Mohammad al-Baqir: Difference between revisions

In Shiʿite tradition, al-Baqir appears as the inaugurator of the religious and legal teaching that was further elaborated by his son [[Jaʿfar al-Sadiq]] and formed the basis of [[Ithna ‘Ashariyah|Imami Shiʿism]]. Here he stood within the tradition of the radical wing of the Shiʿites, repudiating the caliphate of Abu Bakr, ʿOmar, and ʿOthman and endowing the Shia imams with supernatural qualities and knowledge. He shunned, however, revolutionary activity and espoused the principle of taqiya, precautionary dissimulation. He is quoted as stating: “Taqiya is part of my religion and the religion of my fathers. Whoever has no taqiya has no faith.” Al-Baqir’s views on legal and ritual questions are frequently quoted in Imami and Zaydi works. It is clear that some of the basic characteristics and specific rules of Twelver Shiʿite law, like the permission for the temporary marriage (motʿa) and the prohibition of the ritual wiping of the shoes (mash ʿala’l-ḵoffayn), go back to him. A commentary on the Koran attributed to al-Baqir was transmitted by his disciple Abu’l-Jarud Ziad b. Monder and is quoted frequently in the Tafsir of Ali b. Ebrahim Qomi. It reflects a strictly predestinarian theology<ref>see W. Madelung, “The Shiite and Khārijite Contribution to pre-Asḥʿarite ''Kalām'',” in P. Morewedge, ed., ''Islamic Philosophical Theology'', Albany, 1979, pp. 136-37 n. 51</ref> . Al-Baqir appears often as the author of apocalyptic prophecies, transmitted from him mostly by the Shiʿite traditionist Jaber Joʿfi. In spite of their Shiʿite character, such prophecies were taken over and transmitted by Sunni traditionists. Although some elements of this material may go back to al-Baqir, most of it consists of later elaborations posterior even to Jaber<ref>see Madelung, “The Sufyānī between Tradition and History,” ''Stud. Isl.'' 63, 1986, esp. pp. 10-11, 34-35</ref> . The Shiʿite biographical sources narrate numerous stories of a legendary character about al-Baqir’s debates with religious leaders and scholars like Tawus, Qatada b. Deʿama, Mohammad b. Monkader, Abu Hanifa, ʿAmr b. ʿObayd, Nafeʿ b. Azraq and his son ʿAbd-Allah b. Nafeʿ, whom he stunned by his religious learning. They ascribe many miracles to him, like his conversing with ring-turtledoves and a wolf, his answering questions of jinnis on religious law and his being served by a jinni, his being visited by Khezr and the prophet Elias, his restoring youth to the aged Habbaba Walebiya and giving temporary eyesight to the blind Abu’l-Basir, and his causing an earthquake by lightly moving a thread brought by the angel Gabriel from heaven. According to some anachronistic stories he died poisoned by the caliph ʿAbd-al-Malek (d. 86/705) with a poisoned saddle or by the caliph Ebrahim b. Walid (ruling in 127/745).