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| The tomb of Al-Baqi, where Jafar was buried. Destroyed in 1926. |
Parents: Muhammad al-Baqir, imam of Shi'a Islam, and Umm Farwah
Date of Birth: 24 April 702
House: Quraish
Spouse(s): (1) Fatima al-Hasan), then (2) Hamidah al-Barbariyyah
Predecessor: Muhammad al-Baqir
Reign: 733 – 765
Brief: Born to a Shi'a imam of Muhammad's line and the descendant of Abu Bakr, the first caliph, Jafar was placed in a considerably better position than many of his predecessors. He was a student of Islam from childhood, learning from his grandfather, Zayn al-Abidin, then his father. He became skilled in science and mathematics, and enjoyed learning from non-Islamic scholars. Jafar tried to stay out of the internal fighting between the Shi'a and Sunni sects of Islam, though many of his relatives died in his childhood. When he became imam, Jafar rejected violence against the Umayyad Caliphate, which considered Shi'a as heretics. When the Abbasid Caliphate took control of Sunni Islam in 750, Jafar remained neutral, though he was often jailed for his heretical ways and his status as a cult leader. Eventually, in 765, he was poisoned on orders of the Abbasid caliph, Al-Mansur.
Due to his pacifism, Jafar's followers splintered into separate sects. Some supported his grandson from his eldest son, Muhammad ibn Isma'il, which prompted the Sevener, or Ismaili, sect of Shi'a Islam that later rose to found the Fatimid Caliphate. Another sect arose supporting Abdullah, the eldest surviving son of Jafar, and became known as the Fathites, though they only lasted a generation. A third group proclaimed Jafar the Mahdi, or Savior, thereby ending the need for future imams. The final, and largest, group followed Jafar's recommendation of his son Musa succeeding him, and they continued on as the Twelver Shi'a, that still dominate Iran and Iraq today.
Date of Death: 8 December 765
Brief: Born to a Shi'a imam of Muhammad's line and the descendant of Abu Bakr, the first caliph, Jafar was placed in a considerably better position than many of his predecessors. He was a student of Islam from childhood, learning from his grandfather, Zayn al-Abidin, then his father. He became skilled in science and mathematics, and enjoyed learning from non-Islamic scholars. Jafar tried to stay out of the internal fighting between the Shi'a and Sunni sects of Islam, though many of his relatives died in his childhood. When he became imam, Jafar rejected violence against the Umayyad Caliphate, which considered Shi'a as heretics. When the Abbasid Caliphate took control of Sunni Islam in 750, Jafar remained neutral, though he was often jailed for his heretical ways and his status as a cult leader. Eventually, in 765, he was poisoned on orders of the Abbasid caliph, Al-Mansur.
Due to his pacifism, Jafar's followers splintered into separate sects. Some supported his grandson from his eldest son, Muhammad ibn Isma'il, which prompted the Sevener, or Ismaili, sect of Shi'a Islam that later rose to found the Fatimid Caliphate. Another sect arose supporting Abdullah, the eldest surviving son of Jafar, and became known as the Fathites, though they only lasted a generation. A third group proclaimed Jafar the Mahdi, or Savior, thereby ending the need for future imams. The final, and largest, group followed Jafar's recommendation of his son Musa succeeding him, and they continued on as the Twelver Shi'a, that still dominate Iran and Iraq today.
Date of Death: 8 December 765
Successor: Musa al-Kadhim (Twelver), Isma'il ibn Jafar (Ismaili), or Abdullah al-Aftah (Fathite)
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Arnulf, king of East Francia (899)
- Oscar II, king of Sweden (1907)
