Al-Baqir had a prominent seyyid lineage. His father was Ali ibn Husayn "Zayn al-Abidin", and his paternal grandfather was Husayn ibn Ali, while his mother was Fatima Umm Abd Allah, and his maternal grandfather was Hasan ibn Ali. His grandfathers Hasan and Husayn were the two eldest surviving sons of Ali through his first wife Fatimah, the youngest daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Al-Baqir was born in Medina around 56 AH, when Muawiyah I was trying to ensure that his son Yazid I could inherit the caliphate. When Al-Baqir was a child, his family was affected by the Battle of Karbala; he was three or four years old when his grandfather, Husayn, was killed. According to Ya'qubi, al-Baqir was present at Karbala. In his youth he witnessed the struggle for power among the Umayyads, Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr and a number of Shiite parties, whilst his father maintained a distance from local political activity.
Name
Al-Baqir is an abbreviation of Baqir al-'ilm, which means "he who opens knowledge", and al-Baqir is said to have been known for his knowledge. According to Ibn Khallikan, he received the nickname "al-Baqir" due to the "ample fund of knowledge" he collected. However, Ya'qubi believed that he was called al-Baqir because he "split open knowledge", examining its depths. The Shiites believe that Baqir al-'ilm was not an ordinary title, because it was given to him by Muhammad. According to al-Kulayni, Muhammad's only living companion Jabir ibn Abd Allah would sit in the mosque and cry: "Ya baqir al-ilm, Ya baqir al-ilm". Although Medinans thought that Jabir was insane, he assured them that Muhammad had told him: "O Jabir! You will meet a man from my family who will have the same name and the same characteristics as mine. He will split open knowledge extensively." According to al-Kulayni, Jabir ibn Abd Allah met al-Baqir when passing a Quran school. Abd Allah saw that the imam was still a child, and examined him to see if he had the features which Muhammad had described. Jabir asked, "Characteristics of the Messenger of Allah; by Him in whose hands is my soul, O boy, what is your name?" When al-Baqir answered that he was Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn, Jabir "approached him, kissed his head and swore by his father and mother that Muhammad had recited greeting upon him.". According to al-Kafi, Imam Baqir stressed the importance of intelligence saying that Allah will hold everyone accountable on the day of judgement according to the degree of intelligence they received in the worldly life..
Imamate
During the imamah of Muhammad al-Baqir, riots erupted throughout the Islamic world due to the Umayyad Caliphate's oppression. Disagreements within the Umayyad party kept them occupied, and they left members of the household undisturbed for some time. However, tyranny in the Battle of Karbala had attracted many people to the imams. These conditions had permitted people to travel to Medina in large groups and visit the imam freely. The possibility of spreading Islam was available to the fifth imam, indicated by a number of traditions about the imam and scholars trained under him.
Division
After the death of Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, most of the Shiites agreed upon his son al-Baqir as the next imam; a minority favored another son of the imam, and became known as Zaidiyyah. According to Ibn Khallikan, Zaid, appealed for people to support his cause. According to Al-Masudi, he asked for advice from Muhammad al-Baqir; al-Baqir advised him not to rely on the people of Kufa, explaining how they had previously behaved toward the members of his household. Zaid did not listen to his brother's advice, and led the people of Kufa in a fruitless riot. According to Al-Shahrastani, a dispute had arisen between Muhammad al-Baqir and Zaid because Zaid had been following the Mu'taziliteWasil ibn Ata. Zaid had also announced that the position of imam was conditional on his appearing publicly to assert his rights. Muhammad al-Baqir replied, "Your faith then is merely in your father, as such, for according to your theory he was not an imam, for he certainly never came forth to assert his claims."
Under the Umayyad rulers
Despite his non-involvement in political activities, the Umayyad rulers harassed Muhammad al-Baqir. Many Shia individuals and delegations came to Medina from Kufa to hear al-Baqir's teachings and ask him questions, among which was who had the right to rule. He was also distrusted because of the uprising of his brother Zayd ibn Ali and other relatives. Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where Mohammed al-Baqir and his son Ja'far al-Sadiq were present. At a gathering, al-Baqir delivered a sermon: "We are the favorite and chosen servants of God, and His vicegerents on the face of the earth. One who obeys us is successful and one who opposes would be evil and wretched." His statements were conveyed to Hisham, who wrote to the governor of Medina when he returned to his court in Syria instructing him to send al-Baqir and his son to Damascus. When they arrived, he kept them waiting for three days; on the fourth he called them to court, where he was practicing archery with his officials.
Works
''Ma'athiru'l-Baqir''
In Ma'athiru'l-Baqir the imam discussed a number of topics, from the nature of the soul and the qualities of the Ulama to the attributes of God and the divine nature. A man asked him, "Should I think of anything ?" The imam replied: "Yes, but you have to imagine a thing which the mind cannot contain and which is without limit. He is unlike whatever comes into your mind. Nothing resembles Him nor can any thought reach Him." He also said, "Talk about the creation of Allah, but do not talk about Allah Himself, for that increases the owner of the talk nothing except perplexity." He defined a Rasul as a prophet who hears and sees the angel in bodily form or in a dream. A Nabi is a prophet who hears but does not see the angel, and the imam is like the Nabi. The imam was frequently asked to explain teachings about the imamate, which is also explained in Ma'athiru'l-Baqir (a summary of which is translated into English in Canon Sell's Ithna ʻAsharíyya or The Twelve Shiʻah Imams. When asked about collective knowledge of the Quran, Imam al-Baqir would say that no one collected and memorized the Holy Book as Allah revealed it except Muhammad, Ali ibn Abu Talib and the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt after him. Further, no one is able to claim that they have knowledge of the entire Quran, its apparent and hidden essence, except the executors of the will of the Holy Prophet..
''Umm al-Kitab''
Umm al-Kitab, or The Archetype of the Book, is in the form of a discussion between the imam and three companions. Resembling the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, it illustrates the similarity between imamology and gnostic Christology. A major concept of this work is the description of the numinous experience. Its central motif is the psychological and philosophical explanation of spiritual symbols, with believers instructed to perform acts of self-purification and renewal. Colors are used to symbolize theories and levels of consciousness which one must recognize in oneself.
''Tafsir al-Baqir''
, or Tafsir Abul Jaroud, is al-Baqir's exegesis of the Quran. Ibn al-Nadim included this book in his list of exegeses of the Quran in his Kitab al-Fihrist, writing that Abul Jaroud Ziyad ibn Abi Ziyad reported al-Baqir's book. According to Sayyd Hasan al-Sadr, "A group of the reliable Shiites reported the book from him from the days of his righteousness"; among them was Abu Basïr Yahya bin al-Qasim al-Asadi. Ali bin Ibrahï~m bin Hashim al-Qummi also mentioned it in his book, al-Tafsïr, by the authority of Abu Basïr.
Death
Imam died on 7th Dhu al-Hijjah. Imam al-Baqir was poisoned by Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. According to the Shi'i account, the Caliph gave Zaid a saddle treated with poison; Zaid gave it to the Imam, who used it and died. Al-Baqir was laid to restunder the dome in al-Baqi', where the Imams Hasan ibn Ali and Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin were buried.
