Imam Ja'Far Al-Sadiq

Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq is The direct descendent of The Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH through his Daughter Fatimah RA and Ali Bin Abi Thalib.

Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq renowned and respected both by Sunni and Shi'a Muslims as a great Islamic personality and academic. The Shi'a Muslims even considers him to be the sixth infallible Imam of Shi'a Muslims, or spiritual leader and successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[4] He is the Imam recognized by both Ismaili and Twelver Shi'a and the dispute over who was to succeed him led to a division within Shi'a Islam.[4]

Al-Sadiq was the most celebrated, greatest in rank among his brothers and stood out among their group for his great merit.[5] He is said to be highly respected by both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims for his great Islamic scholarship, pious character, and academic contributions. The last name "Jaafari" is highly respected in the Middle East. Although he is perhaps most famous as the founder of Shia fiqh, known as Ja'fari or Jaafari jurisprudence, he had many other accomplishments. He was the teacher of many subsequent scholars such as the founders of the Hanafi, Maliki and Akhbari schools of thought. As well as being considered an Imam on the Shi'a chain, he is also revered by the Naqshbandi Sunni Sufi chain.[6] He was a polymath: an astronomer, alchemist, Imam, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, writer, philosopher, physician, physicist and scientist. He was also the teacher of the famous chemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber),[7][8] and a contemporary of Abū Ḥanīfa,[9] founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence. In the shia hadith text Kitab Al-Kafi, Abu Abdallah (Imam Jafar) states that Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib was of the trusted and reliable companions of Imam Zayn al-Abidin, Ali bin Husain. Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib married the daughter of Abu Hurayrah in order to be closer to him and to learn better the Traditions that he narrated.

Ja'far al-Sadiq was born in Medina to Umm Farwah bint Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr on 20 April 702 AD (17 Rabi' al-Awwal, 83 Anno Hegirae).

Ja'far Al-Sadiq has three titles; they are As-Sadiq, Al-Fadil, and At-Tahir. His father, Muhammad al-Baqir is considered by Shi'as to be the fifth Shi’ah Imam and his mother, Umm Farwa, was the grand daughter of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who was the son of Caliph Abu Bakr Siddiq, considered by Sunnis to be the first Caliph in Islam.

Ja'far al-Sadiq was 34 years old when his father, Muhammad al-Baqir was poisoned upon which, according to Shi'a doctrine, he inherited the Imamate.

[edit]Marriage and offspring

Jaf'ar married Fatima Al-Hasan, a descendant of Imam Hasan ibn Ali, who bore him two sons Isma'il ibn Jafar (the Ismaili Imām-designate) and Abdullah al-Aftah.

Following his wife's death Al-Sadiq purchased a slave of Berber origin named Hamidah Khātūn (Arabic: حميدة خاتون‎), freed her, trained her as an Islamic scholar, and then married her[citation needed]. She bore Mūsá al-Kāżim (the seventh Shi’ah Imam) and Muhammad al-Dibaj and was revered by the Shī‘ah, especially by women, for her wisdom[citation needed].

As a child, Ja'far Al-Sadiq studied under his grandfather, Zayn al-Abidin. After his grandfather's death, he studied under and accompanied his father, Muhammad al-Baqir, until Muhammad al-Baqir died in 733.

Ja'far Al-Sadiq became well versed in Islamic sciences, including Hadith, Sunnah, and the Qur'an. In addition to his knowledge of Islamic sciences, Ja'far Al-Sadiq was also an adept in natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, anatomy, alchemy and other subjects.

The foremost Islamic alchemist, Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan, known in Europe as Geber, was Ja'far Al-Sadiq's most prominent student. Ja'far Al-Sadiq was known for his liberal views on learning, and was keen to have discourse with Scholars of other views.

Abū Ḥanīfa was an Islamic scholar and Jurist. He was a student of Ja'far Al-Sadiq, as was Imam