Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: “Learn knowledge from the scholars and teach it to your religious brothers, just as the scholars taught it to you”[1].
Imam Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him) is considered the founder of the Shiite cultural revolution. Although the spread of Shiite teachings occurred under the leadership of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), it was established by Imam Baqir (peace be upon him).
During the time of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), the Umayyad government was in decline, and the people were increasingly disillusioned with them. On the other hand, due to the caliphate of someone like Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, there was severe turmoil in the Islamic lands, and people were rising up in various regions, leading to the rapid turnover of caliphs. Indeed, during the 19 years of Imam Baqir’s (peace be upon him) leadership, five caliphs came to power. This situation created a favorable opportunity for Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), free from the oppression of the Umayyads, to begin a scientific revolution. Taking advantage of this opportunity, great figures from both Shia and Sunni communities gathered around him to spread the truths and teachings of Islam. It was because of this that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had earlier given him the title “Baqir.” As the famous Arabic dictionary Lisan al-Arab states:
“Imam Baqir is called by this title because he is the one who splits knowledge. He recognized the foundations of Islamic sciences and understood its branches, then expanded them.”
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) is called “Baqir” because he laid the foundation for the dissemination of Islamic religion and knowledge.
Sheikh Mufid in his book Irshad writes: “Those of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who were still alive (such as Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari) and also the prominent Tabi’un[2] and the leaders of the Muslims, both scholars and non-scholars (such as Jabir Ja’fi, Kaysan Sakhthiyani, Amin Mubarak, Zahri, Awza’i, Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi’i, and Ziyad ibn Mundhir), narrated from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). Furthermore, authors such as Tabari, Baladhuri, Salami, Khateeb, Abu Dawood, Askafi, Maruzi, Isfahani, Basit, Naqqash, and others also reported narrations from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). These individuals were scholars from the Sunni community, some of whom had the privilege of learning directly from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him).”
Many scholars from the Sunni tradition also acknowledge that Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) was the greatest scholar of his time. Even Hakam ibn Utaybah, a highly respected scholar in Sunni circles, when interpreting the verse “Indeed, this is for those who are observant”[3], said: “By God, Muhammad Baqir is among the mutawassimin (the perceptive and insightful).”
Abdullah ibn Ata, another prominent scholar from the Sunni tradition, said:
“I have never seen scholars who felt so humbled in the presence of anyone as they did in the presence of Imam Baqir. Hakam ibn Utaybah, despite his great status, was only a student in the presence of Imam Baqir.”
The distinguished companions of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and the many people who narrated from him number in the thousands, but there are extraordinary figures among them who are truly the pride of the Shia. For instance, one such person, Muhammad ibn Muslim, narrated thirty thousand hadiths from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him).
Ibn Hajar, the prominent Sunni scholar, also praised this great Imam, saying: “He was the gatherer of sciences, the one who split open and expanded knowledge. He manifested knowledge and elevated it. His heart was pure, and his knowledge and actions were clean and pristine. He was pure and sanctified, his character was noble, and his life was devoted to the obedience of God. He had expertise in mysticism that words cannot fully express. His teachings in mysticism and spiritual development are so profound that they cannot be fully captured in speech.”
However, despite all these accolades, the true stature of the pure Imams (peace be upon them) remains largely unknown in history…
(Taken from the works of Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani[4])
Footnotes:
[1] Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said: “The one who teaches you knowledge has a reward equal to that of the learner, and he has preference over him. Therefore, learn knowledge from its bearers and teach it to your brothers as the scholars taught you” (Al-Kafi, Volume 1, page 35).
[2] The Tabi’un are those who did not meet the Prophet (peace be upon him) directly but were companions of the Sahabah.
[3] Surah Al-Hijr, Ayah 75.
[4] This article is also published on the website www.saafi.net, related to Ayatollah Safi.