Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.)
Al-Sadiq
The sixth Imam and the founder of the Ja'fari school of jurisprudence. He taught thousands of scholars in various sciences.
- Born
- 17 Rabi' al-Awwal 83 AH
- Died
- 25 Shawwal 148 AH
- Cause of death
- Poisoned by Al-Mansur (Abbasid Caliph)
The Golden Age of Knowledge
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) lived during the transition of power from the Umayyads to the Abbasids. The political turmoil allowed him unprecedented freedom to teach. He expanded his father's school into a massive university with over 4,000 students. Prominent Sunni scholars like Abu Hanifa and Malik ibn Anas were among his students.
Ja'fari Jurisprudence
The Shia school of law is often called the Ja'fari school because the vast majority of its legal rulings and hadiths were articulated by him. He comprehensively codified the laws of Islam as taught by the Prophet (PBUH).
Contributions beyond Theology
Besides religion, he taught natural sciences. His famous student, Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), known as the father of modern chemistry, credited all his knowledge to the Imam.