Adimat al-nazir fi ahwal Abi Basir (book)
| Author | Sayyid Muhammad Hashim Musawi Khwansari |
|---|---|
| Original title | رِسالة عَدیمَة النَظیر فی أحوال أبی بَصیر |
| Series | 1 vol. |
| Subject | Abu Basir |
Risālat ʿadīmat al-naẓīr fī aḥwāl Abī Baṣīr (Arabic: رِسالة عَدیمَة النَظیر فی أحوال أبي بَصیر) is an essay concerning the well-known transmitter of hadiths, Abu Basir, distinguishing him from some unreliable transmitters of hadiths with the same name. The essay is written by Sayyid Mahdi Musawi Khwansari, which is usually conflated with the essay of Sayyid Muhammad Hashim Musawi Khwansari. Different essays have been written regarding Abu Basir throughout centuries.
The Author
Mahdi b. Hasan b. Husayn Musawi Khwansari (1182/1768-9 - 1246/1830-1) was a Shiite scholar in the 12th/18th and 13th/19th centuries. He was a close student of al-Mirza al-Qummi.
The book
The term, "'adimat al-nazir", means unique. The author tries to provide cogent arguments concerning all factors of confusion and conflation in chains of transmission of hadiths involving Abu Basir.
Ambiguity of the Name "Abu Basir"
A significant issue in rijal is the problem of ambiguous names of transmitters of hadiths. In their books, scholars of rijal mention namesakes in the abjad order and then mention common kunyas and titles.
The kunya, "Abu Basir", which is the central topic of this essay, is ambiguous between 4 people:
- 'Abd Allah b. Muhammad who is an unreliable transmitter of hadiths.
- Layth b. Bakhtari al-Muradi who is reliable.
- Yahya b. Abi l-Qasim al-Asadi
- Yusuf b. Harith al-Batri (who transmitted hadiths from Imam al-Baqir (a)).
Contents
The essay consists of an introduction, a number of chapters, and an epilogue.
The introduction introduces people who were known as "Abu Basir". Scholars of rijal believe that this kunya was ambiguous between 4 well-known transmitters of hadiths, although it has been used to refer to people other than these 4 as well.
The five chapters of the books are concerned with people who were known as "Abu Basir". However, the fourth chapter is more detailed and is divided, in turn, into 10 sections in each of which examples from sources of fiqh and hadith are appealed to.
The fifth chapter is lengthier than the fourth, and it consists of 11 sections concerning Abu Basir. At the end of the chapter, the author cites examples from sources of hadiths to examine chains of transmitters of hadiths, the life history of Abu Basir, and distinguish the reliable Abu Basir from unreliable Abu Basirs.
In the epilogue, the author concerned himself with available evidence to distinguish the reliable Abu Basir from unreliable ones in hadiths.
Edit and Publication
Sayyid Musa Shubayri Zanjani, a contemporary Shiite marja', wrote commentaries on this book. The book and the commentaries were published with the efforts of Sayyid Muhammad Jawad Shubayri in Mirath Hadith Shi'a (the Heritage of Shiite Hadith).