Sharh nahj al-balagha (by Ibn Abi l-Hadid)

Sharh nahj al-balagha (by Ibn Abi l-Hadid)

Author	Ibn Abi l-Hadid
Original title	شرح نهج البلاغة
Language	Arabic
Subject	Commentary of Nahj al-balagha

Sharḥ nahj al-balāgha (Arabic: شرح نهج البلاغة, lit: Commentary of Nahj al-balagha) is a book in Arabic by Ibn Abi l-Hadid, a seventh/thirteenth century Mu'tazili scholar. Among the features of this work are its use of Shiite and Sunni sources and being a multi-dimensional (historical, literary, and theological) commentary.

In his introduction to the work, Ibn Abi l-Hadid has mentioned some of his views: He believes that Ali (a) was superior to the first three caliphs, but he does not admit that the Prophet (s) had appointed Ali (a) as his successor. He also maintained that those who fought against Imam Ali (a) in the Battle of Jamal, as well as those who participated in the Battle of Siffin under the command of Mu'awiya are doomed to hell.

The contents of the book are not always in lines with Shiite views, but they are not in agreement with mainstream Sunni beliefs either.

The book was compiled in twenty volumes, and published in various editions.

Author

Main article: Ibn Abi l-Hadid

Abd al-Hamid b. Hibat Allah, known as Ibn Abi l-Hadid (586/1190 - 656/1258) was born in al-Mada'in. He began his education in his hometown and then traveled to Baghdad to continue his studies.

Ibn Abi l-Hadid was a Shafi'i in jurisprudence and a Mu'tazilite in beliefs. He composed works in the fields of theology, logic, history, and poetry, but he is known mainly for his commentary on Nahj al-balagha, which reveals his mastery of literature, theology, ethics, history of early Islam, and Arabic poetry.

General Information

According to what Ibn Abi l-Hadid mentions at the end of his work, the compilation of the commentary took him four years and eight months, which, he notes, was the duration of the caliphate of Imam Ali (a). Ibn Abi l-Hadid started writing the commentary on Rajab 644/November 1246 and finished it on the end of Safar 649/May 1251.

He dedicated the commentary to Muhammad b. al-Alqami (591/1194-5 - 656/1258), the Abbasid vizier, and received from him precious gifts in return.

Features

Among the features of the commentary are the following:

• Using Shiite and Sunni sources: Ibn Abi l-Hadid uses Shiite and Sunni sources in the compilation of his commentary. For instance, to refute Qadi Abd al-Jabbar's defenses of Uthman, he uses the responses of al-Sharif al-Murtada. It is said that Ibn Abi l-Hadid was the supervisor of the libraries in Baghdad, including the ten-thousand-volume library of Ibn al-Alqami, and this is why he has used in his commentary sources that were not even at the disposal of Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari, the well-known historian of the third/ninth century.

• Comprehensiveness: The Commentary of Ibn Abi l-Hadid on Nahj al-balagha is considered an encyclopedia of literature, theology, jurisprudence, ethics, history, genealogy, and general Arab culture. According to Mahdavi Damghani, one of the translators of Nahj al-balagha, among the various aspects of Ibn Abi l-Hadid's commentary, its literary, historical and social, and theological aspects are especially significant. The commentary contains an account of Islamic history since the time of the Prophet (s) until 623/1226, i.e., thirteen years before the conquest of Baghdad by the Mongols. Almost half of the book is dedicated to materials about the historical and social circumstances of the first half of the first/seventh century. Moreover, in this commentary, about eight thousand verses of poem are used. Ibn Abi l-Hadid has also responded to the claims about inauthenticity of parts of Nahj al-balagha.

• Defining difficult words: Ibn Abi l-Hadid first quotes a passage of Nahj al-balagha under the title asl (text), then under the title sharh (commentary) he writes his explanations which include definitions of difficult words and expressions.

• Providing an account of the author's time: Living at the time of the Mongol invasion, Ibn Abi l-Hadid provides an account of their emergence and conquest of Transoxiana, Khorasan, Iraq, and especially Baghdad. For this reason, the work is considered one of the important sources of the history of that period.

• Providing a biography of al-Sharif al-Radi: In his introduction to the commentary, Ibn Abi l-Hadid provides a biography of al-Sharif al-Radi and his genealogy.

Author's Views

In his introduction to the commentary, Ibn Abi l-Hadid mentions the views of the Mu'tazila on imamate, superiority of Ali (a) over the first three caliphs, and the status of those who fought against him and the Kharijites.

• Superiority of Imam Ali (a) Over the First Three Caliphs: according to Ibn Abi l-Hadid, the Mu'tazilites were of three opinions regarding the order of superiority among the first four caliphs: some considered Imam Ali (a) to be the best, some chose Abu Bakr as the best, and a third group did not take a position. Following the Mu'tazila of Baghdad, Ibn Abi l-Hadid believed in the superiority of Imam Ali (a) over the other caliphs due to the Imam's greater deeds and nobler characteristics. However, he did not believe that the Prophet (s) had designated Ali (a) as his successor.

• Those who fought against Imam Ali (a) are doomed: Ibn Abi l-Hadid believed that those who engaged in the Battle of Jamal against Imam Ali (a) are doomed to hell—except A'isha, Talha, and Zubayr, because, according to Ibn Abi l-Hadid, they repented. Likewise, he maintained that those who participated in the Battle of Siffin against Imam Ali (a) and also the Kharijites were all doomed to hell.

• Imam Ali (a) had the best measures: Ibn Abi l-Hadid maintained that Imam Ali (a) had the best and most advantageous views and plans in various situations. He gave best advises to Umar in his battles with the Romans and Persians. He also offered Uthman advises that were to the latter's good and could prevent the events that led to the revolt against him and his murder.

• Ibn Abi l-Hadid regarded Imam Ali (a) as a fully practicing believer, who would never break divine laws. However, according to him, the other caliphs would sometimes give precedence to the good of society.

Related Works

Refutations

Shiite scholars have written refutations on Sharh nahj al-balagha by Ibn Abi l-Hadid, because it contains contents that are against Shiite beliefs regarding the issue of imamate and its history. Among these refutations are the following:

• Salasil al-hadid li-taqyid Ibn Abi l-Hadid written by Yusuf al-Bahrani (d.1186/1772)
• Al-Ruh fi l-naqd ma abramahu Ibn Abi l-Hadid by Sayyid Ahmad b. Tawus al-Hilli (d. 673/1274)
• Al-Radd 'ala Ibn Abi l-Hadid by Ali b. Hasan al-Biladi al-Bahrani (d. 1340/1922)
• Salasil al-hadid fi l-radd 'ala Ibn Abi l-Hadid by Shaykh Yusuf al-Kufi
• Al-Naqd al-sadid li-sharh khutba al-Shiqshiqiyya li-Ibn Abi l-Hadid

Summaries

The commentary of Ibn Abi l-Hadid on Nahj al-balagha has been summarized in the following works:

• Al-'Aqd al-nadid al-mustakhrij min sharh Ibn Abi l-Hadid by Fakhr al-Din Abd Allah al-Mu'ayyid bi-Allah
• Sultan Mahmud Tabasi has also written a summary of it, and Muhammad Qanbar Ali Kazimi has produced the book Iltiqat al-durar al-muntakhab (Picking Select Pearls) as a selection of its contents.

Moreover, the book al-'Udhayq al-nadid bi-masadir Ibn Abi l-Hadid by Ahmad Rabi'i deals with the sources that Ibn Abi l-Hadid has used in his commentary, which, according to this book, amount to 222 sources.

Publication

Sharh nahj al-balagha was compiled in twenty volumes (edited by Muhammad Abu l-Fadl Ibrahim), and was published in two-volume, four-volume, eleven-volume (edited by Abd al-Karim al-Nimri and published by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya), and twenty-volume editions.

A manuscript of this work is preserved in the library of Astan-i Quds-i Radawi, which is believed to have been produced during the lifetime of the author.