A
Q: Islamic birth and death dates
A: 83-148 AH
Q: How long was his Imamate
A: 34 (lunar) years
Q: How many Caliphs were in his Imamate?
A: Seven (five from Banu Umayyah and two from Banu Abbas)
Q: Who revolted against Banu Umayyah from his family that Imam did not join?
A: His uncle, Zayd ibn Imam Sajjad (a)
Q: Name three of the seven Caliphs in the era of Imam (a)
A: Umayyad’s: Hisham bin Abdul Malik, Al-Walid, Al-Yazid, Ibrahim, Marwan & first two Abbasid: Al-Saffah & Al-Mansur
Q: How many transmitters of hadith are recorded from Imam? (How many people are recorded to have narrated Imam’s hadith?)
A: In his Rijal, al-Shaykh al-Tusi have mentioned the names of 3200 people as the transmitters and Al-Shaykh al-Mufid in al-Irshad extended the count of his transmitters to 4000 (both answers are acceptable)
Q: In which decade did Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltut the head of al-Azhar, recognized the Ja'fari School of jurisprudence as a legitimate Islamic school and proclaimed following it permissible?
A: The 1950’s (1958-9 to be exact)
Q: When companion Abu Muslim al-Khurasani sent a letter to the Imam (a) after the demise of Calpih Ibrahim inviting him to ascend to the caliphate, how did Imam reply?
A: "You are not one of my helpers, and the time is not my time."
Q: Name four leading companions of Imam (a)
A: Zurarah, Jamil b Darraj, Abdullah b Sinan, Abu Baseer, Hisham b Salim, Hisham b Malik, Aban b Taglib, Mohammed b Muslim, Mo’min at-Taq, Hammad ibn Isa, Abdullah bin Bukayr
Q: To whom did Imam as-Sadiq state this Hadith: “Issue opinions to the people of Medina! For I love the likes of you to be from my narrators and supporters.” ناظر أهل المدينة، فإنّي أُحبّ أن يكون مثلك من رواتي ورجالي
A: Aban bin Taghlib
Q: Which Sahih Sittah book of the Sunni’s does Imam Malik ibn Anas quote extensively from Imam as-Sadiq (a)?
A: Al-Muwatta
Q: About whom did Imam as-Sadiq (a) say this hadith about? "Do not socialize with them; do not eat, drink, or shake hands with them. Be careful lest they corrupt your youth. They are the worst enemies of God.”
A: The Ghulaat (those who exaggerate the status of Ahl ul Bayt (a))