Here it is necessary to refer to one of the most unfortunate things that the researcher of Imam Ṣādiq’s (P.B.U.H.) life is faced with; and it is that the biography of Imam Ṣādiq (P.B.U.H.), especially in the early years of his Imamate, which coincided with the end of Umayyad rule, cloaked in an aura of uncertainty. Such eventful and hectic life whose conflicts and vicissitudes can be found through hundreds of historical narratives, has never been reflected in a regular and continuous format neither in history nor in the speeches of the scholars and biographers; and also the time and most of the features of its events have not been determined. The researcher should find out the time, place, and the characteristics of the incident by relying on evidences, considering the then common movements and comparing any narrative with the information obtained from other sources about the mentioned persons or events. Perhaps, one of the reasons for such vagueness and ambiguity–especially in the organizational activities of the Imam (P.B.U.H.) and his companions–should be sought in the nature of these things.
Normally, the hidden and organizational effort–in case it is associated with the true principles of secrecy–should always remain secret. That day, it was secret and so it would remain secret afterwards and indeed the secrecy and denial of its holder would not let the non-confidential lay hand on it. Whenever it does come to fruition; and its directors and agents are able to seize power, they themselves will reveal all the minutes of their efforts and strivings. That is why today many of intricacies and even private orders and secret contacts of the heads of ‘Abbasids with their followers and those of their organization at the time of ‘Abbasids’ invitation (for allegiance) are recorded in the history and all are aware of.
Undoubtedly, if the ‘Alawites’ movement had come to fruition and the power and government were handed over to the Shi‘ite Imams (P.B.U.T.) or their chosen people, today we would have been informed of all the sealed secrets of the ‘Alawite invitation (for the allegiance) and its widespread and highly secret organization.
Another reason should be sought in the nature of historiography and historians. A convicted and oppressed group even if their name had been written into the official history and memory of them had been recorded, undoubtedly that would have been done as the unjust ruling class had asked, narrated, and pretended.
For the official historian, apart from the heart-rending words about the convicts, which required major effort to gather from here and there to be recorded with great fear, there were a lot of words and news of the rulers, which could be received effortlessly and without concern as well as be paid for while making no risk!
Now, we bring this stark reality along with another reality. All major chronicles, which are considered the reference of many subsequent researches and reports and were written five hundred years after Imam Ṣādiq (P.B.U.H.), are laced with the ‘Abbasids because as we know the ‘Abbasid dynasty continued until the mid-seventh century and all the well-known old chronicles were written during this diehard reign and dynasty. Regarding this issue, the result is predictable. No one expects a historian of the ‘Abbasid era to gather confidential and factual information on the life of Imam Ṣādiq (P.B.U.H.) or any other Shi‘ite Imams (P.B.U.T.) and recorded them in his book. This is the secret of many of the distortions and ambiguities in the life of Imam Ṣādiq (P.B.U.H.).
The only way we can get familiar with the general line of Imam Ṣādiq’s (P.B.U.H.) life is to find the most important events of the Imam’s (P.B.U.H.) life among the ambiguities. In this regard, we should delineate the main lines of the Imam’s (P.B.U.H.) biography with the help of the Imam’s (P.B.U.H.) general principles of thought and manner which we are aware of and then, wait for the historical and circumstantial scattered evidences and reasons as well as the evidences other than history in order to determine the characteristics of Imam Ṣādiq’s (P.B.U.H.) life span.
