Personalities

Jabir b. Yazid al- Ju'fy al- Kufi reported traditions on the authority of al- Baqir and al- Sadiq, peace be on them. He died during the lifetime of Abu Abd Allah (al- Sadiq), peace be on him, in the year 128 (A.H.). It was said that he died in the year 132. Only on the authority of al- Baqir, he reported seventy thousand traditions: Whoever consider carefully his traditions understands that Jabir knew their secrets and wonders.

Al- Baqir, peace be on him, ordered Jabir to affect madness. He did that. He went around the yard of the Mosque of Kufa. The boys went around him. He said: "I have found Mansur b. Jumhur Emir without emirate." Days passed. Hisham b. Abd al- Malik sent a letter to his governor over Kufa. The letter read: "Look for a man called Jabir b. Zayd al- Ju'fy. Be head him, and send me his head." The governor turned to those who were sitting with him and asked them about Jabir. They said: "He was a man with virtue, knowledge, tradition, and argument. However, he has got crazy. He is now in the yard of the Mosque playing with the boys on the reeds." The governor came and looked at him. He saw him playing with the boys on the reeds. So, he said: "Thank Allah, who has saved me from killing him." Then the secret of the order of al- Baqir, peace be on him, for Jabir to affect madness became disclosed. Then when Jabir became safe, he came back to his first state. Very few days passed. Then what Jabir had said about Mansur b. Jumhur took place.

In his book al- Tarikh (vol. 3, p.81) al- Ya'quby has mentioned a tradition on the authority of Jabir. Also he has mentioned Jabir's predictions about the Abbasid dynasty.

Adapted from: "Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.)"