Ja'far as-Sadiq ؓ
*I have discovered — and exaggeration is not in my nature –
that he who is my sustenance will come to me.
I run to him, and my quest for him is agony for me.
Were I to sit still, he would come to me without distress*
— Urwa ibn Adhina
The son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, son of al-Imam Zain al-'Abidin, son of al-Husayn, son of 'Ali bin Abi Talib ؓ, Ja'far was born on the eighth of Ramadan in the year 83 H. His mother was the daughter of al-Qassim whose great grandfather was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq ؓ.
The Meeting of Two Noble Lines
He spent his life in worship and acts of piety for the sake of Allah. He rejected all positions of fame in favor of uzla or isolation from the lower world. One of his contemporaries, Umar ibn Abi-l-Muqdam, said, "When I look at Ja'far bin Muhammad I see the lineage and the secret of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ united in him."
He received from the Prophet ﷺ two lines of inheritance: the secret of the Prophet ﷺ through 'Ali ؓ and the secret of the Prophet ﷺ through Abu Bakr ؓ. In him the two lineages met and for that reason he was called "The Inheritor of the Prophetic Station (Maqam an-Nubuwwa) and the Inheritor of the Truthful Station (Maqam as-siddiqiyya)." In him was reflected the light of the knowledge of Truth and Reality. That light shone forth and that knowledge was spread widely through him during his lifetime.
His Love for Abu Bakr as-Siddiq
Ja'far narrated from his father, Muhammad al-Baqir, that a man came to his grandfather, Zain al-'Abidin, and said, "Tell me about Abu Bakr!" He said, "You mean as-Siddiq?" The man said, "How do you call him as-Siddiq when he is against you, the Family of the Prophet ﷺ?" He replied, "Woe to you. The Prophet ﷺ called him as-Siddiq, and Allah accepted his title of as-Siddiq. If you want to come to me, keep the love of Abu Bakr and 'Umar in your heart."
Ja'far said, "The best intercession that I hope for is the intercession of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq ﷺ." From him is reported also the following invocation: "O Allah, You are my Witness that I love Abu Bakr and I love 'Umar and if what I am saying is not true may Allah cut me off from the intercession of Muhammad ﷺ."
His Scholarly Eminence
He is considered the Imam of the fifth school of Islamic jurisprudence, the Ja'fari school. Among his many famous students were Abu Hanifa an-Nu'man ibn Thabit, founder of the Hanafi school, and Malik ibn Anas, founder of the Maliki school.
He was known as as-Sadiq, the Truthful, because he never spoke except with truth. He was deeply involved in academic discussions with Abu Hanifa and Malik ibn Anas and other great scholars of his time. Yet his approach differed from theirs because he concentrated on the heart of the individual while they concentrated on external regulations.
From his sayings is the following: "The knowledge that we speak about is not the knowledge of the multiplication tables and addition. The knowledge that we speak about is light that Allah casts into the heart of whomever He chooses."
His Spiritual Teachings
From his teachings: "Allah will admit into Paradise whoever makes Istighfar (asks Allah's forgiveness) frequently, even if he is adulterous or a thief."
He used to say: "There is no condition or deed that will bring one closer to Paradise and farther from Hell than dhikrullah (remembrance of Allah)." His followers asked: "Not even jihad in the way of Allah?" He replied: "Not even jihad, except if he makes dhikr so much that his sword breaks and his hand becomes soaked with blood."
His favorite dhikr was: La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no power except in Allah) and he used to say: "It is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise."
His Miracles and Spiritual States
Many miraculous events are recorded about him. Once he went to the house of Jabir ibn Yazid, and Jabir said, "I have been suffering from fever for one year." As-Sadiq said, "Why don't you use the medicine that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned?" He asked, "What is it?" As-Sadiq replied, "Take a cup of water from Zamzam and read on it 'Fatiha' seven times, then drink it." Jabir did that and was immediately healed.
The Alchemical Knowledge
It is related that Ja'far as-Sadiq taught the famous alchemist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, known in Europe as Geber. Jabir wrote: "I have derived from the book of my Master Ja'far as-Sadiq, five hundred papers," showing the mastery his teacher had over every aspect of knowledge including the science of chemistry and alchemy.
His Character and Devotions
At-Tabari relates that Ja'far ibn Muhammad was deep in his religion and spent his time in prayer, recitation of Qur'an and dhikr. He was handsome, pure, and articulate. When people looked at him they loved him, and when he spoke they listened to him attentively.
His Final Days
He was asked about his death and he said: "Death for us is not annihilation but a transport from one house to another house." When Ja'far as-Sadiq was on his deathbed he called his servant and told him, "Give in charity everything in the box." The servant said, "There are 400 dinars in the box." He said, "Give it away, as I need good deeds now." Then he said, "Put my body, when I die, on the earth and do not put anything between me and the earth because I want to be as humble as possible in front of my Lord."
His Passing and Legacy
He passed to Merciful Allah in 148 H./765 CE in Madinah, where he was buried in Jannat al-Baqi'. Before he died he called his student Abu Yazid al-Bistami and he told him, "You are not going to benefit by staying in Hijaz. Go to your country. The secret that I have received from my fathers, I am passing to you. My successor after me, by inheritance, is my son Musa al-Kazim, but the secret of the Sufi Golden Chain I am passing to you."
The Continuing Chain
Thus the spiritual transmission passed from the lineage of 'Ali to the lineage of Abu Bakr, and from that time until our time it has been in the hands of the Naqshbandi Golden Chain Masters.
Ja'far as-Sadiq had said: "The knowledge that we speak about is light that Allah casts into the heart of whomever He chooses." This light, transmitted through both the lines of 'Ali and Abu Bakr, continued to illuminate hearts through the Naqshbandi masters who succeeded him, carrying forward the luminous chain of divine knowledge and spiritual realization.
