Ibn Manẓūr has mentioned: Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā was asked why the Lady Fatimah (‘a) was given the name of Batūl. He answered: (She was named as such) because of her virtue, her modesty, her religion, her personality, and her lineage amongst all of the women of her time, which was superior and distinct. It has also been said that (she was given this name) because of her separation from the matters of this world (worldly matters) and her movement towards the Lord…
 

Ali bin Yaqtin who acted as Imam Musa al-Kazim’s secret agent in the palace of Harun, would secretly send the Imam his Khums, and occasionally, although extremely dangerous and risky, he would send the Imam financial aid.

Harun was extremely unhappy by the fact that even with all his power and influence, he felt the hearts of the people were still with Imam Musa al-Kazim (‘a). He tried tirelessly and desperately to eradicate this spiritual influence and penetration of the Imam in the people’s hearts.

The Abbasid caliph Muhammad, more famously known as Mahdi once came to Medina to visit the grave of the Prophet (s), on this particular visit he went to visit Imam al-Kaẓim (‘a) to test his knowledge. He decided to do this through asking the Imam about the prohibition of alcohol in the Qur’an. He explained to the Imam that most people understand that the Qur’an has asked people to stay away from alcohol, however they do not understand this as being a prohibition, thereafter asking ‘has alcohol been prohibited in the Qur’an?’

Hishām ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, one of the caliphs during the time of Imam al-Baqir (‘a), was always fearful of the Imam’s (‘a) extraordinary rank and the people’s love towards him. Since he also knew that his followers considered him to be the Imam, he was perpetually working to prevent the spread of the spiritual influence of these followers, as well as an increase in their numbers.

It was mentioned previously that Imam al-Baqir (‘a) lived contemporaneously with 5 of the Umayyid caliphs. We will mention the particularities of each during their time of rule and their administration of the society. This will make evident the social and political conditions and circumstances which Imam al-Baqir (‘a) lived in during his life.

He is famously known for analyzing and explaining various intellectual issues. He brought about an extensive movement in learning and science, and laid the foundations for an Islamic university, which reached its zenith in the time of his son Imam Sadiq (‘a).

We know that one of the important aspects in the lives of our Imams (‘a) was that of their intellectual guidance and education of the society. Each of these leaders trained and educated a great many students during their time and they spread their own knowledge through the medium of these students throughout the society. Still, the individual political situations of the Imams (‘a) were not the same and differed significantly in some cases; for example, the time of Imam Baqir (‘a) and Imam Sadiq (‘a) were quite favorable and for this same reason, they educated a large number of students. The people who narrated traditions from Imam Sadiq (‘a) exceeded 4,000 individuals.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) was well-known for his positive characteristics amongst his contemporaries.

Ibn Khallakān has mentioned the following in regards to Imam al-Sadiq (‘a): “Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq is the sixth Imam from the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt.

The second stage of this movement, which began from the event of ‘Ashura, continued with the sermons of Zaynab (‘a) (the daughter of Amīr al-Mu'minīn (‘a)) in the market of Kūfah, along with the short and simple, yet powerful speeches of Imam Zayn al-’Abidīn (‘a).

At the time of Islam’s revelation, slavery was a prevalent phenomenon, even in empires such as Rome. Since the abolishment of such a widespread and deep rooted phenomenon was not possible all at once, Islam opened various other routes towards its gradual abolishment. From one angle, Islam reduced the ways that people could be taken as slaves, and from the other angle, it made the freeing of slaves an Islamic institution

He was the son of Imam Husayn ibn ‘Ali (‘a), the third Imam of the Shia world, and his mother was Shahr Bānūwiyah.

When Zaynab (‘a) saw the bloodied head of Imam Husayn (‘a) in the gathering that Yazīd had organized, she cried out in a grief stricken voice and said: Oh Husayn, oh beloved of the Prophet of God (ṣ), oh child of Mecca and Minā, oh son of Fatimah Zahra’, the master of all the men of the world, oh son of the daughter of Muhammad Muṣṭafā.