Jafar Sadiq
Imam Jafar As-Sadiq (April 20, 702 – December 4, 765), in full Jafar ibn Muhammad ibn Zayn ibn Husayn, was the sixth Shia imam, and a theologian and jurist. His rulings are the basis of the Jafari school of Shia jurisprudence (fiqh); but he is well respected by both Shias and Sunnis. The dispute for his succession led to the split of the Ismailis from the Shia and the establishment of the Aga Khans' family line.
Biography
Jafar was born in Medina on April 20, 702. His father was the grandson of Imam Husayn, and thus he is a great grandson of Muhammad. His mother Umm e Farwah was the great grandaughter of Abu Bakr. As a child, Jafar studied under his grandfather, Ali Zain al Abidin (the fourth Shia Imam). After his grandfather's death, he studied under and accompanied his father, Muhammad al-Baqir (the fifth Shia Imam). Jafar's father would die in 743, passing the title of Imam on to his son. As the son of two prominent Imams, and descendents of Muhammad, he would become well versed in Islamic sciences including Hadith, Sunnah, and the Quran.
Shortly after Jafar became Imam, Jafar's uncle, Zaid bin Ali led a rebellion against the Umayyads. Jafar did not participate, but many of his kinsmen, including his uncle were killed, and others were punished. Despite the violence surrounding him, Jafar continued to stay out of politics and concentrated on teaching others. He was very well respected and well-known, and many people from across the Islamic empire would come to study under him.
In addition to his knowledge of Islamic sciences, Jafar was well educated in natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, anatomy, chemistry (alchemy), and other subjects. The foremost Islamic alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan (known in Europe as Geber) was his most prominent student. Other famous students of his were Abu Hanifa and Malik Ibn Anas, the founders of two Sunni schools of jurisprudence, and Wasil ibn Ata, the founder of the Mutazilite school of Islamic thought. Jafar was known for his liberal views on learning, and was keen to debate with scholars of different faiths and of different beliefs.
Despite Jafar's abstainment from politics, he was often harassed by the new Abbasid rulers and he was even imprisoned a few times. The reason for this persecution was due to Jafar's popularity, and his standing as a descendent of Muhammad. The rulers feared that he would be able to mobilize against them, and as such they thought it keen to keep him in check. He would die on December 4, 765, possibly from poisoning. He is buried in Medina, in the famous Jannat al-Baqi cemetery.
Succession
Jafar's first son, Ismail bin Jafar, died before Jafar. After Jafar's death, there arose a major split between the partisans of the Ithna Ashari Shias ("Twelvers"), who felt that Ismail's brother Musa al Kazim (one of Jafar's younger sons) was the rightful successor to Jafar; and the Ismailis ("Seveners"), who felt that the Ismail was the rightful successor as the seventh Imam. The Ismailis eventually became a separate sect; their supreme spiritual leaders, the Aga Khans, are descendents of Ismail.
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