Islamic Scholars & Sages Codexery

Muhammad al-Baqir

Fifth Shia Imam who shaped Twelver, Ismaili, and Zaydi jurisprudence.

Last updated

Muhammad al-Baqir was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through both grandsons Hasan and Husayn.[1] He is known by the honorific title al-Baqir, meaning "the one who splits knowledge open" or "the one who possesses great knowledge"[2]

Life and work

As a small child, he was present at the Battle of Karbala in 680, where his grandfather Husayn and most male relatives were massacred.[3][4] Al-Baqir died between 732 and 736, most likely before Zayd's revolt in 740, and is buried in the Al-Baqi Cemetery in Medina.[5][6] Shia sources report he was killed, with different accounts accusing Hisham, al-Walid II, or his cousin Zayd ibn al-Hasan of poisoning him.[7] His father, Ali al-Sajjad, was the fourth imam, and his mother was Fatima Umm Abd Allah.[1]

Al-Baqir was summoned to Damascus multiple times by Hisham and was imprisoned on at least one occasion.[8]

What the cited sources add

The article cites Taremi 2014 for accounts that al-Baqir worked in the field to earn a living alongside his servants and treated his relatives with good food and clothes.[9] Ibn Shahrashub, cited via Pierce 2016, describes al-Baqir as medium height with delicate skin, slightly curly hair, birthmarks, a beautiful voice, and a slender waist.[10] Kohlberg 2012a further notes that in one Sunni tradition, al-Baqir named Umar II as the Mahdi, whereas a Shia tradition has al-Baqir saying Umar's virtuous acts would not atone for his usurpation of the imam's authority.[1]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kohlberg 2012a (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Buckley 2020; Kohlberg 2012a (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lalani 2000, p. 40; Buckley 2020; Momen 1985, p. 239 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lalani 2000, p. 40; Daftary 2013, p. 146; Momen 1985, p. 239; Dakake 2007, p. 72; Kohlberg 2012a; Amir-Moezzi Jambet 2018, p. 29; Tabatabai 1977, p. 179; Jafri 1977, p. 255; Mavani 2013, p. 39; Daftary 2013, p. 146; Buckley 2020; Lalani 2000, p. 40; Dakake 2007, p. 72 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kohlberg 2012a; Buckley 2020; Jafri 1977, p. 255; Momen 1985, p. 239; Jafri 1977, p. 255; Lalani 2000, p. 40; Daftary 2015, p. 176; Momen 1985, p. 239 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Momen 1985, p. 239; Werner 2010; Buckley 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Momen 1985, p. 239; Amir-Moezzi Jambet 2018, p. 29; Momen 1985, p. 239; Kohlberg 2012a; Momen 1985, p. 239; Tabatabai 1977, p. 179; Kohlberg 2012a (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kohlberg 2012a; Momen 1985, p. 239 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Taremi 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Muhammad al-Baqir" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pierce 2016, p. 97; Kohlberg 2012a; Buckley 2020; Jafri 1977, p. 255 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Muhammad al-Baqir (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

Twelve ImamsTwelver Shi'ismIsmailismShia IslamQuranSunni IslamJa'far al-SadiqJurisprudence

Also in the Codexery

Muhammad al-Baqir · Islamic Scholars & Mystics

More in Islamic Scholars & Sages

Ibn AbbasIbn AbidinIbn ArabiIbn BabawayhIbn Hajar al-AsqalaniIbn HazmIbn KathirIbn Qayyim al-JawziyyaIbn TaymiyyaIbn TumartJahm bin SafwanJamal al-Din al-Afghani

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →