختار بن أبي عبيد (الثقفي المتوفى 67هـ/687م) لما بلغه مثل ذلك عنه، فصرّح بلعنته والبراءة منه؛ وكذلك فعل جعفر الصادق -رضي الله تعالى عنه- بمن بلغه مثلُ هذا عنه".

والواقع أن المصادر الشيعية نفسها طافحة بوصف العنت الذي ناله الإمام جعفر من الغلاة في آل البيت، وهنا نترك روايات أهل السنة ونذهب إلى المصادر المعتبرة عند الشيعة لتحدثنا عن الإرهاق الذي وجده الصادق من بعض أتباعه. فبسبب غضبه من الغلاة رُوي عنه -كما في كتاب ‘رجال الكَشِّي‘ للعلامة الكَشِّي الشيعي (ت 340هـ/951م)- قوله: "إني والله ما وجدتُ أحداً يطيعني ويأخذ بقولي إلا رجلا واحداً رحمة الله عليه: عبد الله بن أبي يعفور (ت 131هـ/750م)".

وعبد الله بن أبي يعفور هذا كان رأس الاعتدال ضد الغلاة، وكانت مقولته المركزية حسب الكَشِّي: "إنّ الأئمة علماء أبرار أتقياء". وهو يقصد بذلك أنّ أئمة آل البيت كانوا علماء في الدين وأتقياء زاهدين، لكنهم ليسوا معصومين.

كما اشتبك جعفر مع فرقة ‘الخطّابية‘ التي تـُنسَب إلى أبي الخطاب محمد بن أبي زينب الأسدي (ت 138هـ/756م) وكانت تزعم أنّ أئمة آل البيت "أنبياء"، بل ذهب بعضهم -كما سبق ذكره- إلى أن الأئمة "آلهة"؛ فقال الصادق: "أبرأ إلى الله ممن قال إنّا أنبياء"؛ كما يرويه الكَشِّي الذي نجد الحافظ ابن حجر (ت 852هـ/1448م) يكثر من النقل عنه في ‘لسان الميزان‘.

أدرك الإمام جعفر أيضا أن الغلاة سبب في تفريق الأمة الواحدة، بسبب كذبهم عليه ومهاجمتهم بعض الصحابة بزعم حبّهم لآل البيت، وهو ما استنفر طاقته في الردّ عليهم؛ فقد وردت روايات كثيرة تـُـظهر إجلال جعفر للصحابة كما كان يفعل والده محمد الباقر. فالإمام ابن الجوزي يروي -في ‘المنتظم‘- عن الإمام أبي حنيفة أنّه التقى الإمام الباقر فسأله له: "ما تقول في أبي بكر وعمر؟ فقال: رحم الله أبا بكر وعمر"

ولا يزال الإصلاحيون الشيعة -حتى اليوم- يستقون من تلك الروايات المعبرة عن المنهج المعتدل للإمام التابعي جعفر الصادق؛ فقد صنّف مثلا حجّةُ الإسلام محسن كديور كتابه ‘القراءة المنسية‘ لإعادة إحياء مقولات الأئمة وعلماء التشيع القدامى، التي تعزز الاعتدال في النظرة إلى الأئمة كعلماء أتقياء أبرار فقط.

ونجد هذا النفسَ المعتدل عند عدد لا بأس به من مراجع الشيعة المعاصرين، مثل آية الله حسين منتظري (ت 1430هـ/2009م) والعلامة حسين فضل الله (ت 1431هـ/2010م) وآية الله يوسف صانعي.

وقد أدرك الإمام جعفر أيضا أن الغلاة سبب في تفريق الأمة الواحدة، بسبب كذبهم عليه ومهاجمتهم بعض الصحابة بزعم حبّهم لآل البيت، وهو ما استنفر طاقته في الردّ عليهم؛ فقد وردت روايات كثيرة تـُـظهر إجلال جعفر للصحابة كما كان يفعل والده محمد الباقر.

فالإمام ابن الجوزي يروي -في ‘المنتظم‘- عن الإمام أبي حنيفة أنّه التقى الإمام الباقر فسأله له: "ما تقول في أبي بكر وعمر؟ فقال: رحم الله أبا بكر وعمر، فقلت (= أبو حنيفة): إنه يقال عندنا بالعراق إنك لتبرأ منهما، فقال: معاذ الله! كذب من قال هذا عني، أو ما علمتَ أن علي بن أبي طالب زوّج ابنتَه أمَّ كلثوم -التي من فاطمة بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله سلم- عمرَ بن الخطاب، وجَدَّتُها خديجةُ وجدُّها رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم؟!".

كما روى ابن الجوزي أن عروة بن عبد الله الكوفي -وهو "ثقة" كما قال الحافظ ابن حجر في ‘تقريب التهذيب‘- سأل شيخَه جعفر الصادق مرة عن حكم زخرفة السيوف؛ فقال: "لا بأس به، قد حلَّى أبو بكر الصدّيق سيفَه، قال [عروة]: قلتُ: وتقول الصديق؟! فوثب وثبة واستقبل القبلة ثم قال: نعم الصديق، نعم الصديق، نعم الصديق؛ فمن لم يقل له الصديق فلا صدّق الله له قولا في الدنيا ولا في الآخرة".

وجاء في قول آخر لجعفر رواه الذهبي في ‘سير أعلام النبلاء‘: "ما أرجو من شفاعة عليٍّ شيئا إلا وأنا أرجو من شفاعة أبي بكر مثلَه، لقد ولدني مرتين"!!

ومجمل القول هنا هو أنّ تلك الروايات تثبت أنّ جعفرا حمل همّ قيادة العلماء للإصلاح الديني والسياسيّ؛ أمّا الديني فبإبعاده الغلاة عن تسوّر حرمات الشرع، وأمّا السياسيّ فبحفاظه على وحدة المسلمين خشية استئصال شأفتهم، لا سيما بعد إخفاق ثورات زمانه.

ولذلك اكتفى بالعمل على مستويات علمية وثقافية وتزكوية، كما يخبرنا بذلك تلميذه الإمام مالك بن أنس (ت 179هـ/795م) بقوله الذي يرويه عنه القاضي عياض المالكي (ت 544هـ/1148م) -في ‘الشفا بتعريف حقوق المصطفى‘-: "لقد اختلفتُ (= جئتُه مرات) إليه (= جعفر الصادق) زمانا فما كنت أراه إلا على ثلاث خصال: إما مصليا وإما صامتا وإما يقرأ القرآن، ولا يتكلم فيما لا يعنيه، وكان من العلماء والعباد الذين يخشون الله".

تلمذة ومشيخة
كان جعفر الصادق إماما من أئمة المسلمين شهد بفضله جميعهم، والذي يُدقق في مروياته -أي فيمن روى عنهم ومَن رَوَوْا عنه- سيجد أنه رأى بعض الصحابة وتتلمذ على التابعين، وأخذ عن أئمة المدينة النبوية، والتقى علماء الإسلام في حَلّه وترحاله. ففي ‘السِّيَر‘؛ يقول الذهبيّ إن الصادق "رأى بعض الصحابة، أحسبه رأى: أنس بن مالك (ت 93هـ/713م) وسهل بن سعد (ت 91هـ/711م).

وحدث عن: أبيه أبي جعفر الباقر، وعبيد الله بن أبي رافع، وعروة بن الزبير (ت 94هـ/714م)، وعطاء بن أبي رباح (ت 114هـ/733م) وروايته عنه في ‘[صحيح] مسلم (ت 261هـ/875م)‘، وجده القاسم بن محمد، ونافع العمري (ت 117هـ/736م)، ومحمد بن المُنْكَدِر (ت 130هـ/749م)، والزهري (ت 124هـ/743م)، ومسلم بن أبي مريم، وغيرهم. وليس هو بالمكثر إلا عن أبيه، وكان من جِلَّة علماء المدينة".

Al-Dhahabi's saying: "He was one of the great scholars of Medina" confirms what passed with us that Jaafar's political and jurisprudential approach was a practical application of the predominant approach to his peers from the imams of the followers and jurists of Medina, which was officially established and elaborated after the incident of Al-Hurra in 63 AH / 684 AD, so that Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Hashemi, known as the pure soul, did not find in 145 AH / 763 AD - as previously said - who stood with him in his revolution from the scholars of the people of Medina, except for a few.

As for those who narrated from al-Sadiq, according to al-Dhahabi, the great imams included: Abu Hanifa, Malik bin Anas, Abd al-Malik bin Jurayj (d. 151 AH/769 CE), his son Musa al-Kadhim (d. 183 AH/799 CE), Sufyan bin Uyaina, Yahya al-Qattan (d. 198 AH/814 CE), and others.

Regarding Abu Hanifa's discipleship of al-Sadiq – they were born in one year and the date of their deaths was close!– Ibn Nasrallah al-Qurashi al-Hanafi (d. 775 AH / 1373 AD) says – in 'The shining jewels in the Hanafi layers' – that "he used to ask him and ask him, and he is a follower of the most senior Ahl al-Bayt, narrated from his father Muhammad al-Baqir and others, from whom the prominent imams heard. So is Abu Hanifa. so it will be from the narration of peers" about some of them.

Transmitting the jurisprudential opinions of Jaafar al-Sadiq Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi'i and other senior scholars, which indicates that his narrations and sayings contributed to the formation of the scientific personality of the founders of the major schools of jurisprudence, like other senior imams of the followers, as jurists throughout the ages have been transmitting his fatwas in their jurisprudential books

Among his great students are also the Muhaddith al-Thiqa al-Dahhak ibn Mukhlad al-Basri (d. 212 AH/827 CE), about whom Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 626 AH/1229 CE) says in the 'Dictionary of Writers': "Al-Hafiz Al-Thabet Al-Nahwi Al-Linguistic, was an imam in hadith, heard from Ja'far al-Sadiq. Al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH/870 CE) narrated it in his Saheeh, and they unanimously documented it."

As for his jurisprudence, his jurisprudential views were transmitted by imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi'i and other senior imams, which indicates that Ja'far's narrations and sayings contributed to the formation of the scientific personality of the founders of the major schools of jurisprudence, like other senior imams of the Taabi'een.

Abu Hanifa narrated a lot from Ja'far and quoted his narrations in formulating his issues, as it says in al-Athar by Imam Qadi al-Qudah Abu Yusuf al-Bajali (d. 182 AH/798 CE), the chief disciple of Abu Hanifa: "Yusuf told us from his father, from Abu Hanifa, from Ja'far [al-Sadiq] bin Muhammad [al-Baqir], from Sa'id bin Jubayr (d. 95 AH/715 CE), from Ibn 'Umar. He said: A man came to him and said: I spent all the rituals other than circumambulating the house, and then I fell into my family, and he said: So spend what is left on you and shed blood, and you have to make pilgrimage to whoever meets."

The most important of which is that Imam Ja'far took from Saeed bin Jubayr and narrated about him, and the narration is based on Ibn Umar, Ibn Umar is one of the most prominent people of Medina, and Saeed bin Jubayr and Jaafar represented him.

We do not forget that Ja'far al-Sadiq also learned from his maternal grandfather al-Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr al-Siddiq, one of the seven jurists of Medina, as we mentioned, and the scholars of Aal al-Bayt at that time lived in the city working in it on science and worship. Therefore, we are facing a jurist from the people of Medina, who is not famous for being alone from the civil school.

Another important glimpse that the scholar Muhammad Abu Zahra (d. 1394 AH / 1974 CE) turned to in his book Imam Ja'far is that this narration indicates that al-Sadiq takes the fatwa of the Companion, as the narration is based on Abdullah bin Umar and he did not attribute it to the Prophet (peace be upon him), as it is a fatwa in a place where opinion has no scope.

Thus, it is likely that he heard it from the Prophet (pbuh), but this does not detract from the fact that it is a fatwa of a companion. The adoption of the fatwa of the companion is the subject of agreement when most of the jurists of the four imams and jurists of Al-Amsar, and the narration of Jaafar here indicates that his jurisprudence converges with their jurisprudence in the reference.

A great celebration As for Imam Malik bin Anas, Ja'far al-Sadiq was one of the great
scholars of Medina whom he discipled, and therefore we find him quoted – in his books al-Hadith al-Muwatta' and al-Fiqh al-Mudawana – his opinions and narrations about his fathers from Ahl al-Bayt and other companions.

In the two books mentioned, we find many chains of transmission such as: "from Malik from Ja'far [al-Sadiq] ibn Muhammad [al-Baqir] ibn 'Ali from his father," or "from Malik from Ja'far ibn Muhammad from his father." Indeed, Malik was influenced by his Sheikh Jaafar al-Sadiq in his character and guidance and his known reverence for the Sunnah and the greatest hadith of the Prophet in his scientific councils.

This includes what 'Iyadh narrated about him in al-Shifa, where he says: "When Malik mentioned the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he would change color and bend so that it would be difficult for his sitters, and he was told one day about that, and he said: If you had seen what I saw, you would not have denied me what you see. I see Ja'far ibn Muhammad, who was very humorous and smiling, and if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned yellow in color, and what I saw happening about the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was only pure."

Imam al-Shafi'i narrates a lot – in his book al-um – about Imam Ja'far through his sheikh Sufyan ibn 'Uyaina, who is one of al-Sadiq's great disciples. For example, it is quoted in the chapter "Whoever forgets to rinse and inhale in ghusl janaabah" as saying: "Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah told us from Ja'far [al-Sadiq] ibn Muhammad [al-Baqir] from his father from Jabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to scoop three janaabah on his head." With regard to the issue of prayer time in travel, al-Shafi'i narrates with his sanad from Ja'far from his father from Jaber, and the same in the chapter 'Adhan and iqama to combine the two prayers and prayers'.

We also find the narrations of Ja'far by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH/855 CE) in al-Musnad, and in al-Sunan by al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH/892 CE), al-Nasa'i (d. 303 AH/915 CE) and others.

For example, al-Tirmidhi says: "Most of the scholars among the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and those who followed them say this: Ja'far [al-Sadiq] ibn Muhammad [al-Baqir], Sufyan al-Thawri (d. 161 AH/778 CE), Ibn al-Mubarak (d. 181 AH/797 CE), al-Shafi'i, Ahmad and Ishaq (ibn Rahwayh (d. 238 AH/852 CE), saw wiping the head once." Al-Tirmidhi quotes Sufyan Ibn 'Uyaina, one of the great imams of hadith, as saying: "I asked Ja'far ibn Muhammad about wiping the head, is it part once? He said, "Ay, by Allah."

We even see Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH/1328 CE) quoting some of the jurisprudential opinions of Ja'far al-Sadiq and his father al-Baqir as a preference for them over other opinions, as he says in the investigations of purity from Majmoo' al-Fataawa: "Abu Ja'far al-Baqir and Nafi' Mawla Ibn 'Umar reported that [what they were asked about] his turban hit Paul with a camel and they said: 'All of them are fine,' and Ja'far al-Sadiq asked them, which is more like evidence," meaning that this statement is the closest to his agreement with the shar'i evidence.

On the issue of the scholars' disagreement on the ruling on 'heretical divorce', Ibn Taymiyyah mentions the opinion of Imam Ja'far among those who say – among the imams of the Salaf and schools of jurisprudence – that "it is forbidden and only one shot is required. This saying is quoted from a group of predecessors and successors from the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). And this is what many of the followers and those after them say. This is narrated from Abu Ja'far Muhammad [al-Baqir]. and his son Jaafar [the truthful]... This is the view of some of the companions of Abu Hanifa, Malik and Ahmad ibn Hanbal."

The narrations of Ja'far al-Sadiq were not limited to the four schools of jurisprudence, but also extended to the doctrine of the people of al-Zahir, for here is the most famous spokesman for them, Imam Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (d. 456 AH/1065 CE), quoting his narration in chapters of his book al-Muhalla, such as saying: "Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah narrated from Ja'far [al-Sadiq] ibn Muhammad [al-Baqir] from his father, who said: 'Uthman (= illness) fell ill while he was in Mina, and 'Ali came and was told: Pray to people? He said: "If you wish, I will pray for you the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), meaning two rak'ahs, they said: No, except for the prayer of the Commander of the Faithful – meaning 'Uthman – four, and 'Uthman replied."


Eloquent judgment Wisdom was scattered from the tongue of Jaafar honest fruit ripe asceticism and knowledge and piety, was his rule and commandments eloquent
sprout in the heart and stick to the conscience before they appeared on the limbs. Among his commandments that his son Musa al-Kadhim recommended is that which Imam al-Dhahabi documented in al-Sir, which is his saying:

"Oh son! Whoever is convinced of what he has sworn to him will be dispensed with, and whoever extends his eyes to what is in the hands of others will die poor, and whoever is not satisfied with what he has sworn to him will accuse God in his judgment, and whoever minimizes the slip of another will magnify the slip of himself, and whoever uncovers the veil of another his nakedness will be exposed, and whoever sells the sword of the prostitute will be killed by it, and whoever digs a well for his brother is caught by God in it, and from within the foolish is despicable, and whoever mixes with scholars and reverence, and whoever enters the entrances of bad is accused.

Oh son! Do not disparage (= underestimate) men and visit you, and do not enter into what does not concern you and be humiliated for that. Oh son! Say the truth to you and you should be consulted from among your relatives, be for the Qur'an next, and for peace fascist, and for the known commanding, and for evil Nahiya, and for those who cut you off, and for those who kept silent about you as a beginner, and for those who asked you a giver, and beware of gossip, it sows freighters in hearts.

And beware of exposure to the defects of people, the status of the exposed to the defects of people as the status of the goal, if you ask for generosity, you have minerals, the presence of minerals, and minerals assets and assets branches, and branches fruit and good fruit only branch, and no branch except origin and origin only good metal, button the good guys and do not visit the ungodly, they are a rock does not explode its water, and a tree does not green its leaves, and the land does not appear grass.

Among his rulings, which come only from the breasts of senior souls who rise above the decoration of living and the pomp of life, are his sayings that urge the rejection of controversy and antagonism in religion, and from what Al-Dhahabi mentioned - in the 'History of Islam' - he said: "Beware of antagonism in religion, it occupies the heart and inherits hypocrisy." And he said: "There is no better increase than piety, nothing better than silence, no enemy is more misguided than ignorance, and no disease is more cured than lying."

In the conclusion of this circumambulation in the life of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and its impact on the mental and educational life in Islam, the best thing to end this article with is his wisdom with which Imam Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi al-Maliki (d. 684 AH / 1285 AD) concluded his great book on jurisprudence al-Thakhira, which is: "Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "What is known is said, nor everything that is said is timely, nor everything that is prepared for its time is attended by his brothers, nor everything that is attended by his brothers is attended by his conditions. Nor everything that you have attended to secure its nakedness, so keep your tongue as much as you can, and peace"!!

Source : Al Jazeera