Musa al-Kadhim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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7th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam
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Born
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Died
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c. 4 September
799 (aged 53)
(25 Rajab 183 AH)
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Cause of death
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Resting place
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Other names
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Musa ibn Ja'far
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Ethnicity
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Title
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List[show]
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Term
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765 – 799 CE
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Predecessor
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Successor
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Religion
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Spouse(s)
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Ummul Banīn Najmah[5]
and 3 others
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Children
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List[show]
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Parents
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For the Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, see Musa al-Sadr. For the African-American Muslim
activist, see
Mūsá al-Kādhim was born during the power struggles between the Umayyad and the Abbasid. Like his father, he
was
assassinated by the Abbasids. He bore three notable children: the eighth
Imām, Ali al-Ridha, and two
daughters, Fāṭimah al-Ma‘sūmah and Hajar Khatun. In
total from all his wives he bore 37 children, 19 daughters and
18
sons. This is why most of the Sayyid population are Kādhimī Sayyids, or otherwise known
as Mūsawī Sayyids,
and
trace their lineage back to the Prophet Muhammad, through one of Imam Musa
al-Kadhim's children who were
not
his successor, Imam Ali
Al-Ridha.
Musa ibn Ja‘far al-Kadhim (Arabic: موسى بن جعفر الكاظم)
(November 6, 745 AD - September 1, 799 // Safar 7,
128 AH
– Rajab 25,
183 AH)[2][3] was the seventh of the Twelve Imams and regarded by Sunnis
as a renowned scholar.
He was the son of the sixth
Imam, Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq and
his mother wasHamidah Khātūn, a
student and former slave
of East African descent. His wife Najmah was
also a former slave purchased and freed by Hamidah, his mother.[11]
The Festival of
Imam Musa al-Kadhim celebrates his life and death.
Contents
·
7 Quotes
·
11 Books
Background
Mūsá al-Kādhim was born in
Abwa between Mecca and Medina. His mother was of East African origin. Medieval
Muslim geographers referred
to East Africa as 'Barbary' which has led to the common mistake that the Imam's
mother was a Berber. After his mother was
freed, his father trained her as an Islamic scholar.[12]
Appearance
Imam Musa ibn Ja'far's
physical appearance is disputed among narrators of tradition. There are
traditions that
indicate,
Similarly,
Shaqiq al-Balakhi states,
"He had a good face, was very brunet and
weak-bodied."[4]
In terms of skin color, some narrations point
out the Imam Musa had a black color.[4][14][15] While other narrations
Ring
Inscription
Imam Musa has "The kingdom belongs to
Allah only" inscribed on his ring.[4][17] According to Sharif
al-Qarashi, the
Designation
of the Imamate
Musa al-Kadhim became the seventh Shi’ah Imam
at the age of 21. According to the Kitab al-Irshad of
Among the shaykhs of the followers of Abu Abd
Allah Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be on him, his special group
(khassa), his inner circle and the
trustworthy righteous legal scholars, may God have mercy on them,
who report the clear
designatio of the Imamate by Abu Abd Allah Jafars peace be on him,
for his son,
Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him, are:
al-Mufaddal b. Umar al-Jufi, Mu'adh b. Kathir, Abd al-Rahman
b. al-Hajjaj, al-Fayd b. al-Mukhtar, Yaqub
al-Sarraj, Sulayman b. Khalid, Safwan al-Jammal...
[That designation] is also reported by his
two brothers, Ishaq and Ali, sons of Jafar, peace be on him.[18]
Some Shi‘ah believe that the eldest son of
Imam Ja‘far, namely Isma'il ibn Jafar,
received the Imamate rather than
Mūsá al-Kādhim. The Twelvers believe he predeceased his
father[19] and therefore was never
appointed Imam, and
this is affirmed in the most respected
contemporary history book of the Ismailis themselves, written by historian
Farhad Daftary, a twelver Shi'a in the employ
of the current Ismaili Imam, Aga Khan IV.[20] The descendents of the
supporters of Isma'il's
Imamate today comprise the Ismaili, which includes several independent
groups, which
include
the Bohras, and Nizari Aga Khanis.
Other Shia believed that Imam al-Sadiq's
eldest surviving son Abdullah
al-Aftah was the Imam to succeed his father.
This
sect was known as the Aftahiyya/Fathiyya/Fathites.
His
death
In 795, Harun al-Rashid imprisoned Imam Mūsá
al-Kādhim; according to Twelver Shia tradition,
four years later, he
ordered Sindi ibn Shahiq to poison the Imām.
Imam Mūsá al-Kāżim's body is now said to rest within
al Kadhimiya Mosque in Kadhimayn, Iraq.
He left eighteen sons and nineteen daughters.
A group of Shia rejected the death of Musa
al-Kadhim. They were called the Waqifite Shia. They believed Imam
Musa was the Mahdi, particularly the Imam Mehdi and was alive, but in
occultation. This group no longer exists
today, and it has been determined that the
represented Imam Musa al-Kadhim while he was imprisoned and brought
the khums back
to him, started this sect so they could get money from the Shias, on the
pretense that they were
giving it to Imam Musa al-Kadhim. Until
Imam Ali al-Ridha finally
had his only son, Imam Muhammad al-Taqi, there
were
many Shias who were doubtful of the Imamate of Ali ibn Musa.
Children
The number of children that Imam Musa
al-Kadhim had is disputed by various traditions and historical documenting.
They
are as followed:
Traditionally, the Shia believe that Imam
Musa al-Kadhim had 73 children, however this is not verifiable as only 37
have
been recorded by Shia scholars.
The following are the names of his children
which are documented.
19
sons:
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Ibrahim, Abbas
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Salih
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Qasim
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Ahmad
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Mohammad
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Hamza
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Ismail
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Ja'far
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Haroon
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Husayn
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Abdullah
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Ishaq
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Ubayd-il-lah
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Zayd, Hasan
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Fadl
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Sulayman[31]
18
daughters:
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Fatima al-Sughra
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Ruqaya al-Kubra
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Ruqaya al-Sughra
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Hakeema
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Umm Abeeha
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Umm Kulthum
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Umm Salma
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Umm Ja'far
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Lubana
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Alya
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Amina
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Hasana
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Bareeha
·
Aisha
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Zainab
·
Khadija
·
Hajar Khatun[32]
