Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq (d.766 CE / 149 A.H.)[1] was the eldest surviving son of Ja'far al-Sadiq (after al-Sadiq’s death) and the full-brother of Isma'il ibn Jafar.[2] Abdullah’s title "al-Aftah" derives from the Arabic words "aftah al-ra’s" (broad-headed) or "aftah al-rijlayn" (broad-footed) used to describe his appearance.[3]
During the lifetime of his father, Abdullah al-Aftah had supported the revolt of his relative Muhammad ibn Abdallah An-Nafs Az-Zakiyya.[4]
Following Ja'far al-Sadiq’s death, the majority of Ja'far’s followers accepted Abdullah al-Aftah as their new Imam. These followers were known as the Fathites and, according to the Mu'tazili heresiographer Abul-Qasim al-Balkhi al-Ka‘bi (d.319 A.H. / 931 CE), they were the biggest and most important section of the followers of Ja'far al-Sadiq.[5] To support his claims, Abdullah al-Aftah seems to have claimed a 2nd Nass from his father (following Ismā'īl's demise) and his adherents cited a supposed Hadith from Ja'far al-Sadiq to the effect that the Imamate must be transmitted through the eldest son of the Imam. However, when Abdullah al-Aftah died childless[6][7] about 70 days after the death of his father, the bulk of his supporters went over to his brother Musa al-Kadhim.[8] Other Fathites considered Abdullah al-Aftah the 7th Imam and Musa al-Kadhim the 8th Imam,[7] while others believed the Imamate came to an end when Abdullah al-Aftah died.[5] Another group invented a son for Abdullah al-Aftah, called Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah, because they unconditionally believed the Imamate could only be inherited from father to son, rather than from brother to brother. This group also claimed that Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah was the promised Mahdi.
| Shī‘a Islam titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ja'far al-Sadiq |
7th Imam of Fathite Shia Islam 765–766 CE |
Succeeded by died without issue |
| Succeeded by Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah (existence disputed) |
||