Branches of Science Discussed by Imam Baqir
- Updated On Monday, 25 August 2014
- Written by Allamah Qurashi
- Editor Fatimah Graham
- Supervisor Sayyed Roohullah Musavi
- Published on Friday, 14 February 2014
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- Hits: Which branches of science were discussed by Imam Baqir and what were their main features?
Imam Baqir discussed all branches of science related to religion, some of which are as follows: Hadith (traditions) Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be upon him, took great care of the traditions which were reported on the authority of his forefather, the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, and on the authority of all his pure forefathers, peace be upon them. That is because the hadith are the second source of Islamic law after the Holy Qur'an. An important thing to note is that Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be upon him, took care to understand the meanings of the hadith. The hadith, which were reported on the authority of the pure Imams, peace be upon them, do not denote the personal ideas of the Imams, but denote the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and his ideas. The Shi'a therefore, have added the Imams' traditions to the Sunna (practices of the Prophet). The Imam, peace be upon him, said to Jabir: "If we speak to you according to our own ideas, we will be from the perished. However, we speak to you according to the traditions we gather on the authority of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, as they amass their gold and silver."1 Exegesis of the Holy Qur'an One of the sciences which Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be upon him, presented during his lectures was the exegesis of the Holy Qur'an. Indeed he devoted a good portion of his time to it. He discussed all of its matters. Various scholars of exegesis, although they may have had different opinions, studied under him as he was the most brilliant interpreter of the Qur'an throughout the Islamic nation. Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be upon him, wrote a book on the exegesis of the Holy Qur'an. Mohammed b. Ishaq al-Nadim referred to this book in his book al-Fihrast, when he referred to books written on the exegesis of the Holy Qur'an. He said: "Abu al-Jarud Zyad b. al-Munzir, the head of the Jarudiya, reported the book of al-Baqir Mohammed b. Ali b. al-Husayn." Theology Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir) explored many theological matters during his lectures. He was questioned on the most complicated matters in this science and he answered them. It is worth mentioning, that the time of the Imam was the most sensitive of all times. That is because Islam had conquered most areas of the world and their people. This created a wave of spite in the souls of the enemies of Islam as well as others. Thus, they launched a propaganda campaign against Islamic thought. They placed doubt in the minds of the children of Moslems. Meanwhile, the Umayyad government was encouraging anti-Islamic thought and no one was prepared to save Muslims from such propaganda except Imam Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be upon him, who refuted it using strong proofs. Jurisprudence Most of the rules of jurisprudence of the Ahlul-Bayt, peace be upon them, were taken from the two Imams al-Baqir and his son al-Sadiq, peace be upon them. The Imami encyclopedias of jurisprudence, such as al-Hadaiq, al-Jawahir, and Mustamsak al-Urwat al-Withqa, are filled with hadith reported on their authority. Imami jurists depend on them when they decide on legal precepts and give religious opinions. The Characteristics of Imam Baqir's School of Jurisprudence The jurisprudence of the Ahlul-Bayt, peace be upon them, has wonderful features, which have placed them at the peak of both Islamic and non-Islamic jurisprudence. The following are some of them: Connection to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and his family). One of the important features of the jurisprudence of the Ahlul-Bayt, peace be upon them, is that it is directly connected to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. That is because the way to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, is through the Imams of the Ahlul-Bayt, peace be upon them. Flexibility The jurisprudence of the members of the Ahlul-Bayt, peace be upon them, relates to life, keeps abreast of developments, does not deviate from nature, and meets all needs of life. Opening the Door to Ijtihad The jurisprudence of the Ahlul-Bayt, peace be upon them, is distinguished from other types of Islamic jurisprudence by the fact that it opens the door to Ijtihad (the establishing of religious opinion). Resorting to Reason Imami jurists, unlike jurists of other Islamic schools, regard reason as one of the four fundamentals necessary for establishing religious precepts. Science of the Principles of Jurisprudence One of the sciences, which Imam al-Baqir, peace be on him, investigated, was the science of the Principles of Jurisprudence (Ilm ul-Usul). It is one of the greatest Islamic sciences after jurisprudence. That is because Ijtihad (establishing religious opinion) depends on it. Economic Research Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, during both his lectures and his behavior, presented the most important economic research.
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References: 1 Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol.2, p.217.