Martyrdom of Imam Sadeq – April 3, 2027

History of Martyrdom of Imam Sadeq

Imam Sadeq was born in Medina around 700 or 702 A.D. He was the eldest son of al-Baqir the fifth Shia Imam. He came from a line of respected men, and he witnessed the respect that the famous scholars of Medina held toward his grandfather, Zayn al-Abidin. After his grandfather died, Imam Sadeq participated in his father’s efforts as the representative of the Household of Muhammad. Then, after his father died, he was designated as the next Imam. He was around 37 years old and held the Imamate for approximately 28 years.

His time as Imam coincided with a crucial period in Islamic history. He witnessed the overthrow of the ‘Umayyad Caliphate’ by the ‘Abbasids,’ and later on, the Abbasids’ prosecution of their former Shia allies. Three fundamental religious ideas have been ascribed to him. The first is that he adopted a middle road regarding the question of predestination, asserting that while God certainly mandated some things, others were left to human agency and free will. Secondly, he proclaimed what is deemed as the most important proposition for judging traditions: a ‘hadith’ that opposes the ‘Qurʾān’ should be rejected. Finally, he described Muhammad’s prophetic mission as a ray of light, created before Adam and passed on from Muhammad to his descendants.

During his Imamate, political tension never ceased, and these conflicts eventually lead to his death. He was poisoned at the orders of the ‘caliph’ al-Mansur on 25 Shawwal, 148 A.H., or 765 A.D. He was buried in the al-Baqi Cemetery in Medina, and his tomb was a place of pilgrimage until 1926.