The Role of the Four Deputies of Imam Mahdi (a) in Shiite Hadith Literature Morteza Maddahi1 Abstract After the holy Qur’an, Hadith is the second source of Islam in terms of authority and the first in terms of extent. Contrary to the Qur’an, hadith is SURQHWRPDQLSXODWLRQDQGIRUJHU\DVWKH3URSKHW V ZDUQHGDERXWLWDQG history testifies to it. Prior to the era of occultation, many hadiths were presented to the Imams, and they rejected some of them and corrected RUH[SODLQHGWKHRWKHUV$O6KD\NKDOৡDGnjT G JDWKHUHGPDQ\ of these hadiths in his 0DҵƗQƯ DODNKEƗU. On the other hand, the most important Shiite hadith books were compiled after the occultation of the Twelfth Imam. The period of the Minor Occultation was a crucial time in Shiite history. With a historical and analytical approach, this article studies the identity and conditions of the Four Deputies and their role in guiding the Shiite community in relation to Hadith. In this regard, the article discusses the stance of the Four deputies against the hadiths of false FODLPHUVOLNH6KDOPDJƗQƯ G WKHLUUHODWLRQZLWKWKHVFKRODUVRI Qom, the reason why DO.ƗIL was not presented to them so as to obtain the DSSURYDORI,PDP0DKGL D DQGILQDOO\WKHUHODWLRQEHWZHHQDO.XOD\QL G DQGWKH)RXU'HSXWLHV Keywords +DGLWK WKH )RXU 'HSXWLHV DO.XOD\QƯ DO.ƗIƯ 0LQRU Occultation. 1$VVLဧDQWSURIHVVRUDWDO0XဧDID,QWHUQDWLRQDO8QLYHUVLW\ Journal of Al-Mustafa International University Vol. 3 (2020), Issue 1 The Infallible Imams and the Correction of Ahadith Hadith being the largest source of Islamic teachings, and gaining authenticity from Qur›an, contain vast details in a variety of matters. They contain fundamental importance in all subjects of practical Islamic life, and are often the main source of reference for Islamic scholars in different fields. Even general public of Muslims were advised to engage in listening, reciting and reiterating these as per the following, narrated from WKH3URSKHW V WKDW Ąʜŀķ˩ķšĄ ĆňˁĄĄ ʤʰĒ ďĸ楥˸ʚ˫Ąćŀ̥Ēď̤ĄĿĄćŀˬň̤ĄĿĄćĿŠİćˆ̤ĄĄęĄʼnćĄ ĵřĘŝĄĵĈˬ *DWKHUWRJHWKHUDQGUHSHDWP\$KDGLWKVLQFHWKHVHDUHDSROLVKIRUWKH KHDUW .XOD\QƯ$+ Contrary to Qur’an, the Hadiths are not the word of Allah , and were QRW FRPSLOHG GXULQJ RU LPPHGLDWHO\ DIWHU WKH GHPLVH RI 3URSKHW V Consequently, these were prone to alteration and forgery. Hence, the Prophet warned anyone who fabricated Hadith on his behalf. ēĈ ̚ĸ楥˺ ļĄĄ ŁĒģ˩ļĄ͑ŀ̛̗̘ķ˫ĄĄĶˬ͑ĄĄĺĸĄĈļĄĄ̌ ķĤĄĄĵĈˬĄĄ˺ ļ :KRHYHUDWWULEXWHVWRPHZKDW,KDYHQRWVDLGPXVWEHSUHSDUHGIRUKLV SODFHLQ+HOO ৡDGnjT$+ However, due to many reasons - including almost one century of ban on writing and compiling Ahadith- many were forged or manipulated. That was the reason why many people tried to refine them and established tough conditions for their acceptance. (YHQ LQ WKH 6KLµD FROOHFWLRQV IDOVH +DGLWK FDQ EH IRXQG DQG 6KLD µ8ODPD H[FHSWIRU$NKEƗULV GLGQRWFRQVLGHUDOOLQDQ\FROOHFWLRQRUERRN as fully authenticated. However, Shi’a collections have the advantage in WKDWWKHVH$KDGLWKZHUHSUHVHQWHGDQGYHULILHGE\WKHLQIDOOLEOH,PDPV D during their lifetimes, spanning almost 230 years. The Role of the Four Deputies of Morteza Maddahi Imam Mahdi (a) in Shiite Hadith Literature ,PPHGLDWHO\DIWHUWKHGHPLVHRI3URSKHW V WKH6KLµDFRPPXQLW\KDG WKHSULYLOHJHDQGDGYDQWDJHRIKDYLQJµWKHJDWHWRWKHFLW\RINQRZOHGJH¶ ,PDP$OL D LQWKHLUPLGVW6KHLNK.XOD\QL G QDUUDWHVIURP 6XOD\PE4D\VWKDWKHVDLG2QFH,WROG,PDP$OL D WKDW,KHDUG$KDGLWK from people and when I asked you about them, you certified some and UHMHFWHGRWKHUV'R\RXKROGWKDWSHRSOHDWWULEXWHGWRWKH3URSKHW V ZKDW KHKDGQRWVDLG",PDP D VDLG/LVWHQ:KDWSHRSOHDUHQDUUDWLQJLVPL[HG of right and wrong, true and false, permanent and abrogated, general and VSHFLILFGHILQLWLYHDQGPHWDSKRULFDO1RRQHKDVEHHQZLWKWKH3URSKHW V like my companionship with him, and no one learned from him as much as ,GLG .XOD\QƯ$+ ><RXPXVWUHIHUWRPHWRGLVFULPLQDWH WKH$KDGLWKRIWKH3URSKHW D 7KH,PDPV D DOVRH[SOLFLWO\FRPPDQGHGWKHLUSXSLOVWRSUHVHQWEHIRUH them any Ahadith that they heard from any other sources. As Kulayni QDUUDWHG,PDP.Ɨ]LP D DVNHGKLVFRXVLQWRJDWKHUWKHVHDQGSUHVHQW them before him to be verified. 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An example can be the dialogue of one of the FRPSDQLRQVRI,PDP6DGLT D ZLWKKLP Ąʣ ķˬĄćŀˬĒ ĜĄ ĵĈ˩˫Ą̅Ƹ Đ ŝĄĄ̌ ʪļ͑ĄĄˤňʪ˃ćĄ˸ ͒ĄĵĈˬĄęĄʼnćĄĵřĘ ŝĄ ˸ ͑ĄćĿ Ř şĄ Ĉļŀ ˬĄ˸ ͒ĄġĄʼnćĄĒ̗ ĤĄ̼ ̠̐Ąʣ ķˬ Ą˺ļĄ ĺƹ˫ňʪ˃ćĄđćŝ͑ĄĈƸ̣͒Ąćŀ ̗ń˄ĄĿĄʣ̗ń˄Ąʤ̘ĐĄĖ̘ĸĄĵĈˬĄĄ¢¢¢Ą ʜćˆĤĄĺƹĤĈƸʪˁĈ˫Ą̅ƸĐŝĄĺƹ˫ňʪ˃ćĄ˸ĈİĄ˸͒ ¢ĒĐć ĿĄ˺̡ĒĸćĄĈ Ƹ̣͒Ą ʼnćĄ ˺̡ đĄ̌ ˫Ą Ĉ˫ňʪ˃ćĄŇĄ˸ć Ēķ̗ĸć +HVDLG,DVNHGKLP3HRSOHQDUUDWHGIURPWKH3URSKHW V WKDWKH VDLG7KHGLIIHUHQFHEHWZHHQP\QDWLRQ DQGRWKHUV LVPHUF\,PDP D VDLGWKDWLWLVWUXH7KHQ,DVNHG,IGLVDJUHHPHQW>,NKWLOƗI@LVPHUF\WKHQ DJUHHPHQWPXVWEHDIIOLFWLRQ",PDP D VDLG7KLVLVQRW WUXH DVWKH\ DQG \RX XQGHUVWDQG ,NKWLOƗI KHUH GRHVQ¶W PHDQ EHLQJ LQ UHODWLRQ EXW JRLQJDQGFRPLQJEDFN7KLV+DGLWKPHDQV,NKWLOƗIDPRQJWKHFLWLHV7KDW PHDQVWUDYHOLQJIRUJDLQLQJNQRZOHGJHDQGGRHVQRWPHDQGLVDJUHHPHQW LQWKHUHOLJLRQ,PDP D WKHQ PHQWLRQVWKHYHUVHRIWKHFKDSWHU7DZEDK ৡDGnjT$+ $Q\KRZWKHUHDUHSOHQW\RIH[DPSOHVZKHUHWKHLQIDOOLEOH,PDPV D explained or corrected by proofreading, or rejected or added the missing SDUW6RPHRIWKH$KDGLWKWKDW6KHLNK6DGXT G JDWKHUHGLQKLV 0D¶ƗQLDO$NKEƗUDUHRIWKLVNLQG This is an indication of the privilege and superiority of the Ahadith of WKH6KLµD1RWRQO\GLGWKH,PDPV D QDUUDWH$KDGLWKLQYDVWGHWDLOWKH\ DOVRUHFWLILHGWKHH[LVWLQJ$KDGLWKRIWKH3URSKHW V DQGWKHSUHFHGLQJ 59 Journal of Al-Mustafa International University Vol. 3 (2020), Issue 1 ,PDPV D WKDWZHUHSUHVHQWHGEHIRUHWKHP7KLVPHWKRGRORJ\FRQWLQXHG WKURXJKRXWXSWRWKHWLPHRI,PDP+DVDQ$VNDUL D Who Were the Four Deputies? 5HPDLQLQJ LV WKH TXHVWLRQ DERXW ZKDW WKH 1XZZƗE $UELµHK )RXU 'HSXWLHV RI ,PDP 0DKGL D GLG LQ WKLV UHJDUG DIWHU WKH SHULRG RI KLV presence and during his Minor Occultation? This question is very important VLQFH ZH NQRZ WKDW WKH ILUVW PDLQ ERRN RI 6KLµD DO.ƗIL ZDV FRPSLOHG during this time. And as we will discuss later, there is also the question ZKHWKHUWKLVERRNZDVSUHVHQWHGWRWKH1XZZƗE$UELµHKRU,PDP0DKGL D RUQRW Since some orientalists have raised doubts about the authenticity and DXWKRULW\RIWKH)RXU'HSXWLHV 1HZPDQ6K ZHKDYHWRNQRZ