Ninth Imam
Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (a)
al-Taqi al-Jawad — the God-fearing, the Generous
Livedc. 811–835 CE (195–220 AH)
Resting placeKazimiyya, Baghdad
FatherImam Ali al-Rida
MotherLady Sabika (Khayzuran)
PassingMartyred — poisoned
At the hands ofBy order of the Abbasid al-Mu'tasim, Baghdad
Birth & Lineage
Born in Medina around 195 AH, Muhammad al-Jawad became Imam as a child of about eight after his father al-Rida — astonishing the scholars of his day, who tested him and found his knowledge complete.
Life & Virtues
His youth was itself a proof that the knowledge of the Imams is a gift from God, not the fruit of years alone. Despite Abbasid surveillance and an enforced marriage into the caliph’s family, he was famed for his piety and open-handed generosity.
Martyrdom & Legacy
He was poisoned and passed away in Baghdad in 220 AH, aged only about twenty-five, and is buried beside his grandfather Imam al-Kazim in Kazimiyya.