The Right of the Imam against People
The Imam has a right against people. Meanwhile people have a right against the Imam. Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, talked about that when Abu Hamza asked him: -What is the Imam's right against people? Indeed the right of the Imam against people is that they should listen to him and carry out his orders, for he strives to achieve their happiness and righteousness. As for their right against him is that he should divide equally the properties of Allah among them. He should not prefer one group of people to the other. He should treat them with justice that is the shade of Allah in the earth.
The Dignity of the ImamSurely, the Imam has a dignity and high position with Allah. No one of Allah's servants is able to obtain such a dignity and high position. Imam Abu Ja'far (al- Baqir), peace be on him, talked about that. He, peace be on him, said to Jabir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi: "Surely, Allah took Abraham as a servant before He took him as a prophet. He took him as a prophet before He took him as an apostle. He took him as an a apostle before He took him as a friend. He took him as a friend before He took him as an Imam. When He gathered these things for him, He said to him: 'O Abraham, I am going to appoint you as an Imam over the people.' Abraham regarded the Imamate as great, so he said: 'And of my offspring.' He (Allah) said: 'My covenant does not include the unjust.'[2] The meaning of this tradition is that the Imamate is the highest rank with Allah. The prophets and the apostles were unable to obtain it. However, Allah singled out His friend Abraham with it. He also singled out the pure Imams from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), who were the custodians of the revelation, the doors of guidance and mercy for this community.
Accepting the Leadership of the Imams of ahl al-BaytSurely, accepting the leadership of the pure Imams is part of Islam and proof for belief. The Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, proclaimed this holy religious obligation among his community. He made it incumbent on the community to adopt it. He took more care of it than any other religious obligation. Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, said: "Islam has been built on five (pillars): the prayers, zakat (alms), fasting, the hajj, and accepting the leadership (of my family). He did not proclaim a thing more than he proclaimed the leadership (of his family). However, people have adopted four (pillars) and left this (leadership).[3] It is incumbent on all Moslems to follow the good Imams who are the source of light in the earth. In other words Moslems must follow the legal precepts and the rules of morals which have reported on their authority.
Al-Baqir praised the ImamsImam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, praised the good Imams in many of his traditions. He talked about their high rank. The following are some of his traditions: 1. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the custodians of Allah's affairs, treasurers of Allah's knowledge, and inheritors of Allah's revelation. It is we who know Allah's Book by heart. Our obedience is an obligation. Love towards us is belief, and spite towards us is unbelief. He who loves us is in the garden, and he who hates us is in the fire.[4] 2. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the friends of Allah, we are Allah's choice, we are the trustees of Allah, we are the store of the inheritance of the prophets, we are the proofs of Allah, we are the strong rope of Allah, we are the right path of Allah. Allah, the Exalted said: 'And (know) that this is My path, the right one, therefore follow it, and follow not (other) ways. We are Allah's mercy for the believers. With us Allah started (Islam), and with us Allah will end (it). Whoever cleaves to us is safe. Whoever disobeys us goes astray. We are the noble honored leaders. Whoever knows us, recognizes our right, and obeys our order is from us and belongs to us.[5] 3. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the treasurers of Allah's knowledge, we are the custodians of Allah's affairs. With us He started Islam, and with us He will end it. From us, you learn (Islam). By Him Who split open the seed and created the breath, Allah has never (put) His knowledge in anyone except us, and (no one) attains what Allah has except through us.[6] 4. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the people of the House of mercy, the tree of Prophethood, the source of wisdom, the place of angels, and the landing place of the revelation.[7] 5. He, peace be on him, said: "By Allah, we are Allah's treasurers in His heaven and on His earth. We are the treasurers, not of gold nor of silver, but of His knowledge.[8] 6. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the treasurers of Allah's knowledge. We are the expanders of Allah's revelation, and we are the strong Proof for those who are under heaven and on the earth.[9] Many traditions were reported on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, concerning the outstanding merits which Allah granted to the pure Imams. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, regarded them as the fountains of wisdom, and the inheritors of the sciences of prophets. He singled them out with all noble deeds. This is true. There is no doubt in it. Whoever studies their ways of life full of guidance, righteousness, and noble deeds believes that they were the lords of creation, the trustees of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and the custodians of his sciences. There is no exaggeration or deviation from the truth in this opinion. Allah endowed His prophets with knowledge, wisdom, and sound judgments. However, they were not better than the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. That is because they were loyal to Allah. For the sake of His obedience and religion, they made sacrifices which no reformer in the earth has made.
The Number of the ImamsImam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, mentioned the number of the pure Imams, who were the successors of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, over his community, his testamentary trustees, and the custodians of his sciences. The following are some of what was reported on his authority: 1. Zarara reported on the authority of Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, who said: "The Imams are twelve. Among them al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and then the Imams from al-Husayn's children.[10] 2. Abu Basir reported on the authority of Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, who said: "We are twelve Imams.[11] 3. Abu Basir reported that the Imam said: "There will be nine Imams after al- Husayn. The ninth of them will be their Qa'im (i. e., the one who will undertake the office of the Imamate).[12] The great Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, announced that. In this connection, many traditions were reported on his authority. Salman, the Persian, reported. He said: "We were with Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. Al-Husayn b. 'Ali was (sitting) on his thigh. He gazed at his face, and then he said: 'O Abu Abd Allah, you are a lord of our lords. You are an Imam, the son of an Imam, and brother of an Imam, father of Imams whose ninth will be their Qa'im, the most knowledgeable of them, the wisest of them, and the most meritorious of them.'[13] 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar reported. He said: "I heard Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, say: 'There will be twelve successors after me.[14] Shaykh Abu Abd Allah, Ahmed b. 'Ayyash, commented on this tradition, saying: "This stipulated number was not of those who came after Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, nor was it of the Umayyad successors, for their number was over twelve, nor was it of those who came after them, for their number was more than them. No sect of this community has claimed this number for its Imams except the Imami (Shi'ites). This indicates that the number they have mentioned is correct.[15] Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, numbered the Imams and mentioned their names one by one till he ended at al-Qa'im (the one who will under take the office of the Imamate).[16] Thus, the poet composed: Indeed the Imams are nine and three, The poet 'Abd Allah b. Ayyub al-Khuraybi addressed Imam al-Jawad after his father's death, saying: O You who is the son of the murdered one, It is sure that the successors of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, were twelve. Many successive traditions were narrated concerning them. They were the good Imams from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. They represented the guidance and reputation of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family.
The Sufferings of the ImamsImam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, talked to Hamran about the tyrants who inflicted tribulations and misfortunes on the pure Imams. He told him that if the Imams, peace be on them, had asked Allah to dispel those tribulations and misfortunes, He would have responded to them. However, they had not asked him to obtain that noble rank with Him. He, peace be on him, said: "O Hamran, Allah, the Great and Almighty, tested the Imams. The tyrants supported each other against them. So, if they had asked Allah to drive that away from them and insisted on removing the tyrants and their kingdom, He would have answered them. Then the period of the kingdom of the tyrants would have ended. O Hamran, that which had hit them was not because of a sin they had committed nor was a punishment for disobedience towards Allah. However, they wanted to obtain ranks and dignity from Allah. Therefore, do not believe that concerning them.[19]
Al-Baqir urged Reporters and Traditionalists to proclaimThe Glorious Deeds of the Imams: He, peace be on him, urged reporters and traditionalists to spread the remarkable deeds and outstanding merits of the Imams of the members of the House (ahl al- Bayt), peace be on them, for they are the good example to this community. Sa'id al-Iskafi said: "I said to Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir): 'I sit down to narrate and mention your right (to authority) and your outstanding merits.'" So, the Imam, peace be on him, thanked him for his efforts, and then said to him: "I wish that there was a narrator like you at every thirty cubits.[20]
The Knowledge of the ImamsSince the beginning of their history till this day of people, the Shi'ites have believed that Allah endowed the Imams of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, with knowledge, wisdom, and sound judgments, as He endowed His prophets and apostles with that. "That is Allah's favor. He gives it to whoever He wills. The historians and the narrators have unanimously agreed on that the Imams, peace be on them, had great scientific abilities which no one of the people had, and that they exceeded all the scholars in abilities and genus. Their is no blame for this claim, for there are many proofs for it. Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, was the lord and leader of this family. Did he not say on the pulpit of Kufa: "Question me before you lose. Question me about the ways of the sky, for I am more knowledgeable in them than the ways of the earth?" That means that his knowledge and sciences exceeded the affairs of this planet, on which man lives, to the affairs of the space, the galaxies, and other planets. Moreover, this means that his knowledge encompassed the mysteries of the universe and the obscure things in nature. Did this great Figure not say: "If the cushion (on which a judge sits) was folded for me (to sit on), I could give judgments to the people of the Torah by their Torah, to the people of the Gospels by their Gospels, to the people of the Psalms by their Psalms, and to the people of the Furqan (i. e., the Koran) by their Furqan." This indicates clearly that Imam 'Ali had comprehensive knowledge of all laws and religion. Besides he had knowledge of the legal precepts in those Divine Books. Is 'Ali not the owner of Nahjj al-Balagha, which is the richest world book people have ever known after the Holy Koran. This is the leader of the pure family. He was the gate of the city of knowledge of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. He was his testamentary trustee (of authority), for he exceeded all the scholars of the world in talents and sciences. All the pure Imams, peace be on them, had such vast knowledge. Among them was Imam 'Ali b. Musa al-Kazim, peace be on him. Al-Ma'mun designated him as his successor. Then he summoned all the scholars of the world to come to Khurasan to test the Imam. He wanted them to debate with him to show his feebleness. Then he would be able to destroy the Shi'ite doctrine and to refute the Shi'ites who thought that the Imam was the most meritorious of the people of his time and the most knowledgeable of them. When the scholars met in Khurasan, al- Ma'mun gave them a lot of gifts and summoned them to carry out his task. 'Ali b. 'Isa prepared many questions for them to ask the Imam. He said that the Imam was questioned about twenty-four thousand problems. The problems were about various sciences such as astronomy, stars, medicine, physics, philosophy, theology, and the like. However, the Imam answered them. So, the scholars who met the Imam believed in his Imamate. Then 'Ali b. 'Isa said: "Do not believe those who say that Allah has created a person better than 'Ali b. Musa.[21] Imam Mohammed al-Jawad, 'Ali b. Musa's son, assumed the office of the Imamate after his father's death. He was twenty years of age. Al-Ma'mun respected and glorified him. The 'Abbasids were jealous of him. So, they talked to al-Ma'mun about his affair. However, al-Ma'mun made them know his Imamate. He told them that Allah endowed the Imam with knowledge and merits and distinguished him from all creatures. However, the 'Abbasids did not believe that. So, he ordered them to test the Imam. Thus, they hurried to Yahya b. Aktham, who was then the outstanding judge in Baghdad. They asked him to examine the Imam, peace be on him. He compiled with their request. They held a science meeting in the 'Abbasid Palace. Eminent scholars attended the meeting. Then Yahya b. Aktham came and asked them about the most complicated problems. However, the Imam, peace be on him, branched those problems and asked Yahya which branch he wanted. Thus, Yahya was astonished at the Imam. Feebleness appeared on his face. So, he asked the Imam to answer those branched problems. The Imam, peace be on him, answered them, and the meeting was over. All those who attended the meeting were satisfied with his scientific abilities. All the historians reported the event. For example, b. Hajar reported it in his book 'al- Sawa'iq al-Muhriqa'. How do explain these scientific abilities of Imam al-Jawad when he was so young? However, the knowledge of the Imams, peace be on them, was exactly as that of the prophets. Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, mentioned that. He said to one of his followers: - What do the Shi'ites think of
'Ali, Moses, and Jesus? "And that I may make clear to you part of what you differ in.[23] However, He said to Mohammed: "And bring you as a witness against these.[24] He also said in the same verse: "And We have revealed the Book to you explaining everything clearly.[25] The traditionalists have unanimously agreed that the Imams took their knowledge from their grandfather, the Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. The prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, bequeathed his sciences to his testamentary trustee (of authority) and the gate of the city of his knowledge, Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. Then the pure Imams from his children inherited them after him.
Al-Baqir predicted EventsThe historians and the narrators have unanimously agreed that the Imams of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, predicted many bloody fights and events. Then they occurred on the arena of life, as the Imams predicted. Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, predicted that Mu'awiya would expose the great Companion, Hajr b. 'Adi, to various kinds of persecutions. Thus, Hajr suffered from those persecutions. He, peace be on him, predicted that the government of Marwan b. al-Hakam would last for a short time. He, peace be on him, said: "Indeed he (Marwan) will carry the standard of his error when his temples become white. He will have authority (lasts) as the dog licks its nose.[26] He, peace be on him, predicted the government of the 'Abbasids. Al-Mubarrad reported: "When 'Ali b. 'Abd Allah b. al-'Abbas was born, his father brought him to Imam 'Ali, peace be on him. The Imam said to 'Abd Allah: What have you named him?' Is it possible for me to name him before you name him?' Asked Abd Allah. So, the Imam said: 'I have named him with my name and given him my kunya. He will have authority.'[27] He, peace be on him, predicted the murder of his son, the lord of martyrs, Imam Husayn, peace be on him. Al-Asbagh reported: "We came with 'Ali, peace be on him. We passed by the place of the grave of al-Husayn, peace be on him. So, 'Ali said: 'Their camels will kneel down here. Their baggage will be in this place. Their blood will be shed over there. Young men from the family of Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, will be killed on this ground. The sky and the earth will weep over them.'[28] He, peace be on him, also predicted man's technological inventions that will happen in the end of the time. These predictions were not confined to only Imam 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. Rather they included all the Imams from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. For example, Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, said to al-Mansur al-Dawaniqi: "The boys from your children will play with it (i. e., the caliphate).[29] He, peace be on him, said to his cousin, 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan: "You will not assume the caliphate. Rather al-Saffah will undertake it." All these predictions took place. Ibn Khaldun recognized these predictions of the Imams of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. He said: "If the miracle happens for other than them (the Imams), then what do you think of those (the Imams) who had knowledge, religion, signs from prophethood, and good branches testify their noble origin? Islamic law has decided that people are unable to see the unseen except those whom Allah make see in sleep or spiritual office. Ja'far (al-Sadiq) and the like from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) predicted many of those (unseen events). They, Allah knows better, depended on the spiritual authority in predicting that. They were the most appropriate of all the people for these noble ranks and the given miracles.[30] As for the events which Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir) foresaw, they are as follow: 1. He foresaw the government of the 'Abbasids. Abu Basir said: "I was with Mohammed (al-Baqir) b. 'Ali when al-Mansur and Dawud b. Sulayman came to him. That was before the government of the 'Abbasids. Dawud came to the Imam and greeted him. The Imam, peace be on him, said to him: 'What prevented (al- Mansur) al-Dawaniqi from coming?' Dawud b. Sulayman apologized (to the Imam on behalf of him). Then he said: 'He has turned away (from you).' The Imam, peace be on him, told Dawud about al- Mansur's future, saying: 'In the future this man will be a ruler over the creation. He will persecute the men. He will govern over the east and west (of the earth). His life will be long. No one will gather properties as he will do.' Dawud hurried to al-Mansur. He brought him the good words of the Imam. So, al- Mansur walked quickly toward the Imam to understand his words concerning him. He apologized to the Imam for being so rude. He said: "Nothing has prevented me from sitting with you but the esteem for you." Then he asked the Imam about what he had told Dawud. Thus, the Imam, peace be on him, said: That will happen. Al-Mansur asked the Imam for more explanations, saying: Will we rule before you rule? "Yes. Yes. Which will be longer- the Umayyad period or ours? Yours will be longer. Your boys will play with government as they do with the football. My father had told me about that. Al-Mansur went away happy. He was sure that he would assume authority. He always remembered the Imam's words. When he became caliph, he admired the Imam's prediction.[31] (Al-Mansur) al-Dawaniqi said: "My brother Abu al-'Abbas and I escaped from the Umayyads. We passed by the Mosque of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. Mohammed (al-Baqir) b. 'Ali was sitting there. He, peace be on him, said to a man sitting beside him: 'Those two (persons) will undertake authority.' He pointed with his hand to us. The man came and told us about the Imam's words. So, we went to the Imam and said to him: 'O son of Allah's Apostle, what you have said?' He, peace be on him, said: 'You will shortly assume this authority. However, you will mistreat my progeny. Then woe unto you! That happened as the Imam, peace be on him, predicted. When al-Mansur became caliph, he mistreated the descendants of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. He punished them severely. During the time of this tyrant, the descendants of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, suffered from various kinds of persecution to an extent that they did not suffer from such persecution during the time of the Umayyad. Generally speaking, throughout his days, they suffered from disasters, pains, and tortures. 2. Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, predicted that the Black Stone would be put into the Great Mosque in Kufa.[32] That happened during the days of the Karmatnians. They took it from the Kaaba and put it into the Mosque of Kufa. They thought that the hajj would depend on it. So, it would be performed in the Mosque of Kufa. Thus, the Black Stone remained there for about twenty years, and then it was brought back to its place. 3. He, peace be on him, foretold that Nafi' b. al-Azraq would invade Medina (Yathrib), and that he would permit his soldiers to profane it. Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, said: "My father was at a general meeting. He bowed his head, and then he raised it and said: 'O People, a man along with four thousand (soldiers) will enter your city. They will fight against you with the sword for three successive days. They will kill your fighters. You will be unable to face that tribulation. That will happen in the next year. Therefore, be on the alert. Know, what I have told you will surely happen.'[33] However, the people of Medina paid no attention to the Imam's words. They said: 'That will never happen.' In the next year Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir) took his family along with a group of the Hashimites and went out of Medina. Then Nafi' b. al- Azraq came. He was accompanied by four thousand (soldiers). He entered Medina and permitted his (soldiers) to profane it for three days. So, they killed many people.[34] Thus, the people of Media understood the Imam's truthful prediction. 4. He, peace be on him, foresaw that his brother Zayd would die a martyr. Zayd b. Hazim reported. He said: "I was with Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him. Zayd passed by us. So, Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir) said to me: 'Have you not seen this? He will revolt (against the government) in Kufa. He will be killed. His head will be sent about.[35] Few days after that, Zayd was killed in Kufa and his head was sent about to countries and cities. 5. He, peace be on him, foretold that the house of Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik would be demolished. It was the largest house in Medina (Yathrib). He built it of oil stones. The Imam, peace be on him, said: "By Allah, the house will be demolished. The oil stones will be rare." Abu Hazim said: "When I heard that, I was astonished at it. Then I said: 'Who will demolish the house which Hisham, the Commander of the Faithful, has built?’ Then Hisham died. So, al-Walid assumed the Caliphate after him. He ordered the house to be demolished, and then he ordered the oil stones to be moved from it. So, they became rare in Medina (Yathrib).[36] 6. Al-Fudayl reported. He said: "I asked Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir): 'We have heard that the family of Ja'far (al-Sadiq) will have one standard and the family of al- 'Abbas will have two standards. Do you have knowledge of that?’" The Imam, peace be on him, said: "As for the family of Ja'far, they will have nothing nor will my family. As for the family of al-'Abbas, they will undertake a great kingdom. In it they will make friends with the strangers and abandon the relatives. Their authority will be rude. There will be no mercy in it. When they feel safe from Allah's punishment, He will destroy then all. Then no house will gather them together nor will an ear hear them. That is due to the Words of Allah, the Great and Almighty: 'Until when the earth puts on its golden ornament.’[37] These are some of the Imam's predictions. They indicate that the Imam, peace be on him, had vast knowledge, and that he encompassed these affairs which Allah, the Exalted, had given to the prophets and their trustees. It is natural that the person is in need of fixed belief and steadfast conviction to accept this phenomenon concerning the Imams, peace be on them. Imam Abu Ja'far (al- Baqir), peace be on him, mentioned that when he said: "Indeed our speech is difficult and regarded as difficult. (No one) accepts it except a close angel or a sent prophet or a servant whose heart Allah tests for belief.[38] These are some of the theological researches the Imam, peace be on him, carried out and some of the unseen he foresaw. He has other researches in this respect. We will mention them when we talk about his time.
JurisprudenceAs for the jurisprudence of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, most of it was taken from the two Imams al-Baqir and his son al-Sadiq, peace be on them. The Imami jurisprudence encyclopedias - such as al-Hada'iq, al-Jawahir, and Mustamsak al-'Urwat al-Withqa- are full of the traditions reported on their authority. Imami jurists depend on them when they conclude legal precepts and give religious opinions. As for traditions in the encyclopedias- such as Wasa'il al-Shi'a, al-Tahdhib, Man La Yahdarahu al-Faqih, and the like- most of them were taken from them. These encyclopedias are regarded as important references for Islamic jurisprudence, for they wonderful and rich in traditions. Imam al-Baqir and his son al-Sadiq, peace be on them, did their best to proclaim Islamic jurisprudence. They took care of it at the time when the Moslem community was absorbed in the political events. Moreover, the governments at those times neglected completely religious affairs. Thus, Moslem communities were unable to understand their religious affairs. Dr. 'Ali Hasan said: "When we studied the historical texts, we have concluded many examples of this phenomenon (i. e. neglecting religious affairs) that included rulers, scholars, and people in the first century. By that we mean that they had no knowledge of religious affairs and were irresolute in them even in worship. Among that is when b. 'Abbas delivered a sermon on the pulpit of Basrah in the end of (the month) of Ramadan. He said: 'Take out the alms of your fasting.’ However, the people did not know that. Thus, he said: 'Is there anybody from Medina here? Let him stand up to teach his bothers, for they do not know anything about the obligatory zakat fitir.[39] This proves that the people in the Moslem countries did not know in detail their religious affairs. Moreover, the Syrians did not know even the number of the obligatory ritual prayers. So, they asked the Companions (of the Prophet) about it.[40] 'Umar b. Abd al-'Aziz did not know the times of the prayers. Some scholars did not know, either. They thought that there was a certain year for that. However, the government opposed that. For this reason, it has been mentioned in the tradition: 'Rulers will come in the rest of time. They will deaden the prayers. Therefore, perform the prayers at their limited times.’ The early historians were unable to explain this condition for us, for they found imposed ways before them. That was the Umayyads had changed the times of the prayers according to their opinions. Indeed, during the time of the Umayyads, who paid no attention to religious affairs, the people had little knowledge of jurisprudence and religious affairs. No one knew these religious affairs except the people of Medina.[41, 42] Imam al-Baqir and Imam al-Sadiq played an important role in proclaiming jurisprudence and explaining the rules of Allah's law. They offered a great service for the Moslem world. Were it not for them, Moslems would lose their great religious wealth. However, during those times, no one was more knowledgeable than the two Imams, peace be on them, in the affairs of the Islamic law and the precepts of religion. So, the children of the Companions (of the Prophet) and of the next generation, and the heads of the Islamic doctrines-like Abu Hanifa and Malik- hurried to the two Imams to learn sciences from them. A large group of jurists- like Zarara b. A'yun, Mohammed b. Moslem, and Aban b. Taghlub- studied under Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him. Thanks to them the Imam's traditions were written. Besides they gave religious opinions to the Moslems. With that Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, was able to renew Islam and preserve the religious wealth. Worth mentioning, the Shi'ites were the first to write down jurisprudence. Mustafa 'Abd al-Razaq said: "It is natural that the Shi'ites were the first to record jurisprudence, for their belief in the infallibility of their Imams urged them to write down their judgments and religious opinions.[43] With that the Shi'ites took part in preserving the Islamic heritage. It is necessary for us to consider carefully the jurisprudence of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. That is because they took it from the great Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family.
Its CharacteristicsThe jurisprudence of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, has wonderful characteristics. They have put it in the top of Islamic and non- Islamic jurisprudence. The following are some of them:
1. Its Connection by the Prophet (may
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Will one of my children rule
after me?
