In brief: Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (Muhammed Bakır) is the fifth of the Twelve Imams; he descends from the Ehl-i Beyt (Ahl al-Bayt, the family of the Prophet) on both his mother’s and his father’s side. Because of the depth of his learning he is known by the epithet “Bakır” (al-Baqir, the one who splits open knowledge). This page presents, in Seyit Derviş Tur Dede’s account, his life, his sayings, his testament to his son Imam Jafar al-Sadiq and his martyrdom in the Umayyad period.
The following text is taken from Seyit Derviş Tur Dede’s book Erkânname. For a general introduction: What is Alevism?
Who is Imam Muhammad al-Baqir?
| Born | 10 May 676, Medina |
| Martyred | 735, Medina (Baqi) |
| Age | 59 |
| Father | Imam Zayn al-Abidin (Zeynel Abidin) |
| Mother | Fatma (daughter of Imam Hasan) |
| Wife | Ümmü Ferve (Umm Farwa) |
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir is the fifth of the Twelve Imams. He was born in Medina on Sunday, 10 May 676 CE. His mother is Fatima, the daughter of Imam Hasan. He descends from the Ehl-i Beyt through both his mother and his father. His kunya (honorific name): Ebu Cafer (Abu Jafar).
Because he possessed very wide knowledge in science and philosophy, he was given the epithet Bakır, meaning “the path that leads, the one who opens, beautiful and subtle”. His name is Muhammad, but he is known as “Muhammad al-Baqir”.
Muhammad al-Baqir’s wife is the daughter of Kasım (Qasim), son of Muhammad, son of Abu Bakr – that is, Ümmü Ferve, the daughter of a grandson of the caliph Abu Bakr. With her he had 6 sons and 3 daughters: Seyyid Abdullah, Imam Cafer, Seyyid İbrahim, Seyyid Ali, Seyyid İsmail, Seyyid Hüseyin. His daughters: Seyide Zeynep, Seyide Ümmü Seleme, Seyide Fatima.
The sayings of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
His Holiness Imam Muhammad al-Baqir says: “We are the Ehl-i Beyt of the Sea of Mercy. We are the tree of the Light of Prophethood. Because we are gentleness, the source of knowledge and the mine of maturity, we are always met with slander and hostility.” And he also says: “Upon us lies a command of God: to enlighten the people, to cleanse them of evil, to call them to righteousness; and those who follow us attain salvation, for without us they cannot find what is right and cannot reach salvation. That is why we suffer more affliction and hardship than they do.
He also says: “We are the guardians of God’s knowledge. Almighty God sent Islam with us for those who do not recognise the oneness of God.” “O people! Hear and listen: you will learn the knowledge and the teaching of Almighty God from us.” By the truth of God the Exalted Creator, the source of truths and the education in good character are with us. Our words can be understood only by those whose hearts God has illuminated with the light of faith.
His testament to Imam Jafar al-Sadiq
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir conveys to his son Imam Jafar al-Sadiq the testament of spiritual value among the legacies of the imamate that he had received from his father Imam Zayn al-Abidin, as follows. First he recites verse 132 of the Sura al-Baqara of the noble Quran: “Verse 132. Abraham enjoined it upon his sons: ‘O my sons, God has chosen a religion for you; so be among those who submit to Him’ – do not sell your hereafter for this world. Strive rightly on the path of God. Do not shrink from struggling for His sake. Wherever you may be, do not let justice slip from your hands on the path of Truth. Justice and righteousness are among the duties of believers.” This was passed on and transmitted unchanged from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir – who bore the light of the Prophet, resembled him in his physical form and was heir to the knowledge of Imam Ali – to his son Imam Jafar al-Sadiq.
His times and martyrdom
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir lived through the reigns of the Umayyads Abd al-Malik (Abdülmelik), son of Marwan, his sons al-Walid and Sulayman, Umar, son of Abd al-Aziz, and again of Abd al-Malik’s sons Yazid and Hisham.
Abd al-Malik had such a character that when he was given the throne, he flung away the Quran he was reading with the words “This is our last meeting” and never took it in his hand again. Because his cousin (Arm Aşdak – Amr al-Ashdaq) was heir to the throne and his rival, he invited him to his palace as a guest and killed him there on the spot with his own hand.
He went up to the pulpit in the mosque of Damascus and declared: “From now on, whoever interferes in my affairs, asks me questions about what I do or urges me to piety (to doing good), I will strike off his head.” After Abd al-Malik, his son al-Walid, just like his father, said: “Whoever acts against our deeds and the ways we follow, we strike off his head; and those who say nothing and keep silent die of grief, and so we are rid of them.” Such were these Umayyad caliphs. Among them, when Umar, grandson of Abd al-Malik and son of Abd al-Aziz, became caliph in 717 CE, he abolished the cursing of the Ehl-i Beyt from the pulpit on Fridays that Muawiya had introduced. He returned all the property seized by Muawiya to its owners. Sadly, he was poisoned and killed by his own brothers and relatives in 720 CE.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir was poisoned and killed by the Umayyad caliph Hisham. In accordance with his testament, his son Imam Jafar al-Sadiq washed him, shrouded him, performed his funeral prayer and buried him beside his father Imam Zayn al-Abidin in the Jannat al-Baqi (Cennetül Baki) cemetery.
Source: Seyit Derviş Tur, Erkânname – Aleviliğin İslam Yorumu ve Alevi Erkânları (The Alevi Interpretation of Islam and the Alevi Rites), expanded 3rd edition (ISBN 975-6791-52-7).
More articles on Alevism
Faith and erkân
- What is Alevism? (home page)
- What does Kızılbaş mean? Who is called an Alevi?
- The Four Gates and Forty Stations in the Alevi faith
- What is ikrar, and to whom does it go back?
- Islam and the Alevi faith
- The meaning of the word Islam and its distortion
- The place of women in the Alevi faith
- The Fourteen Pure Innocents and the Seventeen Kemerbest
Cem and rites
- What is a Cem? The cemevi, Cem rules and the Twelve Services
- What is semah? The sanctity of the semah
- What is musahiplik, and to whom does it go back?
- The görgü rite (görgü cem)
- Alevi funeral rites
- Alevi marriage rites
- What is düşkünlük?
Holidays, fasts and holy days
- The month of Muharram and the sanctity of the fast
- Hızır İlyas
- Nevruz among the Alevis
- The Feast of Sacrifice (Kurban Bayramı)
The Twelve Imams
- Who are the Twelve Imams?
- Imam Ali
- Imam Hasan
- Imam Husayn (Hüseyin)
- Imam Zayn al-Abidin (Zeynel Abidin)
- Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (Cafer-i Sadık)
- Imam Musa al-Kazim (Musa-i Kâzım)
- Imam Rida (Rıza)
- Imam Muhammad al-Taqi (Muhammed Taki)
- Imam Ali al-Naqi (Ali Naki)
- Imam Hasan al-Askari (Hasan Askeri)
- Imam Mahdi (Mehdi)
The Seven Great Poets
- Who are the Seven Great Poets?
- Seyyid Nesimi
- Şah İsmail Hatayi
- Fuzuli
- Yemini
- Virani
- Pir Sultan Abdal
- Kul Himmet
- Noksani Baba
History: Ehl-i Beyt, Ghadir Khumm and Karbala
Books and Alevi organisation in Europe
- Erkânname
- The first Alevi organisation in Europe (memoirs)
- Alevi İslam Şah’a Giden Yol (Alevi Islam – the Path to the Shah)
- All books
In German: Alevitentum: Grundlagen, Glaube und zentrale Begriffe · Geschichte der Aleviten-Organisation in Deutschland
About the author: Seyit Derviş Tur Dede
Born in 1936 in Başköy (Çayırlı, Erzincan) into a seyyid family belonging to the Babamansur (Şah Mansur) ocak (hereditary lineage of spiritual guides). He is a co-founder and the first chairman (1990–1993) of the Federation of Alevi Communities, the forerunner of the Alevi Federation of Germany (AABF). From 1994 to 2003 he chaired the Council of Dedes within the federation. He is the author of Erkânname (2002) and Avrupa’da İlk Alevi Yapılanması (The First Alevi Organisation in Europe, 2016); his work is cited as a source in academic publications by researchers such as Martin Sökefeld, Zeynel Gül, Burak Gümüş and Bülent Keleş.
Translated from the Turkish original by Seyit Derviş Tur.