The Shi'ah and Islamic Disciplines
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IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE ALL–BENEFICENT, THE ALL–MERCIFUL ﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﷲ ﺗﻌﺎﱃ: ﴿ﺇﹺﻧﻤﺎ ﻳﺮﹺﻳﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪ ﻟﻴﺬﹾﻫﺐ ﻋﻨﻜﹸﻢ ﺍﻟﺮﺟﺲ ﺃﹶﻫﻞﹶ ﺍﻟﹾﺒﻴﺖ ﻭﻳﻄﹶﻬﺮﻛﹸﻢ ﺗﻄﹾﻬﹺﲑﺍ. ﴾ Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification. (Surat al–Ahzab 33:33). Prophetic traditions, mentioned in most reliable Sunni and Shiite reference books of Hadith and Tafsir (Quranic Exegesis), confirm that this holy verse was revealed to exclusively involve the five People of the Cloak; namely, Muhammad, Ali, Fatimah, al–Hasan, and al– Husayn, peace be upon them, to whom the term ‘Ahl al–Bayt (People of the House)’ is solely dedicated. For instance, refer to the following references: (1) Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH), al–Musnad, 1:331; 4:107; 6:292, 304. (2) Sahih Muslim (d. 261 AH), 7:130. (3) Al–Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH), Sunan, 5:361 et al. (4) Al–Dulabi (d. 310 AH), al–Dhurriyyah al–Tahirah al–Nabawiyyah, pp. 108. (5) Al–Nassa’i (d. 303 AH), al– Sunan al–Kubra, 5:P108, 113. (6) al–Hakim al–Nayshaburi (d. 405 AH), al–Mustadrak ala al–Sahihayn, 2:416, 3:133, 146, 147. (7) al– Zarkashi (d. 794 AH), al–Burhan, pp. 197. (8) Ibn Hajar al–Asqalani (d. 852), Fath al–Bari Sharh Sahih al–Bukhari, 7:104. As for Shiite reference books of Hadith, refer to the following references: (1) Al–Kulayni (d. 328 AH), Usul al–Kafi, 1:287. (2) Ibn Babawayh (d. 329 AH), al–Imamah wa’l–Tabsirah, pp. 47, H. 29. (3) Al– Maghribi (d. 363 AH), Da’aa’im al–Islam, pp. 35, 37. (4) Al–Saduq (d. 381 AH), al–Khisal, pp. 403, 550. (5) Al–Tusi (d. 460 AH), al– Amaali, H. 438, 482, 783. For more details, refer to the exegesis of the holy verse involved in the following reference books of tafsir: (1) Al–Tabari (d. 310 AH), Book of Tafsir. (2) Al–Jassass (d. 370 AH), Ahkam al–Qur’an. (3) Al–Wahidi (d. 468 AH), Asbaab al–Nuzoul. (4) Ibn al–Jawzi (d. 597 AH), Zaad al–Maseer. (5) Al–Qurtubi (d. 671 AH), al–Jami’ li– Ahkam al–Qur’an. (6) Ibn Katheer (d. 774 AH), Book of Tafsir. (7) Al–Tha’aalibi (d. 825 AH), Book of Tafsir. (8) Al–Suyouti (d. 911 AH), al–Durr al–Manthour. (9) Al–Shawkani (d. 1250 AH), Fath al– Qadeer. (10) Al–Ayyashi (d. 320 AH), Book of Tafsir. (11) Al– Qummi (d. 329 AH), Book of Tafsir. (12) Furt al–Kufi (d. 352 AH), Book of Tafsir; in the margin of the exegesis of verse 4:59. (13) Al– Tabrsi (d. 560 AH), Majma’ al–Bayan, as well as many other reference books of Hadith and Tafsir. THE SHI'AH AND ISLAMIC DISCIPLINES ﻗﹶﺎﻝﹶ ﺭﺳﻮﻝﹸ ﺍﷲِ ( ﺹ ) : ﺇﻧﻲ ﺗﺎﺭﹺﻙ ﻓﻴﻜﹸﻢ ﺍﻟﺜﱠﻘﹶﻠﹶﻴﻦﹺ: ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﷲِ ﻭﻋﺘﺮﺗﻲ ﺃﻫﻞﹶ ﺑﻴﺘﻲ، ﻣﺎ ﺇﻥﹾ ﺗﻤﺴﻜﹾﺘﻢ ﺑﹺﻬﹺﻤﺎ ﻟﹶﻦ ﺗﻀﻠﱡﻮﺍ ﺑﻌﺪﻱ ﺃﺑﺪﺍﹰ، ﻭﺇﻧﻬﻤﺎ ﻟﹶﻦ ﻳﻔﹾﺘﺮﹺﻗﹶﺎ ﺣﺘﻰ ﻳﺮﹺﺩﺍ ﻋﻠﹶﻲ ﺍﻟﹾﺤﻮﺽ . The Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Verily, I am leaving among you two precious things [Thaqalayn]: The Book of Allah and my progeny [‘Itrah], the members of my Household [Ahl al-Bayt]. If you hold fast to them, you shall never go astray. These two will never separate from each other until they meet me at the Pond [hawd] (of Kawthar).” This holy tradition has been narrated, with different paraphrases, by numerous Sunna and Shī ‘ah sources: Al•Hākim an•Nayshābūrī, Al•Mustadrak ‘alā as-Sahīhayn (Beirut), vol. 3, pp. 109-10, 148, 533 Muslim, As-Sahīh, (English translation), book 31, hadīths 5920-3 At•Tirmidhi, As-Sahīh, vol. 5, pp. 621-622, hadīths 3786, 3788; vol. 2, p. 219 An-Nassā’ī, Khasā’is ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, hadīth 79 Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Musnad, vol. 3, pp. 14, 17, 26; vol. 3, pp. 26, 59; vol. 4, p. 371; vol. 5, pp. 181-182, 189-190 Ibn al•Athīr, Jāmi‘ al•Usūl, vol. 1, p. 277 Ibn Kathīr, Al•Bidāyah wa’n•Nihāyah, vol. 5, p. 209 Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘Azīm, vol. 6, p. 199 Nāsir ad-Dīn al-Albanī, Silsilat al-Ahādīth as-Sahīhah (Kuwait: Dār as-Salafiyyah), vol. 4, pp. 355-358 THE SHI'AH AND ISLAMIC DISCIPLINES Sayid Hasan al–Sadr Translator 'Umar Kumo Cultural Affairs Department The Ahl al–Bayt('a) World Assembly ﻧﺎم ﻛﺘﺎب: اﻟﺸﯿﻌﮫ و ﻓﻨﻮن اﻻﺳﻼم ﻧﻮﯾﺴﻨﺪه: ﺳﯿﺪ ﺣﺴﻦ اﻟﺼﺪر ﻣﺘﺮﺟﻢ: ﻋﻤﺮ ﮐﻮﻣﻮ زﺑﺎن ﺗﺮﺟﻤﮫ: اﻧﮕﻠﯿﺴﻰ The Shi'ah and Islamic Disciplines Author: Sayyid Hasan al–Sadr Translator: 'Umar Kumo Project supervisor: Translation Unit, Cultural Affairs Department / The Ahl al–Bayt (‘a) World Assembly (ABWA) Editor: Sayyid 'Abbas Husseini Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center First Printing: 2007 Printed by: Layla Press Copies: 5, 000 © Ahl al–Bayt (‘a) World Assembly (ABWA) www. ahl–ul–bayt. org info@ahl–ul–bayt. org ISBN: 978-964–529–554–5 All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE — 13 FOREWORD — 15 ABOUT THE AUTHOR — 19 His Birth and Early Life — 19 In the Holy City of Najaf — 19 In Samarra — 20 A Brief Biography of his Teacher — 21 His Return to Kazimiyyah — 26 His Sermons — 27 His Intellectual Attainments — 28 His Debates in Defence of the Truth — 28 His Competence in Literature — 29 His Works — 29 On the Fundamentals of Religion (Usul al–Din) — 29 On Jurisprudence — 30 On Hadith — 33 On the Science of the Context of Hadith (al–dirayah) — 34 On the Ways of Transmitting the Hadith — 35 On the Science of the Biography of Narrators — 35 On Indices — 36 On Ethics — 37 On Debating — 37 On Principles of Religious Jurisprudence — 38 On Arabic Grammar — 38 On History — 38 His Library — 39 8 His Authorities in Transmitting the Hadith — 40 His Physical Constitution and Appearance — 41 His Natural Disposition and Traits — 41 His Biography — 42 Those Whom he Granted Ijazah — 43 His Death, Funeral and Commemorations — 43 His Commemoration in the Iraqi Press — 44 The Unique Personality of Imam Sayyid Hasan al–Sadr — 44 The Lebanese Press — 47 His Birth — 49 His Name and Lineage — 49 How he Grew up and a Word on his Talents — 50 His Personal Qualities — 50 His Learning and Works — 51 The Date of his Death in Verse — 52 PREAMBLE — 53 CHAPTER ONE THE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN QURANIC SCIENCES — 55 Section One: The First Writers about Qur’anic Exegesis — 55 Section two: The First Writers of the Recitation of the Qur’an and the First Compilers of the Different Recitations — 56 Section Three: The first to write about Qur’anic laws — 58 Section four: The First to Write about the Peculiarities of the Qur’an (Gharib al–Qu’ran) — 59 Section five: The Shi’ah Pioneers in Writing about the Different Meanings of the Qur’an — 59 Section Six: Shi'ah Authorities on the Qur’an — 62 Section Seven: The First Commentaries on All Qur'anic Sciences — 68 9 CHAPTER TWO THE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN THE SCIENCES OF HADITH — 69 Section One: The First Compilers and Arrangers of Hadīth — 69 Section Two: The First Persons to Compile Similar Hadiths under One Topic — 70 Section Three: The First Among the Tabi’is to Compile the Hadith — 71 Section Four: The Shi’ah of the Second Century who Compiled the Hadith in the Form of Sources (usul) and Sections (ajza’) — 73 Section Five: The Subsequent Shi’ah Compilers of Hadiths — 74 Section Six: Works Compiled by the Imamiyah Shi’ah on Hadith — 74 Section Seven: Masters of the Science of Hadith — 75 Section Eight: The Precedence of the Shi’ah in Founding the Science of the Contextual Study of Hadith (dirayah) and its Classification into Common Categories — 77 Section Nine: The First who Wrote about the Science of the Biography of Transmitters of Hadith (ilm al–rijal) — 78 Section Ten: The First to Write about the Categories (tabaqat) of Transmitters — 80 CHAPTER THREE THE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE — 81 Section One: The First to Compile and Systematize Islamic Jurisprudence — 81 Section Two: The Famous Jurists Among the Shi’ah of the very Early Period — 82 Section Three: The Earlier Generations who Produced Works According to the Ja’fari School — 83 Section Four: Some Extensive Compendia on Jurisprudence (fiqh) by the Disciples of the Imams of the Ahl al–Bayt From Among the Generation That came After the Tabi’is. — 84 10 CHAPTER FOUR PIONEERING ROLE OF THE SHI’AH IN THEOLOGY — 85 Section One: The First to Write about Theology — 85 Section Two: The First Followers of the Imams to Debate about Shi’ism — 85 Section Three: Famous Authorities on Theology among the Shi’ah — 86 CHAPTER FIVE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN THE PRINCIPLES OF JURISPRUDENCE (USUL) — 97 CHAPTER SIX PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN WRITING ABOUT ISLAMIC SECTS — 99 CHAPTER SEVEN SHI’AH PRECEDENCE IN WRITING ABOUT ETHICS — 101 CHAPTER EIGHT PIONEERING POSITION OF THE SHI’AH IN THE FIELD OF BIOGRAPHIES (SIYAR) — 103 CHAPTER NINE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN COMPILING ISLAMIC HISTORY — 105 Section One: The First to Write about This Discipline — 105 Section Two: The First to Write about All the Categories of Islamic History — 105 Section Three: The Precedence of the Shi’ah in Geography — 109 Section Four: Prolific Shi’ah Writers in the Field of Narrations — 110 Section Five: The First Person to Write about the Predecessors (al–awa’il) — 123 CHAPTER TEN THE PIONEERING ROLE OF THE SHI’AH IN LEXICOLOGY — 125 Section One: The Correct View as to the Pioneer of Arabic Lexicology — 125 Section Two: Other Renowned Shi'ah Lexicologists — 126 11 Section Three: The Precedence of the Shi’ah in the Art of Writing and Composition — 131 Section Four: The Pioneering Position of the Shi’ah as Scribes of the Islamic State — 131 CHAPTER ELEVEN THE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN SEMANTICS, RHETORIC AND ELOQUENCE — 145 Section One: The Pioneers in Semantics, Rhetoric and Eloquence — 145 Section Two: Some of the Books on Rhetoric Written by the Shi’ah — 146 Section Three: Writers on Good Style (al–badi’) — 147 CHAPTER TWELVE THE PRECEDENCE OF THE SHI’AH IN PROSODY — 149 Section One: The Pioneer in This Field of Arabic Literature — 149 Section Two: The First to Write about Prosody