Imam Jafare sadiq alehisalam.

8/7/2019 Imam Jafare sadiq alehisalam.

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J afar as-Sadiq(699- 765 CE)

A rabic: 'ab c adullahi ja c fari bni muhammad

T he Sixth Imam in the Tw elver and Isma'ili traditions of Shi'i Islam.

He is one of the most w idely respected Imams by Shi'i and Sunni alike for his learning and piety.Jafar as-Sadiq (the truthful) w as an influential teacher, theologian and jurist. A mong his studentsw ere A bu Hanifa and Malik ibn A nas w ho w ere instrumental in the development of Sunni Islam.While an active Shi'i theologian, Jafar appears to have had a liberal vie w of learning andmaintained an active discourse w ith many scholars of differing vie w s. While he stayed out of politics he w as imprisoned and persecuted on several occasions by the A bbassid C aliphs.


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B elo w are extracts from the book " The Great Muslim Scientist and Philosopher

Imam Jafar Ibn Mohammed A s-Sadiq (a. s.)according to Fiqh E Jaferia

T ranslated and published by Kaukab A li MirzaPublisher: Willo w dale, Ont. : K. A . Mirza, 1996.

ISBN : 0969949014 Edition: $6.00Second Edition Printed in 1997 275 pages.

IN TR ODUCT ION

T his book is a translation of "Maghze Mutafakkir Jehan Shia", the famous Persian book, w hich hasbeen published four times in T ehran, Iran. T he Persian book is itself a translation from a Frenchthesis published by T he R esearch C ommittee of Strasbourg, France, about the contribution made by

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq ( A .S.) to science, philosophy, literature and irfan (gnosticism) . 'Kaukab A li Mirza' did the English translation from Persian

Members of the R esearch C ommittee have done a w onderful job and deserve thanks and gratitudefrom all those w ho love the Imam. Ho w ever, it must be pointed out that w hen the learned scholars,w ho w ere engaged in research, failed to find w orldly sources of the Imam IS kno w ledge, theyindulged in w ild speculations and guess w ork and w ere even guilty of misrepresenting historicalfacts to prove that Imam Mohammed al- B aqar and Jafar as-Sadiq ( A .S.) had acquired their kno w ledge through the follo w ing sources:

a. T he Great Library of A lexandria. b. C optic Scholars of Egypt. c. B ooks of Greek Philosophers d.Persian Physicians.

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq's [a] contribution to the sciences

B irth and early childhood:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq w as born in Medina on the 17 of R abi ul- Aww al in the year of 82 Hijra. His father w as the 5th Imam Mohammed B aqar (a) and his mother w asUmme Far w a. It is said that Jafar as-Sadiq w as born circumcised.

C ontrary to the Western belief, the Shias firmly believe that Imam Jafar as-Sadiqhad Ilm-e-Ladunni or 'God given Kno w ledge'. T he Shias believe that a man'ssubconscious mind is quite different from his conscious mind. It is the treasurehouse of kno w ledge of mankind and of the w orld. Modern science lends support to


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this theory. B iological studies have gradually proved that every group of cells in thehuman body kno w s w hatever is kno w able from the beginning of the w orld till today.T he Shias contend that w hen someone is chosen as a Prophet or as an Imam, thecurtain w hich hangs bet w een the conscious and subconscious mind, is lifted andhe can make use of the kno w ledge w hich is stored in his subconscious mind.

Saviour of Shi'ism:

When Imam Jafar as-Sadiq w as still in his infancy some people follo w ing theexample of the C hristians spread the belief that the Holy Prophet, A li ibn A bi T aliband the Imams had t w o natures - the nature of man and the nature of God. T heyw ere partly human and partly divine. T his belief posed a great danger to their sect.T he Imam fought against this thought and saved Shi'ism from disintegration. Herealised that it w ould create differences, split the people into factions, w eaken theShia movement and finally destroy it totally.

T he Imam kne w the history of the C hristians. He kne w the origin of the Orthodoxand C atholic churches and the main cause of differences among C hristians andtheir division into so many sects. In reply to those w ho propagated that idea, hesaid that all of them w ere human beings and had no essence or elements of God inthem. B ut they w ere God's most favoured servants and w ere chosen by Him to leadand guide mankind. He announced that anyone w ho believed or confessed that theyhad an essence of God in them w ill be believing in many gods and w ould notremain a mu w ahid (monotheist). T hey w ould become a mushrik (polytheist).

A nother great danger threatening Islam w as Monasticism w hich the Muslimsw anted to adopt from the C hristians. T he Imam fought against that tendency andsaved Muslims from a great catastrophe.

In the first half of the 2nd century Hijra, many Muslim sects w ere inclined to borro w Monasticism from the C hristians and introduce it in Islam. T hey believed that oneshould give up w orldly life and spend his time in seclusion and prayers. T heleaders of those sects had arranged some solitary places w here they and their follo w ers could go and spend their lives in prayers. Some of them said that in Islamthere w as nothing better than Salaat ( N amaaz), w hile others said that fasting w asbetter than prayers and if someone had w ithdra w n from the w orld he should fasteveryday throughout his life and think of nothing but A llah. Shias also, like others,w ere also attracted to Monasticism. T his philosophy appealed to those w ho did notw ant to w ork and earn their o w n living.

A t the beginning of the 2nd century Hijra Muslims w ere attracted not only toMonasticism, but they also w anted to follo w another C hristian practice w hich w asB aptism.


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T he Imam opposed B aptism among Muslims just as he had opposed Monasticism.He told the Muslims : "We have customs w hich w ere practised by non-Muslimsbefore Islam, but the Prophet of A llah approved them and thus they became part of Muslim customs and traditions. A lthough the Holy Quran has praised and exaltedC hrist and him mother Mary, it is not permissible for us to follo w C hristian customsand traditions."

A nother C hristian practice, w hich w as being follo w ed by the Muslims, w as celibacy.C onsidering it as a means of purification of the soul many Muslims did not marry.A ddressing the Muslims, the Imam said : " Do not follo w the example of C hristians.C elibacy is against the C ommandments of A llah and tradition of the Holy ProphetMuhammad (s). N ot only it hurts a man intellectually and spiritually, it endangersthe Muslim nation as a w hole. It w ould reduce the number of Muslims. If celibacyw as useful, the Holy Prophet of A llah w ould not have married at all. Since our Prophet himself married, it is the duty of every Muslim to follo w his example and

get married so that he may save himself from intellectual and spiritual degenerationand also help increase the Muslim population."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a. s.) and abu Shakir

Jafar as-Sadiq ( A . S.) w as one of the most patient and tolerant teachers of his time.He used to take his classes every day. A fter his lectures he w ould listen and replyto the objections of his critics. He had asked his critics, w ho attended his classes,not to interrupt him during his lectures. T hey w ere quite free to ask him anyquestion or raise any objection after the classes w ere over.

Once A bu Shakir, one of his opponents, said to him: "Would you allo w me to saysomething and ask some questions?"

"Yes, you can", replied Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.

Said A bu Shakir: "Is it not a myth that there is A llah? You w ant people to believe ina thing w hich does not exist. If there w as A llah, w e could have felt his existencethrough our senses. You may say that w e can feel His presence by the help of our inner senses, but our inner senses also depend upon our five outer senses. Wecannot conjure up an image of anything in w hich some of our senses w ere notinvolved. We cannot conjure up the picture of a person w hom w e have not met;

recall to our memory his voice if w e have not heard him and feel the touch of hishand by our inner senses if w e have never taken his hand in our hand."

"You may say that w e can perceive the presence of A llah by our intelligence andnot through our inner or outer senses. B ut our intelligence also needs theassistance of our five outer senses, w ithout w hich it cannot function. We cannotmake any reasoning or come to any conclusion w ithout the help of our senses.


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B y your imagination you have created a being, w hich is of your o w n image. Sinceyou see, talk, hear, w ork and rest, He also does exactly w hat you do."

"You do not sho w Him to anyone. T o maintain your hold on the people you say thatHe cannot be seen. You also say that He w as not born from the w omb of a w oman.He does not procreate and that He w ould not die. I have heard that there is an idolin India, w hich is hidden behind a curtain and is not allo w ed to be seen by theHindu devotees. T he custodians of the idol say that it is out of mercy that their goddoes not appear before them, because w hoever casts his eyes on it, w ould instantlydie."

"Your A llah is also like the veiled god of the Hindus. It is out of His mercy that Hedoes not appear before us. If he does, w e shall surely die. You say that the universew as created by A llah, w ho did not talk to anyone, except to the Prophet of Islam. A s

a matter of fact the universe came by itself. Does anyone create the grass, w hichgro w s in the field? Does it not gro w and get green by itself? Does anyone create theants and the mosquitoes? Do they not come out by themselves?"

"I must tell you, w ho claims to be a scholar and the successor of the Prophet, thatamong all the stories, w hich circulate among the people, none is more absurd andbaseless than the story of A llah, w ho cannot be seen. T here are many baselessstories, but they, at least, depict real life and present before us the people andpersonalities, w ho may themselves be fictitious, but their acts and deeds are likethose of real human beings. We can see them. T hey eat, they drink, they talk, theysleep and they love. When w e read these fictitious stories, w e enjoy them. We kno w

that they are false, but w e see in them the faces of men and w omen, w ho are like us.T he people mentioned in the stories might not have existed, but our common senseaccepts existence of such people in the w orld. Ho w ever, w hen w e cannot see, feelor touch your A llah, our logic and reasoning, w hich depend upon our senses, donot accept his existence."

"l kno w that some people, w ho have been deceived by you, believe in your invisibleA llah, but you cannot deceive me and make me believe in Him. I w orship God, w hois made of w ood and stone. A lthough my God does not talk, but I can see him w ithmy eyes and touch him w ith my hands."

"You say that the God w hom I have made from my o w n hands is not w orthy of being w orshipped, w hile you ask the people to w orship A llah, you have created byyour imagination. You deceive innocent people by saying that your imaginary A llahhas created the universe, but I do not deceive anyone. N o one created the universe.T here w as no need of any god to create it. It came by itself. God cannot createanything. He is himself our creation. I created him by my hand and you by your imagination."


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Imam Jafar as-Sadiq ( A . S.) did not say a w ord during the long tirade of A bu Shakir.Sometimes his students, w ho w ere present, w anted to intervene but he asked themto remain quiet. When A bu Shakir stopped his lengthy discourse, the Imam askedhim, if he had anything more to say.

R etorted A bu Shakir: " B y introducing your invisible A llah to the people, you w ant toacquire w ealth and position and have a respectable, comfortable and luxurious life.T hese are my last w ords. I do not w ant to say anything more."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq ( A . S.) said: "l w ould like to start w ith the last part of your speech. Your accusations that I w ant money, position and a comfortable life w ouldhave been justified if I w as living like a caliph. You have seen today that I haveeaten a fe w morsels of bread only and nothing else. I invite you to my house to seefor yourself w hat I w ill have for dinner and ho w I live."

"A bu Shakir, if I w anted to acquire w ealth and have a good life, as you say, I w asnot obliged to teach and preach to get rich. I w ould have earned money and got richby my kno w ledge of chemistry. A nother w ay to get rich w as to do business. I havemore kno w ledge' about foreign markets than any merchant in Medina. I kno w w hatgoods are produced in different countries and w here to sell them for profit. I alsokno w ho w to bring them here to reduce the cost of transport. Our merchants importgoods only from Syria, Iraq, Egypt and some other A rab countries. T hey do notkno w w hat goods are available in Isphahan, R asht and R ome, other w ise they w ouldhave imported them and sold them w ith profit."

"A bu Shakir, you have said that I ask the people to w orship A llah to deceive themand to get rich. I must tell you that I have never taken anything from anyone, exceptsome fruits as presents. One of my friends sends to me every year fresh dates fromhis garden and another some pomegranates from T aif. I accept these presents sothat they may not get offended."

"I have heard, O A bu Shakir, that your father w as a pearl merchant. Perhaps youmay have some kno w ledge about pearls. B ut I kno w all about pearls and preciousstones. I can also appraise their market value. If I w anted to get rich I w ould havew orked as a je w eller. C an you test and recognise a precious stone? Do you kno w ho w many kinds of rubies and emeralds there are in the w orld?"

"I kno w nothing about them", replied A bu Shakir.

"Do you kno w ho w many kinds of diamonds there are and w hat colours they have?"asked Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.

"I do not kno w ", replied A bu Shakir.


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Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: "I am not a je w eller, but I kno w all about the pearls andprecious stones. I also kno w w here they come from. A ll je w ellers must kno w aboutgems, w hat I kno w , but fe w of them kno w their sources."

"Do you kno w w hat makes a diamond shine?"

"I never w as a diamond merchant, nor w as my father. Ho w can I kno w w hydiamonds shine?; replied A bu Shakir.

Said the Imam: "Diamonds are obtained from the beds of rivers and streams. R oughdiamonds are cut by experts. T his is the cut of a diamond, w hich gives it itsbrilliance. T hose w ho are experts in cutting diamonds are trained from thechildhood in the profession of their fathers and forefathers. C utting a diamond is avery delicate and difficult art. A diamond is cut only by a diamond."

"A bu Shakir, I have said all this simply to sho w to you that if I w anted to accumulatew ealth, I could have done so by making use of my kno w ledge about je w els. I havereplied to your accusations and no w I shall deal w ith your objections."

"A bu Shakir, you have said that I have fabricated stories and ask the people tow orship A llah, w ho cannot be seen. You refuse to ackno w ledge existence of A llah,because He cannot be seen. C an you see inside your o w n body?"

R eplied A bu Shakir: " N o, I cannot."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: "If you could have seen w hat is inside you, you w ouldnot have said that you do not believe in A llah, w ho cannot be seen."

A bu Shakir asked: "What is the relationship bet w een seeing w ithin one's o w n bodyand the existence of your unseen A llah?"

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq ( A . S.) replied: "You have said just no w that a thing, w hichcannot be seen, touched, tasted or heard, does not exist."

A bu Shakir said: "Yes, I have said that and I believe it is true."

Jafar as-Sadiq asked: "Do you hear the sound of the movement of blood in your body?"

Said A bu Shakir: " N o, I do not. B ut does blood move in the body?

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq ( A . S.) said: "Yes, it does. It makes a full circuit of your body. If the circulation of blood stops for a fe w minutes you w ill die."


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A bu Shakir said: "I cannot believe that blood circulates in the body."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: "It is your ignorance, w hich does not let you believe thatyour blood circulates in your body, and the same ignorance does not let youbelieve in the existence of A llah, Who cannot be seen."

T hen the Imam asked A bu Shakir w hether he has seen the tiny living beings, w hichA llah has created in his body.

Jafar as-Sadiq continued: "It is because of these small creatures and their w onderful w ork that you are kept alive. T hey are so small that you cannot see them.Since you are a slave of your senses, you do not kno w about their existence. If youincrease your kno w ledge and decrease your ignorance, you w ill come to kno w thatthese small beings in your body are as large in number as the particles of sand in

the desert. T hese small creatures are born in your body, multiply in your body, w orkin your body and die in your body. B ut you never see them, touch them, taste themor hear them in your life time."

"It is true that one w ho kno w s himself kno w s his A llah. If you had kno w n yourself and had the kno w ledge of w hat is going on inside your body, you w ould not havesaid that you do not believe in A llah, w ithout seeing Him."

Pointing his finger to a huge stone he said: " A bu Shakir, do you see the stone,w hich is in the foot of that portico? T o you it seems lifeless and motionless,because you do not see the brisk motion, w hich is inside the stone. A gain it is lack

of kno w ledge or your ignorance, w hich w ould not let you believe that there ismotion inside the stone. T he time w ill come w hen the learned people w ould see themotion w hich is in the stone."

C ontinued the Imam: " A bu Shakir, you have said that everything in the universecame by itself and has no C reator. You think that the grass in the field gro w s andgets green by itself. You must kno w that the grass cannot gro w w ithout seeds andseeds w ould not germinate w ithout moisture in the soil and there w ould be nomoisture if no rain falls. T he rain does not fall by itself. First the w ater vapours riseand gather above in the atmosphere in the form of clouds. T he w inds bring theclouds. T hen the w ater vapours condense and fall do w n as rain drops. T he rain

must also fall at the right time, other w ise no grass w ill gro w and become green.T ake the seeds of ten kinds of herbs and put them in a closed jar, w hich hassufficient w ater, but no air. Would they germinate? N o, in addition to w ater, seedsneed air also. It is possible to gro w grass, herbs and fruits in hot houses, w hen it isvery cold, provided there is sufficient air. Without the presence of air no grass w illgr! o w in the fields and get green. If there is no air, all plants and animals, includinghuman beings, w ould die."


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"A bu Shakir, do you see the air, on w hich your very existence depends. You onlyfeel it w hen it moves. C an you refuse to believe in the existence of air? C an youdeny that to gro w and get green the grass needs many things like seeds, soil,w ater, air, a suitable climate and above all a strong managing po w er, w hich may co-ordinate the action of these different elements. T hat Managing and C o-ordinatingPo w er is A llah."

"You say that everything comes by itself because you are not a scientist. N oscientist w ould ever say that. A ll scientists and all scholars believe in the existenceof a creator, albeit, they may call Him by different names. Even those, w ho do notbelieve in A llah, believe in a C reative Force."

"A bu Shakir, it is not because of one's kno w ledge, but it is due to his ignorance thathe does not believe in A llah. When a w ise man thinks of himself, he finds that his

o w n body needs a controller so that all its organs and systems may functionproperly. He then realises that this vast universe also needs a controller or supervisor so that it may run smoothly."

"You said just no w that both of us create our o w n gods - you by your hands and Iby my imagination. B ut there is a big difference bet w een your god and my A llah.Your god did not exist before you made him out of w ood or stone, but my A llah w asthere before I could think about Him. I do not create my A llah by my hands or by mybrain. What I do is to kno w Him better and think of His Greatness. When you see amountain you try to kno w more about it. It is not creating the mountain byimagination. T hat mountain w as there before you sa w it and it w ould be there w hen

you are gone."

'You cannot kno w much about the mountain because of your limited kno w ledge.T he more your kno w ledge gro w s, the more you w ill learn about it. It is impossiblefor you to find out w hen and ho w that mountain came into being and w hen it w oulddisappear. You cannot find out w hat minerals are there inside or underneath themountain and w hat is their benefit to mankind."

"Do you kno w that the stones, out of w hich you make your idols came into beingthousands of years ago and shall exist for thousands of years more. T hese stoneshave come here from a distant place. T hey could travel that long journey because

different parts of the earth are al w ays moving, but this movement is so slo w thatyou do not feel it. T here is nothing in the universe, w hich is not in motion. R est or motionlessness is meaningless. We are not at rest even w hen w e are sleeping. Weare in motion because the earth is in motion. B esides, w e have a motion inside our o w n bodies."

"A bu Shakir, if you had any kno w ledge about the piece of stone, out of w hich you


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carve an idol, you w ould not have denied the existence of A llah and said that I havecreated Him by my imagination. You do not kno w w hat a stone is and ho w it cameinto being. T oday you can handle it as you like and cut it into any shape or form,but there w as a time w hen it w as in liquid state. Gradually it cooled do w n and A llahsolidified it. In the beginning it w as quite brittle and w ould have broken into piecesin your hand like a piece of glass."

A sked A bu Shakir: "Was it in a liquid condition before?"

"Yes, it w as", replied Jafar asSadiq ( A . S.)

A bu Shakir burst into a peal of laughter. One of the students of Jafar as-Sadiq gotangry and w as about to say something w hen he w as stopped by his teacher.

A bu Shakir said: "I am laughing because you say that the stones are made of w ater."

Jafar as-Sadiq ( A . S.) replied: "I did not say that the stones are made of w ater. WhatI had said w as that in the beginning they w ere in a liquid state."

A bu Shakir said: "What difference does it make. T he liquid and w ater are the samethings."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq replied: " T here are many liquids w hich are not w ater. Milk andvinegar are liquids, but they are not w ater, although they have a w ater content inthem. In the beginning the stones w ere liquid like w ater and they flo w ed like w ater.

Gradually they cooled do w n and became hard so that you could cut them and makethem into idols. T he same hard stones w ill turn into liquid, if they are heated."

Said A bu Shakir: "When I go home I w ill check the truth of your statement. I w ill putthe stone in the fireplace and see if it turns into liquid or not."

Said the Imam: "You cannot liquefy stone in your fireplace. C an you liquefy a pieceof iron at home? A very high temperature is required to turn solid stone into liquid."

"Do you realise ho w you could make the idols out of stones? It w as A llah, w homade the stones. It w as He Who created you and gave you the hands w ith the

unique fingers, w hich enabled you to handle tools and chisel out the idols from thestones. A gain it w as He w ho gave you po w er and intelligence, w hich you used inmaking the idols."

"A bu Shakir, do you think that the mountains are only heaps of stones? T he GreatA llah has created them to serve some very useful purpose. T hey w ere not createdso that you may take stones and turn them into idols. Wherever there is a mountain


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there is flo w ing w ater. R ain and sno w w hich fall on the mountain tops producestreams of fresh w ater. T hese streams combine together to form big rivers, w hichirrigate farms and fields. T he people w ho live in the valleys, through w hich therivers flo w , are assured of constant supply of w ater. People w ho can afford it, go tothe mountains during the summer season to escape the heat of the plains."

"T he mountains w ork as a great bul w ark and protect to w ns and villages, w hich arein their valleys from the devastation and destruction of hurricanes. Greenmountains provide good grazing grounds for sheep. When scorching heat burnsthe pastures do w n in the plains and no fodder is left, the shepherds take their flocks of sheep to the mountains and stay there till the end of summer. Mountainsare also habitats of birds and animals, some of w hich are a good source of food for those, w ho live there. Even the mountains, w hich are not green, are not w ithoutsome use. If the people try, they may discover in them mines of metals andminerals w hich are useful for mankind."

"A bu Shakir, I am too small and too w eak to create A llah w ith my brain. It is He, w hohas created my brain, so that I may think of Him and kno w Him - my C reator. He w asthere before I came into being and He w ould be there w hen I am no more. I do notmean that I w ould be totally destroyed. N othing in the universe is totally destroyed.Everything is subject to change. It is only A llah, Who does not change."

"A bu Shakir, please tell me sincerely to w hom w ill you turn for help w hen you are introuble? Do you hope that the idol you carve out of stone can come to your succour? C an it cure you w hen you are sick; save you from mishaps andcalamities; save you from starvation and help you pay your debts?"

A bu Shakir replied: "I have no such expectations from the stone, but, I think there issomething inside the stone, w hich w ill help me. Moreover, I cannot helpw orshipping it."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq enquired: "What is inside the stone? Is it also stone?"

"I do not kno w w hat it is. B ut it cannot help me if it is also stone," replied A buShakir.

Said Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: " A bu Shakir, w hat is inside the stone and is not stone

and can help w hen you are in trouble is, A llah."A bu Shakir pondered over the subject for a w hile and then said: "Is A llah, w hocannot be seen, inside the stone?"

T he Imam replied: "He is every w here."


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A bu Shakir said: "I cannot believe that a thing may be every w here but remainunseen."

T he Imam said: "Do you kno w that the air is every w here but cannot be seen?"

Said A bu Shakir: " A lthough I cannot see the air, I can, at least, feel it w hen it moves.B ut I can neither see your A llah nor feel his presence."

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said: "You do not feel the presence of air w hen it is notmoving. T he air is only a creation of A llah. He is every w here, but you cannot seeHim or feel His presence by your senses. You have admitted just no w that althoughyou do not see it, but your instinct or your soul tells you that there is somethinginside the stone, and is not the stone, w hich can help you. T hat something is A llah.Your instinct also tells you that you cannot live w ithout A llah and w ithoutw orshipping Him."

A bu Shakir said: "It is true. I cannot live w ithout w orshipping idols."

Said Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: "Do not say idols. Say A llah. It is He, Who is w orthy of w orship. just like you everyone is obliged to w orship Him. One, w ho does notw orship A llah has no guide and no guardian. He is just like one, w ho cannot see,cannot hear, cannot feel and cannot think. He does not kno w w here to go and onw hom to depend w hen in trouble. Worshipping A llah is a part of living. Every livingbeing w orships Him instinctively. Even the animals cannot live w ithout w orshippingHim. We cannot ask them and they cannot tell us that they w orship A llah, but their w ell regulated and orderly life is sufficient proof that they w orship Him.

"I do not say that the animals believe in A llah and w orship Him just as w e do. B utthere is no doubt that they obey the la w s made by their C reator faithfully, w hichmeans they w orship Him. If they w ere not obedient to their C reator, they could nothave such an orderly and regulated life."

"We see that just before the advent of spring the titmouse (a kind of small bird)al w ays comes at the same time and sings, as if to give us the tiding of the ne w season. T he itinerary of these migratory birds is so regulated and their schedule sofixed that even if the last days of w inter are still cold, their arrival is not delayed for more than a fe w days. When C hilchila (a migratory bird) returns after covering a

distance of thousands of miles, it builds its nest at the same place, w here it hadbuilt it last spring. Was it possible for these small birds to have such a w ellorganised life if they did not obey the la w s of A llah and w orship Him?"

"A bu Shakir, even the plants obey the la w s made by A llah faithfully and w orshipHim. Out of 150 species of plants, w hich are further divided into hundreds of sub-species you w ill not find even one plant, w hich has a disorganised and disorderly


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life."

"A bu Shakir, just like us the plants also do not see their C reator, but they w orshipHim by obeying His la w s instinctively."

"I kno w that you w ill not accept, or perhaps you do not understand, w hat I say. A man must have sufficient kno w ledge to understand complicated problems."

"A bu Shakir, not only animals by their animal instinct and plants by their plantinstinct obey A llah and w orship Him, the lifeless and inanimate objects also, w ithw hatever instinct they have, obey A llah and w orship Him. If they did not w orshipHim, they w ould not have follo w ed the la w s made by Him. A s a result, their atomsw ould have broken apart and they w ould have been destroyed."

"T he light w hich comes from the sun also w orships A llah by obeying his la w s,w hich are very stringent and exact. It comes into being by the combination of t w oopposite forces. T hese forces also obey the la w s of A llah and w orship Him,other w ise they cannot produce light."

"A bu Shakir, if there w as no A llah there w ould have been no universe and no youand me. T he sentence, " T here is no A llah', is meaningless. T he existence of A llah isa must. If attention of A llah is diverted, even for a moment from the affairs of theuniverse to something else, it w ould break up. Everything in the universe obeys Hisla w s, w hich are permanent and eternal. B ecause of His absolute w isdom andkno w ledge, He could make such w onderful la w s, w hich w ill last for ever. Each andevery la w , made by Him serves some special and useful purpose."

When the Imam concluded his discourse, A bu Shakir fell into a deep reverie as if hew as greatly inspired.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq asked: "Do you no w believe that A llah, w ho cannot be seen,does exist and w hat you w orship is the unseen A llah?"

A bu Shakir replied: "I am not yet convinced. I am in a quandary. I am full of doubtsand misgivings about my faith and my convictions."

Jafar as-Sadiq remarked: " T he doubt about idol w orship is the beginning of the

w orship of A llah."R evelations of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq:

Imam Mohammed al- B aqar and Imam Jafar as-Sadiq kne w that the Muslim w orldw ould be flooded w ith books of the philosophers of Greece and A lexandria and thatthe Muslims w ould blindly accept everything they had w ritten as the Gospel truth.


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T hus, many of the false and fallacious theories w ould catch their imagination,corrupt their minds, and keep them under total darkness for centuries, w hich isactually w hat had happened in the past. For example the theory of Ptolemy that theearth is the centre of the universe and the sun, the planet and the stars rotatearound it w as generally accepted by the Muslims as true.

T he t w o Imams explained to their students w ho w ere to spread their teachingsamong the Muslims the theories of those philosophers, pointed out their mistakesand presented their o w n correct theories. Similarly they taught them physics,chemistry, geography etc prior to the translation of these subjects from Indian,Greek and Persian into A rabic. B ecause they w ere Imams (representatives of A llahon Earth) they had the kno w ledge of the theories of Greek philosophers and others.

T he momentous intellectual a w akening of Muslims w itnessed in the second centuryof the Hijra w as not due to Hellenic or other foreign influences, as some Western

historians have recorded. It w as this result of the untiring and ceaseless effortsmade by the members of the Prophet's family to bring about that golden age of kno w ledge. A mong all the A bbasid caliphs, only al-Mamun w as interested inkno w ledge. T he rest w ere only interested in accumulation on w ealth, w orldlypleasures and satisfaction of carnal desires. A halo of glory and grandeur has beenplaced round the head of Harun by the historians and story tellers. He w as nothingbut a tyrant and a despot.

T he A bbasid caliph al-Mansur w as w ell a w are of the popularity of the Living Imam -Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a). It is reported on the authority of Mufazzal bin Umar that al-Mansur w anted to kill the Imam. He called him many times w ith this intent, but w hen

he sa w him, he w as filled w ith fear and could not carry out his vicious plan. Instead,he placed the Imam under house arrest for long periods of time. He eventuallypoisoned him secretly. T his w as the end of the Medina A cademy w hich w asfounded by the Imam. T o destroy the influence of the Imam in the field of R eligion,al-Mansur and his successors encouraged sectarianism. Many ne w schools of Islamic Jurisprudence appeared in that period and w ere fully supported by them.Since the leaders of these ne w sects had the backing of the government, their ideologies spread and the number of their adherents increased. On the other handthose w ho follo w ed the teachings of the Imam w ere systematically persecuted bythe A bbasid !caliphs. Ho w ever, as al-Mansur could not still find in the Muslim w orldanyone w ho could rival the Imam in physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics

and other sciences, he spent large sums of money and imported books fromdifferent countries on scientific subjects. T hey w ere translated in to A rabic, andtaught in schools and colleges. Gradually the names of Socrates, Plato, A ristotleand Ptolemy became a household name and their scientific and philosophicaltheories captured the imagination and dominated the thoughts of the Muslims for centuries. T hat scheme proved so successful that in the course of time, Muslimstotally forgot about the scientific achievements of the Imam and the important


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discoveries made by him. A s a result the w orld lost more than a thousand years of kno w ledge as the science introduced by the Imam w as only discovered by commonman in the 19th century on w ards. A nd the credit of this discovery also w ent to theperson w ho discovered it rec! ently. Little does the w orld kno w that they w ere allmade kno w n by the Imam 14 hundred years ago. Learned scholars from Europestarted studying Islamic literature from the beginning of the 17th century.

R otation of the Earth round the Sun:

A t the age of 11, the Imam refuted the theory that the sun, moon and the planetsrotated around the earth. He said that the sun, during its course round the earth,passes through the 12 constellations in one year and remains in each constellationfor 30 days, so w hy does it then disappear from sight during the night. It shouldremain visible in each constellation for 30 days. Ptolemy** theory said that the sunhas t w o movements. One of its movements is that it crosses the sign of the zodiacand goes round the earth in one year and the other movement is that it goes roundthe earth in one night and one day, as a result of w hich w e see it rise in the east andset in the w est.

** Ptolemy w as a geographer and astronomer w ho w as born in A lexandria in the2nd century B . C . He enriched his kno w ledge by reading the books of greatscholars of Greece in the library of A lexandria. He borro w ed from Euclid, the greatmathematician, the idea that the sun rotated round the earth and then developed hiso w n theory kno w n as the Ptolemaic System. Since then up to the 8th century B C noone refuted this theory.

A ristotle w as a great thinker and philosopher. His books, A rganan and Physics, arethe most precious literary treasures of mankind, but his theory that the earth isstationary and the sun and stars rotate around it, delayed the progress of thescience of A stronomy and kept mankind in the darkness of ignorance for 1800years.

T he Imam remarked that those t w o movements w ere not compatible. When the sunhad to pass through the sign of the zodiac in one year and stay in eachconstellation for

30 days ho w could it change its course and go round the earth in 24 hours?

He also announced that the earth rotated around its o w n axis. T he great scholar Poincare w ho lived in the 20th century made fun of this theory. When such ascholar could refuse to believe this, ho w could people in the 1st and 2nd century of the Hijra believe in the theory of the Imam. T he rotation of the earth on its o w n axiscould be proved by observation only. When astronauts landed on the surface of the


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moon, and directed their telescope to w ards the earth they observed that it w asrotating slo w ly on its axis.

Some people might say that it w as only by guess w ork that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a)said that the earth rotates on its o w n axis. Sometimes it happens that guess w orkproves to be correct. B ut the question arises as to w hy no one else had guessedthat for such a long time. T his proves that he kne w the la w s of astro-physics w hichenabled him to make that discovery. If he had not kno w n those la w s, it w ould havebeen impossible for him to discover the rotation of the earth on its axis. T hisdiscovery could not have been accidental. One must kno w the cause to kno w itseffect.

T ragically, for reasons stated above, the real credit of discovery of the movement of the earth round the sun w as given to C opernicus w ho w as an astronomer andmathematician, in the 15th C entury. T he theory of the earth rotation around its o w n

axis w ent to Galileo w ho discovered the telescope.

T heory of the Four Elements:

A t the age of 12 he rejected the theory of Four Elements of A ristotle and proved thatit is w rong. He remarked : "I w onder ho w a man like A ristotle could say that in thew orld there are only four elements - Earth, Water, Fire, and A ir. T he Earth is not anelement. It contains many elements. Each metal, w hich is in the earth, is anelement.

For 1,000 years this theory w as never refuted, and remained the corner stone of

physics. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq proved that Water, A ir, and Fire w ere also notelements, but a mixture of elements. T his he said 1,100 years before the Europeanscientists discovered that air w as not an element and had separated itsconstituents. T o derive the fact that A ir is not an element, but a mixture of elements,w as impossible to conclude in the Imam's age and time. He said that there are manyelements in the air and that all of them are essential for breathing.

It w as only in the 18th century, w hich w as considered the golden age of science,after Lavoisier separated oxygen from the air and demonstrated the important roleit plays in breathing and combustion that they accepted that it is not an element.Ho w ever, even then they w ere of the opinion that other elements do not play a part

in breathing. In the middle of the 19th century scientists changed their vie w s aboutthe part played by other elements in breathing. B y that time it w as also proved thatalthough oxygen purifies blood, it also burns combustible materials, w hich come incontact w ith it. If living beings breath pure oxygen for a long time, their breathingorgans w ould be oxidised. Oxygen does not damage them because it is mixed w ithother gases. T herefore, they concluded that the presence of other gases w hich arein very minute quantities in the air is also essential for breathing.


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Moreover, oxygen being the heaviest of all other gases in the air w ould have settledat the bottom and covered the surface of the earth up to a certain depth. A s a result,breathing organs of all animals w ould have been burnt and animal life w ould havebecome extinct. Moreover it w ould have cut off the supply of carbon dioxide, w hichplants need so badly, and made it impossible for them to gro w on the surface of theearth. Presence of other gases in the air does not let oxygen settle do w n to thebottom and destroy animal and plant life.

A t last, after more than 1000 years, the theory of Jafar as-Sadiq (a) that presence of all gases in the air is essential for breathing w as proved to be correct. He w as thefirst person to discover that oxygen produces acidity. T ime did not allo w him tomake kno w n to the w orld further such revelations, but he w as indeed proved thepioneer and leader in the scientific study of oxygen.

Origin of the Universe: T he Imam's another w onderful theory is about the 'Origin of the Universe'. Whenmodern scientists read this theory they confirm that it totally agrees w ith themodern theory, w hich has not yet become a la w of physics. Ho w ever, it has theunique distinction that it w as enunciated 12 centuries ago. T he theory read asfollo w s :

" T he universe w as born out of a tiny particle, w hich had t w o opposite poles. T hatparticle produced an atom. In this w ay matter came into being. T hen the matter diversified. T his diversification w as caused by the density or rarity of the atoms."

T he most significant point in this theory is the description of t w o opposite poles.T he importance of this point w as realised w hen the presence of t w o opposite polesw as proved by modern science. T oday it is an undisputed fact in atomic scienceand electronics.

A nother of his interesting theory w as that the universe is not al w ays in one and thesame condition. In one periods it expands and in another it contracts.

T his phenomenon w as considered for centuries as inconceivable and the theoryremained quite incomprehensible to the leading astronomers. A fter the 18th century

more and more po w erful telescopes w ere built and astronomers could see beyondour solar system. It w as in 1960 that it w as observed and confirmed by astronomersthat distances bet w een our galaxy and the neighbouring galaxies are increasing.T hese observations have provided sufficient proof that the universe is in a state of expansion. We do not kno w w hen this expansion started. T he discovery of blackholes has proved his other statement that the universe sometimes contracts w asalso proved true. Hence the Imam's theory w as proved to be correct.


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T he Imam also stated that everything in the universe including inanimate objects, isal w ays in motion although w e may not see it. T here is nothing w ithout motion.

T his theory, w hich w as unacceptable in his time, is a scientific fact today. It isimpossible to imagine, explain and describe an object in the universe, w hich isw ithout motion. Motion is the essence of being. If there is no motion these is noexistence. It is perpetual motion w hich creators life. In other w ords perpetualmotion itself is life. If the motion stops, life w ould cease to exist. It is by the Will of A llah that eternal motion never stops and the life cycle continues. T his eternalmovement w ill continue till the Dooms-Day.

Jaber, his pupil once asked the Imam "Ho w does the movement of the stars keepthem from falling?"

T he Imam replied : "Put a stone in a sling and s w ing it round your head. T he stonew ill stay in the sling so long as you are rotating it. B ut as soon as you stop therotation, the stone w ill fall do w n on the ground. In the same w ay the perpetualmotion of stars keeps them from falling do w n.

C ontribution in Physics:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a) made many discoveries in physics w hich no one had evendreamt of before him and no one could think of after him. One of the la w s w orkedout by him is about opacity and transparency of materials. He said that materialsw hich are solid and absorbent are opaque, and materials w hich are solid and

repellent are more or less transparent. When he w as asked about the thing w hich isabsorbed by an opaque material, he replied "Heat"

T oday this theory is one of the La w s of Physics. Ho w w onderful it is that in the 2ndcentury A . H., he could enunciate such a ne w and unique theory.

C ontribution in Literature:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq defined 'literature' as no one had ever denied during the pasttw elve centuries. He said : "Literature is the garment w hich one puts on w hat hesays or w rites so that it may appear more attractive." He further said that it ispossible that literature may have no kno w ledge, but there is no kno w ledge w ithoutliterature. Every kind of kno w ledge contains literature, but every kind of literaturedoes not necessarily contain kno w ledge. T hese are indeed concise andcomprehensive definitions of the relationship bet w een kno w ledge and literature.

T he Imam w as indeed the pioneer to start the literary age. If he had not taken the


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first step and given encouragement to scientists and men of letters, there w ouldhave been no literary a w akening and no R enaissance of kno w ledge.

C omposition of the Human B ody:

T he Imam said that w hile all human beings w ere made from the earth, w hich w as akno w n fact, he also said that w hatever is in the earth is also in the human body, butall elements are not in the same proportion. Four elements are in very largequantity, eight elements in small quantities and eight elements in minute quantities.T his theory w as proved to be correct as late as the 18th century w ith the dissectionof the human body. R esults of these analysis sho w that the ratio of the major elements in human bodies is the same throughout the w orld as Imam Jafar as-Sadiq had said. T he four elements w hich are in large quantities in the human bodyare: Oxygen, C arbon, Hydrogen and N itrogen. T he eight elements w hich are insmall quantities are : Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, C alcium, Phosphorus,Sulphur, Iron, and C hlorine. T he other eight elements w hich are in very minutequantities are : Molybdenum, C obalt, Manganese, C opper, Zinc, Fluorine, Siliconand Io! dine.

Discovery of Hydrogen:

A ccording to the Western w orld, the greatest miracle of the Imam w as his revelationof the presence of oxygen in the air. T he w estern w orld admit no w that the Imamdiscovered this t w elve and a half centuries ago. Imam B aqar had said about thepresence of hydrogen in w ater and that w ater can be turned into fire, as hydrogenw as a highly inflammable gas. T he discovery of these t w o gases depended upontheir separation from air and w ater. Separation of hydrogen from w ater w as moredifficult that separation of oxygen from air. Pure oxygen is available in the air, butpure hydrogen is not available any w here. Hence hydrogen could not be obtained tillsufficient po w er w as developed and w ater w as hydrolysed. T he w orld amazes as toho w both our Imams could reveal the presence of hydrogen in air w hich w as acolourless, odourless and tasteless gas and does not exist freely in nature. T heycould not have identifi! ed this gas and found out its properties w ithout separatingit from w ater through the process of hydrolysis, w hich w as impossible w ithout astrong current of electricity.

T he first person w ho w as able to separate hydrogen from w ater in modern timesw as the English scientist Henry C avendish, w ho died in 1810. A fter many years of research he w as able to hydrolyse w ater and obtain hydrogen gas. He w as also ableto confirm that hydrogen gas w as highly inflammable as a result of a freakishaccident that he had w hile doing his experiments, w hich resulted in his housecatching fire. It w as eventually Lavoisier, the French chemist, w ho gave the name of hydrogen to this gas.


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T he Imams kne w such secrets but revealed only to the extend that w ould be usefulto the w orld, hence the secret of ho w hydrogen could be separated from w ater w ithout the use of electricity w as never made kno w n to common man. It has beenproved that this discovery by Man has not done any good to mankind. On thecontrary, it has led to the production f the hydrogen bomb, w hich is threatening toannihilate the human race. It w as better that this instrument of death, destructionand devastation w as not invented and manufactured at all so that mankind w ouldbe saved from the impending catastrophe.

T heory of Light:

A nother great contribution to science of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq w as his T heory of Light. He said that light reflected by different objects comes to us, but only a part of the rays enter our eyes. T hat is the reason w hy w e do not see distant objectsclearly.

If all the rays of light w hich come from them entered our eyes, objects w ould appear near to us. If w e make a device through w hich all the rays of light coming from thecamels grazing at a distance of 3000 zirah (one zirah is 40 inches) entered our eyesw e w ould see them grazing at a distance of only 60 zirah ie. A ll these objects w ouldlook 50 times nearer to us.

T his theory spread far and w ide through his students and reached Europe too.

It w as this theory, w hich helped Lippershey of Flanders to make his first binoculars

in 1608. Galileo made use of this binoculars and invented his telescope in 1610. If the Imam had not formulated this theory of light, binoculars and telescopes w ouldnot have been invented and made and Galileo could not have confirmed throughvisual observations the theories of C opernicus and Kelper that all planets includingthe earth rotate round the sun. When Galileo w as asked w hy his telescope madeheavenly bodies look so near that they could see the mountains of the moon, herepeated the w ords of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq and said : " T his telescope collects allthe rays of light coming from the heavenly bodies. When all the rays of light comingfrom the heavenly bodies are concentrated, the objects w hich are at a distance of 3,000 feet a w ay appear to us as if they w ere at a distance of only 60 feet."

B efore the time of the Imam, it w as believed that light from our eyes falls upondifferent objects so that they could be seen. He w as the first to have said that " therays of the light from different objects come to our eyes and enable us to see them.T he rays of light from our eyes do not go out and fall on other objects, other w ise w ew ould be able to see them in the darkness also."

T he Imam also put for w ard a very interesting theory about the speed of light. He


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has said that light is a kind of motion w hich is very fast. T his is in harmony to themodern theory of light.

T he Imam had once said during the course of his lectures that a po w erful beam of light could move heavy objects. T he light w hich Moses sa w at Mount Sinai w as of that kind. It could have moved the mountain if God had so desired. It can be saidthat by making this statement, he laid the foundation of the theory of the laser.

T heory of transfer of Disease by R ays:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has said that patients suffering from certain diseases emitspecial types of rays. If these rays fall upon a healthy person, they are apt to makehim sick.

T his theory w as not acceptable to physicians and biologists. T hey w ere of theopinion that microbes and viruses w ere the main cause of many diseases, w hichw ere spread by insects, air, w ater, food and direct and indirect contact w ithpatients.

N o one before the Imam, had ever said that diseases w ere also transferred from oneperson to the other by means of rays, emitted from patients suffering from certaindiseases. T his idea w as rather ridiculed by the learned people till it w as proved tobe correct by scientific studies.

T heory of Matter and A nti-Matter:

One of the unique theories of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq is that everything except A llahhas its opposites, but this does not result in a conflict, other w ise the w holeuniverse w ould be destroyed. T his is the theory of matter and anti-matter. T hedifference bet w een matter and anti-matter is that in matter the electrons arenegatively charged and protons are positively charged. B ut in anti-matter, theelectrons are positively charged and protons are negatively charged. Scientistshave concluded that if one kilogram of matter collides w ith one kilogram of anti-matter, so much energy w ill be released that the w hole w orld w ill be destroyed.

Professor A lfven is of the opinion that there is no other source in the universe,w hich can generate so much energy as quasars, except explosion of matter w ithanti-matter.

Just as uranium w as used for exploding an atomic bomb, helium w ould be used for exploding matter w ith anti-matter. R ussian scientists have already obtained anti-matter of helium.


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T heory of the Light of the Stars:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has said that among the clusters of stars w hich w e see atnight, some are so bright that our sun, in comparison, is quite insignificant.

B ecause of man's limited kno w ledge, many people during the Imam's time andcenturies after him, considered this theory to be illogical, irrational andunacceptable. T hey could not believe that these small specks of light w hich arecalled stars, can have more light than the light of our big bright sun.

A bout t w elve and a half centuries later, it w as proved that w hat he said w as quitecorrect. It has been discovered that there are stars in the universe, w hich arebillions of times brighter than the sun. T hey are called quasars. T he light of quasarsis about quadrillion times (ten thousand billion times) the light of our sun. Some of them are at a distance of about 9000 million light years from the earth. T he firstsuch quasar w as discovered in 1927.

A nother important theory w as that there are many w orlds other than our o w n, thatw e cannot even count them. T heir number is only in the kno w ledge of A llah (s w t).Just as w e have living beings on this planet, there are living beings on many other planets in the universe w here conditions are suitable.

Our telescopes are even today not po w erful enough to enable us to see w hat isbeyond the quasars. T herefore w e do not kno w ho w vast the universe is. It can onlybe surmised that in the universe there w ould be millions and millions of w orlds,w hich have existed for billions of years and shall continue to do so for billions of

years to come.

We must therefore accept as Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has said, that, no one exceptA llah (s w t) kno w s the number of large and small w orlds.

Pollution of Environment:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has said that w e should not pollute our environment other w iseit w ould become impossible to live on this planet. Definitely he had our times inmind w hen he made those remarks. Pollution w as not a problem in his time. T herew as not a single factory in existence and metals w ere smelted in small furnaces byburning w ood. T his w as not a theory but a scientific fact w hich cannot be refuted. Itis estimated that if air pollution increases at the present rate for 50 years more, 50%of plankton w ill die and the quantity of oxygen in the air w ould be reduced by thesame proportion.

T he rich nation of Japan ignored the advice of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq and polluted its


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environment and suffered the consequences. A fter World War II, in w hich Japanw as defeated, the average yearly income of a Japanese w orker w as only US$ 30.T oday it is US$500. In the production of ships, radios, T Vs, tape-recorders,computers, rayon cloth etc, it has given birth to numerous diseases w hich w erenever kno w n to have been existed. A ne w and dangerous disease has appearedrecently in Japan. T his disease is called Eta Eta because the patients cry Eta Eta inpain. T he first symptom of the disease is severe and unbearable pain in the bones.A fter sometime, the bones become so brittle that they break into pieces like glass.T he cause of this disease is accumulation of large quantities of cadmium in thebody by drinking w ater and eating agricultural products w hich have beencontaminated by that element. A nother ne w disease has appeared on Kyushu inJapan. T hose w ho suffer form it lo! se their eyesight and the tissues of their bodiesw ither a w ay. A s a result, they cannot move their limbs. If they are not treatedproperly they gradually die. T he cause of the disease is accumulation of mercury inthe body through polluted w ater and food.

From the time of Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician, till today about 40,000kinds of disease have been diagnosed, their symptoms recorded and treatmentprescribed, but the diseases, w hich have appeared in Japan due to the pollution of their environment are unkno w n to the science of medicine.

Science and Philosophy:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq w as not only a religious leader, but a scientist, a philosopher and a man of letters. He used to teach theology, philosopher, science and literature.He w as the first scholar in the w orld to have separated science and philosophy. N o

one before him paid any attention to the important point that they are t w o differentsubjects. He remarked, w hile pointing out the difference bet w een the t w o w hichshocked many philosophers. T hey can be divided in t w o parts.

T he first part read as follo w s : "Science and philosophy are t w o different subjects.Science gives us definite and exact results even if they are small and insignificant.B ut philosophy serves no practical purpose and gives no useful results."

T he second part read as follo w s : "Ho w ever, it is beyond the scope of science todiscover the ultimate truth; but it is w ithin the domain of philosophy to do that."

A s the Imam w as a religious leader he already kne w the truth through religion anddid not w ant to find it through philosophy. Ho w ever, it w s his firm conviction thatphilosophy w ould solve many problems. He w as therefore more interested inphilosophy than in science because it helped to recognise the C reator.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq w as not a physician by profession, but he introduced andformulated methods of diagnosis and treatment in the field of medicine. Western


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scholars find it hard to believe ho w he could have introduced certain diagnosis inthat age and time.

Good A dvice for Mothers:

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has advised mothers that they should put their ne w bornbabies to sleep on their left side.

For centuries this advice w as considered by many as meaningless and absurdsince no one could see any use in putting babies to sleep on the left side of mothers. Some people even w ent to the extent of remarking that it w as dangerousto carry out his instructions. Mothers may take a turn w hile sleeping and crush thebaby to death. N o one in the East or West took that advice seriously. Even duringthe R enaissance period, w hen scholars in Europe studied every theory critically, noone tried to find out w hether it had a scientific basis.

In 1865, Ezra C ornell founded the C ornell University in N YK. In this university he setup under the department of medicine, an institute for the R esearch on N e w B ornand Suckling B abies. A research scholar of this institute w ho travelled to differentparts of the w orld, observed that mothers in every country carried their babies inthe left arms. Doctors in this institute observed that babies w ho are put to sleep onthe left side of their mothers sleep more soundly and peacefully but those w ho areput on the right side, w ake up every no w and then and cry. It w as reported that for the first fe w days after their birth, babies w ould have no rest at all, if they are not onthe left side of their mothers.

A fter the invention of holography, holographic pictures of unborn babies w eretaken w hich revealed that the mother's heartbeat reached the ears of the baby in thew omb. Experiments w ere made of different mammals to find out the reaction of thefoetus. A ll experiments sho w ed that w henever the heart of the mother stoppedbeating, the foetus became restless and agitated, because it feeds on the blood,w hich comes to it w ith each and every heartbeat.

T hese experiments proved that unborn babies are not only used to hearing their mother's heartbeat, but their very existence depends upon them. Heartbeats meanto them a constant supply of food. Stoppage of heartbeats signals starvation anddeath. T hey depend so much upon the heartbeat that even after they are born, they

become restless, if they do not hear it. A ne w -born kno w s its mother's heartbeatquite w ell and that is w hy it sleeps comfortably and peacefully, w hen it is on the leftside of the mother and can hear the heartbeats clearly.

If the C ornell University had not been established and the research w ork on babiesw as not done, no one w ould ever haverealised the scientific importance of theadvice of the Imam that mothers should put their babies to sleep on their left side.


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Imam Jafar as-Sadiq w as ahead of his time by 1,100 years. Indeed he had access toIlm Ladunni (divine kno w ledge).

End

N EXT A Brief History of the Right Path

An Extract from a work byALLAMAH SAYYID MUHAMMAD HUSAY N TABATABAI

Imam Jafare sadiq alehisalam.

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