Muhammad al-Baqir

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir Fifth imam in Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism
مُحَمَّد ٱلْبَاقِر
A drawing depicting a delegation of merchants from Khorasan visiting al-Baqir (in the center)
5th Shia Imam
In office 712–733
Preceded by	Ali al-Sajjad
Succeeded by	Ja'far al-Sadiq
Personal
Born	c. 10 May 676 Medina, Hejaz, Umayyad Empire
Died	c. 28 January 732 (aged 57) Medina, Umayyad Empire
Cause of death	Poisoning[a]
Resting place	Jannat al-Baqi, Medina 24°28′1″N 39°36′50.21″E / 24.46694°N 39.6139472°E / 24.46694; 39.6139472
Religion	Shia Islam
Spouse	Umm Farwa bint al-Qāsim Umm Hakīm bint Usayd ibn al-Mughīra al-Thaqafī
Children	Ja'far al-Sadiq[1] Ibrāhīm,[1] ʿAlī,[1] ʿAbd Allāh,[1] Aḥmad,[1] ʿUbayd Allāh,[1] Zaynab,[1] Umm Salama.[1]
Parents	Ali al-Sajjad Fatima bint Hasan

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Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (Arabic: محمد بن علي الباقر, romanized: Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Bāqir; c. 676–732) was the fifth imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Ali al-Sajjad, and succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq. His mother, Umm Abd Allah Fatima, was the daughter of Hasan, making al-Baqir the first imam who descended from both grandsons of Muhammad, namely, Hasan and Husayn.^[2]

Al-Baqir was born in Medina, about the time when Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680) was working to secure the succession of his son, Yazid. As a child, al-Baqir witnessed the tragedy of Karbala, in which all of his male relatives were massacred, except his father who was too ill to participate in the fighting. As a young man, al-Baqir witnessed the power struggles between the Umayyads, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and various Shia groups, while his father resigned from political activities.^[3]

Al-Baqir is revered by both Shia and Sunni Muslims as an eminent expert in jurisprudence, the exegesis of the Quran, the science of hadith, and theology.^[4] Though he was a resident of Medina, his main following was in Kufa, Iraq, where he attracted a number of distinguished theologians.^[2] Al-Baqir is credited with laying the foundations of Twelver Shia, including a coherent theory of imamate, which was further developed by his son and successor, Jafar al-Sadiq.^[2] Like his father, al-Baqir adopted a policy of quiescence,^[5] and reportedly attempted to dissuade his half-brother, Zayd, from prematurely revolting against the Umayyads.^[6][5]

According to Tabataba'i, al-Baqir was poisoned by Ibrahim ibn al-Walld, during his brief reign.^[7] Though 114 AH (732) and 117 (735) are commonly reported, there are different views about the date and cause of al-Baqir's death.^[5][2]

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