Name: Muhammad
Title: at-Taqi
(also Jawad)
Epithet: Abu
Ja'far
Father: Ali
ibne Musa
Mother: Khaizran
(also Sabikah
Nubia)
Date of
Birth: Rajab
10, 195 AH
(April 8, 81 1
AD)
Place of
Birth: Madinah
Progeny: From
Umm ul-Fadhl
binte Mamoon
ar-Rashid
None
From
Summana Khatoon
Two
sons: Ali, Musa
Two
daughters:
Fatirna, Amama
Date of
Death: Zi Qa'd
29, 220AH
( November 25,
835AD )
He
lived for only
24 years
Place of
Death: Kazimain
Place of
Burial: Kazimain
THE TIMES AND
LIFE OF IMAM
MUHAMMAD TAQI
Muhammad (Taqi)
was only about
five years of
age when his
father was
called away from
Madinah by the
Caliph Mamoon
ar-Rashid, never
to return home
alive. He
was only eight
years of age
when he received
the sad news of
the martyrdom of
his father at
the hands of the
Caliph.
Although, by
having Imam All
ar-Reza killed,
Mamoon was able
to win back the
confidence of
his Abbasid
kinsmen, he lost
his trust among
the followers of
the Imam. He
succeeded to
play his cards
again, and
summoned the
young Imam
Muhammad Taqi to
Baghdad but he
did not seethe
youth for a long
period of time.
The Imam's
first contact
with the Caliph:
Once, on his way
to a hunting
trip, Marnoon
passed through
that part of the
city where the
young Imam was
staying. He
saw some
children playing
in the street
with his peers. When
they saw the
callph's
entourage, all
but the Imam ran
away. The
caliph
approached the
Imam and asked
Imam why he was
not one of those
who had run away
from there. The
Imam was cool in
his demeanor. He
said that the
street was wide,
and that he was
not making it
any narrower;
and that he had
not committed
any crime for
which he would
be afraid; and
that he believed
that the Caliph
would take the
path of justice
and not harm an
innocent
bystander.
The reply
impressed the
Caliph. He
asked the Imam
who he was. When
the Imam told
him who he was,
the Caliph felt
ashamed. He
suddenly
remembered
having sent for
him but not
having granted
him audience for
such a long
time.
The
Imam's Second
contact with the
Caliph:
On his way back
from the hunting
trip, the Caliph
hid a fish in
his hands and
asked the Imam
what he was
carrying. The
Imam said that
his hawk flew in
the skies, but
found his prey
in the waters. He
had a fish in
his hand and was
now testing the
Imam for his
knowledge. The
Caliph was dumb
founded at both
these encounters
with the Imam
and took him
along with him
to his palace.
He declared his
intentions to
his kinsmen that
he was so
impressed with
the child. He
decided to give
his daughter
Unnne Fadhl in
marriage to him. They
were unhappy at
the possibility
of repetition of
the story of his
father Imam Ali
ar-Reza. Mammon
said that the
youth was no
ordinary person
and that they
all had already
seen his
courage,
knowledge and
mannerism which
was no match
with any one of
them. In
order to obtain
an upper hand
over Mamoon's
decision, they
proposed that a
contest be held
with the chief
Kadhi Yahya bin
Aktham.
The
Imam's Contest
with the Chief
Kadhi of
Baghdad:
In the contest,
Yahya bin
Aktharn asked
the Imam on the
penalty for man
who hunted while
in ahram, (the
state of purity,
also applied to
a body wrap of
white cloth used
by the
pilgrims). The
Imam said that
his question was
incomplete and
that he should
complete it
before the
correct answer
could be given. Yahya
requested that
the Imam
complete the
question for
him. The
Imam asked:
(i) Was
the hunting done
within the holy
precinct or
outside it?
(ii) Was
the hunter aware
of the religious
law concerning
the hunt?
(iii) Was
the hunting done
with intention
or was it an
accident?
(iv) Was
the hunter a
free man or a
slave?
(v) Was
the hunter of
age or was he
under-age in the
religious law?
(vi) Was
the hunting done
for the first
time or was a
repeated act?
(vii) Was
the prey a bird
or was it some
other animal?
(viii) Was
the prey young
of age or was it
of an age
allowed for
hunting?
(ix) Was
the hunter
repentant on his
act or was he
defiant?
(x) Was
the hunting done
at night or was
it an act of the
day?
(xi) Was
the ahram for
Haj or was it
for Umra?
The Imam then
further
elaborated the
significance of
these
circumstances
concerning the
question to
qualify for an
appropriate
answer! They
all were
flabbergasted at
the details
offered by the
Imam, and
accepted his
completion of
the question,
followed by his
answer. Mamoon
was very pleased
to see his own
arrogant kinsmen
being beaten in
the contest.
Mamoon then
asked the Imam
to pose his
question. Even
before the Imam
could pose his
question, Yahya
apologized. He
said that he
would try to
answer Imarn's
question, but if
he could not
find an answer,
he would have to
ask the Imam to
answer it
himself.
The Imam asked,
on what four
conditions would
one woman be
legal and
illegal for
marriage for the
same individual. Neither
Yahya nor any
one else in the
audience had any
answer to this
question. The
Imam then
detailed the
four conditions
concerning his
question and
made the puzzle
seem easy to
solve:
(i) The
woman was a
slave-girl of
another man, so
it was illegal
for this man. When
he paid her
price to her
master, she
became legal for
him;
(ii) (ii)
When he freed
her she was no
longer legal for
him. However
he got married
to her, and thus
she became legal
for him. (iii)
He reckoned her
like his mother,
making her
illegal for him
again, but on
paying the
penalty for such
an act, she
became legal for
him again. (iv)
He then divorced
her, making her
illegal for him,
but before
saying the third
talaq, they made
up again, making
her legal again.
They
acknowledged the
uncommon depth
of the Imam's
knowledge, and
agreed on
Mamoon's
decision to give
his daughter in
marriage to the
Imam. Mamoon
offered the Imam
to stay in
Baghdad and be
declared his
successor, but
the Imam
declined to have
any thing to do
with the
heirship to the
Caliphate, or on
staying in the
palace in
Baghdad. He
requested the
Caliph to allow
him to return
home to Madinah. Mamoon
did not force
the Imam to
stay, and
allowed him to
leave with his
wife.
Umme Fadhl was a
princess. She
had lived a life
of luxury. She
had no concept
of what her life
style would be
in Madinah with
material
deprivation
compared with
the luxury of
her father's
palace. She
was miserable
and made it no
secret to the
Imam. She
wrote letters to
her father
complaining
bitterly about
her predicament,
but he took no
action.
Furthemiore,
there was no
progeny issued
from this
relationship. When
the Imam manied
Sumana Khatoon,
the jealousy of
Umme Fadhl
reached its
heights, but her
father still did
nothing.
Mamoon died in
218 AH, and his
brother Mu’tasim
Billah succeeded
to the throne. Umme
Fadhl started
writing letters
to her uncle,
the new caliph
in Baghdad to
get her back to
Baghdad. Since
the Abbasids
were no friends
of the Alkyds,
and with the
constant
complaints of
Umme Fadhl, the
Imam was
summoned to
Baghdad and put
in jail. Finally,he
was given poison
in jail and
killed in 220 AH
at the young age
of only
twenty-five
years.
The Imam
appointed his
son Ali Hadi to
follow him as
the next Imam
before he left
for his second
and last trip to
Baghdad. Ali
Hadi was also
only eight years
of age when he
was appointed to
the position of
leadership of
Islam.
REFLECTIONS
FROM THE LIFE OF
IMAM MUHAMMAD
TAQI
The Imam was
deprived the
patronage of his
father at a
tender age of
five, and when
he learnt of his
martyrdom he was
only eight years
of age. He
was the youngest
Imam who was
also killed at
the youngest age
compared with
the others. He
was only
twenty-five
years when he
was killed by
poisoning.
As detailed
above, the Imam,
at a very young
age demonstrated
unusual courage,
knowledge and
presence of mind
in the circle of
his aristocratic
adversaries in
the court of
Marnoon
ar-Rashid. In
addition to the
constant
pressures from
the government,
he had a
considerable
trouble at home
from his wife,
the Abbasid
princess. Despite
these
difficulties,
the Imam made
his lasting
impression with
examples of
exceptional
tolerance,
superior
conduct, and
advice to his
followers and
many sagacious
sayings.
Selected
Quotes:
1. Bolster
your conduct
with
forbearance, be
content during
deprivation,
refrain from
lust, and
antagonize
temptation. Remember
that you are
neither far nor
hidden from your
Lord.
2. Refrain
from friendship
of the
mischievous, for
his likeness is
that of a sharp
dagger:
beautiful to
behold but
deadly in
action.
3 . Do
not show
animosity to
someone until
you have
assessed his,
relationship
with the Lord,
for if the
person is good,
the Lord will
not hand him
over to you; and
if he is bad,
then suffice it
for him that you
do not be his
enemy.
4. Make
early an
amendment of a
matter before it
deteriorates,
for then you
would repent. Beware,
lest years add
to your life and
your heart
hardens.
5 . Do
not pretend to
be a friend of
the Lord in the
open while you
have doubts
about Him in
your heart.
6. Be
thankful to the
Lord for what He
has granted you,
lest you desire
for something
that would drag
you towards
temptation.
7. Do
not delay in
repentance, for
the delay in
doing so is
equivalent to
defiance.
Offering excuses
to justify a bad
deed would make
you lose fear of
the Lord and
invoke His
anger.
Selected
Sayings:
1. Dependence
on the Gracious
Lord is the true
value in all the
precious things
and in all
heights of
achievement.
2. The
respect of a
believer is in
his independence
from others.
3. All
believers need
three things:
(i) Help
from the Lord;
(ii) Awakened
conscience;
(iii) Ability
to listen to
good advice
given by others.
4. Obedience
and remembrance
of the Lord from
the depths of
your heart is
superior to the
toils of
rituals.
5. How
can that (thing)
go waste whose
guarantor is the
Lord, and how
can that
(person) escape
who is sought by
the Lord. One
who sells
himself to other
(deity) than the
Lord, the Lord
relinquishes
that to his
chosen deity.
6. One
who falls for
his desires,
fulfills the
alms of his
sworn enemy
(Satan), and
cannot escape
from wrongdoing.
7. One
who takes an
action without
prior knowledge,
could do more
damage than
good.
8. The
tyranny of the
rulers
forestalls their
downfall.
9. When
the hour (i.e.
death) comes,
the environs
tend to shrink.
10. There
is no additional
danger in the
anger of the
tyrant.