Ja'far b. Ali
Jaʿfar b. Ali b. Abi Talib was a son of Imam Ali and Umm al-Banin. He and his brothers Abbas, Abd Allah, and Uthman accompanied Imam Hussain in his journey from Mecca to Kufa and were finally martyred at the Battle of Karbala.
| Ja'far b. Ali | |
|---|---|
| Native name | جعفر بن علی بن أبی طالب |
| Full Name | Ja'far b. Ali |
| Companion of | Imam al-Hussain |
| Wellknown Relatives | Imam Ali, Umm al-Banin (mother), Abbas b. Ali (brother) |
| Place(s) of Residence | Medina |
| Death/Martyrdom | 61/680 |
| Cause ofDeath/Martyrdom | Martyrdom in the Battle of Karbala |
| Burial Place | Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain, Karbala, Iraq |
| Activities | Participating in the Battle of Karbala |
Lineage
His mother, the daughter of Hizam b. Khalid b. Rabi’a from the Arab tribe of Banu Kilab, was the mother of three more sons of Ali b. Abi Talib, and for this reason she became known as Umm al-Banin. Imam Ali named him Ja'far due to the great love he had for his brother Ja'far b. Abi Talib.[1]
According to some sources, Ja'far was 19 years old when he was martyred[2] and thus was born after the martyrdom of his father. O thers state thathe was 21 years old[3] so he was born two years before the martyrdom of Imam Ali.
Before Ashura
As Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan was from the same tribe as Umm al-Banin, in the evening of Tasu'a he came close to the camp of Imam al-Hussain and addressed 'Abbas and his brothers as nieces and wanted them to abandon Imam al-Hussain in return for a safe-conduct from Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad, but they refused and remained with Imam al-Hussain.
In the Battle of Karbala
Since the beginning of the movement of Imam Hussain from Medina, Ja'far accompanied him. According to the report of historians, in the evening of the Day of Ashura, Abbas encouraged his brothers Abd Allah, Ja'far, and Uthman to go to the battlefield before him and said, "Proceed, so that I see your sincerity and benevolence on the way of God and His Prophet, since you do not have any children." [4]
So, Ja'far went to the battlefield and fought bravely. Finally, Khawli b. Yazid al-Asbahi threw an arrow at him which hit his temple or his eye[5] and according to another report, Hani b. Thubayt al-Hadrami martyred him.[6] Abul Faraj quotes Imam Mohammad al-Baqir saying, “Khawli Asbahi killed him”. Ibn Shahr Ashob says that Khawli Asbahi shot an arrow that pierced his temple or his eye.
Ja'far b. Ali was mentioned in Ziarat al-Shuhada among martyrs of Karbala.