On the seventh of Dhu Al-Hijjah, we commemorate one of the tragedies that befell on Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and their lovers, namely the martyrdom of the fifth Imam, the most people looking like the Holy Prophet (prayers and Allah's peace be upon him and his holy Household), our Master Imam Al-Baqer (peace be upon him), the guiding Imam the chosen to be leaders of the pious and a beacon for the divine wisdom and a interpreter of His revelation.
The intellectual and scientific fields have flourished in Islam in the life of this great Imam, whose personality reunited the two personalities of Imams Al-Hassan and Al-Hussayn (peace be upon them). He is the splitter of knowledge, the leader to true guidance, the chief of the people of piety and the revealer of the knowledge of Prophets.
His large knowledge was well distinguished as he (peace be upon him) lived in the era when the Greek philosophy was spread and people were interested in debates, and ideological schools have multiplied, which necessitated the emergence of an important Islamic figure that can bear the task of consolidating the foundations of the authentic Islamic thought and of strengthening the foundations of Shiite jurisprudence facing the various sects. So, the University of Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon them) were founded to embrace a large number of scientists and scholars who came to Medinah from various Islamic cities to learn from the thought, science and knowledge of Imam Al-Baqer (peace be upon him). 'Ataa bin Wasel one of the greatest scholars by the 'ammah described imam Baqer (peace be upon him) saying: "I never saw the scholars sitting to learn from someone who is younger than them apart in the Majlis of Abi Ja'far Al-Baqer, I have seen Al-Hakam Ibn 'Uyaynah like a defeated bird that can't do a thing."
And He (peace be upon him) was known by his toughness in the face of the Umayyad rulers, as he did not yield to their pressure, and of course in addition to the worship and piety that charcterized all Imams of Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
Imam Zayn Al-'Abidin (peace be upon him) declared many times his Imamate succession like when he said "He is the Imam, father of the Imams source of knowledge, He will split open knowledge thoroughly, And by Allah he is the one who most looks like the Holy Prophet (prayers and Allah's peace be upon him and his holy Household)."
Imam Al-Baqer (peace be upon him) has disclosed the secrets of knowledge and wisdom and unfolded the principles of spiritual and religious guidance. Nobody can deny his exalted character, his God-given knowledge, his divinely-gifted wisdom and his obligation and gratitude towards spreading of knowledge. So the Umayyad Sultans feared him because of his great position among the scholars and people, they used to take any reason as a pretext fot eh oppression of the Imam (peace be upon him), and they had to kill him secretly by poison.
When Hisham ibnu Abd Al-Malik came to power his main concern was to end Imam Al-Baqir's life, He then planned to kill the Imam (peace be upon him) by poisoning him. Hisham prepared a special saddle and skillfully filled it with poison. The saddle was sent to the governor of Medina with instructions that the Imam (peace be upon him) should be made to sit on this saddle fixed on a horse. The effect of the poison was immediate. The Imam (peace be upon him) became very sick and left this world three days after that he was poisoned. He became martyr on 7th Dhu Al-Hijjah 114 AH. At that time he was 57 years. He was buried in the grave-yard of Baqi' in Medina. where were buried Al-Abbas Ibnu Abd Al-Muttalib, his father Imam As-Sajjad and Imam Al-Hassan Al-Mujtaba (peace be upon them), nearby the tomb of his grandmother Fatima Bint Asad, mother of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon both of them).
Imam As-Sadeq (peace be upon him) said that his father Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said on the night of his martyrdom: "I will leave this world tonight, i have seen my father - i.e Imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him) - giving me fresh drink and i took it, then gave me good tidings of the eternal house and the meeting of the right."