1. Birth & Early Life
ImamMuhammadbin‘Ali’slineageisuniqueinthesensethatheisthe
onlyImamwhosewasconnectedtoFatimatu’z-Zahrā’throughhisfath-
eraswellashismother:hisfatherwassonofImamHusaynbin‘Ali,and
hismotherwasdaughterofImamHasanbin‘Ali.Hencehewasknown
as“Ibnu’l-Khayaratayn—thesonoftwovirtues”.Hewasalsoknown
as “al-Bāqir — the digger [of the knowledge of the prophets]”.
Thefirstyearsofhislifewereblessedwiththepresenceofhisgrand-
fatherImamHusaynbin‘Ali.Hewasfouryearsoldwhenthemassacre
ofKarbalatookplace;andthe childhoodmemoriesof thattragicevent
stayedwith himforever.Hewitnessed thethirty-fouryearsofhisfath-
er’s imāmate and his contribution in furthering the education of the
Muslims in general and the Shi’as in particular.