O-Level Islamiyat (2058) notes by Hassaan Mian – LGS JT, Beaconhouse, SICAS, Newlands, The City School
Twelve Imams:
Imamat is a concept which, according to Shia beliefs is an entitlement sent upon a member of Holy
Prophet ’ﷺs family with a pure soul, who then further confers the title to another family member,
which he believes is pure and deserving, not necessarily, the eldest one. Hazrat Imam Hussain RA
received the title of Imamat from his brother Hazrat Imam Hassan RA. The office of Imamat started
from Holy Prophet ﷺand then moved to Hazrat Ali RA and then moved to his male offspring, which
he had with Holy Prophet ’ﷺs daughter, Hazrat Fatimah RA. There are in total Twelve Imams, which
is an important factor in Shia beliefs. These Twelve Imams, along with Holy Prophet ﷺand Hazrat
Fatimah RA, are known as Fourteen Pure Souls.
Ali Zayn Al Abidin RA:
Hazrat Zayn Al Abidin RA was the son of Imam Hussain RA, who was the only one to survive the
battle of Karbala. He went to fight along with his father, but because he was sick, he was not able
to take part and stayed back and survived the slaughtering.
He was born on 15th Jumada Al-Awl 36 AH. His real name was Imam Sajjad, but he was given the
title of Zayn Al Abidin and Sajjad. He was given the title of SajjadRAbecause he used to prostrate
every time he thought about Allah and the benefits provided by Him to mankind. He used to shake
with fear of Allah whenever he prayed.
He was married to the Iranian king, Yazdgard’s daughter. After the battle of Karbala, he was taken
to Damascus with all the women and children, but later could go to Madinah because Yazid
wanted to avoid any kind of backlash from the public. However, after some time, he was brutally
tied and was again, sent to Damascus by the orders of the Umayyad Caliph, Abdul Malik. He later
came back and retired from all kinds of public affairs. He only stayed in touch with few people who
were taught under the guidance of Imams, including Abu Hamza Thumali and Abu Khalid. He was
a God-fearing man and always ready to help anyone in need. His writings include Sahifah-
Sajjadiyah which included 57 supplications (duas). He was poisoned by Walid Bin Abdul Malik on
the orders of Hashim and died in 25th Muharram 95 AH/713 AD.
Muhammad Al-Baqir RA:
Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir RA was born in 57 AH/667 AD. He was born to the Fourth Imam, Imam
Ali Zayn Al-Abidin RA, and Fatimah RA, the daughter of Imam Hassan RA. He was given the title of,
Imam, by his father. He was 4-years-old at the time of the battle of Karbala, so fortunately he stayed
alive during this battle.
During his Imamat time, there was chaos and fighting caused by the unjust rule of the Umayyad
Caliphs. However, the Umayyad Caliphs were going through some family issues, which was
beneficial for the family of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, as the Umayyad stayed away from them. He took
the charge during the four Umayyad Caliphs' time, including Waleed Bin Abdul Malik, Sulaiman bin
Abdul Malik, Umar Bin Abdul Aziz, and Hasham Bin Abdul Malik. He was considered as someone
with a lot of knowledge regarding religious matters. The battle of Karbala caused people to pay a
lot of attention to the Imams. He was known to report numerous Ahadith.
It was stated by Muhammad bin Muslim, “There was nothing which flashed across my mind and did
not ask Muhammad Baqir till I asked him thirty thousand questions.” He was poisoned by Ibrahim
Ibn Walid on the instructions of Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd-al Malik and died in 114 AH/ 732 AD.
J’affar Sadiq Ibn Muhammad RA:
He was the son of Fifth Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir RA, and was born in 83 AH/702 AD. He was given
the title of Imam from his father and was there as Imam, during the Umayyad and Abbasid
Caliphate.
He had extensive knowledge regarding spiritual and religious matters. During his time, he had the
opportunity of spreading the Islamic teachings to the people around him, because the situation
was better in his lifetime, due to the fighting in the duration of the Muslim Empire. He had countless
