📕 | Today marks the martyrdom anniversary of the sixth Imam of Ahlulbayt (ʿalayhis-salām), Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (ʿalayhis-salām):
Many may not know that the Imam established a wide-reaching seminary and academic circle from which nearly all major scholarly figures of Ahl al-Sunnah studied and benefited. Giants of Islamic thought—regardless of sect—were shaped in the intellectual atmosphere Imam al-Sadiq (ʿalayhis-salām) created.
1) Al-Alusi, a renowned Sunni scholar, writes in the introduction to his book Mukhtasar Tuhfat al-Ithna ʿAshariyya, quoting Abu Hanifa, that he studied under Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (ʿalayhis-salām) for two years:
“This is Abu Hanifa – may Allah be pleased with him – who, among the Ahl al-Sunnah, used to take pride and say most eloquently: ‘If it were not for those two years, Nuʿman (i.e., myself) would have perished.’
He meant the two years in which he studied and acquired knowledge from Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq – may Allah be pleased with him. And many have confirmed that he took knowledge and spiritual path (ṭarīqa) from him, from his father Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, and from his uncle Zayd ibn ʿAli ibn al-Husayn.”
2) Even Ibn Taymiyya clearly affirms that several other major Sunni scholars and hadith transmitters studied under him. He writes:
“After Imām Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad, there came no one like him. These eminent scholars – such as Mālik (ibn Anas), Ibn ʿUyayna, Shuʿba, al-Thawrī, Ibn Jurayj, Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, and others among the well-known and distinguished ʿulamāʾ – acquired knowledge from him.”
3) Imām Muhammad ibn Talha mentions:
“Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (ʿalayhis-salām) was among the great figures and leaders of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿalayhim al-salām), a man of vast knowledge, immense worship, continuous remembrance (of Allah), evident asceticism, and frequent recitation (of the Qur’an). He would delve into the meanings of the Noble Qur’an, extract its gems from its vast ocean, deduce its marvels, and divide his time into various forms of devotion, so much so that he would hold himself accountable for each moment. Seeing him reminded one of the Hereafter, hearing his words inspired detachment from the world, and following his guidance led to Paradise. The light of his countenance testified that he was of prophetic lineage, and the purity of his deeds declared he was from the descendants of the Messenger.”
“Many prominent scholars and Imams narrated hadith from him and gained knowledge through him, including: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Anṣārī, Ibn Jurayj, Mālik ibn Anas, al-Thawrī, Ibn ʿUyayna, Shuʿba, Ayyūb al-Sijistānī, and others (may Allah be pleased with them). They regarded studying under him as a distinction that honored them and a virtue they were proud of.”
4) Imam Zarqali says: A large group of people acquired knowledge from Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (ʿalayhis-salām), including two major leaders of the Sunni tradition: Imām Abū Ḥanīfa and Imām Mālik. He was called al-Ṣādiq (“the Truthful”) because no one ever heard a lie from him. Reports about him mention that he consistently resisted the Abbasid caliphs and actively struggled for the elevation of truth.
In those times, the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah were studying and reading shoulder to shoulder with the Shīʿa of Ahl al-Bayt, both enjoying the academic and intellectual environment under the son of Rasul Allah (S). But why today do we see the opposite? It was political tools, later imposed by imperialists, that led to what we saw in the name of academic unity — Allahyari vs Adnan Rashid? Beware of this fitna.
#History
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