Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (; ) was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the fifth of the Twelve Imams, succeeding his father Ali al-Sajjad. He was the grandson of Husayn on his father’s side, the grandson of Hasan on his mother’s side, therefore a great-grandson of Ali. Al-Baqir was the first and only Shia Imam descended from both of Muhammad's grandsons. Born in Medina around 676, al-Baqir witnessed the brutal massacre of his grandfather Husayn and his relatives by the forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid at the Battle of Karbala when he was still a small child. Upon his father's death, al-Baqir was recognised as the next Imam by most followers of his father around 712. These were the Imamites, the forerunners of Twelvers, which now constitute the overwhelming majority of Shia Muslims. Like his father, al-Baqir was politically quiescent but was nevertheless harassed by the Umayyads, especially by caliph Hisham.
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 Shia Islam during some twenty years of his Imamate. He significantly contributed to Twelver exegesis of the Quran, and is regarded as the father of Ismaili and Zaydi jurisprudence. Most of al-Baqir's disciples were based in Kufa, many of whom later became outstanding Shia jurists and traditionists. Al-Baqir is also regarded as an authority in law and prophetic tradition in Sunni Islam. Muhammad al-Baqir died around 732, poisoned by the Umayyads. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Ja'far al-Sadiq, who played a pivotal role in the development of Shia theology and jurisprudence. Al-Baqir is buried in the Baqi Cemetery in Medina. The shrine that stood over his grave was demolished, along with the cemetery itself, by Wahhabis in 1806 and again in 1925.
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' (brings it to light) 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 (56 AH). 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 (114 AH) and 735 (117 AH) 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 (now-extinct) 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.
Politics Like his father, al-Baqir was politically quiescent, to the point that some have suggested that he did not claim the imamate. Indeed, al-Baqir's notion of imamate was based primarily on knowledge rather than political power, although he also considered Shia imams entitled to the latter. Al-Baqir instead focused on religious teaching, attracting a growing number of visitors, students, and followers. He is often credited with laying the foundations of Twelver and Isma'ili doctrines and law. Among key Shia doctrines that took their definitive form under al-Baqir are imamate, sacred alliance () and separation (), and religious dissimulation (). As for law, al-Baqir is often regarded as the founding father of Twelver and Isma'ili jurisprudence. In particular, al-Baqir's imamate marks the transition of the Shia community to completely rely on their own imams in matters of law and rituals. As for religious dues, al-Baqir accepted gifts but did not collect (), another Islamic alms which was likely enforced by later imams.
Ghulat
Several traditions of al-Baqir are against the Ghulat (). These often conferred divinity on Shia imams or had other extreme beliefs, such as anthropomorphism and metempsychosis. For instance, al-Baqir condemned Mughira ibn Sa'id al-Bajali, who said that the imam was divine. Mughira has also been accused of falsifying al-Baqir's traditions. Similarly, al-Baqir denounced Bayan ibn Sam'an, who apparently claimed to be a prophet.
Miracles Some miracles are attributed to al-Baqir in Shia sources. He is reported to have conversed with animals, returned sight to a blind, and foretold future events, such Zayd's death in battle, collapse of the Umayyads, and the accession of the Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur ().
Succession
When al-Baqir died, most of his followers accepted the imamate of his eldest son Ja'far, aged about thirty-seven at the time. Ja'far is often known by the honorific (). On multiple occasions, al-Baqir seems to have told his followers about his preference for Ja'far. Apparently some did not accept al-Baqir's death and awaited his return as the Mahdi. After al-Baqir's death, some Ghulat figures claimed to have inherited extraordinary powers from him, including Bayan ibn Sam'an and Abu Mansur al-Ijli.
Appearance and character
The Shia scholar Ibn Shahrashub () describes al-Baqir as medium height, with delicate skin and slightly curly hair. He adds that al-Baqir had birthmarks, one on his cheek, and that he had a beautiful voice and a slender waist. By contrast, al-Mufid (), another Shia scholar, describes al-Baqir as a "well-built man", as translated by the Islamicist I.K.A. Howard, or "big-bodied", as translated by M. Pierce, another Islamicist. Such differences may reflect the changing social standards over centuries. Muhammad al-Baqir is said to have been extremely generous, pious, and peaceful by nature.