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Imam Al-Baqer (peace be upon him) is Abu Ja'far Mohammed son of Ali son of Al-Hussayn son of Ali Ibnu Abi Taleb (peace be upon them), his mother is Lady Fatima daughter of Imam Al-Hassan Al-Mojtaba (peace be upon him), he had many wives among which the mother of Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) Lady Umm Farwa daughter of Al-Qassem son of Mohammad Ibnu Abi Bakr. Imam Al-Baqer (peace be upon him) is a sea of knowledge as he has reached the peak of knowledge and sciences, the Sultans of Banu Umayyah feared him because of his great status among the both scholars and ordinary people, so they did find no reason to kill him, so they had to kill him secretly by poison.
He (peace be upon him) was known by his powerful logic in all theological and legal arguments, he has met with the scholars of his times who used to come to him to discuss and learn from him.
Imam Mohammed Al-Baqer (peace be upon him) was said to have been high esteemed for his learning and eloquence as well as on account of his noble birth. The Imam received the title of Al-Baqer (Splitter of knowledge) due to his ample knowledge of Religion [Deen] and his enthusiasm to teach to other people. Many historians assert that the Imam (peace be upon him) split open knowledge, that is scrutinized it and examined the depths of it so that it can be spread to all people truly and correctly.
Among his titles: Al-Baqer (the Splitter of knowledge), As-Shaker (the Thankful) and Al-Hadi (the Guider)... The name and nickname of Imam Mohammed Al-Baqer (peace be upon him) were given in advance by his great, great grandfather, the Apostle of Allah (prayers and Allah's peace be upon him and his holy Household). The revered companion of the Prophet Jabir bin Abdullah Al-Ansari, is reported to have said, "The Messenger of Allah (prayers and Allah's peace be upon him and his holy Household) said to me, ‘You may live long enough to see a son of mine from the loins of Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), called Muhammad. He will certainly ‘cut through’ [yabquru] the sciences of religion. Should you see him, convey my greetings to him."
He (peace be upon him) lived Fifty-seven years, three years with his grandfather Imam Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), then almost Thirty-five years with his father Imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him), and the duration of his Imamate after the martyrdom of his father was of Nineteen years and two months, he had on his martyrdom the same age as his grandfather Al-Hussayn and his father As-Sajjad (peace be upon them). He has witnessed in the beginning of his life the tragic event of At-Taf, and lived the ordeals from which suffered the House of the Prophecy (peace be upon them) during the life and after the martyrdom of his father imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him).
While Imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him) was poisoned, he gathered all his children, and pronounced his will and appointed like his previous fathers his successor who was then Mohammed Al-Baqer (peace be upon him). His will was: "O, my son the brain is the leader of the spirit, the science is the leader of the brain, and the brain is the translator of the science, the science will stay forever, the tongue will not."
He (peace be upon him) used to say in many occasions: "He is the Imam father of the Imams, the source of knowledge, ‘cut through’ [yabquru] the sciences of religion. By God he is the one who looks the most like the Messenger of Allah (prayers and Allah's peace eb upon him and his holy Household).
Among his sayings:
- "If your love is sincere, you will obey Him, Certainly the lover obeys his beloved."
- "Know the love in the heart of your brother through what he has in your heart. "
- "Assume the truth. Leave that which does not concern you. Avoid your enemy. Be careful of your friends except the trusty one who fears Allah. Do not make friends with the sinner. Do not inform him of your secrets. Ask the advice of those who fear Allah. "
- "Our Shia are only those who fear and obey Allah. They are recognised only by modesty, piety, fulfilment of the trusts, very much remembrance of Allah, fasting, offering prayers, piety to (their) parents, aiding the neighbours (especially the poor, the destitute, the indebted, and the orphans), truth, reciting the Quran, and avoiding mentioning people except for praising. In addition, they are the most truthful of the people of their tribes."
- "The best deeds are three: Praising Allah in all conditions, treating people with justice, and giving the friend money."
- "If there is no love in my heart for the saints of Allah and no hatred for His enemies, nothing will avail me, even if I fast throughout the day, pray throughout the night, and spend all my money for Allah."
- "If you want to know that you have good, consider carefully your heart. Does your heart love obedience to Allah? Does it detest the disobedience to Him? If it is so, you have good and Allah loves you. Does it detest the obedience to Allah? Does it love the disobedience to Him? If it is so, you have no good and Allah detests you. The person is with his lover."
- "Our talk is difficult. It is difficult (for people) to understand it. No one bears it except a close angel or a prophet or a servant whose heart Allah has tested for faith."
- Jabir Al-Ju’fi says, “Imam Mohammed Al-Baqer (peace be upon him) told me, ‘O Jabir! I am worried and upset.’ I said, ‘Why are you upset and worried?’ Imam (a.s.) answered, ‘O Jabir! When the religion is deeply placed in one’s heart, it engages him with Allah and separates from anything other than the Almighty. O Jabir! This world is not as worthy as a horse you ride, a cloth you wear, or a wife you meet in privacy. O Jabir! The believers do not trust the world and do not consider themselves away from death and the Hereafter. What they hear in the world does not distract them from Allah’s remembrance.
The luxuries of the world do not distract them from seeing Allah’s light; they will be bestowed with the reward of the good-doers. The pious people have the least expenses and are the best helpers for you. If you forget, they remind you of Allah. If you remember Allah, they help you. Their tongues utter the truth about Allah. They establish Allah’s orders. Their affection is purely for Allah; their hearts are full of His love.
In obeying their real Owner, they fear the world. And they consider such conduct as their duty. The pious see the world like a transient house that should be left soon, or like a property that is earned in dream, but does not exist in reality. Attempt in maintaining Allah’s religion and wisdom!’”