HIS POSITION IN THE SILSILA: Hazrat Sayyiduna Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) is the sixth Imam and Shaikh of the Silsila Aaliyah Qadiriyah Barakaatiyah Razaviyah Nooriyah.
BIRTH: He was born on a Monday, the 7th of Rabiul Awwal in either 80 or 83 Hijri in Madinah Munawwarah. [Masaalikus Saalikeen vol.1 pg 217]
HIS NAME: His name was Jafar bin Muhammad, and he was also known as Abu Abdullah and Abu Ismaeel. His titles were Saadiq, Faadil and Taahir.
SHEIKH-E-TARIQAT: He was the mureed and Khalifa of Hazrat Sayyiduna Imam Baaqir (RadiallahuTa’ala Anhu) and attained great blessings from his beloved father.
HIS CHARACTER: He was a very exalted and pious personality. His inner and outer appearance exuded brightness and radiance. He addressed the poor and the downtrodden with great love. Once he called all his servants and said, “Let us give our hands in the hands of one another and promise, that whichever one of us first receives salvation on the day of Qiyaamah, he will intercede for the rest of us.” On hearing this, they said, “O Ibn Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) for what reason do you need our intercession, when your beloved forefather Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) will intercede for the entire creation?” He then said, “I am ashamed to take my deeds and stand before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).” Once Hazrat Dawood Taa’ee (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) came to Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (RadiallahuTa’ala Anhu) and said, “O Beloved escendant of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) please give me some advice as my heart has become dark.” Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “O Abu Sulaiman, You are a great zaahid of your era, what need do you have for my advice?” Hazrat Dawood Taa’ee (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “O descendant of the Prophet (Sallallahu AlaihiWasallam), you have been blessed with the excellence of the people and to advise everyone is compulsory upon you.” He then said, “O Abu Sulaiman, I fear that on the day of Qiyaamah, Muhammadur Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) will hold me by my collar and ask, “Why were you slow in fulfilling your right to submission?” What will I say then? Thus, this deed (of advice) does not depend on ones stature or family connections, but it deals with good deeds which are done in the Court of Allah.” Hazrat Dawood (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) heard this and began to weep. He then said, “O Allah! When such a great personality, who is the descendant of your Beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), and whose reality is filled with light and wisdom, and whose great grandmother is Hazrat Bibi Fathima (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha), is so afraid of his future and condition, then what right does Dawood Taa’ee have to be proud of his deeds?” [Masaalikus saalikeen]
HIS IBAADAT: He was without doubt the true successor to the Muslim empire and one of the greatest Imams of his era. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) was a great Aabid and Sufi. He was well known for his ibaadat, and his striving in the Court of Allah. Hazrat Imam Malik (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “I spent a very long time serving him, and I always found him in one of three Ibaadats. Either he was in namaaz, or engrossed in recitation of the Quran, or he would be fasting.” He never narrated any Hadith Shareef without wudhu. [Tazkiratul Awliyah]
HIS DUA: He was without doubt a faithful servant of Allah, and he always attained everything that he asked for from the Court of Allah. Abul Qasim Tibri narrates from Wahab that he heard Laith bin Sa’ad (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) saying, “I was on my way to Hajj by foot in 113 Hijri and I reached Makkah Muazammah. At around the time of Asr, I reached Jabl Abu Qais, and I saw a pious man sitting there making dua. He was saying “Ya Rabbi Ya Rabbi” so many times, that breathing became difficult. Then in the same way, he said “Ya Hayy Ya Hayy” then “Ya Rab’bahu Ya Rab’bahu”, then in the same way he said “Ya Allah Ya Allah” in one breath continuously. He then said “Ya Rahmaanu Ya Rahmaanu, Ya Raheemu Ya Raheemu” and then he went on to say “Ya Arhamar Raahimeen”. He then said, “O Allah I desire to eat grapes. Please bless me with some, and my clothes have become old and tattered, please give me new ones.” Hazrat Laith (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) says, “By Allah, he was still completing his dua, when I saw a basket of grapes kept before him, whereas it was not even the grape season and I did not see any grapes near him before his dua. I also saw that there were two pieces of cloth kept near the grapes. I have never seen such beautiful material before. He then sat down to eat the grapes. When I went upto him, he requested me to join him and I also began to partake in the grapes. They were so tasty, that never have I eaten such delicious grapes. I ate until I was satisfied, but the basket still remained as it was before, full of grapes. He then offered one piece of cloth to me, and I said that I had no need for it, so he tied one around his waist, and he draped the other over his shoulder. He then descended from the mountain and I followed him. As he drew close to Saffa and Marwa, a beggar called out to him and said, “O Descendant of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), give these clothes to me and Allah will dress you in the clothes of Jannat.” He immediately gave the two pieces of cloth to the beggar. I enquired from the beggar about the identity of this pious man and he informed me that he was Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu). I then looked for him so that I may listen to some words of wisdom from him and attain his blessings, but he had disappeared from my sight. [Tazkiratul Awliyah] Once, some people saw that Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) was wearing a very expensive robe. One of them walked up to him and said, “Huzoor, it is not good for the Ahle Baith to wear such expensive clothing.” He caught hold of the man’s hand and thrust it into his sleeves. The
man was amazed when he found that a Hazrat was wearing clothes make from sacks under his robe. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) then said, “The one inside is for my Creator and the one on top is for the creation.” A man once lost his money pouch which contained one thousand dinars. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) was walking close to him, so he held the hand of the Imam and accused him of stealing his money. Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) asked how much he had in his money bag, and the man said that he had one thousand dinars. Hazrat took him home and gave him one thousand dinars from his wealth. The next day, the man found his money bag, and came rushing to Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) to return the money he had taken from him. Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “We do not take back what we have already given.” The man then asked some people who this person was, and he was told that it was Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu). When he heard this, he became very sad and regretted his behavior. [Tazkiratul Awliyah]
DEBATE WITH AN ATHEIST: Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) spent a lot of his time spreading the word of Allah and His Beloved Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Once, an atheist from Egypt came to Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) whilst he was in Makkah. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) asked him his name and he said that his name was Abdul Malik and he was also known as Abdullah. On hearing this Hazrat said, “Malik, whose servant you are, is He from the Kingdom of the Skies or the Kingdom of the earth, the Lord that is the Lord of your son, is He the Lord of the skies or the Lord of the earth?” The atheist could not answer this question. Hazrat then said, “Did you ever journey under the earth? Do you know what is beyond it?”
He replied in the negative and said, “I think there is nothing beyond it.” Hazrat then said, “To think, is not good enough. Have you ever flown into the skies and journeyed beyond the skies?” Again he replied in the negative. Hazrat said, “Did you ever travel the entire East and West and did you realize anything about the future from this?” Again he answered in the negative. Hazrat said, “I am amazed, that you are not aware of the earth and what is beneath it, and the sky and what is beyond it, and in this state of ignorance, you still have the arrogance to reject the existence of Allah. O Ignorant man! There is no argument for one who is naive about that which is a reality. The sun, the moon, the night and day, are all in a specific pattern. Verily they are within some divine control. It they were free, they would move as they willed and would sometimes go to an appointed spot and not return. Why is it that the night does not take the place of day and the day does not take the place of night? Do you not ponder upon the reality of the skies and the earth? Why does the sky not come to the earth and why is it that the earth is not flattened by the sky? There is definitely One, who has all this in His control. It is He who is All Powerful. It is He, who is our Lord.” When the atheist heard this, he immediately accepted Islam and had faith in the existence of Allah.
HAZRAT BAYAZEED BUSTAAMI (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu): Hazrat Bayazeed Bustaami (RadiallahuTa’ala Anhu) used to distribute water in the Darbaar of Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’alaAnhu). Hazrat placed his saintly sight on Hazrat Bayazeed Bustaami (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) once, and he became one of the greatest mystics of his time. He then served in the Court of Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) and became one of the greatest Awliyah.
HAZRAT IMAME AZAM ABU HANIFA (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu): Hazrat Imame Azam Abu Hanifa (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) attained great blessings from Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’alaAnhu). It is narrated that once he asked Imam Abu Hanifa (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) concerning who is an intelligent person. Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “He who can differentiate between good and evil is an intelligent man.” Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (RadiallahuTa’ala Anhu) said, “Even animals have the ability to differentiate that. They can differentiate between those who love them, beat them or instill fear in them” Imam Abu Hanifa (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) then said, “O Hazrat, please explain who is truly intelligent?” Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu
Ta’ala Anhu) said, “An intelligent person, is one who can differentiate between two good things and two evils, so that he may choose the better of the two good things and that he may be able to repel the worse of the two evils.”
KARAAMATS: Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) is an example for Muslims in every way. His greatest Karaamat was his firmness on the Shariat. His every step was in accordance with the Sunnat of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). A few of his Karaamats are quoted below.
Once, a man came to Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) before journeying for Hajj. He gave Hazrat 10 000 dirhams, and asked him to purchase a mansion for him before he returned. Instead of purchasing a mansion, Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) distributed the entire 10 000 dirhams in the way of Allah. After the man returned from Hajj, he went to meet Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu). Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) told him that he had purchased his mansion and then handed the title deed over to him. The title deed read as follows: ‘One wall of the house is adjoined to the house of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the other wall is adjoined to the house of Hazrat Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu), the third wall is adjoined to the house of Imam Hassan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) and the fourth wall is adjoined to the house of Imam Hussain (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu).’ The man took this title deed, and asked his family members to place it in his grave when he passed away. After his demise, his family members found the title deed on the top of his grave and on the rear of the title deed the following words were written, ‘Hazrat Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) was honest and loyal in what he said.’ [Masaalikussaalikeen vol.1 pg.220]
Once, he was on his way to Hajj, when he stopped to rest under a date tree which was completely dried out. At the time of Chaasht, he asked the tree to present him with some dates. Immediately, the tree became green and lush and full of dates. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) then ate from it. A villager was passing by and saw this. He saw this great karaamat and said that it was magic. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “This is not magic. Almighty Allah has blessed me with such a quality, that he accepts all my duas. If I make dua, then you can be even turned into a dog.” Hazrat had not yet completed what he was saying, when the illager began to resemble a dog. He quickly repented and asked Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) to forgive him. Hazrat made dua for him, and he was transformed to his normal self. [Masaalikus Saalikeen vol.1 pg 223] Khalifa Mansoor once sent one of his ministers to summon Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’alaAnhu) to his court. He informed his servants that when Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) arrived, they should wait for him (Mansoor) to remove his crown. The moment he did this, they should martyr Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu). When the minister heard this, he was not pleased and thus tried to explain to Mansoor, how wrong it was to kill a pious person, who is also a Sayyid. The Khalifa did not take heed and had Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) summoned. When Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) arrived, the servants waited for their cue, so that they may martyr Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu). Instead, Mansoor woke up from his throne and rushed towards the Imam. He brought him towards his throne and allowed him to sit on it with great respect, whilst he sat on the ground in front of the great Imam. The servants and ministers were surprised to see this sudden change in plan. Mansoor then asked the Imam if he had any requests. Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) said, “In future you should not summon me to your court, as I wish to remain engrossed in Ibaadat.” When he heard these words, his body began to tremble and he allowed the Imam to leave with respect. When the Imam left, the minister asked about the sudden change in plan and Mansoor said, “When Imam Jafar Saadiq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anhu) entered my court, I saw a huge python with him. The python had its one lip over my throne and one under my throne, and it spoke to me and said that if I tried to ever harm the Imam, then he would consume me with my throne, and that is why I behaved in the manner which I did.” [Tazkiratul Awliyah]
GEMS OF WISDOM: He would often make the following dua, “O Allah bless me with respect which is in your obedience and do not disgrace me due to my shortcomings. O Allah let me assist him through Your Grace and Mercy, whose sustenance you have decreased, for you have blessed me in abundance.”“There is no virtue greater than piety and silence, there is no enemy more dangerous than ignorance and there is no sickness worse than lies.”
“He who has attained the closeness to Allah divorces himself from everything in the world.”
“There is no ibaadat without repentance, since Allah has caused repentance to be above ibaadat.”
“He who sits in the companionship of all types of people will not be safe.”
“One who walks on the wrong path will always arouse suspicion.”
“One who cannot keep his tongue in control will always be disgraced.”
“Stay away from five kinds of people: a liar, as he will betray you, a stupid person, as he will try to benefit you but will always cause you harm, a miser, for he will cause you intense loss in order to gain even the slightest benefit, a coward, who will leave you in distress during a difficult situation and a man who does bad actions, for he will sell you for one morsel of food on account of greed.” [Masaalikus Saalikeen vol.1 pg 224]
HIS KHULAFA: If one studies the books of history, then one will learn about his Khulafa, about how exalted each one of them was and how they had attained his blessings. Some of them are: 1. Hazrat Imam Moosa Kaazim 2. Hazrat Imame Azam Abu Hanifa 3. Hazrat Sultaan Bayazeed Bustaami (Ridwaanullahi Ta’ala Alaihim Ajma’een).
WISAAWISAAL: He passed away on a Friday, the 15th of Rajab or 24 Shawwal 148 Hijri at the age of 68 in Madinatul Munawwarah. [Masaalikus Saalikeen vol.1 pg 217]
MAZAAR SHAREEF: His Mazaar Shareef is in Jannatul Baqi in Madinatul Munawwarah.