By Dauda Nalado.– During the night session, Malam Sunusi Abdulqadir from Kano introduced the speaker, Sheikh Khidr Lawal who deliberated on the life and struggle of Imam Ja’afarus Saadiq (AS). Sayyeed Khidr is a revered and vast tutor in Tijjaniyya Movement.
He is currently heading the affairs of the Darus Saqalayni Ahlulbayt academy in Kano.
In his opening remarks, Sheikh Khidr noted that the topic of his discussion was carefully selected probably under the guidance of Sayyeed Zakzaky (H) because the birthday anniversary of Imam Saadiq coincides with that of the Rasool (SAWA). Any discourse, therefore on the former, is similar to that on the latter. Sheikh khidr backed his point with the famous Hadith which indicates that the Ahlulbayt were created out of the same ‘clay’ with the Prophet and were bestowed with similar knowledge and wisdom.
The speaker explained that the Prophet (SAWA) who was the city of knowledge, bequeathed tremendous knowledge to Imam Ali bn Abi Talib (AS). This was passed successively on to Imams Hasan, Husain, Aliy bn Husain, Muhammad Baaqir, then to Imam Ja’afar as Saadiq (salamullah alayhim ajma’een).
Imam Saadiq (AS) had time to expand the citadel of knowledge established by his forefathers were thousands of students graduated.Many of them had published several reliable books on his authority.
Imam Malik bn Anas confessed that during their times, he had not seen anybody more knowledgeable and pious than Imam Ja’afar as Saadiq. Abu Hanifa had to stay for good two years to learn from Imam Saadiq. He had to confess that had it not been for his stay with Imam Saadiq, he could have perished (on account of his erred learning). The knowledge taught by Imam Saadiq was all encompassing: religious matters, philosophy, science and technology, linguistics and others. Jabeer bn Hayyan, a disciple of Imam Ja’afar, undoubtedly, laid the foundation of many aspects of the modern scientific knowledge. Sheikh Khidr continued to explain that the knowledge bestowed upon the Prophet and his progeny was not acquired conventionally. It was a divinely intuited knowledge (’ilmun ladunniy’).
Imam Ja’afar (AS), despite his immense contribution to knowledge, suffered a lot from many angles. These include the insidious government security elements monitoring his activities, attempts to assassinate him by the ruling king who was called Caliph and attempts to downplay his unsurpassed divine knowledge. Sayyeed Khidr informed the teeming audience that Asif bn Barhaya, the wasiy of Prophet Suleiman, who brought the throne of Bilqis in a glimpse of an eye, from Yemen to Palestine, had possession of only a portion of the knowledge of The Book. Imam Ali (AS) on the other hand had possession of the whole knowledge of The Book and it was this that was bequeathed to the infallible Imams in succession.
Sheikh Khidr noted that Imam Saadiq did not partake in an uprising to take over Government because based on his divine attachment, he was aware that time was not ripe. He even cautioned some of his brothers like Zayd on the consequences of such futile actions.
In conclusion, Shaykh Khidr enjoined brothers and sisters to continue to be loyal and hold fast to the leadership of Sayyeed Zakzaky (H). He prayed for the continued divine protection of the leader.
In his attendant usual remarks after the presentation, Sayyeed Zakzaky (H) observed that the birthday anniversary (maulud) of Imam Ja’afar Saadiq tends to be ignored because of its coincidence with that of the Prophet (SAWA). The topic, therefore, would bridge the gap. He explained that Imam Ja’afar did not establish the Ja’afari madhhab (school of thought) even though his name is attached to it. He rather spread it. The school was actually established by the Rasool (SAWA).
Malam (H) briefly traced the events that followed after the demise of the Holy Prophet. There were many Ahadith on the issue of Ghadeer sermon which were fresh in the memories of the people. The Government was worried over those Hadith collections for obvious reasons. Heaps of such collections were burnt down during the reigns of the first and the second caliphs. The explanation offered to justify such action was that the Ahadith could divert people from the glorious Qur’an. So they became what could be described in our time as ‘Hadith Haram’ governments- courtesy of the current Boko Haram hoax in Nigeria. During the reign of the third caliph, Hadith narrators were grossly persecuted. Sayyeed (H) cited the example of the famous companion of the Prophet, (he was the 7th to accept Islam), Abu Zarr al ghifari (RA), who was manhandled, exiled in different places and finally to the lonely desert of Rabaz, where he died pathetically. His crime was that he refused to be intimidated and vowed to narrate the Prophetic traditions till the end of his life.
Sayyeed Zakzaky (H) continued to explain that Imam Ja’afar Saadiq (AS) was able, by the grace of God, to spread the Islamic teachings because he got a golden opportunity. The incessant and successive persecution of the Ahlul bayt by the umayyads was reduced then because the attention of the rulers was diverted to their attempts to crush some rebellious uprisings in parts of the empire. It was too late. After the fall of the Umayyads, Banul Abbas Kings, who took over, realized that the teachings of Imam Saadiq have already spread. So they instituted pseudo- Imams who distorted the chains of narrations
against Imam Ja’afar. posterity has, however, exposed such attempts.
Malam (H) re-iterated the fact that Imam Ja’afar (AS) was undoubtedly unsurpassed in knowledge and piety in his time. In fact all the leaders of the four schools of thought identified with Ahlus Sunnah
wal jama’a viz Malik, Shafi’i, Abu Hanifa and Ahmad bn Hanbal were students of Imam Saadiq. Hence there should be no quarrel between the followers of a teacher and those of his students!
Sayyeed Zakzaky (H), in his conclusion, made some brief remarks on the vast spread of knowledge that would manifest at the emergence of the Awaited Imam Mahdi (AF). In that era, things would be vividly clear to people. No stone would be left unturned. Malam presented gifts to Prof Dahiru Yahaya and Sheikh Khidr and made the closing prayers.