Imam Mohammad Al-Baqir(as) The Infallible Fifth Holy Imam
He was a man of great virtue and leadership, a man of a vast knowledge, great forbearance, great moral discipline, worship, generosity and kindness.
A Christian man, mispronouncing Imam's name, once
said to him,
"Are you Baqar?" ( meaning, a 'Cow').
The Imam said,
"No, I am Baqir."
The man then said,
"Are you the son of female cook?"
The Imam said,
Yes, that is her profession!"
The man then said,
"Are you the son of the bad negro woman?"
The Imam said,
"If what you say is true,
then may Allah forgive her
and if what you say is not true
then may Allah forgive you."
This moved the Christian man so much so, that he became a Muslim.
He had profound knowledge and he would answer
every question without delay. Ibin Ata of Mecca has said this about the
Imam,
"I never saw the scholars look so small as they did in the presence
of the Imam Mohammad Baqir. I saw AI- Hakam Ibin Utaybah, with all his
prestige in the community, but looked just like a child in the presence
of Imam Muhammad Baqir."
Mohammad Ibin Muslim has said this,
"I asked Imam Mohammad AI-Baqir all the questions that would come
to my mind. I asked him about thirty thousand Hadith."
The Fifth Imam would recite all the names and all the attributes of
Allah very often. His son Imam Jafar AL-Sadiq(as) has said of his father,
"My father would recite Allah's names very often and even when walking he would keep reciting Allah's names. And the conversation of the people before him, would not distract him or stop him from reciting Allah's names. He would pray a lot at night and his tears would flow tremendously during his prayers."