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One of the imams of the Ahl al-Bayt; the sixth imam of the Twelvers and the figure from whom the Ja'farî school takes its name.
His full name was Abû 'Abdillâh Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Bâqir b. 'Alî Zayn al-'Âbidîn. His descent reaches 'Alî on the father's side and Abû Bakr on the mother's side: his mother Umm Farwa was the daughter of Qâsim b. Muhammad, the grandson of Abû Bakr.
He was born at Medina in the year 80 (699) or 83 (702).
The best known of his epithets is al-Sâdiq; he was also called al-Sâbir, al-Fâdil, al-Tâhir and al-'Âtir.
He received his first education from his father Muhammad al-Bâqir and his grandfather Zayn al-'Âbidîn.
Choosing to keep away from the political pressure of his age he withdrew from politics entirely, occupied himself with learning at Medina, and opposed the risings of his cousins.
He died in the year 148 (765).
His Circle of Influence — Among those who were formed in his circle of teaching are named Mâlik b. Anas, Sufyân al-Thawrî, Abû Hanîfa and Jâbir b. Hayyân; he thus touched the tradition both of jurisprudence and of the natural sciences. After his son Ismâ'îl died before him the Shî'a divided into two branches, the Ismâ'îlîs and the Twelvers.
His Works — Texts such as the Misbâh al-sharî'a, the Tafsîr al-Qur'ân and the Kitâb al-Jafr have been attributed to him; the source, however, states that these attributions are to a large extent doubtful.
His Tomb and Complex — He was buried in the cemetery of Jannat al-Baqî'.
The tombs and gravestones at the Baqî' were demolished in 1806 by Su'ûd b. 'Abd al-'Azîz; the structures later rebuilt were destroyed again in 1926 in the time of 'Abd al-'Azîz b. Su'ûd. Today there is neither tomb nor gravestone in the cemetery, and the ground continues to be used for burial.
Differing Scholarly Views
The date of his birth is not single: the source gives the years 80 (699) and 83 (702) together.
🔴 THE DIVISION OF THE SHÎ'A IN TWO. After the early death of his son Ismâ'îl, over the question of to whom the imamate had passed, the Shî'a divided into two groups, the Ismâ'îlîs and the Twelvers. The atlas takes no side in this parting; it confines itself to recording that both branches hold him to be an imam (rule #9, principles 3 and 5).
The attributions of books are doubtful. The source states plainly that the ascription of the texts named to him is to a large extent doubtful; the atlas mentions them with the qualification "attributed to him" and does not count them as certainly his (rule #9, principles 2 and 6).
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) · vol. 7, pp. 1-3, entry “Câfer es-Sâdık”
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) — Mustafa Öz · vol. 7, pp. 1-3, entry “CA'FER es-SÂDIK”
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) — Mustafa Fayda · vol. 7, p. 387, entry “CENNETÜ'l-BAKĪ'”
The sources for this record are listed below (Mandatory Sources).
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Permanent ID: EA-Z-000157 · this address reaches the same record even if its name changes; use it when citing.