إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ
Surely this brotherhood of yours is one brotherhood, and I am your Lord, therefore serve Me.
(Al-Anbiyā 21:92)
The importance of ahādīth in the Islamic tradition can hardly be understated; second only to the Qur’an as the source of law and jurisprudence, theology and philosophy, ethics and morality, and of course history. Considering this importance (and the fabrication of ahādīth) it is vital for any narration from the Prophet (s) to be accompanied with a reliable isnād[1]. The Shi’a as a minority sect in Islam, have often been accused of fabricating their whole body of hadīth literature. To counter this charge this short essay attempts to show the validity of Shi’a ahādīth by tracing back one such isnād; starting from the word of the Messenger of Allah (s), written by ‘Ali (as), passed down his progeny, and narrated by Ja’far as-Sādiq (as) and preserved by Kulayni in his now extant collection of ahādīth. By tracing this link one hopes to disprove the hasty allegation that the Shi’a scholars have fabricated all of their ahādīth, or that they do not actually base them on the historical Imams, whom are venerated figures by all Muslims, Shi’a and Sunni alike. Perhaps this understanding that both schools of thought are based on the similar foundation of Qur’ān and Sunnah, will help achieve a higher degree of unity and brotherhood.
Although there was disagreement amongst the companions of the Prophet (s) about writing down ahādīth, ‘Ali (as), along with his son Hassan (as), is mentioned as one of the companions who encouraged writing down the ahādīth.[2] Siddīqī states that:
“The Companions did not simply commit as many as they could of the Prophet’s words to memory. Some of them collected them in written books known as sahīfahs, which they would use as a basis for lectures, and which were later preserved by their families, and by the next generation of Muslims…”[3]
Naturally ‘Ali (as) collected many such ahādīth during the life-time of the Prophet (s), and passed this treasure along to his sons who guarded it well. This collected sahīfah was known as Kitābu ‘Ali, and was as his descendant Ja’far (as) described:
This Kitābu ‘Ali is mentioned in various Sunni sources, mentioning that it contains such things as rulings on: qisās (blood-money), zakāt, boundaries of sanctuaries [specifically for Medina (suggesting it included the treaty of Medina]), conditions of granting asylum etc.[5] Some of the Sunni sources mention it as being a tiny parchment kept in the hilt of the sword of ‘Ali (as)[6], but the amount of information kept in it would suggest there is a confusion with another document, and rather the writing in question was much bigger and ‘Ali (as) only spoke of a part of it. Indeed one of the companions of Bāqir (as), Zarārah, was given the scroll of inheritance from Kitābu ‘Ali to read and he described it as being: “… the thickness of a camel’s leg…” and “… that I knew from the largeness of the script and paper that it must be old and a remnant of the past…”[7]. There are however two important things to note from the ahādīth in the Sunni sources; firstly the ahādīth mention someone asking ‘Ali (as) if he was given a special knowledge by the Prophet (s),[8] secondly, this information was not well known, with some sources mentioning it as being a secret given to him, supporting the notion that it was a private dictation to ‘Ali (as) by the Prophet (s).[9]
According to the custom of passing ahādīth the written document was also accompanied by an isnād given by the Imam. In the hadīth of Zarārah, Ja’far (as) provides an isnād to Zarārah who is found doubting the authenticity of the book, as many of the rulings on inheritance are contradictory to the views of the majority of fuqahā. To reassure him Ja’far (as) says: “… My father ‘Ali b. Al-Hussain from my grand-father Hussain b. ‘Ali has told me that the Commander of the Faithful has personally told him: This scroll has come (about) from my script and the dictation of the Messenger of Allah…”[10] This oral isnād then consoled Zarārah’s heart and he found certainty in the authenticity of the rulings in the scroll.
By the era of the Sādiqayn[11] events the original ban on writing ahādīth which had resulted from the difference of opinion amongst the companions had been lifted,[12] and the Sādiqayn fully utilized this opportunity and greatly disseminated their teachings amongst their followers, encouraging them to: “Protect your books, for surely you will be in need of them.”[13] The books written by these companions of the Imams were later to be known as the usūl works, and were numbered to be four-hundred by later Shi’a scholars.[14] Some have placed the number at 6600 according to some other reports, but this is mainly due to the difference between the definition of the two terms asl and kitāb,[15] the more reliable number is certainly four-hundered. On the writing of these books al-Shaykh al-Bahā’ī says: “… one of the habits of the authors usūl works was that, as soon as they heard a tradition from one of the Imams (pbut), they would hasten to write it down in their collections, so that they would not forget any of it as the days went by.”[16]
With the end of the time of Imams the Shi’a indeed found a need for their books as the Imam had foretold them. The task that remained for the Shi’a muhaddithūn was to verify the veracity of any book claiming to narrate from an usūl and then compile the ahādīth from them into a larger collection or jāmi’a. So again similarly to the Kitābu ‘Ali, any book claiming to have been an usūl or a copy of an usūl, had to be accompanied with a chain of transmission to verify it’s authenticity. Of these usūl works there are only thirteen extant ones today, as many did not survive the test of time.[17]
The very first compilation to collect all of these ahādīth was composed by Abu Ja’far al-Kulayni, which he named al-Kāfi.[18] Due to its early compilation al-Kāfi had access to many of the usūl, however it was the very existence of these large compilations that the usūl were eventually lost as they became redundant and the larger compilations were easier to refer to. Also many of these usūl are reported to have been burned in the fire Karakh library of
The weakness of al-Kāfi, however was that Kulayni was more interested in the matn of the hadīth than in the isnād, and thus narrated from unreliable sources such as ghulāt, or Zaydīs.[20] Despite this al-Kāfi did provide the isnād for any hadīth that he quoted, thus rigorous authentication is then left to later scholars, with a difference of opinion existing between the scholars as to the authenticity of the narrations held within al-Kāfi. Despite questioning the authenticity of some of the narrations, al-Kāfi, as a real collection of ahādīth, is unquestionable.
Thus we have seen how the ahādīth of Shi’a have been passed down from the writings of ‘Ali (as), which were inherited by his progeny, then in turn written by the followers of his progeny and later collected by the muhaddithūn of the 3rd century hijra, of which Kulayni was mentioned as an example. Thus due to the efforts of great scholars and individuals in both schools of thought, the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) has been preserved and treasured, to the great benefit of following generations. Therefore the Shi’a have an equal right to state that they too, like their fellow brothers, follow the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, the true path to Allah (swt).
بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي عِزَّةٍ وَشِقَاق
[1] Chain of transmission
[2] Al-Shahrazūrī, Ibn al-Salāh, Kitāb Ma’rifat anwā’ ‘ilm al-hadīth, p. 129. Al-Shahrazūrī (d.1245) work is better known as Muqaddima and he wrote while serving as the head of the Dār al-Hadīth al-Asharafiya in
[3] Siddīqī, Muhammad Zubayr, Hadīth Literature: It’s origin, Development & Special Features, p.3. Siddīqī, a Professor of Islamic Culture in the
[4] “This is the dictation of the Messenger of Allah and the script of ‘Ali”. For reference see: Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Padjūheshī dar Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 40 who is quoting from the Kāfi of Kulayni.
[5] See for example Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 80, Number 747; and Volume 1, Book 3, Number 111. (available at http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/ ), and Sahih Muslim Book 022, Number 4876 – 4878 (available at http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/022.smt.html ) Other sources for this include: Sunan ibn Mājah, Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, and Al-Shāf’ī’s Kitāb Ikthilāf Al-Hadīth, which Dr. Ma’āref lists in his Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 45 - 8
[6] For example see: Sahih Muslim, Book 022, Number 4878
[7] Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 39 – 40, quoting from Kāfi and Tahdhīb of Tūsi.
[8] For example see Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 3, Number 111: “Abu Juhaifa said, "I asked Ali, 'Have you got any book (which has been revealed to the Prophet apart from the Qur'an)?' 'Ali replied, 'No, except Allah's Book or the power of understanding which has been bestowed (by Allah) upon a Muslim or what is (written) in this sheet of paper (with me).' …”
Interestingly the ahādīth in Sahih Muslim narrates that ‘Ali (as) became angry when it was suggested that he had been given secret knowledge, however in these somewhat confusing reports he still states that: “…Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) did not tell me anything in secret that he hid from people, except that he told me four thing…” where he still names four things as an exception.
[9] Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 49
[10] Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 40 quoting from Al-Kāfi. This isnād is referred to as silsilah al-dhahab (golden chain) in Shi’a Hadīth terminology.
[11] Imam Al-Bāqir and Al-Sādiq (as)
[12] By the actions of the ‘Ummayyad caliph ‘Umar II (b. ‘Abd al-Azīz). Although the Sunni scholars were more hesitant to comply and only truly began compiling ahādīth, by the time of the ‘Abbāsid caliph al-Mansūr. (Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 151 & 165)
[13] Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 166. quoting from Al-Kāfi.
[14] This number is counted by such scholars as: Shaykh al-Mufīd (d. 413), Tabarsī (d. 548), muhaqqiq al-Hillī (d. 676), Shahīd al-Awwal (d. 786), and Shahīd al-Thānī (d. 966). As one can see the opinion on the amount of the usūl is held in consensus by the scholars throughout the years. (for reference see: Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 175).
[15] Qorbānī , Zeyn al-‘Ābedīn, ‘Elme Hadīth, p. 257
[16] Al-Fadlī, ‘Abd al-Hādī, Introduction to Hadīth, p.79 quoting from the Mashriq al-Shamsayn of al-Shaykh al-Bahā’ī
[17] Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 197 - 8
[18] Qorbānī , Zeyn al-‘Ābedīn, ‘Elme Hadīth, p. 258
[19] Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e, p. 195, quoting from al-Dhariyy’ah of Shaykh Aghā Bozorg Tehrānī.
[20] From Dr. I. K. A. Howard’s article for al-Serat (1976), vol. 2, No.1. Found at http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/kulayni-howard.htm
Bibliography
- Dr. Ma’āref, Majid, Padjūheshī dar Tārīkhe Hadīthe Shī’e,
- Al-Shahrazūrī, Ibn al-Salāh, Kitāb Ma’rifat anwā’ ‘ilm al-hadīth, (trans. Dr. Eerik Dickinson)
- Siddīqī, Muhammad Zubayr, Hadīth Literature: It’s origin, Development & Special Features,
- Al-Fadlī, ‘Abd al-Hādī, Introduction to Hadīth,
- Qorbānī , Zeyn al-‘Ābedīn, ‘Elme Hadīth: wa naqshe ān dar shenākht wa tahdhībe hadīth,
- Dr. I. K. A. Howard’s article for al-Serat (1976), vol. 2, No.1., http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/kulayni-howard.htm
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