The historians and the narrators have unanimously agreed that the Ima`ms of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, predicted many bloody fights and events. Then they occurred on the arena of life, as the Ima`ms predicted.
Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, predicted that Mu'a`wiya would expose the great Companion, Hajr b. 'Adi, to various kinds of persecutions. Thus, Hajr suffered from those persecutions. He, peace be on him, predicted that the government of Marwa`n b. al-Hakam would last for a short time. He, peace be on him, said:
"Indeed he (Marwa`n) will carry the standard of his error when his temples become white. He will have authority (lasts) as the dog licks its nose.
He, peace be on him, predicted the government of the 'Abba`sids. Al-Mubarrad reported: "When 'Ali b. 'Abd Allah b. al-'Abba`s was born, his father brought him to Ima`m 'Ali, peace be on him. The Ima`m said to 'Abd Allah: What have you named him?' Is it possible for me to name him before you name him?' asked Abd Allah. So, the Ima`m said: 'I have named him with my name and given him my kunya. He will have authority.'(Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 7, p. 358)
He, peace be on him, predicted the murder of his son, the lord of martyrs, Ima`m Husayn, peace be on him. Al-Asbagh reported: "We came with 'Ali, peace be on him. We passed by the place of the grave of al-Husayn, peace be on him. So, 'Ali said: 'Their camels will kneel down here. Their baggage will be in this place. Their blood will be shed over there. Young men from the family of Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, will be killed on this ground. The sky and the earth will weep over them.' (Al-Riyad al-Nadira, vol. 2, p. 222)
He, peace be on him, also predicted man's technological inventions that will happen in the end of the time.
These predictions were not confined to only Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. Rather they included all the Ima`ms from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. For example, Ima`m al-Sa`diq, peace be on him, said to al-Mansu`r al-Dawa`niqi: "The boys from your children will play with it (i. e. , the caliphate).(Ithbat al-Wasiya, p. 182)
He, peace be on him, said to his cousin, 'Abd Allah b. al-Hasan: "You will not assume the caliphate. Rather al-Saffa`h will undertake it."All these predictions took place.
Ibn Khaldu`n recognized these predictions of the Ima`ms of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. He said: "If the miracle happens for other than them (the Ima`ms), then what do you think of those (the Ima`ms) who had knowledge, religion, signs from prophethood, and good branches testify their noble origin? Islamic law has decided that people are unable to see the unseen except those whom Allah make see in sleep or spiritual office.
Ja'far (al-Sa`diq) and the like from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) predicted many of those (unseen events). They, Allah knows better, depended on the spiritual authority in predicting that. They were the most appropriate of all the people for these noble ranks and the given miracles.(Al-Muqaddama, pp. 232-234)
As for the events which Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir) foresaw, they are as follow:
1. He foresaw the government of the 'Abba`sids. Abu` Basir said: "I was with Mohammed (al-Ba`qir) b. 'Ali when al-Mansu`r and Da`wud b. Sulayma`n came to him. That was before the government of the 'Abba`sids. Da`wud came to the Ima`m and greeted him. The Ima`m, peace be on him, said to him:
'What prevented (al-Mansu`r) al-Dawa`niqi from coming?' Da`wud b. Sulayma`n apologized (to the Ima`m on behalf of him).
Then he said: 'He has turned away (from you).' The Ima`m, peace be on him, told Da`wud about al-Mansu`r's future, saying: 'In the future this man will be a ruler over the creation. He will persecute the men. He will govern over the east and west (of the earth). His life will be long. No one will gather properties as he will do.'
Da`wud hurried to al-Mansu`r. He brought him the good words of the Ima`m. So, al-Mansu`r walked quickly toward the Ima`m to understand his words concerning him. He apologized to the Ima`m for being so rude.
He said: "Nothing has prevented me from sitting with you but the esteem for you."Then he asked the Ima`m about what he had told Da`wud. Thus, the Ima`m, peace be on him, said:
That will happen.
Al-Mansu`r asked the Ima`m for more explanations, saying:
Will we rule before you rule?
"Yes.
Will one of my children rule after me?
Yes.
Which will be longer- the Umayyad period or ours?
Yours will be longer. Your boys will play with government as they do with the football. My father had told me about that.
Al-Mansu`r went away happy. He was sure that he would assume authority. He always remembered the Ima`m's words. When he became caliph, he admired the Imam's prediction.(Jami' Karamat al-Auliya', vol. 1, p. 97)
(Al-Mansur) al-Dawa`niqi said: "My brother Abu` al-'Abba`s and I escaped from the Umayyads. We passed by the Mosque of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. Mohammed (al-Ba`qir) b. 'Ali was sitting there. He, peace be on him, said to a man sitting beside him: 'Those two (persons) will undertake authority.' He pointed with his hand to us. The man came and told us about the Ima`m's words.
So, we went to the Ima`m and said to him: 'O son of Allah's Apostle, what you have said?' He, peace be on him, said: 'You will shortly assume this authority. However, you will mistreat my progeny. Then woe unto you! That happened as the Ima`m, peace be on him, predicted.
When al-Mansu`r became caliph, he mistreated the descendants of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. He punished them severely. During the time of this tyrant, the descendants of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, suffered from various kinds of persecution to an extent that they did not suffer from such persecution during the time of the Umayyad. Generally speaking, throughout his days, they suffered from disasters, pains, and tortures.
2. Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, predicted that the Black Stone would be put into the Great Mosque in Ku`fa.(Al-Maqrizi, Itti'az al-Hunafa', p. 245)
That happened during the days of the Karmatnians. They took it from the Kaaba and put it into the Mosque of Ku`fa. They thought that the hajj would depend on it. So, it would be performed in the Mosque of Ku`fa. Thus, the Black Stone remained there for about twenty years, and then it was brought back to its place.
3. He, peace be on him, foretold that Nafi' b. al-Azraq would invade Medina (Yathrib), and that he would permit his soldiers to profane it. Ima`m al-Sa`diq, peace be on him, said:
"My father was at a general meeting. He bowed his head, and then he raised it and said:
'O People, a man along with four thousand (soldiers) will enter your city. They will fight against you with the sword for three successive days. They will kill your fighters. You will be unable to face that tribulation. That will happen in the next year. Therefore, be on the alert. Know, what I have told you will surely happen.'
However, the people of Medina paid no attention to the Ima`m's words. They said: 'That will never happen.' In the next year Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir) took his family along with a group of the Ha`shimites and went out of Medina. Then Nafi' b. al-Azraq came. He was accompanied by four thousand (soldiers). He entered Medina and permitted his (soldiers) to profane it for three days. So, they killed many people.(Nur al-Abbsar, p. 130)
Thus, the people of Media understood the Ima`m's truthful prediction.
4. He, peace be on him, foresaw that his brother Zayd would die a martyr. Zayd b. Ha`zim reported. He said: "I was with Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him. Zayd passed by us. So, Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir) said to me: 'Have you not seen this? He will revolt (against the government) in Ku`fa. He will be killed. His head will be sent about.'(Nur al-Abbsar, p. 131)
Few days after that, Zayd was killed in Ku`fa and his head was sent about to countries and cities.
5. He, peace be on him, foretold that the house of Hisha`m b. 'Abd al-Malik would be demolished. It was the largest house in Medina (Yathrib). He built it of oil stones. The Ima`m, peace be on him, said: "By Allah, the house will be demolished. The oil stones will be rare."Abu` Ha`zim said: "When I heard that, I was astonished at it. Then I said: 'Who will demolish the house which Hisha`m, the Commander of the Faithful, has built?' Then Hisha`m died. So, al-Walid assumed the Caliphate after him. He ordered the house to be demolished, and then he ordered the oil stones to be moved from it. So, they became rare in Medina (Yathrib).( Dala'ilal-Imama, p. 110)
6. Al-Fudayl reported. He said: "I asked Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir): 'We have heard that the family of Ja'far (al-Sa`diq) will have one standard and the family of al-'Abba`s will have two standards. Do you have knowledge of that?'"The Ima`m, peace be on him, said:
"As for the family of Ja'far, they will have nothing nor will my family. As for the family of al-'Abba`s, they will undertake a great kingdom. In it they will make friends with the strangers and abandon the relatives. Their authority will be rude. There will be no mercy in it. When they feel safe from Allah's punishment, He will destroy then all. Then no house will gather them together nor will an ear hear them. That is due to the Words of Allah, the Great and Almighty: 'Until when the earth puts on its golden ornament.'(Ithabat al-Hudat, vol. 5, p. 310)
These are some of the Ima`m's predictions. They indicate that the Imam, peace be on him, had vast knowledge, and that he encompassed these affairs which Allah, the Exalted, had given to the prophets and their trustees. It is natural that the person is in need of fixed belief and steadfast conviction to accept this phenomenon concerning the Ima`ms, peace be on them. Ima`m Abu` Ja'far (al-Ba`qir), peace be on him, mentioned that when he said:
"Indeed our speech is difficult and regarded as difficult. (No one) accepts it except a close angel or a sent prophet or a servant whose heart Allah tests for belief.
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