On the sad occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of the sixth infallible imam, Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (as), World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) offers its condolences to the Imam of our Time Imam Mahdi (atfs) and all believers.
 
Imam Jafar was born in Madinah on 17th Rabiul Awwal 83 Hijiri (702CE) and was martyred on 15^th Shawwal 148 Hijri (765 AD) at the age of 63. He was buried in Jannatul Baqi in Madinah, his grave having been destroyed by the Saudi wahabi regime in 1925.
 
He was the son of the fifth imam. Muhammad Baqir (as) and Umm Farwa, the daughter of Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr. At the age  of 34 he was designated the Imam of the time.  The Umayyad and Abbasid rulers were involved in a power struggle at this time and thus both |Imam Jafar (as) and his father were able to take advantage of the relapse in scrutiny on their movements and propagate the faith. Imam was known for spreading the tenets of the Shia creed through supervised compilations of works not just on faith but also on medicine and the sciences.
 
Knowledge is central to human existence, and without learning, mankind cannot advance. Imam Jafar single-handedly taught thousands of students. Some of his most famous students are from the Sunni madhab: Abu Hanifah,  founder of one of the Sunni schools of law, was Imam Jafar (as)’s student. No doubt a student can never surpass his teacher, and thus the followers of Abu Hanifah would find a treasure of knowledge in the teachings of Imam Jafar if they were to research his life and works.
 
However Imam was imprisoned, harassed, and tortured by several Abbssid caliphs, from Hisham to Mansur.  He was brought to Samaarah under arrest, and even on return to Madinah, he was harassed until finally he was poisoned on the orders of Mansur.
 
However, Imam’s life teaches us that even when faced with utter hardships, one should persist on the path of faith and worship. Together with these, one should continue doing good deeds, such as teaching to spread the faith, or supporting the community.
 
Some of Imam’s golden sayings are:
*The perfection of intellect is in three (things): humbleness for Allah, good certainty, and silence except for good. 
 
*Ignorance is in three (things): Haughtiness, the intense of dispute, and the ignorance in Allah. 

* The best nature of intellect is worship, the strongest speech for it is knowledge, and its most abundant luck is maxim. 

* To consider knowledge very much opens intellect. 

* Knowledge is a shield, truthfulness is might, ignorance is abasement, understanding is glory, generosity is success, good behaviour causes friendship, he who has knowledge about his time, ambiguous things do not attack him, and determination is mistrust. 

* If you want that you are honoured, then be soft. And if you want that you are abused, then be rough. 
 
We condole all believers and urge you all to follow the life example and teachings of the illustrious Imam Jafar Sadiq (as).
 
 
Sayed Mohammad Al-Musawi
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL)
London, UK
 

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