Shi`a Pajoohi

Shi`a Pajoohi

An Inquiry into the Titles of Imam Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad and How He Came to Have the Title “al-Ṣādiq”

Document Type : Original Article

Author
hossein ghazikhani
Assistant Professor, Department of Shiite History, Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy, Qom, Iran
Abstract
The title is a designation derived from a characteristic found in an individual, which is then applied to them. In historical sources, Imam Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, like other Imams, has been attributed numerous titles. The question, however, is twofold: first, which of these titles appear in early sources? And among them, which is the oldest and most commonly used? Secondly, what was the reason for the Imam being given this particular title? This article, in an attempt to answer these questions, first examines early sources in chronological order, identifying the earliest and widely used titles attributed to the Imam. It then reviews and critiques the views on the reasons behind the Imam’s being called "al-Ṣādiq." The findings indicate that the title "al-Ṣādiq" is the oldest and most commonly used title for the Imam, and its origin stems from the trust in the truthfulness of his speech in the context of the scholarly environment of the time of the sixth Imam.
Keywords
Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad
al-Ṣādiq
title
Medina
Subjects
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