Cannabaceae

ʿAbdallāh al-Afṭaḥ ibn Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (Arabic: عبدالله الافطح بن جعفر الصادق, d. 766 CE / 149 A.H.)[1] was the eldest son of Ja'far al-Sadiq (after al-Sadiq's death) and the full-brother of Isma'il ibn Jafar.[2] Abdallah's title "al-Aftah" derives from the Arabic words "aftah al-ra’s" (broad-headed) or "aftah al-rijlayn" (broad-footed) used to describe his appearance.[3]

Life[edit]

During the lifetime of his father, Abdallah al-Aftah had supported the revolt of his relative Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya.[4]

Following Ja'far al-Sadiq's death, the majority of Ja'far's followers accepted Abdallah al-Aftah as their new Imam. These followers were known as the Fathites and, according to the Mu'tazili heresiographer Abul-Qasim al-Balkhi al-Ka‘bi (d.319 A.H. / 931 CE), they were the biggest and most important section of the followers of Ja'far al-Sadiq.[5] To support his claims, Abdallah al-Aftah seems to have claimed a 2nd Nass from his father (following Ismā'īl's demise) and his adherents cited a supposed Hadith from Ja'far al-Sadiq to the effect that the Imamate must be transmitted through the eldest son of the Imam. However, when Abdallah al-Aftah died about in 766 after the death of his father, the bulk of his supporters went over to his brother Musa al-Kazim.[6] Other Fathites considered Abdallah al-Aftah the 7th Imam and Musa al-Kazim the 8th Imam,[7] while others believed the Imamate came to an end when Abdallah al-Aftah died.[5] Another group invented a son for Abdallah al-Aftah, called Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Aftah, because they unconditionally believed the Imamate could only be inherited from father to son, rather than from brother to brother. This group also claimed that Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Aftah was the promised Mahdi.

Sāhib al-Haqq[edit]

In a letter sent to the Isma'ili community in Yemen by the first Fatimid caliph, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah, which was reproduced by Ja'far ibn Mansur al-Yaman, Abdallah al-Aftah was referred as Sāhib al-Haqq or the legitimate successor of Ja'far al-Sadiq, in an attempt to explain the genealogy of his ancestors. Instead of tracing his descent to Isma'il ibn Jafar and his son Muhammad ibn Ismail, al-Mahdi Billah designated al-Aftah as his forefather. According to al-Mahdi Billah, al-Aftah had called himself 'Isma'il ibn Ja'far' for the sake of taqiyya, and each of his successors had assumed the name Muhammad. Al-Mahdi Billah explained the genealogy of the Fatimid Caliphs and claimed Fatimid ancestry by declaring himself to be ʿAli ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbadullāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar al-Sadiq. But the Imamah (Ismaili doctrine) was later formulated in a different manner since ʿAbdallah al-Mahdi Billah's explanation of his ancestry was not accepted by his successors.[8]

His position in the Ismā'īlī-Imāmah doctrine[edit]

Jāʿfar al-Sādiq
(Imamāh‘Shi'ā)
Fatimah bint al-Hussain'l-Athram b. al-Ḥasan b. Ali
Al-Aftāh
(Fatahīyyah)
Ismā‘il
(Ismā‘il’īyyah)
MuhammadMuhammed
Al-Wafi
At-Tāqī
Ar-Rāḍī
Mahdi Billāh
Fatimids (Ismailism)
Al-Qā'im
Al-Mansur
Al-Mu'izz
Al-Aziz
Al-Hakim
Az-Zahir
Al-Mustansir
Nizār al-Muṣṭafá (Nizāriyyah)Muhammad ibn Abū TamīmAl-Musta‘lī (Musta‘līyyah)
Al-Āmīr
Alamut Castle (Hassasins)Al-Hāfiz (Ḥāfiziyyah)Aṭ-Ṭayyib (Ṭayyibiyyah)
Al-ZāfirYūssuf
Nizārī ImāmahAl-Fā'izTaiyabi Dā'ĩs
Al-'Āḍīd
Nizārī IsmāilismDawoodi Dā'ĩs

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Abdallah al-Aftah
of the Ahl al-Bayt
Shia Islam titles
Preceded by 7th Imam of Fathite Shia Islam
765–766 CE
Succeeded by
died without issue
Succeeded by
Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Aftah
(existence disputed)

One thought on “Cannabaceae

  1. Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
    View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction

Leave a Reply