It was the time when Umayyad politics was tottering and...

It was the time when Umayyad politics was tottering and Muslims were approaching Imam Baqir (PBUH) in thousands. The Imams of the fulfilled their need for knowledge [8] . His Early life The childhood of Imam al-Sadiq coincided with the growing interest of Medinans in religious sciences and the interpretations of the Qur’an.

It is known from various history books and various sources of Hadith that when Imam As-Sadiq was a young boy, he used to come to the schools and Madrasas founded by his father the fifth Imam and instead of learning as many other youngsters and older pupils did, he used to discuss serious matters of Fiqh and Jurisprudence with much older students of the Madrasas [9] .

In one such discourse when he was only 11 years old, when he entered a classroom where pupils were discussing the subject of astronomy, he pointed out to the surprise of everyone except his own father, that the earth cannot be flat, because of the way the sun rises in the East and sets in the west and day and night change in 24 hours, it cannot be possible. In his opinion, the earth must be round; otherwise, this would not have happened in such a precise manner.

All the students were astonished but his father smiled and said nothing [10] . Meanwhile, with the martyrdom of his grandfather, Imam Zayn al-Abidin (PBUH), Imam Jafar al-Sadiq entered his early manhood and participated in his father’s efforts as the representative of the Household of Muhammad () [11] .

His Wives and Children There is limited historical information available about the wives and children of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, some details have been passed down through historical accounts and Islamic traditions. It is believed that Imam Jafar al-Sadiq had multiple wives, although specific details about their identities and numbers are not well-documented in historical sources.

The prominent among his wives was Hamida who according to Allamah Majlisi was believed to have four children: Musa ibn Ja’far, Ishaq, Muhammad and Fatima [12] . Shaykh Mufid has listed ten children [13] for Imam Jafar Sadiq (PBUH). The prominent among his children were Imam Musa al-Kadhim, Abdullah al-Aftah, Ishaq, Muhammad, Umm Farwa, Asma and Fatima [14] .

His Imamate In 114 Hijri (732 AD), Imam Baqir (PBUH) was martyred [15] , and the responsibilities of Imamate devolved on the shoulders of Imam Ja’far Sadiq.