57 AH – 7 Dhu al-Hijjah
114 AH) was the Fifth Imām
to the Twelver Shi‘a and Fourth Imām
to the Ismā‘īlī Shī‘a. His father was the previous Imām, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, and his mother was Fatimah bint al-Hasan
. He is revered by Shi'a Muslims for his religious leadership and highly respected by Sunni Muslims for his knowledge and Islamic scholarship as a leading jurist of Madinah, the City of the Prophet.
Muhammad al-Baqir was born on the 1st of the month of Rajab, 57th Hijra, in the city of Medina.
Because of his resemblance to his great-grandfather
he was named Muhammad, because of it that he analyzed the knowledge and made manifest its secrets he became known with the title of al-Baqir.
He was the first Imam whose lineage ascended and reached the Islamic prophet Muhammad
both from the paternal and maternal sides.
His life history can be divided into two parts:
- the period before his Imamate, led in Medina, that is nearly 35 years and was the peaceful part of his life
- the Period of Imamate, which stretched up to 20 years and is counted as the duration of his propagation and dissemination of Islamic knowledge and wisdom.
Shia historians allege a hadith, that one of the companions of Muhammad
, Jabir ibn Abd-Allah
Ansari was in the presence of Muhammad.
Take the good speech from whoever said it even if his practice was not accordingly.
The parable of a man greedy of this world is the parable of the silk worm: the more it winds the thread round itself the farther it becomes from salvation, until it dies of grief.
Being sociable and affable with people brings kindness and friendship.
There is no strength higher than overcoming carnal desire.
There is no pain worse than ignorance and lack of intellegence.
Opposition of one's desires is the sign of the highest level of wisdom in a human being.
On the Day of Judgement, God will interrogate people according to the wisdom he has granted them.
Knowledge and science is the fruit of paradise; in times of threat it is one's ally, in exile it keeps one company, and in solitude it is one's intimate friend and companion.
The person who teaches one chapter of guidance to the people will have a reward similar to all those who would act upon it, and nothing would be lessened or subtracted from the reward of those who practise it; and the one who teaches a chapter of misguidance, he will have the burden (wrath) similar to each one who acts upon it, and nothing will be lessened from their burden of sin (wrath of Allah).
Consider the world as an abode where in you have dropped down for an hour, then you have got to leave it and go ahead; or (suppose it is) like the wealth which you lay hands upon in a dream and become over-joyed and glad. Then you wake up to find yourself empty handed.