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Ahl al-BaytPhase 2 · Seerah & Ahl al-BaytMajor figure

Ja'far al-Sadiq (RH)

جعفر الصادق

c. 80/83 AH - 148 AH date disputed · descendant of the Prophet ﷺ

Son of Muhammad al-Baqir and a towering scholar of Madinah, the sixth Imam for Twelvers and Ismailis and eponym of Ja'fari fiqh. Sunni imams such as Abu Hanifah and Malik are reported to have learned from or met him.

Biography

Ja'far ibn Muhammad was renowned for knowledge of hadith and law; he narrated in Sunni collections (e.g. Sahih Muslim's long Hajj hadith of Jabir). Imam Malik praised his devotion, and reports state Abu Hanifah attended his circle. His mother, Umm Farwah, was a great-granddaughter of Abu Bakr, and he is reported to have said 'Abu Bakr gave me birth twice'.

He died in 148 AH in Madinah. Succession after him split: Twelvers followed his son Musa al-Kazim, while Ismailis followed his son Isma'il (or Isma'il's son Muhammad).

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

No specific verses cited for this node.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih Muslim 1218a Sahih

    Jabir's long description of the Farewell Hajj, transmitted by Ja'far ibn Muhammad (al-Sadiq) from his father (al-Baqir): 'I have left among you that which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray — the Book of Allah.'

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Sahih Muslim transmission and reports about his lineage from Abu Bakr illustrate shared reverence across Sunni and Shia traditions.

Empires in their lifetime

  • Abbasid Caliphate 750 CE – 1258 CE
    Lived through the Abbasid revolution and early Abbasid rule.

Further references

  • Sahih Muslim (Hajj hadith via Ja'far)
  • Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' (al-Dhahabi)

Connections

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