Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah
Encyclopedia
Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq was a figure whose existence is contested: a portion of the Fathite
Shia Muslims (followers of Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq
), believed that Muhammad was the son of Imam Abdullah al-Aftah (died 766 CE), whom they believed to be the Imam
after his father Ja'far al-Sadiq
. This assertion is contested by others, including many Fathites, who believe that Abdullah died without issue.
When Abdullah al-Aftah died without an issue to succeed him in the Imamate, a portion of his followers believed in the necessity of the continuation of the Imamate in the children and the grandchildren of the Imam through pure vertical inheritance. Due to this they could not shift to the belief in the Imamate of the brother of Abdullah al-Aftah, Musa al-Kadhim
. They therefore believed that Abdullah secretly had a son, claiming that this son was the Mahdi
. They argued: "His name corresponds to the famous Prophetic hadith
(of Muhammad
): 'His name (i.e. the Mahdi) is my name (i.e. Muhammad), the name of his father is the name of my father (i.e. Abdullah).'"
Fathite
The Fathites are a now-defunct branch of Shia Muslims who were supporters of Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq, believing him to be Imam after his father Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth imam of Shiism, in 766 CE...
Shia Muslims (followers of Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq
Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq
Abdullah al-Aftah ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq was the eldest surviving son of Ja'far al-Sadiq and the full-brother of Isma'il ibn Jafar...
), believed that Muhammad was the son of Imam Abdullah al-Aftah (died 766 CE), whom they believed to be the Imam
Imamah (Shi'a doctrine)
Imāmah is the Shia doctrine of religious, spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. The Shīa believe that the A'immah are the true Caliphs or rightful successors of Muḥammad, and further that Imams are possessed of divine knowledge and authority as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt,...
after his father Ja'far al-Sadiq
Ja'far al-Sadiq
Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...
. This assertion is contested by others, including many Fathites, who believe that Abdullah died without issue.
When Abdullah al-Aftah died without an issue to succeed him in the Imamate, a portion of his followers believed in the necessity of the continuation of the Imamate in the children and the grandchildren of the Imam through pure vertical inheritance. Due to this they could not shift to the belief in the Imamate of the brother of Abdullah al-Aftah, Musa al-Kadhim
Musa al-Kadhim
' was the seventh of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'a Islam. He was the son of Imam and his mother was Hamidah Khātūn, a student and former Zanjiyyah slave...
. They therefore believed that Abdullah secretly had a son, claiming that this son was the Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
. They argued: "His name corresponds to the famous Prophetic hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
(of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
): 'His name (i.e. the Mahdi) is my name (i.e. Muhammad), the name of his father is the name of my father (i.e. Abdullah).'"