The belief of Musa al-Kadhim being the Qaim

This is the second part from yesterday's post. After this post, I'll probably not be talking about them for a long time unless I find something really interesting.

The belief of Imam Musa al-Kadhim being the Qaim (the Mahdi)

The belief that al-Kadhim would be the Qa'im seems to have already spread to some extent within the Imami community when al-Kadhim was still alive. This seems to be a result of the circulation of a hadith in which al-Sadiq was related to have said that the seventh Imam would be the Qa'im.

This created an expectation that it was al-Kadhim who would establish justice and equity on earth. For that reason, when the Imam died in custody in Baghdad, the 'Abbasid vizier Yahya b. Halid al-Barmaid ordered it to be announced that Musa al-Kadhim whom the Shia (al-Rafida) claim was the Qa'im who would not die, had died and that they should come and look at his dead body.

Although the identity and the number of these people are not known, they must have been a considerable number of people since the government delayed the Imam's funeral by displaying his body on a bridge in Baghdad for three days in order to convince the people of al-Kadhim's death.

All the Waqifa agreed that Imam Musa al-Kadhim went into concealment and would return some day and carry out the tasks of the Qa'im. However, there was disagreement among them about the immortality of the Imam and the function of 'All al-Rida who had already been proclaimed as the new Imam by a number of the followers.

Here’s what is written about the Waqifa

Many Waqifas thought that al-Kadhim had not died. He went out from the prison in which he was kept by the 'Abbasids and nobody saw him after that. But the caliph Harun al-Rashid falsified this fact and announced that al-Kadhim had died.

These followers circulated a hadith in which al-Sadiq said that if al-Kadhim head was rolled down to them from a mountain, they should not believe it, because he was the Qa'im.

In another hadith al-Sadiq said:

"Whosoever comes to you and tells you that he has nursed my son, closed his eyes, washed his body, put him in his grave, and shaken off his hands the dust of his grave, do not believe him".

• Other Waqifis accepted the death of al-Kadhim. An opinion of one group of Waqifa was that al-Kadhim after his death, returned to the world and went into hiding where he continued to command his followers. A small selected group of his disciples was able to visit him and see him. They relied on a hadith attributed to al-Sadiq that the Qa'im was called so because he would rise (yaqumu) after having died.
• The opinion of another group was that al-Kadhim died and he would return sometime near the day of resurrection, like Jesus, to fill the earth with justice as it was filled with injustice and despotism. They relied on a statement ascribed to al-Sadiq that in al-Kadhim there was a resemblance with Jesus and he would be killed at the hands of "the children of al-'Abbas".

All these sects were called the Waqiffa. The majority of them did not accept any Imam after al-Kadhim and they categorically rejected the imamate of 'Ali al-Rida.

However, some of them gave some place to him and the following Imams from his descendants in their beliefs. They did not accept them as Imams; they were only the representatives of al-Kadhim until he would return to the earth as the real Imam.

There was another group which could be regarded as the skeptical Waqifa. They considered the contradictory statements about the life of al-Kadhim equal in reliability. They also did not regard the traditions of al-Rida's designation to the imamate as explicit enough for them to set aside other traditions showing al-Kadhim as the last Imam and the awaited Qa'im. Therefore, they decided to wait and did not come to any conclusion about the matter until the truth emerged.

• Al-Nawbahti reports that many people from this group later accepted al-Rida's imamate and joined his party.
• Al-Tusi in his Rijal indicates fifty-four Waqifi names among the disciples of al-Kadhim. This number is about one fifth of all the disciples of the Imam whose names are given by al-Tusi.
• No work of the Waqifa has reached us. Only al-Tusi relates a large number of Waqifi hadith in his Kitab al-Gaybah in order to criticize them. These forty-one traditions were quoted from the book of 'Ali b. Ahmad al-'Alawi. Al-Tusi says that the author wrote it to support the Waqifi belief.

Reference

[1] The Schism in the Party of Mūsā al-Kāẓim and the Emergence of the Wāqifa

Waqifa, their sub-sects and other sects similar to them in belief

This post is based on this article[1]. I’ve covered Waqifa in a few other posts, but this entry will be more comprehensive and will cover the background of the Waqifa sects.

• The Waqifa sect stopped (waqafa) their line of Imams with the seventh Imam Musa al-Kadhim. They did not accept any other Imam after him.
• Another group called the Qafi'ya declared that Ali al-Rida was their new Imam after Musa al-Kadhim. The Shia Imamiyya has also accepted Ali al-Ridha as their eight Imam.
• A sect called the Mufawidda claimed that al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Abi  Talib had NOT been killed in Karbala. They maintained that he was raised to the heavens just like Jesus who had been raised before.
• After the death of Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya in 81 H or 700 AD, several groups, who were generally called the Kaysaniyya, declared that he had not died and he was the Qa'im.
• A sub-sect of Kaysaniyya believed that Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah was on the hill of Radwa between Mecca and Medina. He was nourished by God with food and drink. A lion on his right and a tiger on his left always protected him and this would continue until his reappearance.
• An extremist sect called the Bayaniyya believe his son, Aba Hasim ibn Muhammad al-Hanafiya, was also the Qaim. They stopped their line of Imams with him and started to wait for his reappearance.

But that’s not all. Even the father and grandfather of Imam Musa al-Kadhim were target of similar claims after their deaths.

• A small sect called the Baqiriyya believed in Imam Muhammad al-Baqir's concealment. The group maintained that he was the Mahdi-Qa'im and this fact had been told by the Prophet to Jabir b. 'Abd Allah, a Medinite disciple of the Prophet who is said to have met with al-Baqir. The Prophet told Jabir that he would meet the Qa'im and, when it would happen, he should give the Prophet's greeting to him.
• Another  group  called  the  Nawusiyya denied  al-Sadiq's  death  proclaiming  him  as  the  Qa'im.
• Similarly,  a  body  of  proto-Ismalis rejected the  death  of  Isma'il  b.  Ja'far  during  his  father's  lifetime  and  alleged  that  his  death  was  merely a plot of al-Sadiq's to save Ismail from the 'Abbasid persecution. Al-Shahrastani designates  this  group "al-Ismaliyya al- Waqifa".

All  these  groups  stopped (waqafa) their line of Imams with a particular Imam. The  name  Waqifa is  generally  used  in literature for those Shia's who believed Imam Musa al-Kadhim to be the  Qa'im.  

Reference

[1] The Schism in the Party of Mūsā al-Kāẓim and the Emergence of the Wāqifa

Basiriyya (Waqifa) are Ghulats

Basiriyya are Waqifa; they denied Imam Musa al Kadhim (as) death. They originate from Kufa (Iraq).

The group leader is Muhammad b. Basir. Imam Musa al-Kadhim has publicly cursed Ibn Basir for spreading heretical ideas (Ghuluww) such as

• Claimed that Musa al-Kadhim was not a human being. He is a light when seen by the people of the light" ("ahl al-nur"), as a dim light by "the people of dimness" ("ahl al-kudra") and as a human being by normal people
• Claimed that Musa al Kadhim was screened from the people and that he did not die.
• Claimed that Musa al-Kadhim was the Qaim and the Mahdi and will return to earth.
• Claimed that he himself was the successor of Imam Musa al-Kadhim
• Claimed that his son was his successor.
• They believed in some form of Tanasukh - that the soul of Imam passed from one Imam to another

Reference:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4057529

The Waqifites' and Their Doctrines

I just found out that the cause/reason behind appearance of Waqifites had to do with usurping of the Khums.

Imam Musa al-Kadhim (as) appointed a few agents to manage khums. After a while and unknowingly, these agents started using the community wealth for personal use. When Imam Musa (as) died, his successor, our eight Imam ar-Redha (as) requested the khums to be sent to him. These agents declined by claiming that Imam Musa al-Kadhim (as) did not die in the prison.

The Waqifities maintained that Imam Musa b. Ja‘far, peace be on him, was alive, did not die, and would never die, that he was raised to the heaven just as al-Masïh b. Maryam was raised, and that he was the awaited one who would undertake (the office of the Imamate, al-qa’im) and fill the world with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and tyranny. They claimed that the one who was in the prison of al-Sindi was not Imam Musa, peace be on him, rather the people imagined that he was in prison.

Taken from ImamReza.net

Islamic Sect: The Waqifa

Al-Shahrastani in his book al-Milal wa al-Nihal describe Waqifa as:
Waqifa sect believed in the Imamah of Imam Jaffar as-Sadiq (as), his father Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) and Imam Zayn al-Abiden (as). Some of the Waqifa do not believe in the Imamah of any Imams that descend from Imam Jaffar (as).

A number of sects are defined under waqifa by the author.

• Nawusiya: These are either followers of a man called Nawus or reside in a village called Nawus. They believed that Imam as-Sadiq is still alive and that he will not die until his re-appearance where he (Imam) will be successful.
• Aftahiya: The Aftahiya believe in the transmission of the Imamamh from Imam as-Sadiq to his son Abdullah al-Aftah. Abdullah only lived for 70 days after his father and died leaving no male issue. Please see the following link.
• Shumaitiya: The Shumaitiya are followers of Yahya b. Shumait. The description about this sect is very ambiguous.
• Ismailiyya are al-Waqifa. They believe in the Imamah of Ismail b. Imam Jaffar Sadiq(as) (his father's successor). Some of Waqifas rejected that Ismail has died while other believes that he did. References about the death of Ismail.
• Musawiyyas believe in the Imamah of Imam Musa al-Kadhim but not his descendent.