Tahdhib al-ahkam (book): Difference between revisions

| subject = [[Fiqh]]

The book is one of the most reliable and accredited collections of [[Shiite]] [[hadiths]] and the third book among [[al-Kutub al-Arba'a]] (the Four Books), trusted by all Shiite scholars and [[fuqaha]]. ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' contains hadiths in [[fiqh]] (Islamic jurisprudence) and the laws of sharia narrated from [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]]. [[Al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] wrote the book as an exposition of ''[[al-Muqni'a]]'' by his master [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]].

''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' contains hadiths about the laws of sharia, providing many hadiths required for [[ijtihad]] or inquiry about such laws. The book contains many issues in fiqh, [[usul al-fiqh]] (the principles of the Islamic jurisprudence), [[rijal]] and other fields.

In this book, al-Shaykh al-Tusi did not concern himself with issues in the principles of Shiite beliefs, restricting himself to issues related to all areas of fiqh or laws of sharia, from [[kitab al-tahara]] (the book of cleanliness) to [[kitab al-diyat]] (the book of [[diya]] or blood money). Parts or books of fiqh in this books are organized in the same way as ''al-Muqni'a''. The sources appealed to by al-Shaykh al-Tusi in this book are the [[Quran]] (the apparent or explicit meaning or connotations or implications thereof), absolutely authentic hadiths (such as [[Mutawatir Hadith|al-khabar al-mutawatir]], that is, frequently narrated hadiths, or ones with assuring evidence for their authenticity), [[consensus]] by Muslims or by Shiite scholars, and hadiths that are well-known among the companions of [[Imams (a)]]. Moreover, al-Shaykh al-Tusi has also cited contradicting [[hadiths]], pointing to how to reconcile them with other hadiths or to weakness in them such as unreliability of their chains of narrators or the companions of [[Imams (a)]] refusing to act upon them. The book contains 393 sections and 13590 hadiths.

In the preface to ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'', [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] writes that one of his friends talked to him about apparently contradictory [[hadiths]] in Shiite sources, pointing that this has led to strong criticisms by opponents of [[Shiism]] and disbelieving Shiism by some ignorant Shiites. Thus he asked al-Shaykh al-Tusi to write a well-argued exposition for [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]]'s ''[[al-Muqni'a]]'', which contains the grounds of each problem in widely accepted hadiths as well as contradictory hadiths, showing how to resolve the contradiction or interpret them away or showing in what ways they should not be relied upon. In response to this request, ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' was compiled and authored. Thus the book has an apological motivation.

In the preface of the book and frequently in the first volume and twice at the beginning of the second, al-Shaykh al-Mufid has been mentioned together with the phrase "ayyada-ha Allah" (Arabic: {{iarabic|أیَّدَه الله}}, may God support him) which implies that al-Shaykh al-Mufid was alive then, but after this he is mentioned with the phrase "rahima-ha Allah" (Arabic: {{iarabic|رَحِمَهُ الله}}, may God bless him) which implies that al-Shaykh al-Mufid was no longer alive. Thus it implies that the writing of the book started when al-Shaykh al-Mufid was still alive and went on after his death ([[Ramadan]], [[413]] A.H./ December 1022).

''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' was the first book authored by [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]], in which no other works by him is cited, but this book is frequently cited in the rest of his work.

In his ''[[al-Istibsar]]'', al-Shaykh al-Tusi writes that he started to write the book when ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' was finished. Likewise, in his ''[[al-'Udda fi usul al-fiqh]]'', al-Shaykh al-Tusi refers to both of ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' and ''al-Istibsar'', implying that both books had been done when he started writing the book. Thus it seems that it did not take much time for him to write ''Thadhib al-ahkam''.

In his autobiography in his ''[[al-Fihrist]]'', [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] enumerates 23 main parts or books of [[fiqh]], saying that ''[[al-Istibsar]]'' and ''[[al-Nihaya fi mujarrad al-fiqh wa l-fatwa|al-Nahaya]]'' have the same number of parts. However, the parts of al-shahadat (witnessing or testimony) and al-at'ima wa al-ashriba (eating and drinking) are only independently discussed in the latter two books. Moreover, ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' contains an independent book of al-ziyarat (pilgrimages) that is absent in the other two works. Therefore, ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' contains 21 parts or books of fiqh, and the ones mentioned in ''al-Fihrist'' are combinations of parts contained in ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'', ''al-Nahaya'' and ''al-Istibsar''.

The book is basically organized in the same way as ''[[al-Muqni'a]]'', elaborating all its problems by an appeal to reliable sources (the [[Quran]], [[Mutawatir Hadith|al-khabar al-mutawatir]], [[hadiths]] with assuring evidence and [[consensus]]), referring to widely accepted hadiths among [[Imamiyya]], where contradicting hadiths are interpreted away or dismissed as unreliable. In this method, in terms of which most of the part on [[taharat]] (or cleanliness) is written, the author occasionally appeals to sources such as what later came to be called combined consensus (al-ijma' al-murakkab), the views of senior scholars and some reasoning. It has also cited some hadiths from [[Sunni]] sources without mentioning their chains of narrators. In this part of the book, there are various Quranic and literary issues (related to Arabic grammar and lexicology) as well as views in [[usul al-fiqh]].

However, the book would have been too lengthy and digressed from its main purpose (writing a work in hadith) had the rest of it been written with the same method. Therefore, the author changed his method in the rest of the book, resting content with citing Shiite hadiths and reconciling their conflicts. He then decided to cite all or almost all hadiths regarding the laws of sharia regardless of issues raised in ''al-Muqni'a''. This is why he added the sections on [[ziyara]] (pilgrimage) in the first three volumes of the book. Therefore, the book was written with two different methods that differ in their elaboration as well as in the way they cite hadiths.

===Importance in Fiqh===

According to [[Bahr al-'Ulum]], with this book a scholar of [[fiqh]] does not usually need to refer to any other collection of hadiths; a feature lacked by the rest of the Four Books. [[Sayyid b. Tawus]] took ''[[al-Kafi]]'' and ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' to be the greatest books in fiqh, and [['Allama al-Hilli]] took the book to be the origin of fiqh, which is, together with ''[[al-Muqni'a]]'', one of the greatest sources in fiqh.

In many parts or books of fiqh, [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]]'s views in ''Tahdhib'' have been considered as his [[fatwa]]s that are frequently cited and discussed. Some of his fatwas in this book are unique to him or are held by few other scholars. Sometimes his fatwas in this book or in ''[[al-Istibsar]]'' differ from his fatwas in the rest of his work in fiqh.

In addition to its contribution to fiqh, ''Tahdhib'' is also significant as a collection of [[hadiths]]. In addition to catalogues or bibliographies that have always mentioned the book, the subsequent works in hadiths have always cited the book. [[Ibn Tawus]] has very frequently cited the book in his work. [[Ibn Idris]] cited a selection of hadiths in ''Tahdhib'' at the end of his ''[[al-Sara'ir]]''.

Some [[Akhbari]] scholars made an appeal to a remark by [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] in his ''[[al-'Udda fi usul al-fiqh]]'' and held that all hadiths in ''Tahdhib'' (as well as in the rest of the Four Books) are reliable. However, since al-Shaykh al-Tusi has made it explicit that some contradictory hadiths in his book are unreliable, the view was rejected by other scholars.

• The contradiction of a [[hadith]] with the apparent meaning of the [[Holy Qur'an]] and [[Mutawatir Hadith|al-khabar al-mutawatir]].

• The [[consensus]] of [[Imamiyya]] on refusing to act upon the hadith.

• The contradiction of a hadith narrated by one or few people with one narrated by a greater number of people.

• The contradiction of a hadith with an essential principle of Islam and [[Imams (a)]].

• The tension in a hadith, that is, where the narrator has narrated the hadith in two or more different ways.

• The contradiction between what a person narrates with what others narrate.

• [[Mudmar]] (in which a hadith involves a pronoun which is not obvious whether it refers to an [[Infallible]] or not)

• [[Mawquf]] (a hadith that stops at a companion of [[Imam (a)]] where it is not obvious whether it is his own view or is intended to be that of Imam (a)'s)

• [[Mursal]] (a hadith part of whose chain of narrators is missing)

• A hadith whose narrator is not exactly known

• [[Shadh]] hadith (a hadith saying something odd or uncommon)

• A hadith with unreliable narrators or one whose narrator is a [[ghali]] (a person who exaggerates the virtues of Imams (a)), or [[Sunni]] or [[Zaydi]].

[[Aqa Buzurg Tihrani]] has mentioned 16 expositions and 20 commentaries for ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'', mentioning four books as commentaries on the Four Books.

Other people have mentioned other commentaries on the book, such as those of [[Ahmad b. Zayn al-Din b. Ibrahim al-Ahsa'i|Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i]], [[Mir Damad]] and ''Jami' al-hawashi''.

Of these, only ''[[Maladh al-akhyar]]'' by [['Allama al-Majlisi]] has been published, which is a complete exposition of ''Tahdhib'' in 16 volumes. This books cites other expositions of ''Tahdhib'', particularly those of [[Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi]] and [['Abd Allah Tustari]].

• A translation of ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' into Persian by [[Muhammad Taqi Gilani]]

• Another translation of the book by Muhammad Yusuf Gurakani

• ''Mukhtasar mazar kitab al-Tahdhib'' (a summary of ''Tahdhib'''s mazar) by Muhammad Jawjani

• A selection of ''Tahdhib'' by [[Muhammad Baqir Bihbudi]]

• ''[[Tanbih al-arib wa tadhkira al-labib fi idah rijal al-Tahdhib]]'' by [[Al-Sayyid Hashim al-Bahrani]] and its selection, ''Intikhab al-jayyid min tanbihat al-sayyid'', by Hasan Damistani.

• ''Risala fi asanid al-Tahdhib'' (an essay on ''Tahdhib'''s chains of narrations) by Fakhr al-Din Turayhi

• ''Tashih al-asanid'' by [[Mirza Muhammad al-Ardabili]], the author of ''[[Jami' al-Ruwat]]''

• ''Tartib asanid kitab al-Tahdhib'' (the order of ''Tahdhib'''s chains of narrations) by [[Sayyid Husayn Burujirdi]] hand-written by [[Hasan Nuri Hamadani]] published as ''Tanqih asanid al-Tahdhib''.

• A manuscript of the book written by the author whose son read it to him, and was held by [['Ali b. Muhammad al-Bayadi]].

• A manuscript of the first part of the book in the library of 'Allama [[Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i]]; one of the owners of the manuscript who was contemporary to [[al-Shaykh al-Baha'i]] has written that al-Shaykh al-Baha'i took this to be written by al-Shaykh al-Tusi himself.

• The oldest manuscript of ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' with a date on it (575 A.H./ 1180), including the fourth and the fifth volumes of the book. This is held in the Library of [[Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Rida Gulpayigani]] in [[Qum]].

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