2. Narration from Kamil al Ziyarat
What is Attributed to Sayyidina Jafar al Sadiq
November 25, 20243. Narration from Dala’il al Imamah
November 25, 2024BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
2. Narration from Kamil al Ziyarat
Jafar ibn Quluwayh reported:
وبهذا الإسناد عن عبد الله الأصم عن عبد الله بن بكير الأرجاني قال صحبت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام في طريق مكة من المدينة إلى أن يقول وقاتل أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام وقاتل فاطمة ومحسن
With this chain, from ‘Abdullah al Asamm — from ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Arjani, who said: I accompanied Abu ‘Abdullah on the way to Makkah from Madinah… until he says: and he fought against Amir al Mu’minin and fought against Fatimah and Muhsin.[1]
The chain of transmission that Ibn Quluwayh referred to in the previous narration is:
محمد بن عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري عن أبيه عن علي بن محمد بن سليمان عن محمد بن خالد عن عبد الله بن حماد البصري عن أبي عبد الله
Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Jafar al Himyari — from his father — from ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman — from Muhammad ibn Khalid — from ‘Abdullah ibn Hammad al Basri — from Abu ‘Abdullah.[2]
Therefore, the chain of this report is:
محمد بن عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري عن أبيه عن علي بن محمد بن سليمان عن محمد بن خالد عن عبد الله بن حماد عن عبد الله الأصم عن عبد الله بن بكر الأرجاني عن أبي عبد الله
Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Jafar al Himyari — from his father — from ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Sulaiman — from Muhammad ibn Khalid, from ‘Abdullah ibn Hammad — from ‘Abdullah al Asamm — from ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Arjani — from Abu ‘Abdullah.
This is the chain that al Majlisi confirmed when he cited the report in Bihar al Anwar,[3] and likewise Hashim al Bahrani in al Burhan,[4] contrary to those who mistakenly thought the chain of this narration was the same as the one before it.[5]
This chain is similar to the chain of the narration from Kamil al Ziyarat attributed to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, differing only at the end of the chain. The report attributed to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was narrated through ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman al Asamm — from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman — from Abu ‘Abdullah — from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, whereas this report was narrated through ‘Abdullah al Asamm — from ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Arjani — from Abu ‘Abdullah al Sadiq.
The narration appeared in Kitab al Ikhtisas attributed to al Mufid as follows:
أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن أبيه والعباس بن معروف عن عبد الله بن المغيرة قال حدثني عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن الأصم عن عبد الله بن بكر الأرجاني قال صحبت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام في طريق مكة من المدينة فنزل منزلًا وقاتل أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام وقاتل فاطمة عليها السلام وقاتل المحسن
Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa — from his father and al ‘Abbas ibn Ma’ruf — from ‘Abdullah ibn al Mughirah, who said: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman al Asamm told me — from ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Arjani, who said, “I accompanied Abu ‘Abdullah on the way to Makkah from Madinah, and he stopped at a place… He fought against Amir al Mu’minin, he fought against Fatimah, and he fought against al Muhsin.”[6]
Study of the Isnad
This chain has several defects:
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul Rahman al Asamm
As noted, he is one of the known liars of Basrah.[7]
‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Arjani
This is the key figure in this narration, and there is disagreement about his name and lineage. Some say: ‘Abdullah ibn Bakr al Arjani,[8] some say: Ibn Bukayr, and others say: al Arjani, as is confirmed in the chains of Kamil al Ziyarat. Others say: al Rajani.[9]
Note: Before delving into his condition, it is necessary to clarify that this narrator is different from ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr ibn A’yan ibn Sunsun Abu ‘Ali al Shaybani, whom al Najashi described,[10] and whom al Tusi said
فطحي المذهب إلا أنه ثقة
Was a follower of the Fathi sect but trustworthy.[11]
The ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr or Bakr al Arjani being discussed in this narration is not from the lineage of A’yan ibn Sunsun and has been described by al Kashshi in his Rijal under the title ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Rajani. Hamduwayh ibn Nasir confirmed that ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr is not from the lineage of A’yan.[12]
This confirms[13] that he is different from ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr ibn A’yan ibn Sunsun, the Fathi sect follower. Al Khu’i, therefore, differentiated between them in his commentary:
ما نقله عن الكشي إنما هو في عبد الله بن بكير الأرجاني لا في عبد الله بن بكير الشيباني فإن عبد الله بن بكير الشيباني هو ابن أعين بلا شبهة
What he quoted from al Kashshi refers to ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Arjani, not ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr al Shaybani, who is unquestionably the son of A’yan.[14]
After confirming the difference between these narrators, we can say that ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr or Bukayr al Arjani has no documented reliability and is considered unknown. Scholars such as al Khu’i,[15] and many other Shia scholars including Ibn al Ghada’iri,[16] al ‘Allamah al Hilli,[17] Ibn Dawood,[18] al Majlisi,[19] Fakhr al Din al Tarihi,[20] ‘Abdul Nabi al Jaza’iri,[21] Muhammad Taha Najaf,[22] al Mulla al ‘Aliyari al Tabrizi,[23] al Sayed ‘Ali al Burujirdi,[24] Hussain al Sa’idi,[25] Ibrahim al Shubbut,[26] and Sheikh ‘Ali Akbar al Turabi[27] have deemed him weak.
The Opinion of Imamiyyah Scholars on the Isnad
The view of Imami scholars on the chain of narration: Asif Muhsini judged the narration to be unreliable in Mashra’at Bihar al Anwar.[28]
NEXT⇒ 3. Narration from Dala’il al Imamah
[1] Kamil al Ziyarat, pg. 541.
[2] Kamil al Ziyarat, pg. 537, entry no. 829.
[3] Bihar al Anwar, vol. 25 pg. 373 and vol. 30 pg. 190.
[4] Al Burhan fi Tafsir al Qur’an, vol. 4 pg. 873.
[5] As it appeared for Muhammad Rida al Mashhadi in Kanz al Daqa’iq, vol. 14 pg. 532.
[6] Kitab al Ikhtisas attributed to al Mufid, pg. 344.
[7] See narration 3 in Kamil al Ziyarat.
[8] As mentioned in Rijal Ibn al Ghada’iri, pg. 75, Number: 83; and Ibn al Mutahhar al Hilli: Khulasat al Aqwal, second section, pg. 374.
[9] As mentioned in al Kashshi, narration no. 517 and 573.
[10] Rijal al Najashi, pg. 222, Number: 581.
[11] Al Tusi: Al Fihrist, pg. 173, Number: 463.
[12] Rijal al Kashshi, pg. 317, Number: 573.
[13] See Ibrahim al Shabbut: Du’afa’ al Ruwat, pg. 290.
[14] Mu’jam Rijal al Hadith, vol. 11 pg. 122.
[15] Al Mufid min Mu’jam Rijal al Hadith, pg. 327. Al Khu’i mentioned in Mu’jam Rijal al Hadith, vol. 11 pg. 129, that the man’s reliability is not proven, stating, “The conclusion is that the man is an Imami, but his reliability is not established, and the two narrations, even if they indicate his position, are from himself, and what is attributed to Ibn al Ghada’iri is not proven, and there is no indication of weakening him.” This is the stance taken by al Khu’i in the fifth edition of Mu’jam Rijal al Hadith, printed in 1413 AH/1992 CE, the last edition of the book. However, what was mentioned in the footnote of al Wafi by al Fayd al Kashani, vol. 20 pg. 505, edited by the Centre for Religious and Scientific Investigations at the Library of Imam Amir al Mu’minin, stating that in Mu’jam Rijal al Hadith, vol. 10 pg. 127, after thorough examination, the conclusion is that the man is an Imami and trustworthy, and what is attributed to Ibn al Ghada’iri is not proven, and there is no indication of alteration.” The word “alteration” is a mistake; the correct word is “weakening,” as we confirmed in the Mu’jam Rijal al Hadith Najaf edition. Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Hussain al Qa’ini, in his commentary on al Fusul al Muhimmah fi Usul al A’immah by al Hurr al ‘Amili, 3. pg. 47, in a footnote, stated, “Sayed al Khu’i said in the Mu’jam after a thorough investigation: It appears he is an Imami and trustworthy and what is attributed to Ibn al Ghada’iri is not proven…” This was also taken from the old edition and it is the opinion that al Khu’i later retracted. The correct version is that confirmed in the latest edition of the Mu’jam, as we previously mentioned.
[16] Rijal Ibn al Ghada’iri, pg. 75, Number: 83.
[17] Khulasat al Aqwal, pg. 374.
[18] Rijal Ibn Dawood, pg. 253, Number: 265.
[19] Rijal al Majlisi, pg. 240.
[20] Jami’ al Maqal, pg. 108, and see also Hidayat al Muhaddithin, known as Mushtarakat al Kazimi, by Muhammad Amin al Kazimi, pg. 202.
[21] Hawi al Aqwal fi Ma’rifat al Rijal, vol. 4 pg. 75.
[22] Itqan al Maqal, pg. 311. He mentioned him in the section on weak narrators.
[23] Bahjat al Amal fi Sharh Zubdat al Maqal, vol. 5 pg. 201.
[24] Tara’if al Maqal fi Ma’rifat Tabaqat al Rijal, vol. 1 pg. 508.
[25] Al Du’afa’ min Rijal al Hadith, vol. 2 pg. 261.
[26] Du’afa’ al Ruwat, pg. 290.
[27] Al Mawsu’ah al Rijaliyyah, pg. 266, Number: 3291.
[28] Mashra’at Bihar al Anwar, vol. 1 pg. 463.