Ismail ibn Jafar & al-Qassim ibn Musa al-Kadhim as Imam candidates?
(Al-Kafi, vol 1, page 315)
It becomes evident that Imam al-Sadiq loved his son Ismail more than his son Musa al-Kadhim. And had he had a choice, he would have made Ismail the Imam after him.
“[Rasul Allah tells Imam al-Kadhim in a ru’yah (vision)]:
If choice of Imam was based on love, then Ismail was more beloved to your father than you [O Musa ibn Jafar]. But that (your choice for Imamate) was from Allah.”
ولو كانت الإمامة بالمحبة لكان إسماعيل أحب إلى أبيك منك ولكن ذلك من الله عز وجل.
- Imam al-Sadiq’s sadness that Ismail had not been made Imam - as was his wish - is evident in the following hadith:
(Al-Kafi, volume 2, page 92)
“We have been struck by [the death] of Ismail, so we were patient. So be patient, [O Mufaddal], like we had been patient. We had wanted a matter [that Ismail become the next Imam], but Allah desired a different matter. So we had submitted our will to the will of Allah.”
16 - عنه، عن علي بن الحكم، عن يونس بن يعقوب قال: أمرني أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام) أن آتي المفضل وأعزيه بإسماعيل وقال: اقرأالمفضل السلام (1) وقل له: إنا قد أصبنا بإسماعيل فصبرنا، فاصبر كما صبرنا، إنا أردنا أمرا وأراد الله عز وجل أمرا، فسلمنا لأمر الله عزوجل. (1)
- Similarly, Imam al-Kadhim had wished his son al-Qassim would have succeeded him in Imamate instead of Ali al-Ridha.
(Al-Kafi, volume 1, page 314)
“I [al-Kadhim] inform you O Aba Umara that I had left my house and willed [the Imamate] to my son Fulan [Ali al-Ridha].
I had made my sons equal in my dhahir (apparent / public will) [out of taqiyya from the Caliph].
And I had willed him to alone in batin (non-public) will.
And if I were in control of al-Amr [choice of Imamate], I would have made it pass onto my son al-Qassim.”
أخبرك يا أبا عمارة أني خرجت من منزلي فأوصيت إلى ابني فلان، وأشركت معه بني في الظاهر، وأوصيته في الباطن، فأفردته وحده ولمكان الامر إلي لجعلته في القاسم ابني
