The Birth of Abu Ja‘far, Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.)

كَانَتْ أُمِّي قَاعِدَةً عِنْدَ جِدَارٍ فَتَصَدَّعَ الْجِدَارُ وَ سَمِعْنَا هَدَّةً شَدِيدَةً فَقَالَتْ بِيَدِهَا لَا وَ حَقِّ الْمُصْطَفَى مَا أَذِنَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِي السُّقُوطِ فَبَقِيَ مُعَلَّقاً فِي الْجَوِّ حَتَّى جَازَتْهُ فَتَصَدَّقَ أَبِي عَنْهَا بِمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ قَالَ أَبُو الصَّبَّاحِ وَ ذَكَرَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع جَدَّتَهُ أُمَّ أَبِيهِ يَوْماً فَقَالَ كَانَتْ صِدِّيقَةً لَمْ تُدْرَكْ فِي آلِ الْحَسَن

“My mother was sitting by a wall when it began to crack, and we heard a loud noise. She raised her hand and said, "No, by the right of Al-Mustafa (the Prophet Muhammad), God has not permitted you to fall." The wall remained suspended in the air until she passed by. My father then gave charity on her behalf of one hundr

إِنَّ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ كَانَ آخِرَ مَنْ بَقِيَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ‌[1] وَ كَانَ رَجُلًا مُنْقَطِعاً إِلَيْنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ كَانَ يَقْعُدُ فِي مَسْجِدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ هُوَ مُعْتَجِرٌ[2] بِعِمَامَةٍ سَوْدَاءَ وَ كَانَ يُنَادِي يَا بَاقِرَ الْعِلْمِ يَا بَاقِرَ الْعِلْمِ فَكَانَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ يَقُولُونَ- جَابِرٌ يَهْجُرُ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ لَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا أَهْجُرُ

'Jabir ibn ‘Abdallah al-Ansari was last surviving of the companions of the Messenger of Allah. He was a devoted follower of us, Ahl al-Bayt. He would sit in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah, wearing a black turban. He would call, 'O Baqir al-‘Ilm, O Baqir al-‘Ilm, (a person of deep knowledge)' The people of Medina

دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَنْتُمْ وَرَثَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص وَارِثُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلِمَ كُلَّ مَا عَلِمُوا قَالَ لِي نَعَمْ قُلْتُ فَأَنْتُمْ تَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْ تُحْيُوا الْمَوْتَى وَ تُبْرِءُوا الْأَكْمَهَ وَ الْأَبْرَصَ قَالَ نَعَمْ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِيَ ادْنُ مِنِّي يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ فَدَنَوْتُ مِنْهُ فَمَسَحَ عَلَى وَجْهِي وَ عَلَى عَ

“Once I went to see abu Ja‘far (a.s.) and asked him, “Are you the heirs of the Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Yes, we are his heirs.” I then asked, “Was the Messenger of Allah the heir of the prophets and knew all that they knew?” He said to me, “Yes, it is true.” I then asked, “Do you have the power to bring the dead

كُنْتُ عِنْدَهُ يَوْماً إِذْ وَقَعَ- زَوْجُ وَرَشَانٍ عَلَى الْحَائِطِ وَ هَدَلَا هَدِيلَهُمَا[1] فَرَدَّ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع عَلَيْهِمَا كَلَامَهُمَا سَاعَةً ثُمَّ نَهَضَا فَلَمَّا طَارَا عَلَى الْحَائِطِ هَدَلَ الذَّكَرُ عَلَى الْأُنْثَى سَاعَةً ثُمَّ نَهَضَا فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ مَا هَذَا الطَّيْرُ قَالَ يَا ابْنَ مُسْلِمٍ كُلُّ شَيْ‌ءٍ خَلَقَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ طَيْرٍ أَوْ بَهِيمَةٍ أَوْ شَيْ‌ءٍ فِيهِ رُوحٌ فَهُوَ

“One day I was in the presence of Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) that a pair of turtledoves came and sat on the wall and exchanged voices as they usually do. Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) then also exchanged voices with them for a while. They then flew away and on the other wall the male sounded to the female for a while and then both of them

لَمَّا حُمِلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع إِلَى الشَّامِ إِلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ وَ صَارَ بِبَابِهِ قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ وَ مَنْ كَانَ بِحَضْرَتِهِ مِنْ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي قَدْ وَبَّخْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُمُونِي قَدْ سَكَتُّ فَلْيُقْبِلْ عَلَيْهِ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ فَلْيُوَبِّخْهُ ثُمَّ أَمَرَ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَهُ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ بِيَدِهِ السَّلَام

“When abu Ja‘far (a.s.) was taken to al-Sham (Damascus) to the court of hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik. When arrived at his door he (Hisham) instructed his people from the Amawids, “When I will finish exasperating Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.) and stop then each of you one after the other should reprimand and level blames on him.”

قُبِضَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْبَاقِرُ وَ هُوَ ابْنُ سَبْعٍ وَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً فِي عَامِ أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ وَ مِائَةٍ عَاشَ بَعْدَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع تِسْعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً وَ شَهْرَيْنِ.

“Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir passed away at the age of fifty seven, in the year one hundred fourteen AH. He lived for nineteen years and two months after Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.).”