Mūsà al-Kāẓim Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam |
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A modern depiction by a Shi'a artist |
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| Rank | Seventh Twelver Imām |
| Name | Mūsà ibn Ja‘far ibn Muḥammad |
| Kunya | Abū Ibrāhīm[1] |
| Birth | 7th Safar 128 AH ≈ 6 November 745 C.E. |
| Death | 25th Rajab 183 AH ≈ 1 September 799 C.E. |
| Birthplace | Abwā'[1], Saudi Arabia |
| Buried | al-Kādhimiya Mosque, Kādhimayn, Iraq |
| Life Duration | Before Imamate: 20 years (128 – 148 AH) Imamate: 35 years (148 – 183 AH) |
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| Spouse(s) | Ummul Banīn Najmah[3] |
| Father | Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq |
| Mother | Hamīdah al-Barbariyyah[1] |
| Children | ‘Alī ar-Ridhā (successor), Fātimah al-Ma‘sūmah, Hājar Khātūn, Hamzah, Sālih, Ahmad, Muhammad, Ibrāhīm, Aisha[4][5][6][7][8] |
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al-Sajjad · al-Baqir · al-Sadiq |
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Mūsà ibn Ja‘far al-Kāẓim / al-Kādhim (Arabic: موسى بن جعفر الكاظم) (6 November 745 AD – 1 September 799 // Safar 7, 128 AH – Rajab 25, 183 AH)[1] was the seventh of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'a Islam. He was the son of Imam Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq and his mother was Hamidah Khātūn, a student and former Zanjiyyah slave. His wife Najmah was also a former slave purchased and freed by Hamidah, his mother.[9]
Mūsà al-Kāẓim was born during the power struggles between the Umayyad and the ‘Abbasid Calpihates. Like his father, he was assassinated by the ‘Abbasids. He had three notable children: the eighth Twelver Imām, ‘Alī ar-Riẓà, and two daughters, Fātima bint Mūsā and Hājar Khātūn.
The Festival of Imam Musa al-Kadhim celebrates his life and death.
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Mūsà al-Kāẓim was born in Abwa between Mecca and Medina. His mother was originally a Berber, but was freed and trained as an Islamic scholar through his father.[10][11]
Mūsà al-Kāẓim became the seventh Shi’ah Imam at the age of 21. According to the Kitab al-Irshad of Sheikh al-Mufid:
Among the shaykhs of the followers of Abu Abd Allah Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, his special group (khassa), his inner circle and the trustworthy righteous legal scholars, may God have mercy on them, who report the clear designation of the Imamate by Abu Abd Allah Jafars peace be on him, for his son, Abu al-Hasan Musa, peace be on him, are: al-Mufaddal b. Umar al-Jufi, Mu'adh b. Kathir, Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hajjaj, al-Fayd b. al-Mukhtar, Yaqub al-Sarraj, Sulayman b. Khalid, Safwan al-Jammal... [That designation] is also reported by his two brothers, Ishaq and Ali, sons of Jafar, peace be on him.[12]
Some Muslims believe that the eldest son of Imam Ja‘far, namely Isma'il ibn Jafar, received the Imamate rather than Mūsà al-Kāẓim. These groups comprise the Ismaili Shi'a. Isma'il predeceased his father, causing a division among the Shi'a as to who was to succeed as the next Imam. Some radical Ismaili groups believed that Isma'il had not died, but rather gone into hiding; this view is not held by any living Shi'a groups but was central to the theology of the Qarmatians, who described Isma'il as having entered into Occultation.
Another group of Shi'a, Aftahiyya or Fathiyyah, chose a third candidate as successor: al-Sadiq's eldest surviving son, Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq. This sect was unsuccessful and its adherents eventually abandoned it.
In 795, Harun al-Rashid imprisoned Mūsà al-Kāẓim; according to Twelver Shia tradition, four years later, he ordered Sindi ibn Shahiq to poison Musa. Mūsà al-Kāẓim's body is now said to rest within al Kadhimiya Mosque in Kadhimayn, Iraq. He left nineteen sons and eighteen daughters.
A small group of people rejected the death of Mūsà al-Kāẓim. They were called the Waqifite Shia. They believed Mūsà was the Mahdi and was alive, but in occultation. This group, however, is now extinct.
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Clan of the Banu Quraish
Born: 7th Safar 128 AH ≈ 6 November 745 CE Died: 25th Rajab 183 AH ≈ 1 September 799 CE |
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| Shī‘a Islam titles | ||
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| Preceded by Jafar al-Sadiq |
7th Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam 765–799 |
Succeeded by Ali al-Ridha |