Birth anniversary of Imam Mohammad Baqer (PBUH)

Welcome to a special feature on Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), the 5th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

According to a version, he was born on the 3^rd of Safar, and since this month is also considered a month of mourning following the heartrending tragedy of Karbala in the preceding month of Muharram, we don’t celebrate with festivities the birthday of the 5^th Imam, who as a child of less than four years, was a prisoner these days in Damascus, along with his parents, aunts, and grandaunts.

“And to Midian [We sent] Shuʿayb, their brother. He said, ‘O my people! Worship Allah. You have no other god besides Him. Do not give short measure and weight. Indeed I see that you are faring well, but I fear for you the punishment of an all-embracing day.

“O my people! Observe fully the measure and the balance, with justice, and do not cheat the people of their goods, and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.

“Baqiatollah (what remains of Allah’s provision) is better for you if you are believers…”

What we recited to you were ayahs 84 to 86 of Surah al-Houd, in which the Almighty Creator, reminding mankind of the fate that befell the proud people of the once flourishing city of Midian in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula in antiquity for violating the commandments of God and cheating people, draws attention in the last mentioned ayah towards “Baqiatollah”, which is the refuge of all believers.

Unfortunately, the Midianites disobeyed God and spread mischief and corruption in the lands for which divine wrath swiftly overtook them. Twice they were the targets of great catastrophes that wiped out their civilizations for having deviated from the path of “Baqiatollah”; once during the days of Prophet Shu’aib (Jethro of the era of Prophet Moses) and once during the time of Prophet Saleh.

In the early years of the 2nd century AH, Midian – Mada’en Saleh as it is known today in the British-created entity called Saudi Arabia – is though a mere shadow of its ancient glory, it was spared another catastrophe thanks to a timely reminder of one of its senior citizens of the folly of doing wrong to “Baqiatollah” by obeying the tyrannical self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime in Damascus.

The birth anniversary today of Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), the 5th infallible successor of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, affords us an opportunity to go into details.

It happened that the Imam was returning to Medina from Damascus after release from imprisonment – not the imprisonment he had suffered as a four-year old boy along with his father Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) and the noble ladies of the Prophet’s household such as his grand aunt Hazrat Zainab (SA) in the aftermath of the heart-rending tragedy of Karbala where he witnessed the ghastly sight of the severance of the head of his grandfather Imam Husain (AS).

Fifty years after Karbala, he had suffered another bout of imprisonment in Damascus along with his son Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS) during the days of his eventual assassin, Hesham ibn Abdul-Malik. When Imam Baqer (AS) reformed inmates and made them devout Muslims, the horrified caliph released him but still kept him interned in the Syrian capital. When the 5th Imam convinced the chief Christian hermit of Syria of the truth of Islam resulting in the mass conversion of a sizeable number of Christians, Hesham was further bewildered and sent him back to Medina but with orders that no town or city on the way should allow entry to the Prophet’s successor.

Thus, when the Imam’s entourage neared Midian, they found they had run out of provisions and it was impossible to continue the journey without replenishing the necessary stocks. But the people of Midian, as instructed by the caliph and his agents, shut the gates.

At this Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS) climbed the nearby mountain that overlooked the city and recited the ayahs we have mentioned at the beginning of this radio programme. He then emphasized in a loud voice that reverberated throughout the city: Ana wallahe Baqiatollah (meaning: By God, I am Baqiatollah).

The people were perplexed. They were at their wit’s end. On one hand was the caliph’s orders to have no contact with the Prophet’s successor, while on the other hand, the wrath of God was sure to strike if the decided to curse. At this moment a very old man emerged from his house and seeing the Imam atop the mountain told the terrified citizens that he was standing on the same spot that Prophet Saleh had stood in antiquity while warning the Midianites of divine punishment. He said disobeying the caliph’s order maybe considered an act of lawlessness by a regime that in the first place has no authority to rule, but disobeying the “Baqiatollah” is a sure sign of impending doom and ending in the bowels of hell. The people opened the gates and allowed the 5th Imam’s entourage to buy whatever he needed for the journey ahead.

It should be said that we are as much indebted to Imam Baqer (AS) as to his father Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) for spreading of Imam Husain’s (AS) mission.

Born in Medina in 57 AH, he was named Mohammad after his great-great-grandfather, the Prophet, from whom he was descended on both sides – his father Imam Zain al-Abedin being the son and successor of the Prophet’s younger grandson Imam Husain and his mother Fatema (peace upon them) being the daughter of the Prophet’s elder grandson Imam Hasan (AS).

During his 19-year mission that was cut short in 114 AH at the age of 57 years through poisoning on the orders of the ringleader of the Global Arrogance of those days, the Omayyad tyrant Hesham ibn Abdul-Malik, he spared no efforts to enlighten hearts and minds.

Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS) never concealed knowledge or deprived others of the bounties of the intellect and those miraculous bezels of wisdom that God had gifted him.

It was no wonder that scholars of different denominations sat at his feet to learn about the genuine Sunnah (practice) and Seerah (behaviour) of the Prophet, whose legacy in those days of Omayyad misrule was being distorted by compilers of spurious hadith churned out by the factories of Damascus, and by self-styled jurisprudents who had little knowledge of Islam and knew nothing about the Prophet.

On his authority, Muslims became aware of the correct meaning of the verses of the Holy Qur’an and the reasons behind their revelation, as well as the accounts of the past prophets, of which he had knowledge with certitude in view of his direct descent from Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).   

Islam was after all a household affair for him, and the Divine Trust that God had commanded the Seal of Prophets to entrust to Imam Ali (AS) on the Day of Ghadeer had reached him after due trials and tribulations that ordinary mortals cannot endure.

The 5th Imam, whose epithet Baqer al-Uloum or Splitter and Spreader of Sciences was prophesied by the Prophet himself, tells his companion Jaber al-Ju’fi, regarding the essence of light from which God has created the fourteen Infallalb:

“O Jaber! The first beings that God created were Muhammad and His family, the rightly guided ones and the guides. (These were) shadows of light, luminous bodies without spirits; they were strengthened by the Holy Spirit (Ruh al-Qudus), through which Muhammad and his family worshipped God. For that reason He created them forbearing, learned, endowed with filial piety and pure; they worshipped God through prayer, fasting, prostrating themselves, enumerating His Names, and pronouncing Allah-o Akbar (God is Great).”

AS/ME