Muhammad Ibn 'Umar Waqidi...

Muhammad Ibn 'Umar Waqidi, a distinguished narrator of the Sunnis, subsequent to a quotation from Imam as-Sadiq (a) as saying ”'Ali Ibn Husayn (a) departed in 58” added that this utterance vindicated that while 23 or 24, Iman as-Sajjad (a) had been with his father in Karbala and those describing him under age are wrong. Imam was seriously ill in Karbala; therefore, he was not able to participate in the war.

How could he ever be immature whereas his son, Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn 'Ali al-Baqir, had met Jabir Ibn 'Abd Allah Ansari and quoted hadiths from him. Jabir had passed away in 78 A.H.[^7] Thirdly, the way of Iman as-Sajjad's behaving towards 'Ubayd Allah Ibn Ziyad and even Yazid Ibn Abi Sufyan corroborates that he had been old enough and to discuss his maturity or immaturity in Karbala looked in vain.

The scene set for his delivering sermons on the pulpit, in its turn, stemmed from his age as well. Such a ground could have never been prepared by Yazid for an individual whose maturity was open to question. Fourthly, with a glance at numerous narrations about Imam al-Baqir's birth in historical books, it can be observed that he had been present in Karbala as a four-year old boy. No one has declared it untrue.

If assenting these reports, there is no alternative but admitting the common narration with a two-year-or-so discrepancy. Three versions that certain figures like Biyhaqi have recorded telling Imam's date of birth (33, 36 and 38) are not unconnected to that mentioned above.

The former was reported by Ibn 'Asakir.[^8] Zuhri also has confirmed that 'Ali Ibn Husayn was beside his father in Karbala at the age of twenty-three.[^9] Another controversial issue the analysis where of would bear fruitful results is the accurate name and pedigree of Iman as-Sajjad's mother. Regretfully, after all extensive studies that a number of writers have done in this respect, it is not still definite.

The notion that his mother had been one of Sassanids princesses was recently denied lest the anti-Shi'ite Muslims as a consequence judge that the spread of Shi'ism in Iran had been due to the association of Imam's lineage with the Sassanids through Yazdgard III's daughter who has been alleged to be Iman as-Sajjad's mother. Professor Shahidi, in his foregoing book, has cited and criticized most of these narrations.

Further, there are few quotations suggesting that she be “Umm Walad” (a bondswoman whose husband was not a bondsman).