Editing Ja'far al-Sadiq (section)

== Life ==
=== Birth and early life ===
Ja'far ibn Muḥammad ibn Ali al-Sadiq was born in [[Medina]] around 700, and 702 is given in most sources, according to Gleave.{{sfn|Gleave|2008}} Ja'far was the eldest son of [[Muhammad al-Baqir]],{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=38}} the [[The Twelve Imams|fifth Shīʿīte Imam]], who was a descendant of [[Ali|ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib]], Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, and [[Fatima]], Muhammad's daughter. Ja'far's mother, [[Umm Farwa]], was a great-granddaughter of the first ''[[Rashidun]]'' caliph, [[Abu Bakr]].{{sfn|Jafri|1979|p=180}}{{sfn|Lalani|2006}} During the first fourteen years of his life, Ja'far lived alongside his grandfather, [[Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin]], the fourth Shīʿīte Imam, and witnessed the latter's withdrawal from politics{{sfn|Lalani|2004|p=31}} and his limited efforts amid the popular appeal of [[Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya]]. Ja'far also noted the respect that the famous scholars of Medina held toward Zayn al-Abidin.{{sfn|Jafri|1979|p=180}} In his mother's house, Ja'far also interacted with his grandfather, [[Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr]], a famous [[Ahl al-Hadith|traditionalist]] of his time. The [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad rule]] reached its peak in this period, and the childhood of al-Sadiq coincided with the growing interest of Medinans in religious sciences and the interpretations of the [[Quran]]. With the death of Zayn al-Abidin, Ja'far entered his early manhood and participated in his father's efforts as the representative of the Household of Muhammad (''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'').{{sfn|Jafri|1979|p=180}} Ja'far performed the [[hajj|{{Transliteration|ar|hajj}}]] ritual with his father, al-Bāqir, and accompanied him when the latter was summoned to [[Damascus]] by the Umayyad caliph [[Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik]] for questioning.{{sfn|Campo|2009}}{{sfn|Gleave|2008}}

=== Under the Umayyad rulers ===
Most Umayyad rulers are often described by Muslim historians as corrupt, irreligious, and treacherous.{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=10}} The widespread political and social dissatisfaction with the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] was spearheaded by Muhammad's extended family, who were seen by Muslims as God-inspired leaders in their religious struggle to establish justice over impiety.{{sfn|Jafri|1979|p=184}}{{sfn|Hawting|2006}}{{sfn|Dakake|2012|p=177}} Al-Sadiq's imamate extended over the latter half of the Umayyad Caliphate, which was marked by many (often Shia) revolts and eventually witnessed the violent overthrow of the Umayyads by the Abbasids, the descendants of Muhammad's paternal uncle [[Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib]].{{sfn|Gleave|2008}} Al-Sadiq maintained his father's policy of quietism in this period and, in particular, was not involved in the uprising of his uncle, [[Zayd ibn Ali]], who enjoyed the support of the [[Mu'tazilism|Mu'tazilites]] and the traditionalists of Medina and [[Kufa]].{{sfn|Jafri|1979|p=186}} Al-Sadiq also played no role in the Abbasid overthrow of the Umayyads.{{sfn|Gleave|2008}} His response to a request for help from [[Abu Muslim]], the [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasani]] rebel leader, was to burn his letter, saying, "This man is not one of my men, this time is not mine."{{sfn|Amir-Moezzi|1994|p=65}}{{sfn|Donaldson|1933|p=130}} At the same time, al-Sadiq did not advance his claims to the caliphate, even though he saw himself as the divinely designated leader of the Islamic community ([[Ummah|{{Transliteration|ar|umma}}]]).{{sfn|Armstrong|2002|p=57}}{{sfn|Gleave|2008}}{{sfn|Daftary|2013|p=48}} This spiritual, rather than political, imamate of al-Sadiq was accompanied by his teaching of the [[taqiya|{{Transliteration|ar|taqiya}}]] doctrine (religious dissimulation) to protect the Shia against prosecution by Sunni rulers.{{sfn|Takim|2004a}}{{sfn|Armstrong|2002|p=57}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=39}} In this period, al-Sadiq taught quietly in Medina and developed his considerable reputation as a scholar, according to [[Moojan Momen|Momen]].{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=38}}

=== Under the Abbasid rulers ===
The years of transition from the Umayyads to the Abbasids was a period of weak central authority, allowing al-Sadiq to teach freely. Some four thousand scholars are thus reported to have studied under al-Sadiq.{{sfn|Tabatabai|1977|pp=203, 204}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=38}}{{sfn|Takim|2004a}} Among these were [[Abū Ḥanīfah|Abu Ḥanifa]] and [[Malik ibn Anas]], founders of the [[Hanafi]] and [[Maliki]] schools of law in Sunni Islam.{{sfn|Adamec|2017|p=224}}{{sfn|Takim|2004a}}{{sfn|Abd-Allah|2013|p=44}}{{sfn|Donaldson|1933|p=132}} [[Wasil ibn Ata]], founder of the [[Mu'tazila]] school of thought, was also among his pupils.{{sfn|Haywood|2022}}{{sfn|Donaldson|1933|p=132}} After their overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate, the Abbasids violently prosecuted their former Shia allies against the Umayyads.{{sfn|Campo|2009}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|pp=39, 71}}{{sfn|Tabatabai|1977|p=204}} Because they had relied on the public sympathy for the Ahl al-Bayt to attain power,{{sfn|Mavani|2013|p=121}} the Abbasids considered al-Sadiq a potential threat to their rule.{{sfn|Campo|2009}}{{sfn|Haywood|2022}} As the leader of the politically quiet branch of the Shia,{{sfn|Taylor|1966|p=98}} he was summoned by [[al-Mansur]] to [[Baghdad]] but was reportedly able to convince the caliph to let him stay in Medina by quoting the hadith, "The man who goes away to make a living will achieve his purpose, but he who sticks to his family will prolong his life."{{sfn|Haywood|2022}}{{sfn|Donaldson|1933|p=131}} Al-Sadiq remained passive in 762 to the failed uprising of his nephew, Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya.{{sfn|Amir-Moezzi|1994|p=65}}{{sfn|Haywood|2022}}{{sfn|Mavani|2013|p=121}} Nevertheless, he was arrested and interrogated by al-Mansur and held in [[Samarra]], near Baghdad, before being allowed to return to Medina.{{sfn|Haywood|2022}}{{sfn|Tabatabai|1977|p=204}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|pp=38, 39}}{{sfn|Campo|2009}} His house was burned by order of al-Mansur, though he was unharmed,{{sfn|Donaldson|1933|p=131}} and there are reports of multiple arrests and attempts on his life by the caliph.{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=39}}{{sfn|Tabatabai|1977|p=204}}{{sfn|Taylor|1966|p=99}}