Muhammad al-Baqir
Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the fifth of the twelve Shia imams, succeeding his father, Ali al-Sajjad, and succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq. Muhammad's honorific title is short for, which means 'the one who splits knowledge open', a reference to his fame as a religious scholar.
Muhammad was born in Medina around 676 CE. In 680, when he was a small child, he witnessed the Battle of Karbala, where his grandfather Husayn ibn Ali and most of his relatives were massacred by the forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya. Upon his father's death around 712, Muhammad was recognised as the next imam by most followers of his father. These were the Imamites, the forerunners of Twelvers and Isma'ilis, which now constitute the majority of Shia Muslims. At the time, however, this quiescent group was a minority compared to other rival Shia groups, who actively worked against the Umayyads. One such rival group were Zaydis. These followed Zayd ibn Ali, a much younger half-brother of al-Baqir, who staged an unsuccessful revolt shortly after al-Baqir's death. In contrast, like his father, al-Baqir was politically quiescent but was nevertheless harassed by the Umayyads, especially by Caliph Hisham.
Muhammad al-Baqir led a pious and scholarly life in Medina, attracting a growing number of followers, students, and visitors. He is credited with laying the doctrinal and legal foundations of Twelver Shi'ism during some twenty years of his imamate. He may also be regarded as the father of Isma'ili and Zaydi jurisprudence. Finally, he significantly contributed to Twelver exegesis of the Quran. Most of al-Baqir's disciples were based in Kufa, in present-day Iraq, many of whom later became outstanding Shia jurists and traditionists. Some of these, such as Zurara ibn A'yan, may have occasionally disagreed with al-Baqir, who disapproved of such independent views if they went beyond the general theological and legal framework provided by imams. In Sunni Islam, al-Baqir is regarded as an authority in law and prophetic tradition, but portrayed as anti-Shia and proto-Sunni.
Muhammad al-Baqir died around 732, poisoned by the Umayyads, according to most Shia reports. He is buried in the Baqi Cemetery in Medina, but the shrine that stood over his grave has been demolished twice by Wahhabis. Al-Baqir was succeeded by his eldest son, Ja'far al-Sadiq, who further developed Shia theology and law.
Ancestry
Muhammad al-Baqir was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, through both of his grandsons, namely, Hasan and Husayn, who were the second and third of the twelve Shia imams, respectively. More specifically, al-Baqir's father was Husayn's son, Ali al-Sajjad, the fourth of the twelve imams. Muhammad's mother was Fatima Umm Abd Allah, while his maternal grandfather was Hasan.Hasan and Husayn were the eldest sons of the first Shia imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, through his first wife, Fatima, daughter of the Islamic prophet.
Titles
Muhammad's is Abu Ja'far, and his honorific title is, short for, which means either 'the one who splits knowledge open' or 'the one who possesses great knowledge', both of which are references to Muhammad's fame as a religious scholar.By some accounts, Muhammad was already known in his lifetime by the title. Shia sources posit that this title was designated by the Islamic prophet, who sent his greetings via his companion Jabir ibn Abd Allah, who lived long enough to meet al-Baqir in his childhood. According to another Shia account, Caliph Hisham, a contemporary of al-Baqir, contemptuously referred to him as , which again suggests that he was known by this title in his lifetime. The occasion was the caliph's meeting with al-Baqir's half brother, Zayd ibn Ali, who reprimanded Hisham and attributed al-Baqir's title to the Islamic prophet.
Biography
Muhammad al-Baqir was born in Medina in about 676 CE. Twelver Shias annually celebrate this occasion on the third of Safar. In 680, when Muhammad was a small child, his grandfather Husayn and most of his male relatives were massacred in the Battle of Karbala by forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid. Muhammad was present in Karbala and witnessed the carnage. Muhammad's youth coincided with power struggles between the Umayyads, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and various Shia groups, while Muhammad's father, al-Sajjad, stayed aloof from politics. When al-Sajjad died around 712, most of his followers accepted the imamate of his son Muhammad, who was about thirty-seven years old. He lived a quiet pious life in Medina, like his father, but was nevertheless harassed by the Umayyads, especially by Caliph Hisham. Muhammad, however, enjoyed certain liberties because the Umayyads were more lenient in this period, or perhaps because they were busy infighting and quelling revolts. During the next twenty years or so, Muhammad al-Baqir thus expounded Shia doctrines and laws, attracting a growing number of followers, students, and visitors.Abd al-Malik ()
The fifth Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, is credited with issuing an Islamic gold coinage for the first time to replace Byzantine coins. This was likely done at the suggestion of al-Baqir.Umar II ()
Often praised for his piety, the Umayyad caliph Umar II was favorably disposed to al-Baqir. After meeting with him, the caliph apparently returned the disputed lands of Fadak to Alids, that is, descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib. In a Sunni tradition, likely circulated by anti-Alids, al-Baqir identifies Umar II as the Mahdi, the promised savior in Islam. In a Shia tradition, however, al-Baqir suggests that Umar's good deeds would not redeem him, for he had usurped the imam's right to rule.Hisham ()
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik summoned al-Baqir to the Umayyad capital Damascus several times and imprisoned him at least once. During these visits, the caliph apparently held theological debates in which al-Baqir emerged victorious. On one occasion, the caliph ordered al-Baqir to join an ongoing archery practice, probably hoping to embarrass him, but was astonished by al-Baqir's excellent marksmanship.Death
Although 732 and 735 are commonly reported, there is considerable disagreement about when al-Baqir died, ranging from 732 to 736. He was about fifty-seven years old at the time, and most likely died before Zayd's revolt in 740. Twelvers annually commemorate his death on the seventh of Dhu al-Hijja.As with the rest of the twelve imams, Shia sources report that al-Baqir was killed. There is no consensus about the details, and different sources accuse Hisham or his successor, al-Walid II, of poisoning al-Baqir. According to another account, al-Baqir was poisoned by his cousin, Zayd ibn al-Hasan, once the latter failed to wrest control of the Islamic prophet's inheritance from al-Baqir.
Al-Baqir is buried in the Al-Baqi Cemetery in Medina. A shrine stood over his grave until its demolition in 1806 and then again around 1925, both times carried out by Wahhabis.
Imamate
After al-Sajjad, most of his followers accepted the imamate of his eldest son Muhammad. These were the Imamites, who were the forerunners of Twelver and Isma'ili Shias. Twelver and Isma'ili sources indeed report that al-Sajjad had earlier designated al-Baqir as his successor. Followers of al-Baqir, however, were in minority compared to the rival Kaysanites, which was a Shia group that traced the imamate through Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Khawla bint Ja'far, a woman from the Banu Hanifa tribe. Nevertheless, al-Baqir had an advantage over these non-Fatimid claimants because of his prestigious lineage from Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima, the only surviving daughter of the Islamic prophet.Zayd ibn Ali
Another claimant to leadership was Zayd ibn Ali, a much younger half-brother of al-Baqir. It is not certain, however, if Zayd was a rival for al-Baqir. Despite their disagreements, relationship between the two brothers is described as cordial. The quiescent al-Baqir even attempted to dissuade the politically active Zayd from rebellion. In 740, not long after al-Baqir's death, Zayd took up arms against the Umayyads but was defeated and killed by Caliph Hisham.Zayd's activism initially gained him a larger following than al-Baqir, especially because the former accommodated some of the majority views. For instance, even though Zayd regarded Ali ibn Abi Talib more qualified to succeed the Islamic prophet, he refused to condemn the first two caliphs, namely, Abu Bakr and Umar. Such views, however, cost Zayd part of his Shia support, most of whom condemn Abu Bakr and Umar as usurpers of Ali's right to the caliphate. Those Shia Muslims who thus rejected Zayd joined al-Baqir or his son Ja'far. Zayd's rebellion marks the beginning of the Zaydi movement, a Shia subsect that has survived to present day in Yemen. Muhammad al-Baqir also challenged al-Hasan al-Muthanna and two of his sons for controlling the prophet's inheritance and for claiming to be the Mahdi.