Hazrat Sayyiduna
Imam Baaqir
(radi Allaho anhu)
HIS POSITION IN THE SILSILA: Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) is the fifth
Imam and Sheikh of the Silsila Aaliyah Qaaderiyah Barakaatiyah Razviyah
Nooriyah. He is a descendant of the Prophet (Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam)and
his nasl if from Hazrat Ali (radi Allaho anhu). He was a great
Saahib-e-Karaamat and a personality with vast knowledge of the Hadith. Qazi Abu
Yusuf says, “I asked Imam Abu Hanifa
(radi Allaho anhu) if he had met Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu)and he said,
‘Yes I have met him and I asked a masla (Islamic law) from him. He explained it
so beautifully, that never before have I heard anyone explain it in this
manner.”
BIRTH: He was born in Madinah Shareef, 3 years before the
Battle of Karbala, on the 3rd of Safar 57 Hijri.
NAME: His name is Muhammad. He is also known as Abu Jafar
and his titles are Baqir, Saami, Shaakir and Haadi [Masaalikus Saaliqeen vol.1 pg 213]
EDUCATION: He attained his education under the tutorship of his
blessed father. He studied Hadith under his father, and also attained knowledge
of Hadith from Hazrat Ibn Abbas, Hazrat Jaabir bin Abdullah, Hazrat Abu Saeed
Khudri, Bibi Aisha and Bibi Umme Salma (ridwaanullahi ta aala alaihim ajmaeen). [Awliya-e-Rijaalul Hadith]
HIS BIRTH FORETOLD: Hazrat Jaabir (radi Allaho anhu)says, “I was in the blessed court of the Prophet
(Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam)and Imam Hussain (radi Allaho anhu) was in
the blessed arms of the Prophet (Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam). The Prophet
(Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) said, ‘O Jaabir (radi Allaho anhu)! A son shall
be born to him, whose name shall be Ali. He will have a child, whose name shall
be Muhammad (Imam Baaqir). O Jaabir! If you meet with him, then you should pass
my salaams to him.’”
FEATURES : He was not very tall, tan in complexion and the
example of his predecessors, both in looks and character.
REASON FOR BEING CALLED
BAQIR: It is in Sawaaiq-e-Muhariqa, that
the word Baqir comes from the word Baqirul Ard, which means to tear open the
earth and unveil its treasures. Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) was given
this title Baqir, because he opened the secret doors of spiritualism and
expounded the beauties and splendours of Roohaniyah. [Masaalikus Saalikeen]
HIS EXCELLENCE : The Ulama would sometimes ask him various questions,
and some even asked to test his knowledge, but he answered every question with
answers that could not be doubted. Once, he was asked one thousand questions,
whilst in Arafat and he answered every one of them in the light of the Shariah.
CHARACTER : He was a great Aabid, Zaahid and Faqih. He had very
powerful restraint over his nafs. His son Hazrat Imam Jaafar (radi Allaho
anhu)says, “My father would
often rise in the middle of night and weep in the court of Allah. He would then
with complete humility say the following, ‘O Allah, You commanded me to do all
good things, but I did not fulfill this and You commanded me to abstain from
all wrongs and I could not keep myself from wrong. I am Your humble and servant
standing in Your exalted Court as Your Criminal, and I have no excuse.’”
THE BLIND BEGIN TO SEE: Abu Baseer says, “I was once in the Court of Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) and I
asked him, ‘Are you the heir to the Prophet (Sall Allaho alaihi
wasallam)?’ and he said yes. I then
asked, if The Prophet (Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) was the heir to all the
other Prophets (peace be upon them all)? And he said yes. I said, ‘Then you too
are the inheritors of the knowledge from the Court of the Prophet (Sall Allaho
alaihi wasallam)?’ And he said, ‘I presume that it is so’ I then said, ‘can you
bring the dead back to life, cure the leper and cause the blind to see and can
you say what people eat in their homes, and what they hoard?’ And he said,
‘yes, we too can do this with the command of Allah’ He then said, ‘come near me
(Abu Naseer was a blind man)’ and he placed his hands over my face, and I began
to see the sky, the earth and the mountains. He then said, ‘Do you wish to
remain seeing, and for your actions to be judged likewise by Allah, or do you
wish to remain blind and attain Jannat in exchange for your blindness?’ I said
that I wanted Jannat. He then ran his hands over my eyes once more and I could
not see again.” [Masaalikus Saalikeen vol.1 pg.215]
HIS FORESIGHT : A man says that he had once gone with about fifty
people to meet Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu). He says, “Whilst we were seated with him, a man who
used to sell dried dates, stood up and said to the great Imam. ‘O Imam! We have
heard that you have an Angel appointed to you by Allah, which tells you who is
a kaafir and who is a believer, and it also tells you, your friends from your
enemies. After listening to him, Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) asked his
occupation, and he said that he sold wheat. Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) told
him that he was telling a lie. He then said, “I sell all different things.’
Hazrat then said, ‘You are not really saying that which is true. You actually
sell dried dates.’ the man then said, ‘How do you know this?’ The Imam said,
‘There is an Angel appointed to me by Allah and he tells me my friends from my
enemies.’ Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) then informed him of the illness
which shall be the cause of his death.” The narrator says that he
went Kufa and found out about this man and was told that the man had passed away
with the illness that Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) foretold. [Masaalikus Saalikeen]
GLAD TIDINGS : Once Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) was in the
Musjid-e-Nabwi (Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) and it was close to the time when
Imam Zainul Abideen (radi Allaho anhu) had made wisaal. During that day, Dawood
ibn Sulaiman and Mansoor Dawanaqi came to him. Dawood sat close by and Mansoor
sat far away. Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) asked Dawood why Mansoor was
sitting so far away and Dawood answered by saying that he had a valid excuse.
Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) then said, “The time shall come when he will rule over the world. The east and west
will be under his rule. He will live a very long life. And he will attain so
much of wealth, as none has ever attained before.” Dawood
immediately went to Mansoor and gave him the glad tiding. He came to Hazrat
Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) and said, ‘I did not come to sit close to you as I fear your sight. Is it true what
Dawood has told me?’ Hazrat answered in the positive. He then said, “Will my rule be before yours?”
Hazrat said, ‘Yes’ He
then said, ‘Will this rule only be
with me or will it go to my children?’ He said, ‘It will be passed on to your children.’ He
then said, “Will my rule be longer
than that of the Bani Umaya?” He said, ‘Yes, and your children will inherit and they shall play with it like
children play with a ball and they shall say, ‘This, I have inherited from my
father.’” This prediction was totally true, and everything that
Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) said became a reality.
THE KINGS ILL INTENTIONS : Once the king wanted to martyr Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi
Allaho anhu) and he sent someone to summon him. When Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi
Allaho anhu) reached the palace, the king showed great respect to him and
showered him with gifts. When Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) left, all those
present were astonished as they knew of the kings ill intentions. They asked
him why he had changed his plan and he said, “When the Imam entered, I saw two huge lions with him. One on his right
and the other on his left and they said to me, ‘If you try to harm the Imam,
then we shall kill you.’” [Kashful
Mahjoob pg 129]
THE BUILDING WILL BE
DESTROYED : It is narrated that he was
once present in the Fort of Hishaam bin Abdul Malik. He looked at the splendor
and beauty of the building and said, “This
building will be demolished and even its ruins shall be carried away from
here.” When those present heard what Hazrat had said, they were very
astonished at his words, but when Hishaam died and his son Waleed came into
power, then he demolished the building and removed all the ruins from the
actual site. It has happened just as Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) had
foretold. [Anwaarus Sufia pg 85]
HIS CHILDREN: The names of Hazrat Imam Baqir’s (radi Allaho anhu)
children are as follows:1.
Hazrat Abu Abdullah2. Hazrat
Imam Jafar Saadiq 3. Hazrat
Abdullah 4. Hazrat Ibrahim 5. Hazrat Abdullah 6. Hazrat Ali 7. Hazrat Zainab (ridwaanullahi
ta aala alaihim ajmaeen)
SHEIKH-E-TARIQAT : Hazrat Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) has been blessed
with being the mureed and Khalifa of his father, Hazrat Imam Zainul Abideen
(radi Allaho anhu). When his father blessed him with the Khilafat, he said, “My Beloved Son! When ever Almighty Allah
bestows you with his grace, then say Alhumdulilllah and when you are in any
pain (sadness), then Laa Howla Wa Laa Quw’wata Il’la Bil’laahil Aliyil Azeem,
and when you find shortage in sustenance, then read Astaghfirullah.”
GEMS OF WISDOM : *Abu Saeed Mansoor bin Hussain (rahmatullah alaih) writes in the
book Nashrud Durr, that Imam Baqir (radi Allaho anhu) told his son Imam Jafar
(radi Allaho anhu) the following, “O
My Dear Son! Almighty Allah has hidden three things within three things. He has hidden His pleasure in his obedience,
so do not disobey any command for you do not know in which one is His pleasure,
He has hidden His wrath in his disobedience, thus do not think of any sin as
minor, for you do not know in which one is His wrath, and he has hidden the
Awliyah Allah amongst the people, thus you should not look down on any true
servant of Allah, for you do not know whether he is a Wali” * He
said, “Lightning strikes those with
faith and those without faith, but it does not strike one who is in the
remembrance of Allah.” * He said, “Rasoolullah (Sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) said, ‘When you see the
lightning, then read Allahuma Laa Taqtulna Bi Ghadabika Wa Laa Tuhlikuna bi
Azaabika, and when you hear the thunder then say, Subhaanal lazi Yusab’bihu
Ra’doo bi Humdihi Wal Malaa’ikatu min Kheefa tihi.’” He said, “No Ibaadat is greater than the protection of
ones stomach (from haraam) and ones private ornaments (from doing wrong).”
He said, “You should think of the
world as a point where you get off and then pass, or the kind of wealth that
you dreamt off, and when you woke, you had nothing with you.” He
said, “When the heart is filled only
with the Deen of Allah, then it removes all except the love for Allah.”
He said, “Those with Imaan are not
comfortable with the world as they know that it will come to an end, they are
not unaware of the hereafter, due to the fear of the hereafter.” He
said, “Poverty and thoughts of it
pass in the heart of a Momin, but when he reaches the level of Tawakul (complete
trust in Allah), then it immediately gains satisfaction.”
WISAAL : Hazrat Imam Jafar (radi Allaho anhu) says, . “I was with my father close to the time of
his passing, and he advised me about his ghusl, kaffan and burial. I then said,
‘From the time you had taken ill, I have not seen you look better than today,
and at present, I do not see any signs of death upon you.’ He said, ‘My son!
Can you not hear Hazrat Ali bin Hussain (radi Allaho anhu), that he is calling
me from behind this wall, by saying, “O Muhammad! Come quickly.’” [Tashreeful
Bashr pg 70].
He also advised Imam Jafar (radi Allaho anhu) that he
should be shrouded in the clothes which he used for Namaaz. Thus, Hazrat Imam
Jafar (radi Allaho anhu) gave him ghusl, and shrouded him as per his wasiyat. [Jamaiul Manaaqib]. There is a
difference of narration relating to the date of his wisaal, but the most
authentic narration, is that he passed away on the 7th of Zilhijjah,
114 Hijri at the age of 57.
MAZAAR SHAREEF: His Mazaar Shareef is in Madinatul Munawwarah in the
famous Jannatul Baqi.
