Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) was, above all, a pure servant of Allah. He was constantly engaged in the remembrance and worship of God, and nothing could distract him from his sincere devotion and worship of the Almighty. Aflah, one of Imam Baqir’s companions, narrates: “I saw Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) next to the Ka’bah, crying profusely, sobbing loudly. I said to him, ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! People are watching you. It would be better if you cry quietly.’ The Imam responded, ‘Woe to you, O Aflah! Why should I not cry aloud? Perhaps Allah, the Almighty, will look upon me with mercy, so that I may be saved in His mercy on the Day of Judgment.'”[1]
He also said: “There is nothing more beloved in the sight of God than asking and pleading with Him. Prayer is so powerful that nothing, except for prayer, can avert the decree of Allah”elated narration, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “When something made my father sad, he would command the women and children of his household to gather, and then he would pray, and they would say ‘Ameen’.”[2]
In anotion, Musa ibn Akeel says: “I came to the door of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) with my companions, seeking permission to enter and visit him. We heard a sorrowful, heartfelt prayer being offered in Hebrew. When we entered the Imam’s presence, we asked, ‘Who was praying with such a mournful voice in your house?’ He replied, ‘It was I. I remembered the prayers of Ilyas (Elias), one of the prophets of the Children of Israel, and that moved me to tears.'”[3]
These are glimpses of the moments of supplication and intimate conversations that Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) had with his Lord. Truly, how many moments of our lives do we spend in intimate supplication and conversation with our Creator?
(Taken from the book “A Look at the Life of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him),” by Hujjat al-Islam Muhammad Mohammadī Ishtihārdi)
Footnotes:
[1] Al-Kharā’ij wal-Jarā’ih, p. 254
[2] Anwār al-Bahiyyah by Muhaddith Qummi, p. 214–215; Kashf al-Ghummah, Vol. 2, p. 319; Bihar al-Anwār, Vol. 46, p. 297–298
[3] Bihar al-Anwār, Vol. 46, p.