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Al-Shafi fi l-imama (book)

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This article is about al-Shafi by al-Sayyid al-Murtada. For other book named al-Shafi, see Al-Shafi (disambiguation).


Al-Shafi fi l-imama (Arabic: الشافي في الإمامة) is a theological book concerning imamate in Arabic, written by al-Sayyid al-Murtada 'Alam al-Huda (355/-436 AH). The book was written in reply to objections by al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar al-Mu'tazili concerning imamate.

Al-Shafi fi l-imama
AuthorAl-Sayyid al-Murtada
Series4 volumes
SubjectImamate
Published1301AH/1989
PublisherMu'assisa-yi Intisharati-yi al-Sadiq

The book, al-Shafi, was a focus of the attention of Muslim scholars, as they wrote critiques and summaries for it. A well-known example is al-Shaykh al-Tusi's Talkhis al-shafi. Al-Sayyid al-Murtada cited al-Shafi in other works of his, such as Tanzih al-anbiya' and al-Dhakhira fi 'ilm al-kalam.

Al-Shafi was lithographically printed in Iran in 1301/1883-4. Moreover, it was published in 1410/1989-90 by al-Sadiq Publishing Institute in four volumes as edited by 'Abd al-Zahra' Khatib Husayni.

Author

Main article: al-Sayyid al-Murtada

The author of al-Shafi is al-Sayyid al-Murtada (355/966-436/1044), the well-known imami jurist and theologian. He became the Shia authority after al-Shaykh al-Mufid's demise. [1] His teachers included[2] Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Babawayh the brother of al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Ibn Nubata al-Sa'di and'Ali al-Marzbani. His students included[3] al-Shaykh al-Tusi, Sallar al-Daylami, Ibn al-Barraj and Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Karajaki

Al-Sayyid al-Murtada adopted a rationalistic approach to theological issues. For this reason, in the case of prima facie contradictions between reason and textual evidence (i. e. , Quranic verses and hadiths), he preferred reason and interpreted the text away. [4] Al-Sayyid al-Murtada developed his theological views in books such as al-Dhakhira fi 'ilm al-kalam, Tanzih al-anbiya', al-Muqni' fi l-ghayba, Jumal al-'ilm wa-l-'amal, and al-Fusul al-mukhtara.

Title

Al-Sayyid al-Murtada himself refers to the book as al-Shafi fi l-imama. [5] The same title is mentioned by Ahmad b. 'Ali al-Najashi[6] and al-Shaykh al-Tusi. [7] Aqa Buzurg Tihrani, however, refers to the book as al-Shafi fi l-imama wa ibtal hujaj al-'amma. [8]

Motivation for Writing

According to Aqa Buzurg Tihrani in his al-Dhari'a, al-Sayyid al-Murtada's motivation for writing al-Shafi was to reply to the objections raised by al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar al-Mu'tazili about the imami denomination, particularly about imamate. [9] Al-Sayyid al-Murtada himself says in al-Shafi that he sought to write an elaborate book in critique of al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar, but he did not find an occasion to do so. For this reason, he rested content with writing al-Shafi. [10]

Place in Islamic Theology

The book al-Shafi dates back to the fifth/eleventh century. Shia and Sunni scholars in that century and the centuries that followed wrote summaries or critiques of the book, including al-Shaykh al-Tusi's Talkhis al-shafi. [11] Moreover, some people cited the book in their own theological books, as al-Sayyid al-Murtada himself cited it in other works of his, including Tanzih al-anbiya', [12] al-Muqni' fi l-ghayba, [13] and al-Dhakhira, [14] which were written after al-Shafi. [15]

According to Sayyid Ahmad Husayni, the editor of al-Dhakhira fi 'ilm al-kalam, al-Shafi indicates al-Sayyid al-Murtada's mastery of kalam (theology) and debates on all Islamic denominations. [16] Sayyid Baha' al-Din al-Mukhtari al-Sabzawari, a scholar of the eleventh/seventeen and twelfth/eighteenth centuries, wrote a poem in Arabic about al-Shafi (literally: heal) to the following effect:

Ignorance, illness of the mind / Cured by thought, physician kind.
A book can heal with a soothing balm / No medicine matches al-Shafi's calm. [17]

Contents

The book al-Shafi is structured into 22 sections as follows:[18]

  • Al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar's view of the necessity of imamate
  • Textual evidence for the necessity of imamate
  • Al-Qadi's rejection of the Shia arguments for imamate and infallibility
  • Al-Qadi's rational (philosophical) arguments against the necessity of there being an explicit text about the imam
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's critique of the Shia arguments for the necessity of there being an explicit text about the imam
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of there being no text about the imam
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view about the requisite characteristics of the imam
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of the imam's knowledge
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of the superiority of the imam
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view about the hadith that the imams are from the Quraysh
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of whether it is permissible to turn away from the Quraysh with respect to imamate
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of the number of people who pledge their allegiance to the imam on behalf of the Islamic nation
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of Abu Bakr's imamate
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of those who believe that the election of imams is invalid
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view that Abu Bakr was qualified for imamate
  • Al-Qadi's reply to the objections against Abu Bakr
  • Appraisal of al-Qadi's view of 'Umar b. al-Khattab's imamate
  • Al-Qadi's reply to objections against 'Umar
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of 'Uthman's imamate
  • Repudiation of al-Qadi's view of the critics of 'Uthman
  • Appraisal of al-Qadi's view: proof for Imam 'Ali's imamate
  • Consideration of al-Qadi's skepticism about the repentance of Talha, al-Zubayr, and 'A'isha.

Method

Al-Sayyid al-Murtada replied to al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar's objections and repudiations in a selective way, as he notes in the introduction of the book. [19] When he quotes al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar's book, al-Mughni, he only mentions the beginning part of each objection or a particular part of his words. [20] These are cited as follows: “the author of the book said, ” “he said, ” “as for his statement, ” and “as for your statement”. Sometimes, hypothetical objections are made on behalf of al-Qadi, which are then answered. [21]

Summaries and Repudiations

 
Talkhis al-shafi by al-Shaykh al-Tusi

The following are summaries of al-Shafi written by Shia scholars:

  • Talkhis al-shafi by al-Shaykh al-Tusi, a student of al-Sayyid al-Murtada. [22] This book is said to be a reason why al-Shafi was protected against distortions.
  • Irtishaf al-safi min silaf al-shafi by Sayyid Baha' al-Din al-Mukhtari (1080/1669-70 - 1131/1719). [23]
  • Safwat al-safi min raghwat al-shafi by Sayyid Baha' al-Din al-Mukhtari. [24]

Moreover, Abu l-Hasan al-Basri, a Sunni scholar, wrote Nqd al-shafi in repudiation of al-Shafi. Abu Ya'la al-Sallar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz, al-Sayyid al-Murtada's student, wrote the book al-Radd 'ala Abi l-Hasan al-Basri in reply to the repudiation. [25]

Publication

Al-Shafi was lithographically printed in 1301/1883-4 along with al-Shaykh al-Tusi's summary. [26] This version is mentioned by Aqa Buzurg Tihrani in al-Dhari'a. [27] Moreover, in 1410/1989-90, al-Sadiq Publishing Institute published the book in four volumes. This was edited by Sayyid 'Abd al-Zahra' Khatib Husayni. The institute reprinted the book in 1384 Sh/2005 in two volumes. [28]

In his critical edition of al-Shafi, Sayyid 'Abd al-Zahra' Khatib Husayni consulted all the available manuscripts of the book in the Library of Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi and the Library of Astan Quds Razavi, showing their differences with abbreviations. [29] Some features of this critical edition include citation of the sources of the passages quoted from al-Mughni (with volume and page numbers), giving the meanings of certain abstruse words, specification of the references of pronouns, and citation of the hadiths mentioned in the book from Shia and Sunni sources. Moreover, he specified the passages quoted by al-Sayyid al-Murtada from al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar, but could not be found in al-Mughni. [30]

Manuscripts

Sayyid 'Abd al-Zahra' Khatib Husayni, the editor of al-Shafi, lists the following as the available manuscripts of the book:[31]

  • The manuscript in the Library of Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi in 476 pages, each page containing 26 lines
  • The manuscript in the Library of Astan Quds Razavi, no. 761 in books of philosophy and theology
  • The manuscript in the Library of Astan Quds Razavi, no. 171, 270 pages, each page containing 22 lines, transcribed by Muhammad Ibrahim b. Muhammad Ya'qub.
  • The manuscript in the Library of Astan Quds Razavi, no. 10020, in 323 sheets, each containing more than 21 lines. The transcription of the manuscript was finished by Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Latif al-'Amili for his friend Muhammad 'Ali Bunka in Muharram 1141/1728-9.
  • The manuscript in the Library of Astan Quds Razavi, no. 760, in 265 sheets, in the books of philosophy and theology. It was transcribed in Jumadi I, 1098/1687, but the transcriber is unknown.
  • The manuscript in the Library of Goharshad Mosque, no. 317, in 317 sheets. Its transcription finished on Ramadan 15, 1117/1706.

Notes

  1. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1411AH, introduction by Ḥusaynī, p. 7.
  2. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, Dīwān al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā, 1417AH, introduction by Tūnjī, vol. 1, p. 10.
  3. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1411AH, introduction by Ḥusaynī, p. 47.
  4. ↑ Sharīʿatī Nīyāsar, "ʿAql wa naql dar dīdgāh-i Sayyid Murtaḍā wa piyjūyi-yi rābiti-yi ān du dar athār-i ū", p. 76-78.
  5. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1411AH, p. 409; Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, Tanzīh al-anbīyāʾ, 1250AH, p. 183; Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Muqniʿ fī al-ghayba, 1416AH, p. 31.
  6. ↑ Najāshī, Rijāl al-Najāshī, 1365Sh, p. 270.
  7. ↑ Tūsī, Fihrist kutub al-Shīʿa, 1420AH, p. 164.
  8. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 13, p. 8.
  9. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 13, p. 8.
  10. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Shāfī, 1410AH, vol. 1, p. 33.
  11. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 13, p. 8.
  12. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, Tanzīh al-anbīyāʾ, 1250AH, p. 133, 137, 140, 155, 159, 183.
  13. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Muqniʿ fī al-ghayba, 1416AH, p. 31, 36, 61.
  14. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1411AH, p. 409, 446, 485, 488, 501.
  15. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Muqniʿ fī al-ghayba, 1416AH, introduction by Ḥakīm, p. 16.
  16. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1411AH, introduction by Ḥusaynī, p. 8.
  17. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 4, p. 423.
  18. ↑ Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", p. 135-138.
  19. ↑ Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", p. 135-138.
  20. ↑ Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", p. 138-139.
  21. ↑ Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", p. 139.
  22. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 13, p. 8.
  23. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 4, p. 423.
  24. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 4, p. 423.
  25. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 10, p. 179-180.
  26. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, 1411AH, p. 51; Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Shāfī, 1410AH, vol. 1, introduction by Khaṭīb Ḥusaynī, p. 14.
  27. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408AH, vol. 13, p. 8.
  28. ↑ Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", p. 141.
  29. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Shāfī, 1410AH, introduction by Khaṭīb Ḥusaynī, vol. 1, p. 15-16.
  30. ↑ Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", p. 140-141.
  31. ↑ Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-Shāfī, 1410AH, introduction by Khaṭīb Ḥusaynī, vol. 1, p. 16-17.

References

  • Āqā Buzurg Tihrānī. Al-Dharīʿa ʾilā taṣānīf al-Shīʾa. Qom, Ismāʿīlīyān, Tehran, Kitābkhāna-yi Islāmīyya, 1408AH.
  • Khalīlī Āshtīyānī, Sumayya. "al-Shāfī fī l-imāma", Ḥadīth wa andīsha, spring and summer, 1387Sh.
  • Najāshī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī, al-. Rijāl al-Najāshī. Qom, Muʾassisat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1365Sh.
  • Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-. Al-Dhakhīra fī ʿilm al-kalām, Ed. Sayyid Aḥmad Ḥusaynī. Qom, Muʾassisat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1411AH.
  • Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-. Al-Muqniʿ fī al-ghayba. Ed. Ḥakīm. Qom, Muʾassisat Āl al-Bayt li-Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth, 1416AH.
  • Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-. Al-Shāfī fī l-imāma. Ed. Khaṭīb Ḥusaynī. Tehran, Muʾassisat al-Ṣādiq. 1410AH.
  • Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-. Dīwān al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā. Commentary by Tūnjī. Beirut, Dār al-Jayl, 1417/1997.
  • Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, al-. Tanzīh al-anbīyāʾ. Qom, al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, 1250AH.
  • Sharīʿatī Nīyāsar, Hāmid, et al. "ʿAql wa naql dar dīdgāh-i Sayyid Murtaḍā wa piyjūyi-yi rābiti-yi ān du dar athār-i ū", Pazhūhish-ha-yi Qurʾan wa Ḥadīth, no. 1, spring and summer, 1393Sh.
  • Tūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, al-. Fihrist kutub al-Shīʿa. Ed. Ṭabāṭabāyi. Qom, Maktabat al-Muḥaqqiq al-Ṭabāṭabāyi, 1420AH.
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