Imam Mahdi became an Imam after the martyrdom of his father when he was just three years and seven months old. His Imamat was not challenged by the Shias because of his young age. The Shias had already validated and believed in the Imamat of Imam Javad (AS) and Imam Hadi (AS) at their young ages of seven. Thus, age was not a barrier for the Shias to accept the Imamat of a young boy.
Imam Askari’s brother, Ja’far, continued in his ignorance, even after witnessing Imam Mahdi’s prayer over Imam Askari’s body. Ja’far lacked the divine knowledge of the Shia Imams and had a corrupt character. Ja’far proceeded to introduce himself as the next Shia Imam, but he failed to prove his Imamat and to convince the Shias. He instead became known among the Shias as “Ja’far, the liar”. After Imam Askari’s burial, Ja’far came to Mu’tamid’s minister and asked the Abbasid’s approval for himself as the next Shia Imam. His request was faced with an insulting and harsh reaction from the minister who responded to him, “The Abbasid Caliph has used his entire power to change the belief of the Shias of your father (Imam Hadi) and brother (Imam Askari), but has failed. If you are an Imam of the Shias, you would not need the Caliph’s approval; and if you are not an Imam of the Shias, you will never reach it.”
Ja’far continued his efforts to announce himself as the next Shia Imam and successor to Imam Askari. A group of people once came to Samarra to deliver the Islamic dues from the Shias of Qom and North-Western Iran. Upon their arrival in Samarra, they were informed about the martyrdom of Imam Askari. They were referred to Ja’far as Imam Askari’s successor. Upon meeting Ja’far, they asked him to reveal the names and the amounts of the Islamic dues that they had brought to Samarra for delivery. Ja’far responded harshly by saying, “You expect me to know the knowledge of the unseen (which only belongs to God)” to which they responded, “Imam Askari would inform us of the names and the amounts in the packages in our previous deliveries to him. If you are an Imam, you should also know the names and the amounts in the packages like Imam Askari.” They emphasized that they were entrusted by the Shias to deliver the packages safely to Imam Askari, and if he could not prove that he is an Imam, they would return the packages back to their owners. Ja’far was disappointed about losing the packages. He tried to forcefully seize them with the Caliph’s power, but he failed to gain the Caliph’s support. When these individuals could not find the Shia Imam to deliver their packages to, they decided to return them to their owners. When they left Samarra, someone approached them, called them by their names, and asked them to follow him to meet their Imam. They followed him and met Imam Mahdi, who informed them about the names and the amounts in the packages. They happily delivered the packages to the Imam and asked him their questions. The Imam told them not to bring any more deliveries to
