What question did this study set out to answer?

This paper aims to challenge the conventional view of the Islamic Golden Age's origins by emphasizing the role of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and his disciples.

June 1, 2026Open Access

The School of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and the Abbasid Extraction: A Forensic Analysis of the Suppressed Origin of the Islamic Golden Age

Key Points

This paper aims to challenge the conventional view of the Islamic Golden Age's origins by emphasizing the role of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and his disciples.
Utilized Henry Corbin's zahir-batin framework for analysis.
Employed SCRA Ba'alist Capture Mechanism typology as an analytical tool.
Documented contributions of prominent students of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.
Highlighted the suppression of the intellectual contributions of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.
Demonstrated that key figures in the Islamic Golden Age were directly influenced by his teachings.
Revealed the Abbasid regime's dual approach of promoting and eliminating Alid intellectual traditions.

Abstract

The conventional historiography of the Islamic Golden Age locates its intellectual origin in the Abbasid translation movement at Bayt al-Hikma. This paper argues that this account suppresses a prior and structurally more fundamental layer: the school of the Sixth Imam, Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (702-765 CE), whose documented students included Jabir ibn Hayyan (father of chemistry), Abu Hanifa (founder of Hanafi fiqh), and Malik ibn Anas (founder of Maliki fiqh). The paper documents the Abbasid double game: patronising the Alid intellectual output while systematically eliminating the Imams. It deploys Henry Corbin's zahir-batin framework and the SCRA Ba'alist Capture Mechanism typology as analytical instruments. SCRA Working Paper 04. Published at: https://alvidscriptorium.com/research/sadiq-extraction/

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