The exalted position of Shaykh Sadooq (died 381 A.H.) can be
gauged from the fact that he was born through the prayers of Imam- e-Zamana (a.s.), may our lives be sacrificed for him. Throughout his life he was the center of Hazrat’s attention and favours… the incident is as follows:
The father of Shaykh Sadooq (R.A) was known by the name of Ali Ibn Babawayh. He was one of the well-known jurisprudent and scholar of hadith in the city of Qum. Though he had been married to his cousin for a number of years he was not yet blessed with any children.
In the year 305 A.H., he visited Baghdad and met the special
representative of Imam (a.s.), Husayn Ibn Ruh Nawbakhti. Ibn
Babawayh sent a letter through Muhammad bin Aswad with the
request that it may be presented to Imam-e-Zaman (a.s.) to pray to Allah in this regard.
A reply was soon received from Imam (a.s ) as follows: “You will not have any children by this wife. I have prayed for you in this regard and soon you will be blessed with two sons (who would become jurists) through a lady of the Dailamite tribe.” (Ref. Shaykh Taifah)
As foretold by Imam-e-Zaman (a.s.), Ibn Babawayh married a
Dailamite lady after some time. The Almighty Allah blessed him with two sons whom he named Muhammad and Husayn.
Both his sons soon earned fame as the Shi’ite jurists and scholars of traditions in the city of Qum. Very few scholars of that time could reach such an exalted position.
The exceptional ability and brilliance specially in the narrating and memorizing of hadith; and his truthfulness soon earned for him the title of Sadooq. He later became famous by this very honorific.
The contemporary scholars and his friends were amazed at his
knowledge and infallible memory. It was evident that his brilliant mind and non-stop successes were due to the blessings of the prayers of Imam-e-Asr (a.s.).
He himself agreed to this fact and felt much honoured for the same. He often said, “I am born through the prayers of Imam-e-Asr (a.s.).”