Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq

Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq (Arabic: محمد بن جعفر الصادق, romanized: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq), surnamed al-Dībāj (Arabic: الديباج, lit. 'the handsome'),^[1] the younger full brother of Musa al-Kazim,^[2] and son of Ja'far al-Sadiq appeared in Mecca in the year 200 A.H. / 815 C.E., in the aftermath of the revolt of Abu'l-Saraya, claiming that he was the Awaited Mahdi. He believed in a Zaydi Shia type of Imamate^[3] and declared himself as the Caliph of the Muslims and took the oath of allegiance from them and was called the Leader of the faithful. He was recognized as the Imam by a small group of followers. His followers became denominated as the Shumaytiyya (Sumaytiyya) after their leader Yahya ibn Abi’l-Shumayt (al-Sumayt).^[4] However, his revolt against the Caliph al-Ma'mun proved unsuccessful in the very same year it started (i.e. 815 C.E.).^[5] He ended his revolt by abdicating and publicly confessing his error and was then banished from the Hejaz and the Tihamah.^[6]

Al-Dibaj died in 203 A.H. / 818 C.E.,^[7] and was buried near Bastam, Iran.^[8] The Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun himself was present until the burial was over and said the final prayer on the bier.