The Sources of My Book

Definition of the Word ‘Shi`ah’
April 18, 2016
Foreword
April 18, 2016

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The Sources of My Book

 

I have relied in my study, upon the books which they consider reliable from the books of Tafsir, Hadith, Rijal (biographies), ‘Aqa’id, Firaq (sects) and Usul (principles).

From the books of Tafsir, I referred to:

1. Tafsir (‘Ali ibn Ibrahim) al Qummi, which is referred to as the mother of all Tafsirs by them.[1] The narrations thereof have been authenticated by the one who they label al Imam al Akbar in this era, i.e. Abu al Qasim al Khu’i. He says:

 

ولذا نحكم بوثاقة جميع مشايخ على بن ابراهيم القمى الذى روى عنهم فى تفسيره مع انتهاء السند الى احد المعصومين

This is why we pass the judgement regarding all the teachers of ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim al Qummi, from whom he narrates that they are reliable as long as the isnad reaches one of the infallibles.[2]

 

Al Qummi is considered an authority in the field of hadith by them. They believe that he was consistent and reliable[3] and he was a contemporary of Imam al ‘Askari. He died in the year 307 A.H.[4]

 

2. Tafsir al ‘Ayyashi, which was described by a contemporary scholar of theirs (Muhammad Hussain al Tabataba’i) as:

 

احسن كتاب الف قديما فى بابه و اوثق ما ورثناه من قدماء مشايخنا من كتب التفسير بالماثور فقد تلقاه علماء هذا الشان منذ الف عام الى يومنا هذا من غير ان يذكر بقدح او يغمض فيه بطرف

The best classical book regarding the subject and the most reliable of all of that which we have inherited from our former scholars on the subject of Tafsir by means of the narrations. The scholars of the field have accepted it for the past thousand years without mentioning any criticism or turning away from anything therein.[5]

 

3. Tafsir Furat of Furat ibn Ibrahim ibn Furat al Kufi — who was one of their scholars in the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century.[6] Their scholar, al Majlisi has authenticated it saying:

 

اخبار تفسير فرات موافقة لما وصل الينا من الاحاديث المعتبرة

The narrations of Tafsir Furat conform to that which has reached us from the reliable ahadith.[7]

 

The above mentioned are the most important classical tafsirs that exist among them today.[8] I have referred to them with regards to their belief concerning the Qur’an among others. I did not only suffice with accurately quoting from them but also added the writings of their latter day reliable scholars such as:

  1. Tafsir al Safi by their scholar, Muhammad Muhsin, commonly known as al Fayd al Kashani. He is also described as “the erudite scholar, the researcher, the one who delves into fine matters, the highly appreciated and the glorious one.”[9]
  2. Al Burhan fi Tafsir al Qur’an by Hashim ibn Sulaiman al Bahrani (d. 1107 or 1109 A.H.). He is described by them as “the erudite scholar, the reliable and consistent one, the knowledgeable Muhaddith and the fully conversant critic.”[10]
  3. Mir’at al Anwar wa Mishkat al Asrar or Muqaddimat al Burhan by their scholar Abu al Hassan ibn Muhammad al ‘Amili al Fatuni, the student of al Majlisi — the author of al Bihar (d. 1140 A.H). The author of Lu’lu’at al Bahrayn says that he was a researcher and he was one who would delve into fine matters.[11] The author of Rowdat al Jannat says:
 

من اعاظم فقهائنا المتاخرين

He was from the greatest jurists of the latter day scholars.[12]

 

Their scholar, al Nuri refers to him as al Hujjah (the proof), and he says regarding his book:

The like of it has not been authored.[13]

 

The author of al Dhari’ah[14] states the same.

 

There were other books of Tafsir of theirs that I have referred to and I mentioned them after mentioning the ones that I have referred to and I confirmed them from Shia books. All the former scholars have held the view that the Qur’an had been adulterated. There can be no doubt that a person who holds a belief like this cannot ever be from the Muslims, yet you will see the quotations wherein they have praised these scholars of theirs.

 

From their books of Hadith (which are their narrations from the Imams), I have referred to their seminal works. They are:

 

1. The four classical books; al Kafi, al Tahdhib, al Istibsar and Man La Yahdurhu al Faqih. Their contemporary scholar, Muhammad Sadiq al Sadr says:

ان الشيعة…مجمعة على اعتبار الكتب الاربعة و قائلة بصحة كل ما فيها من روايات

The Shia… are unanimous upon accepting the four books and believing that all the narrations therein are authentic.[15]

 

2. The four later books; al Wafi, Bihar al Anwar, al Wasa’il and Mustadrak al Wasa’il. Thus, there seminal books are eight in total. A contemporary Shia scholar, Muhammad Salih al Ha’iri states:

 

و اما صحاح الامامية فهى ثمانية اربعة منها للمحمدين الثلاثة الاوائل و ثلاثة بعدها للمحمدين الثلاثة الاواخر و ثامنها لمحمد حسين المرحوم المعاصر النورى

As for the authentic books of the Shia, they are eight. Four of them were written by the first three Muhammads, four were written by the last three Muhammads and the last one was written by Muhammad Hussain al Marhum al Nuri — the contemporary.[16]

 

I have discussed these sources under the chapter “their beliefs regarding the Sunnah”. The two books which I referred to most from these eight were Usul al Kafi and Bihar al Anwar. The reason behind that was that particular attention was paid towards beliefs in these books. Also, the Shia attach a greater importance to these two books. Al Sadr comments regarding al Kafi:

 

It (al Kafi) is regarded by the Shia as the most authentic of the four books.[17] It contains a total of 16199 narrations. If the author of al Kafi did not take the responsibility of gathering the narrations from the Imams in his book, only a minute amount would have remained.

 

He adds, ‘It has been reported that al Kafi was presented to the Mahdi who remarked:

 

كاف لشيعتنا

It is Kafi (sufficient) for our sect.[18]

 

These are the statement of al Sadr, which he attributes to all the Shia in general. This is why Muhibb al Din al Khatib says, “the Shia grant the same position to al Kafi that the Muslims grant to Sahih al Bukhari.”[19] However, this statement of al Khatib is a bit inaccurate, as their reliance upon al Kafi is far greater than this extreme. This is apparent from their statement that al Kafi was written when they had direct contact with their al Mahdi and it was presented to one of those who they consider infallible. This is equivalent to the Ahlus Sunnah saying that Sahih al Bukhari was presented to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam… The Imam, according to them, holds the same position as a Nabi. They say:

 

كانت منابع اطلاعات الكلينى قطيعة الاعتبار لان باب العلم و استعلام حال تلك الكتب بواسطة سفراء القائم كان مفتوحا عليه لكونهم معه فى بلد واحد, بغداد

The sources of al Kulayni’s knowledge were definitely reliable. This is because the doors of knowledge and ascertaining the credibility of those books[20] were open for him through the means of the ambassadors of al Qa’im[21], as they were in the same city as him, i.e. Baghdad.[22]

 

With regards to al Bihar, they have glorified it, as will appear in this book. They have even said:

 

المرجع الوحيد لتحقيق معارف المذهب

It is the only source for researching the deep aspects of the mazhab.[23]

 

3. I have even referred to the books of those scholars who they consider reliable. They regard these books to be just as reliable as the four books. Some of them are:

  • The book of Sulaim ibn Qais. This is the first Shia book that surfaced, as stated by Ibn al Nadim.[24] It is from their reliable and fundamental books.[25] We had an encounter with this book and its author in the discussion regarding the belief that the Qur’an was adulterated.[26]
  • The books of their scholar, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Babawayh al Qummi (d. 381 A.H.), such as al Towhid, Thawab al A’mal, ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida, Ma’ani al Akhbar, al Amali and others. All of his books are “no less famous than the four books upon which the foundation lays in these times.”[27] There are only five books that are excluded from this, i.e. I did not refer to them.[28]
  • The books of Sheikh al Ta’ifah, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn al Hassan al Tusi (d. 460 A.H.). They are just as famous and reliable as the books of Ibn Babawayh, with the exception of one.[29]

I have also referred to other books of their scholars including all of those which were authenticated by al Majlisi in the first volume of his Bihar.[30] I have indicated towards some of their authentications of these books during the course of the discussion. The authentications of the books from which I only quote once are mentioned along with the quotations therefrom.

 

From their reliable books of ‘Aqa’id, I have referred to the following:

 
  1. I’tiqadat Ibn Babawayh
  2. Awa’il al Maqalat of al Mufid and Tashih al I’tiqad by him as well.
  3. Nahj al Mustarshidin by Ibn Mutahhar al Hilli
  4. Al I’tiqadat by al Majlisi (author of al Bihar)
  5. ‘Aqa’id al Imamiyyah by al Muzaffar (a contemporary)
  6. ‘Aqa’id al Imamiyyah al Ithna ‘Ashariyyah by al Zanjani (a contemporary) as well as others.
 

As for those beliefs which are confined to them, I have referred to, in addition to the above mentioned, that which were written specifically regarding these beliefs. As an example, on the topic of Ghaybah, I referred to Kitab al Ghaybah by their scholar Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al No’mani-who is one of their scholars from the third century. Al Majlisi, before quoting al Mufids praise for this book[31], comments:

 

وكتاب النعمانى من اجل الكتب

The book of al No’mani is one of the most outstanding books.[32]

 

Added to that, I referred to the Kitab al Ghaybah of al Tusi and Ikmal al Din by Ibn Babawayh among others. Regarding their belief of Raj’ah, I referred to that which was written by their scholar, al Hurr al ‘Amili. His book is named al Iqaz min al Haj’ah bi l-Burhan ‘ala al Raj’ah. Similar is the case of the other beliefs.

I have also referred to that which some of their scholars have written regarding groups and sects, namely al Maqalat wa l-Firaq by their scholar Sa’d ibn ‘Abdullah al Ash’ari al Qummi (d. 301 A.H.) and Firaq al Shia by their scholar Hassan ibn Musa al Nowbakhti — one of their third century scholars.

 

و هما كتابان وصلا الينا من بين كتب فرق الشيعة الضائعة

They are the two books which have reached us from the books of the Shia that were lost.[33]

 

As from the books on Rijal, I referred to their reliable sources on the subject, especially their four books. They have said:

 

اهم الكتب فى هذا الموضوع من مؤلفات المتقدمين هى اربعة كتب عليها المعول فى هذا الباب وهى:

معرفة الناقلين عن الائمة الصادقين لابى عمرو محمد بن عمر بن عبد العزيز الكشى (من شيوخهم فى القرن الرابع) الذى يعرف ب(رجال الكشى)

كتاب الرجال لأبى العباس احمد بن على النجاشى المتوفى سنة (460 ه) المعروف ب(رجال النجاشى)

كتاب الرجال لشيخ الطائفة ابى جعفر محمد بن الحسن بن على الطوسى المتوفى سنة (460 ه) المعروف ب(رجال الطوسى)

كتاب الفهرست للشيخ الطوسى

 

The following four books are the most important books which were authored regarding this subject from the books of the former scholars. They are the decisive sources of this subject.

  1. Ma’rifat al Naqilin ‘An al A’immat al Sadiqin by Abu ‘Amr Muhammad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al Kashshi (one of their scholars from the fourth century) which is also known as Rijal al Kashshi.
  2. Kitab al Rijal by Abu al ‘Abbas Ahmed ibn ‘Ali al Najashi (d. 460) which commonly known as Rijal al Najashi.
  3. Kitab al Rijal by Sheikh al Ta’ifah Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Hassan ibn ‘Ali al Tusi (d. 460 A.H.) commonly known as Rijal al Tusi.
  4. Kitab al Fahrist by Sheikh al Tusi.[34]
 

The book which I quoted most extensively from was Rijal al Kashshi, as they regard it to be the most important, oldest and most reliable book on the subject of Rijal. This is because it is a book of al Kashshi, who is, according to them “reliable, well-versed with narrations and narrators and he has perfect beliefs.”[35] The next book which I quoted from abundantly was the systemised and summarised book of Sheikh al Ta’ifah al Tusi. One of their scholars, al Mustafawi states:

 

اقدم هذه الكتب: هو رجال الكشى الذى لخصه شيخ الطائفة…فكفى لهذا الكتاب المنيف شرفا و اعتبارا

The oldest of these books is Rijal al Kashshi, which was summarised by Sheikh al Ta’ifah… this is sufficient an honour and a seal of reliability for this outstanding book.[36]

 

In a nutshell, I quoted no other sources besides their most reliable books in my depiction of the religion. Added to that, I only mentioned those beliefs of theirs regarding which they are excessive narrations and their priests have admitted to believing in them. At times, there are plenty of narrations, thus I merely indicate towards that by mentioning the amount thereof and the names of the chapters of those subjects which I discuss. The narrations quoted are accompanied by that which I could find from their authentications and judgements regarding them, on the basis of their authentication system.

Great pains were undertaken to maintain the above mentioned procedures. Hence it cannot be said that we have used some of their rare and weak narrations which are not a true representation of the religion. In most cases, I have made it a point to reproduce their quotations verbatim, as per demands of objectivity and precision in quoting and attribution of quotations. This is also required by the academic methodology, especially as far as the speech of the opposition is concerned.

 

Outline of the Discussion

This discussion comprises of an introduction which is followed by five sections.

The introduction includes an explanation of Shi’ism, its inception, historical stems, sects, the different titles of the Shia and the sects thereof.

 

Section One: This deals with their beliefs regarding the sources of Islam. It is made up of three chapters:

Chapter One — Their beliefs regarding the Qur’an.

Chapter Two — Their beliefs regarding the Sunnah.

Chapter Three — Their beliefs regarding Ijma’.

 

Section Two: Four chapters were dedicated to their beliefs regarding the fundamentals of Islam.

Chapter One — Their beliefs regarding their deity.

Chapter Two — Their beliefs regarding their master.

Chapter Three — Their beliefs regarding the names and attributes of Allah.

Chapter Four — Their beliefs regarding iman and its components.

 

Section Three: In this section, their fundamental beliefs and principles which are confined to them have been discussed. The following beliefs of theirs have been covered:

  1. Imamah — Their views regarding the Sahabah, Ahlul Bayt, Muslim rulers, judges, scholars, Islamic cities and their branches, sects and the ummah have also been touched upon in this chapter.
  2. Ismah (infallibility)
  3. Taqiyyah (dissimulation)
  4. Al Mahdiyyah wa l-Ghaybah (Madism and occultation).
  5. Al Raj’ah
  6. Al Zuhur
  7. Al Bada
  8. Al Tinah
 

Section Four: Present day Shias and their association with their predecessors. This section has four chapters:

Chapter One — Their relationship with their classical sources.

Chapter Two — Their relationship with their older sects.

Chapter Three — The relationship between former and latter day Shia as far as beliefs are concerned.

Chapter Four — The state of the Ayatollahs.

 

Section Five: The judgement regarding them and their effects upon the Islamic world. This section has two chapters:

Chapter One — The judgement regarding them.

Chapter Two — Their effects upon the Islamic world.

 

Conclusion: A presentation of the most important conclusions that were reached along the course of the discussion.

 

At the end of this preface, I supplicate to Allah the most high, the one who has complete control to forgive my scholar and teacher Dr Muhammad Rashid Salim and shower him with mercy and happiness. May He engulf him in His infinite clemency and forgiveness and may He grant him residence in His vast gardens of heaven, as he oversaw this book from its very beginning until it was completed. He then granted me permission to print it, but left the world before it saw the light of day, may Allah’s unlimited mercy be upon him. I benefitted greatly from his directives and knowledge, as he was generous towards me with his virtue and character.

His life was spent in the paths of knowledge and jihad and he was even imprisoned on two occasions. He left behind highly beneficial efforts. It was his heart’s desire to establish, along with his students of the faculty, what he would call “The Ahlus Sunnah” library, which would publish the classical books of ‘Aqidah of the Ahlus Sunnah, and it would refute the beliefs of those who have opposed the majority. I ask Allah to reward him for his intentions and actions a beautiful reward, and may He allow his students to bring to reality his dreams, so that they can continue on the path, following his footsteps.

I also wish to thank and acknowledge the favours of my teacher Dr Salim ibn ‘Abdullah al Dakhil, who agreed to oversee the completion of the book, reviewed its different stages, checked on its final steps and expressed satisfaction regarding its set-up. His suggestions and instructions were indeed helpful.

I ask Allah to grant the best of rewards to all those who helped me in any way in compiling this book. May Allah send mercy and salutations upon our Nabi Muhammad and all of his companions and family.

 

And all praise belongs to Allah.

 
 

NEXT⇒ Introduction – Definition of the Word ‘Shia’


[1]  Preface of Tafsir al Qummi pg. 10.

[2]  Abu al Qasim al Khu’i: Mujam Rijal al Hadith 1/63.

[3]Rijal al Najashi pg. 197.

[4]Al Dhari’ah 4/302, Preface of Tafsir al Qummi pg. 8.

[5]  Al Tabataba’i: preface regarding the book and its author: Saj.

[6]  Agha Buzurg al Tahrani: Nawabigh al Ruwat pg. 216.

[7]Bihar al Anwar 1/37. Refer to the preface of Tafsir al Furat by Muhammad ‘Ali al Awrdabadi, in which it is stated that this book is among their reliable sources, according to both, the former and latter day scholars.

[8]  As opposed to Tafsir al Tibyan of al Tusi and Majma’ al Bayan of al Tabarsi, regarding which some of their scholars have said that they were written in accordance to the practice of dissimulation, as will be explained.

[9]  Al Ardabili: Jami’ al Ruwat 2/42.

[10]  Refer to Amal al Amal 2/341, Yusuf al Bahrani: Lu’lu’at al Bahrayn pg. 63, al Baladi: Anwar al Badrayn pg. 127.

[11]  Yusuf al Bahrani: Lu’lu’at al Bahrain pg. 107.

[12]  Al Khuwansari: Rawdat al Jannat pg. 658 second print, al Zarandi: Tarjumat al Mu’allif (printed along with Mir’at al Anwar).

[13]Mustadrak al Wasa’il 3/385.

[14]  Agha Buzurg: al Dhari’ah 20/264.

[15]Al Shia pg. 127.

[16] Minhaj ‘Amali li l-Taqrib (An essay by the Rafidi Muhammad al Ha’iri which is part of the book al Wahdat al Islamiyyah pg. 233).

[17]Al Shia pg. 133.

[18]Al Shia pg. 122, Al Khuwansari: Rawdat al Jannat 6/116, Muqaddimat al Kafi by Hassan ‘Ali pg. 25.

[19]Al Khutut al ‘Aridah pg. 25.

[20]  Which were gathered, in al Kafi.

[21]  Their awaited Mahdi. His ambassadors were his four doors, as will be explained under the chapter of ghaybah (occultation).

[22]  Al Ha’iri: Minhaj ‘Amali li l-Taqrib (in the book al Wahdat al Islamiyyah pg. 333), refer also to Ibn Tawus: Kashf al Mahajjah pg. 159.

[23]  Al Bahbudi: Muqaddimat al Bihar pg. 19.

[24]  Refer to al Fahrist pg. 219, al Dhari’ah 2/152, Rawdat al Jannat 4/67 claims that “it was the first book to be authored and compiled in Islam.”

[25]Bihar al Anwar 1/32.

[26]  Refer to pg. 221.

[27]Bihar al Anwar 1/26.

[28]  They are al Hidayah, Sifat al Shia, Fada’il al Shia, Musadafat al Ikhwan, Fada’il al Ash-hur and Bihar al Anwar 1/26.

[29]al Amali (refer to Bihar al Anwar 1/27).

[30]  Pg. 29

[31]Bihar al Anwar 1/31.

[32] Bihar al Anwar 1/31.

[33]  Muhammad Jawwad Mashkur, preface of the book al Maqalat wa l-Firaq by al Qummi pg. 11.

[34]  Ahmed al Hussaini: Muqaddimat Rijal al Kashshi al A’lami print, Karbala pg. 4. Refer also to Hassan al Mustafawi: Muqaddimat Rijal al Kashshi-Iranian print pg. 12, Agha Buzurg: al Dhari’ah ila Tasnif al Shia 10/80-81.

[35]Fahrist al Tusi pg. 171-172.

[36]Muqaddimat al Mustafawi li Rijal al Kashshi pg. 12.

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The Sources of My Book

 

I have relied in my study, upon the books which they consider reliable from the books of Tafsir, Hadith, Rijal (biographies), ‘Aqa’id, Firaq (sects) and Usul (principles).

From the books of Tafsir, I referred to:

1. Tafsir (‘Ali ibn Ibrahim) al Qummi, which is referred to as the mother of all Tafsirs by them.[1] The narrations thereof have been authenticated by the one who they label al Imam al Akbar in this era, i.e. Abu al Qasim al Khu’i. He says:

 

ولذا نحكم بوثاقة جميع مشايخ على بن ابراهيم القمى الذى روى عنهم فى تفسيره مع انتهاء السند الى احد المعصومين

This is why we pass the judgement regarding all the teachers of ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim al Qummi, from whom he narrates that they are reliable as long as the isnad reaches one of the infallibles.[2]

 

Al Qummi is considered an authority in the field of hadith by them. They believe that he was consistent and reliable[3] and he was a contemporary of Imam al ‘Askari. He died in the year 307 A.H.[4]

 

2. Tafsir al ‘Ayyashi, which was described by a contemporary scholar of theirs (Muhammad Hussain al Tabataba’i) as:

 

احسن كتاب الف قديما فى بابه و اوثق ما ورثناه من قدماء مشايخنا من كتب التفسير بالماثور فقد تلقاه علماء هذا الشان منذ الف عام الى يومنا هذا من غير ان يذكر بقدح او يغمض فيه بطرف

The best classical book regarding the subject and the most reliable of all of that which we have inherited from our former scholars on the subject of Tafsir by means of the narrations. The scholars of the field have accepted it for the past thousand years without mentioning any criticism or turning away from anything therein.[5]

 

3. Tafsir Furat of Furat ibn Ibrahim ibn Furat al Kufi — who was one of their scholars in the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century.[6] Their scholar, al Majlisi has authenticated it saying:

 

اخبار تفسير فرات موافقة لما وصل الينا من الاحاديث المعتبرة

The narrations of Tafsir Furat conform to that which has reached us from the reliable ahadith.[7]

 

The above mentioned are the most important classical tafsirs that exist among them today.[8] I have referred to them with regards to their belief concerning the Qur’an among others. I did not only suffice with accurately quoting from them but also added the writings of their latter day reliable scholars such as:

  1. Tafsir al Safi by their scholar, Muhammad Muhsin, commonly known as al Fayd al Kashani. He is also described as “the erudite scholar, the researcher, the one who delves into fine matters, the highly appreciated and the glorious one.”[9]
  2. Al Burhan fi Tafsir al Qur’an by Hashim ibn Sulaiman al Bahrani (d. 1107 or 1109 A.H.). He is described by them as “the erudite scholar, the reliable and consistent one, the knowledgeable Muhaddith and the fully conversant critic.”[10]
  3. Mir’at al Anwar wa Mishkat al Asrar or Muqaddimat al Burhan by their scholar Abu al Hassan ibn Muhammad al ‘Amili al Fatuni, the student of al Majlisi — the author of al Bihar (d. 1140 A.H). The author of Lu’lu’at al Bahrayn says that he was a researcher and he was one who would delve into fine matters.[11] The author of Rowdat al Jannat says:
 

من اعاظم فقهائنا المتاخرين

He was from the greatest jurists of the latter day scholars.[12]

 

Their scholar, al Nuri refers to him as al Hujjah (the proof), and he says regarding his book:

The like of it has not been authored.[13]

 

The author of al Dhari’ah[14] states the same.

 

There were other books of Tafsir of theirs that I have referred to and I mentioned them after mentioning the ones that I have referred to and I confirmed them from Shia books. All the former scholars have held the view that the Qur’an had been adulterated. There can be no doubt that a person who holds a belief like this cannot ever be from the Muslims, yet you will see the quotations wherein they have praised these scholars of theirs.

 

From their books of Hadith (which are their narrations from the Imams), I have referred to their seminal works. They are:

 

1. The four classical books; al Kafi, al Tahdhib, al Istibsar and Man La Yahdurhu al Faqih. Their contemporary scholar, Muhammad Sadiq al Sadr says:

ان الشيعة…مجمعة على اعتبار الكتب الاربعة و قائلة بصحة كل ما فيها من روايات

The Shia… are unanimous upon accepting the four books and believing that all the narrations therein are authentic.[15]

 

2. The four later books; al Wafi, Bihar al Anwar, al Wasa’il and Mustadrak al Wasa’il. Thus, there seminal books are eight in total. A contemporary Shia scholar, Muhammad Salih al Ha’iri states:

 

و اما صحاح الامامية فهى ثمانية اربعة منها للمحمدين الثلاثة الاوائل و ثلاثة بعدها للمحمدين الثلاثة الاواخر و ثامنها لمحمد حسين المرحوم المعاصر النورى

As for the authentic books of the Shia, they are eight. Four of them were written by the first three Muhammads, four were written by the last three Muhammads and the last one was written by Muhammad Hussain al Marhum al Nuri — the contemporary.[16]

 

I have discussed these sources under the chapter “their beliefs regarding the Sunnah”. The two books which I referred to most from these eight were Usul al Kafi and Bihar al Anwar. The reason behind that was that particular attention was paid towards beliefs in these books. Also, the Shia attach a greater importance to these two books. Al Sadr comments regarding al Kafi:

 

It (al Kafi) is regarded by the Shia as the most authentic of the four books.[17] It contains a total of 16199 narrations. If the author of al Kafi did not take the responsibility of gathering the narrations from the Imams in his book, only a minute amount would have remained.

 

He adds, ‘It has been reported that al Kafi was presented to the Mahdi who remarked:

 

كاف لشيعتنا

It is Kafi (sufficient) for our sect.[18]

 

These are the statement of al Sadr, which he attributes to all the Shia in general. This is why Muhibb al Din al Khatib says, “the Shia grant the same position to al Kafi that the Muslims grant to Sahih al Bukhari.”[19] However, this statement of al Khatib is a bit inaccurate, as their reliance upon al Kafi is far greater than this extreme. This is apparent from their statement that al Kafi was written when they had direct contact with their al Mahdi and it was presented to one of those who they consider infallible. This is equivalent to the Ahlus Sunnah saying that Sahih al Bukhari was presented to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam… The Imam, according to them, holds the same position as a Nabi. They say:

 

كانت منابع اطلاعات الكلينى قطيعة الاعتبار لان باب العلم و استعلام حال تلك الكتب بواسطة سفراء القائم كان مفتوحا عليه لكونهم معه فى بلد واحد, بغداد

The sources of al Kulayni’s knowledge were definitely reliable. This is because the doors of knowledge and ascertaining the credibility of those books[20] were open for him through the means of the ambassadors of al Qa’im[21], as they were in the same city as him, i.e. Baghdad.[22]

 

With regards to al Bihar, they have glorified it, as will appear in this book. They have even said:

 

المرجع الوحيد لتحقيق معارف المذهب

It is the only source for researching the deep aspects of the mazhab.[23]

 

3. I have even referred to the books of those scholars who they consider reliable. They regard these books to be just as reliable as the four books. Some of them are:

  • The book of Sulaim ibn Qais. This is the first Shia book that surfaced, as stated by Ibn al Nadim.[24] It is from their reliable and fundamental books.[25] We had an encounter with this book and its author in the discussion regarding the belief that the Qur’an was adulterated.[26]
  • The books of their scholar, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Babawayh al Qummi (d. 381 A.H.), such as al Towhid, Thawab al A’mal, ‘Uyun Akhbar al Rida, Ma’ani al Akhbar, al Amali and others. All of his books are “no less famous than the four books upon which the foundation lays in these times.”[27] There are only five books that are excluded from this, i.e. I did not refer to them.[28]
  • The books of Sheikh al Ta’ifah, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn al Hassan al Tusi (d. 460 A.H.). They are just as famous and reliable as the books of Ibn Babawayh, with the exception of one.[29]

I have also referred to other books of their scholars including all of those which were authenticated by al Majlisi in the first volume of his Bihar.[30] I have indicated towards some of their authentications of these books during the course of the discussion. The authentications of the books from which I only quote once are mentioned along with the quotations therefrom.

 

From their reliable books of ‘Aqa’id, I have referred to the following:

 
  1. I’tiqadat Ibn Babawayh
  2. Awa’il al Maqalat of al Mufid and Tashih al I’tiqad by him as well.
  3. Nahj al Mustarshidin by Ibn Mutahhar al Hilli
  4. Al I’tiqadat by al Majlisi (author of al Bihar)
  5. ‘Aqa’id al Imamiyyah by al Muzaffar (a contemporary)
  6. ‘Aqa’id al Imamiyyah al Ithna ‘Ashariyyah by al Zanjani (a contemporary) as well as others.
 

As for those beliefs which are confined to them, I have referred to, in addition to the above mentioned, that which were written specifically regarding these beliefs. As an example, on the topic of Ghaybah, I referred to Kitab al Ghaybah by their scholar Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al No’mani-who is one of their scholars from the third century. Al Majlisi, before quoting al Mufids praise for this book[31], comments:

 

وكتاب النعمانى من اجل الكتب

The book of al No’mani is one of the most outstanding books.[32]

 

Added to that, I referred to the Kitab al Ghaybah of al Tusi and Ikmal al Din by Ibn Babawayh among others. Regarding their belief of Raj’ah, I referred to that which was written by their scholar, al Hurr al ‘Amili. His book is named al Iqaz min al Haj’ah bi l-Burhan ‘ala al Raj’ah. Similar is the case of the other beliefs.

I have also referred to that which some of their scholars have written regarding groups and sects, namely al Maqalat wa l-Firaq by their scholar Sa’d ibn ‘Abdullah al Ash’ari al Qummi (d. 301 A.H.) and Firaq al Shia by their scholar Hassan ibn Musa al Nowbakhti — one of their third century scholars.

 

و هما كتابان وصلا الينا من بين كتب فرق الشيعة الضائعة

They are the two books which have reached us from the books of the Shia that were lost.[33]

 

As from the books on Rijal, I referred to their reliable sources on the subject, especially their four books. They have said:

 

اهم الكتب فى هذا الموضوع من مؤلفات المتقدمين هى اربعة كتب عليها المعول فى هذا الباب وهى:

معرفة الناقلين عن الائمة الصادقين لابى عمرو محمد بن عمر بن عبد العزيز الكشى (من شيوخهم فى القرن الرابع) الذى يعرف ب(رجال الكشى)

كتاب الرجال لأبى العباس احمد بن على النجاشى المتوفى سنة (460 ه) المعروف ب(رجال النجاشى)

كتاب الرجال لشيخ الطائفة ابى جعفر محمد بن الحسن بن على الطوسى المتوفى سنة (460 ه) المعروف ب(رجال الطوسى)

كتاب الفهرست للشيخ الطوسى

 

The following four books are the most important books which were authored regarding this subject from the books of the former scholars. They are the decisive sources of this subject.

  1. Ma’rifat al Naqilin ‘An al A’immat al Sadiqin by Abu ‘Amr Muhammad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al Kashshi (one of their scholars from the fourth century) which is also known as Rijal al Kashshi.
  2. Kitab al Rijal by Abu al ‘Abbas Ahmed ibn ‘Ali al Najashi (d. 460) which commonly known as Rijal al Najashi.
  3. Kitab al Rijal by Sheikh al Ta’ifah Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Hassan ibn ‘Ali al Tusi (d. 460 A.H.) commonly known as Rijal al Tusi.
  4. Kitab al Fahrist by Sheikh al Tusi.[34]
 

The book which I quoted most extensively from was Rijal al Kashshi, as they regard it to be the most important, oldest and most reliable book on the subject of Rijal. This is because it is a book of al Kashshi, who is, according to them “reliable, well-versed with narrations and narrators and he has perfect beliefs.”[35] The next book which I quoted from abundantly was the systemised and summarised book of Sheikh al Ta’ifah al Tusi. One of their scholars, al Mustafawi states:

 

اقدم هذه الكتب: هو رجال الكشى الذى لخصه شيخ الطائفة…فكفى لهذا الكتاب المنيف شرفا و اعتبارا

The oldest of these books is Rijal al Kashshi, which was summarised by Sheikh al Ta’ifah… this is sufficient an honour and a seal of reliability for this outstanding book.[36]

 

In a nutshell, I quoted no other sources besides their most reliable books in my depiction of the religion. Added to that, I only mentioned those beliefs of theirs regarding which they are excessive narrations and their priests have admitted to believing in them. At times, there are plenty of narrations, thus I merely indicate towards that by mentioning the amount thereof and the names of the chapters of those subjects which I discuss. The narrations quoted are accompanied by that which I could find from their authentications and judgements regarding them, on the basis of their authentication system.

Great pains were undertaken to maintain the above mentioned procedures. Hence it cannot be said that we have used some of their rare and weak narrations which are not a true representation of the religion. In most cases, I have made it a point to reproduce their quotations verbatim, as per demands of objectivity and precision in quoting and attribution of quotations. This is also required by the academic methodology, especially as far as the speech of the opposition is concerned.

 

Outline of the Discussion

This discussion comprises of an introduction which is followed by five sections.

The introduction includes an explanation of Shi’ism, its inception, historical stems, sects, the different titles of the Shia and the sects thereof.

 

Section One: This deals with their beliefs regarding the sources of Islam. It is made up of three chapters:

Chapter One — Their beliefs regarding the Qur’an.

Chapter Two — Their beliefs regarding the Sunnah.

Chapter Three — Their beliefs regarding Ijma’.

 

Section Two: Four chapters were dedicated to their beliefs regarding the fundamentals of Islam.

Chapter One — Their beliefs regarding their deity.

Chapter Two — Their beliefs regarding their master.

Chapter Three — Their beliefs regarding the names and attributes of Allah.

Chapter Four — Their beliefs regarding iman and its components.

 

Section Three: In this section, their fundamental beliefs and principles which are confined to them have been discussed. The following beliefs of theirs have been covered:

  1. Imamah — Their views regarding the Sahabah, Ahlul Bayt, Muslim rulers, judges, scholars, Islamic cities and their branches, sects and the ummah have also been touched upon in this chapter.
  2. Ismah (infallibility)
  3. Taqiyyah (dissimulation)
  4. Al Mahdiyyah wa l-Ghaybah (Madism and occultation).
  5. Al Raj’ah
  6. Al Zuhur
  7. Al Bada
  8. Al Tinah
 

Section Four: Present day Shias and their association with their predecessors. This section has four chapters:

Chapter One — Their relationship with their classical sources.

Chapter Two — Their relationship with their older sects.

Chapter Three — The relationship between former and latter day Shia as far as beliefs are concerned.

Chapter Four — The state of the Ayatollahs.

 

Section Five: The judgement regarding them and their effects upon the Islamic world. This section has two chapters:

Chapter One — The judgement regarding them.

Chapter Two — Their effects upon the Islamic world.

 

Conclusion: A presentation of the most important conclusions that were reached along the course of the discussion.

 

At the end of this preface, I supplicate to Allah the most high, the one who has complete control to forgive my scholar and teacher Dr Muhammad Rashid Salim and shower him with mercy and happiness. May He engulf him in His infinite clemency and forgiveness and may He grant him residence in His vast gardens of heaven, as he oversaw this book from its very beginning until it was completed. He then granted me permission to print it, but left the world before it saw the light of day, may Allah’s unlimited mercy be upon him. I benefitted greatly from his directives and knowledge, as he was generous towards me with his virtue and character.

His life was spent in the paths of knowledge and jihad and he was even imprisoned on two occasions. He left behind highly beneficial efforts. It was his heart’s desire to establish, along with his students of the faculty, what he would call “The Ahlus Sunnah” library, which would publish the classical books of ‘Aqidah of the Ahlus Sunnah, and it would refute the beliefs of those who have opposed the majority. I ask Allah to reward him for his intentions and actions a beautiful reward, and may He allow his students to bring to reality his dreams, so that they can continue on the path, following his footsteps.

I also wish to thank and acknowledge the favours of my teacher Dr Salim ibn ‘Abdullah al Dakhil, who agreed to oversee the completion of the book, reviewed its different stages, checked on its final steps and expressed satisfaction regarding its set-up. His suggestions and instructions were indeed helpful.

I ask Allah to grant the best of rewards to all those who helped me in any way in compiling this book. May Allah send mercy and salutations upon our Nabi Muhammad and all of his companions and family.

 

And all praise belongs to Allah.

 
 

NEXT⇒ Introduction – Definition of the Word ‘Shia’


[1]  Preface of Tafsir al Qummi pg. 10.

[2]  Abu al Qasim al Khu’i: Mujam Rijal al Hadith 1/63.

[3]Rijal al Najashi pg. 197.

[4]Al Dhari’ah 4/302, Preface of Tafsir al Qummi pg. 8.

[5]  Al Tabataba’i: preface regarding the book and its author: Saj.

[6]  Agha Buzurg al Tahrani: Nawabigh al Ruwat pg. 216.

[7]Bihar al Anwar 1/37. Refer to the preface of Tafsir al Furat by Muhammad ‘Ali al Awrdabadi, in which it is stated that this book is among their reliable sources, according to both, the former and latter day scholars.

[8]  As opposed to Tafsir al Tibyan of al Tusi and Majma’ al Bayan of al Tabarsi, regarding which some of their scholars have said that they were written in accordance to the practice of dissimulation, as will be explained.

[9]  Al Ardabili: Jami’ al Ruwat 2/42.

[10]  Refer to Amal al Amal 2/341, Yusuf al Bahrani: Lu’lu’at al Bahrayn pg. 63, al Baladi: Anwar al Badrayn pg. 127.

[11]  Yusuf al Bahrani: Lu’lu’at al Bahrain pg. 107.

[12]  Al Khuwansari: Rawdat al Jannat pg. 658 second print, al Zarandi: Tarjumat al Mu’allif (printed along with Mir’at al Anwar).

[13]Mustadrak al Wasa’il 3/385.

[14]  Agha Buzurg: al Dhari’ah 20/264.

[15]Al Shia pg. 127.

[16] Minhaj ‘Amali li l-Taqrib (An essay by the Rafidi Muhammad al Ha’iri which is part of the book al Wahdat al Islamiyyah pg. 233).

[17]Al Shia pg. 133.

[18]Al Shia pg. 122, Al Khuwansari: Rawdat al Jannat 6/116, Muqaddimat al Kafi by Hassan ‘Ali pg. 25.

[19]Al Khutut al ‘Aridah pg. 25.

[20]  Which were gathered, in al Kafi.

[21]  Their awaited Mahdi. His ambassadors were his four doors, as will be explained under the chapter of ghaybah (occultation).

[22]  Al Ha’iri: Minhaj ‘Amali li l-Taqrib (in the book al Wahdat al Islamiyyah pg. 333), refer also to Ibn Tawus: Kashf al Mahajjah pg. 159.

[23]  Al Bahbudi: Muqaddimat al Bihar pg. 19.

[24]  Refer to al Fahrist pg. 219, al Dhari’ah 2/152, Rawdat al Jannat 4/67 claims that “it was the first book to be authored and compiled in Islam.”

[25]Bihar al Anwar 1/32.

[26]  Refer to pg. 221.

[27]Bihar al Anwar 1/26.

[28]  They are al Hidayah, Sifat al Shia, Fada’il al Shia, Musadafat al Ikhwan, Fada’il al Ash-hur and Bihar al Anwar 1/26.

[29]al Amali (refer to Bihar al Anwar 1/27).

[30]  Pg. 29

[31]Bihar al Anwar 1/31.

[32] Bihar al Anwar 1/31.

[33]  Muhammad Jawwad Mashkur, preface of the book al Maqalat wa l-Firaq by al Qummi pg. 11.

[34]  Ahmed al Hussaini: Muqaddimat Rijal al Kashshi al A’lami print, Karbala pg. 4. Refer also to Hassan al Mustafawi: Muqaddimat Rijal al Kashshi-Iranian print pg. 12, Agha Buzurg: al Dhari’ah ila Tasnif al Shia 10/80-81.

[35]Fahrist al Tusi pg. 171-172.

[36]Muqaddimat al Mustafawi li Rijal al Kashshi pg. 12.