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This article is about Man Balagh Narrations. For familiarity with the rule of the same name, see Rule of Man Balagh.
Man Balagh Narrations
SubjectTasamuh fi adillat al-sunan
Issued byProphet (s), Imam al-Baqir (a), Imam al-Sadiq (a)
NarratorsHisham b. Salim, Safwan b. Mihran
Validity of the chain of transmissionMustafid and Sahih
Shi'a sourcesAl-Mahasin, Al-Kafi, Thawab al-a'mal
Sunni sourcesJuz' Ibn 'Arafa, Musnad Abi Ya'la


Man Balagh Narrations are a corpus of hadiths upon which many jurists have relied to classify various acts as recommended. These traditions serve as the primary evidentiary basis for the rule of tasamuh (leniency in the evidence for recommended acts). According to these narrations, God bestows a reward upon individuals who perform a deed based on a weak narration, even if that report is ultimately not authentic.

Jurists have generally classified the Man Balagh hadiths as Mutawatir or mustafid, regarding them as reliable. While some researchers reject the claim of tawatur, they nonetheless consider certain Man Balagh hadiths to be sahih (authentic) regarding their chains of transmission. Conversely, some authors have dismissed the Man Balagh hadiths as fabricated.

Most jurists have derived a principle of Usul al-fiqh from the Man Balagh narrations, stipulating that the standard requirements for a narrator's trustworthiness are waived in traditions concerning recommended acts. However, others interpret these narrations as pertaining to jurisprudential or theological matters rather than procedural principles. Due to foundational differences in their methodology, scholars disagree on whether the scope of these hadiths extends to issues such as disliked acts or the transmission of weak hadiths regarding the virtues and calamities of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Concept and Status

The term "Man Balagh narrations" refers to a collection of hadiths that articulate the divine stance toward individuals who act upon the content of a weak narration in reliance on it.[1] According to these hadiths, if a person receives a report promising a specific reward for an act and performs that act in the hope of attaining said reward, God will grant it to them, even if the original report was incorrect.[2] As the majority of these narrations commence with the phrase "man balaghahu" (whoever is reached by [a report]), they have become collectively known as the "Man Balagh Narrations".[3] Ideally, these hadiths are understood as informative statements regarding God's grace, rather than as issuing a command.[4]

Muhammad Jawad Fadil Lankarani, a professor at the Qom Hawza, identifies the Man Balagh narrations as the primary evidence for the rule of tasamuh, a widely applied principle that permeates all sections of jurisprudence.[5]

Based on these narrations, many jurists have issued legal opinions (fatwas) affirming the recommended status of various acts.[6] For instance, Al-Shahid al-Thani, author of Sharh al-Lum'a, issued a Fatwa permitting recommended fasting during travel. Citing the "man balagh" hadith and weak narrations that deem such fasting permissible, he concluded that recommended fasting is valid during Shar'i travel.[7]

Reliability

Al-Hurr al-Amili, the author of Wasai'l al-Shi'a, classified the Man Balagh narrations as Mutawatir.[8] Similarly, Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari, a prominent jurist of the 13th/19th century, regarded them as mustafid and suggested the possibility that they constitute thematic tawatur.[9] Furthermore, according to Ahmad b. Fahd al-Hilli, author of Uddat al-da'i, the content of the Man Balagh narrations is a subject of consensus among both Shi'a and Sunni scholars.[10] Beyond Shi'i religious texts, these hadiths appear in select Sunni sources, such as the Juz' of Ibn 'Arafa and the Musnad of Abi Ya'la.[11] The Shi'i traditions are transmitted from Imam al-Baqir (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a),[12] whereas the Sunni narrations are attributed directly to the Prophet (s).[13]

The book Wasai'l al-Shi'a lists nine specific narrations classified as Man Balagh reports.[14] Some researchers argue that the Man Balagh hadiths found in primary Shi'i sources ultimately trace back to three distinct narrations:[15] 1. The narration in Al-Mahasin;[16] 2. The narration in Al-Kafi;[17] and 3. The narration in Thawab al-a'mal.[18] Consequently, certain scholars reject the claim that these hadiths are mutawatir; among the reported traditions, they consider the chains of only two to be sahih, regarding the remainder as da'if (weak).[19]

It is reported that Muflih b. Hasan al-Saymari, a 9th/15th-century jurist, perceived a conflict between the Man Balagh hadiths and the Verse of Naba', prompting him to raise objections.[20] However, scholars such as Aqa Husayn Khwansari and Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari have responded to these concerns, resolving the alleged conflict between the verse and the narrations.[21] Conversely, some Shi'i authors[22] and the Sunni jurist Ibn al-Jawzi have dismissed these hadiths as fabricated.[23]

Interpretations

The majority of jurists are said to interpret the content of the Man Balagh narrations as establishing a rule of Usul. In this view, the specific conditions required for the validity (hujjiya) of narrations—such as the trustworthiness of the narrator—are waived in matters concerning recommended acts.[24] Nevertheless, the classification of these narrations as a principle of Usul is not universally accepted. Alternative perspectives exist; for example, Akhund al-Khorasani and al-Na'ini regard it as a jurisprudential issue, arguing that an act performed by a mukallaf (obligated person) in the hope of reward is inherently recommended.[25] Others, such as Aqa Diya' al-'Iraqi and Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khoei, interpret it as a theological issue, positing that God, through His grace, bestows rewards upon individuals who demonstrate obedience by acting upon weak hadiths.[26]

Ali Safi Gulpaygani outlined four possibilities regarding the implications of the Man Balagh narrations, ultimately accepting the fourth. According to this view, the narrations do not inherently prove the recommended nature of an act, the specificity of the reward, or its status as worship. Rather, they indicate that if an individual learns of a specific reward for a task through a narration and performs it hoping to receive that reward, they will attain it. Such an act is considered an instance of precaution and is rationally endorsed and praiseworthy.[27]

Scope

According to Sayyid Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the majority of jurists restrict the application of Man Balagh narrations to recommended acts, excluding disliked acts.[28] However, Shaykh al-Ansari argues that while the narrations may initially appear limited to recommended acts, their wording is general and therefore encompasses disliked acts as well.[29] Al-Ansari further contends that the Man Balagh hadiths permit the use of weak reports when narrating historical events or mentioning the virtues and calamities of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[30] In contrast, al-Na'ini rejects the validity of citing weak hadiths for such purposes.[31]

Other debates regarding the scope of the "man balagh" hadith have emerged, with scholars holding divergent views based on their foundational principles. These issues include: 1. The applicability of Man Balagh narrations to the fatwas of mujtahids;[32] 2. Their application to hadiths possessing a strong chain of transmission but weak indication;[33] and 3. The extension of these reports to weak narrations that imply obligation.[34]

Notes

  1. ↑ Markaz-i Illila'at wa Madarik-i Islami, Farhang-nama-yi usul-i fiqh, 1389 Sh, p. 128.
  2. ↑ Al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin, 1371 AH, vol. 1, p. 25; Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 87; Shaykh al-Saduq, Thawab al-a'mal wa 'iqab al-a'mal, 1406 AH, p. 132.
  3. ↑ Sa'idi, "Tasamuh fi adillat al-sunan", p. 288.
  4. ↑ Hashimi Shahrudi, "Bahthi piramun-i akhbar-i man balagh", p. 8.
  5. ↑ Fadil Lankarani, "Qa'ida-yi tasamuh fi adillat al-sunan", p. 7.
  6. ↑ Kalantari, "Tasamuh fi adillat al-sunan, qa'ida-yi nakaramad", p. 2.
  7. ↑ Al-Shahid al-Thani, Masalik al-afham, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 48.
  8. ↑ Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili, Al-Fusul al-muhimma fi usul al-A'imma, 1418 AH, vol. 1, p. 617.
  9. ↑ Al-Ansari, Rasai'l fiqhiyya, 1414 AH, p. 142.
  10. ↑ Ibn Fahd al-Hilli, Uddat al-da'i, 1407 AH, p. 13.
  11. ↑ See: Ibn 'Arafa, Juz', 1406 AH, p. 78; Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Musnad Abi Ya'la, 1404 AH, vol. 6, p. 163; Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, 1422 AH, vol. 9, p. 230.
  12. ↑ Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili, Wasai'l al-Shi'a, 1409 AH, vol. 1, pp. 80-82.
  13. ↑ Ibn 'Arafa, Juz', 1406 AH, p. 78; Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Musnad Abi Ya'la, 1404 AH, vol. 6, p. 163; Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, 1422 AH, vol. 9, p. 230.
  14. ↑ Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili, Wasai'l al-Shi'a, 1409 AH, vol. 1, pp. 80-82.
  15. ↑ Karimiyan, "I'tibar-sanji wa mafhum-shinasi-yi ahadith-i man balagh", p. 11.
  16. ↑ Al-Barqi, Al-Mahasin, 1371 AH, vol. 1, p. 25.
  17. ↑ Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 87.
  18. ↑ Shaykh al-Saduq, Thawab al-a'mal wa 'iqab al-a'mal, 1406 AH, p. 132.
  19. ↑ A'rafi, "Qa'idat al-tasamuh fi adillat al-sunan", p. 212.
  20. ↑ Al-Sayyid al-Mujahid, Mafatih al-usul, Mu'assisa Al al-Bayt (a), p. 349.
  21. ↑ Khwansari, Mashariq al-shumus, Mu'assisa Al al-Bayt (a), vol. 1, p. 34; Al-Ansari, Rasai'l fiqhiyya, 1414 AH, pp. 151-152.
  22. ↑ Al-Hasani, Al-Mawdu'at fi l-athar wa l-akhbar, 1973, p. 171; Behbudi, Sahih al-Kafi, 1401 AH, vol. 1, p. "t".
  23. ↑ Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Mawdu'at, 1388 AH, vol. 3, p. 153.
  24. ↑ Al-Na'ini, Fawa'id al-usul, 1376 Sh, vol. 3, p. 415.
  25. ↑ Al-Akhund al-Khorasani, Kifayat al-usul, 1409 AH, p. 352; Al-Na'ini, Ajwad al-taqrirat, notes of Ayatollah al-Khoei, 1368 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 208-209.
  26. ↑ Al-'Iraqi, Nihayat al-afkar, 1417 AH, vol. 3, pp. 279-280; Al-Khoei, Misbah al-usul, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 319.
  27. ↑ Safi Gulpaygani, Al-Mahajja fi taqrirat al-Hujja, 1419 AH, vol. 2, p. 240.
  28. ↑ Hashimi Shahrudi, "Bahthi piramun-i akhbar-i man balagh", p. 24.
  29. ↑ Al-Ansari, Rasai'l fiqhiyya, 1414 AH, p. 160.
  30. ↑ Al-Ansari, Rasai'l fiqhiyya, 1414 AH, p. 158.
  31. ↑ Al-Na'ini, Ajwad al-taqrirat, notes of Ayatollah al-Khoei, 1368 Sh, vol. 2, p. 212.
  32. ↑ Al-Isfahani, Nihayat al-diraya, 1414 AH, vol. 4, pp. 188-189.
  33. ↑ A'rafi, "Qa'idat al-tasamuh fi adillat al-sunan", pp. 231-232.
  34. ↑ Al-Isfahani, Nihayat al-diraya, 1414 AH, vol. 4, pp. 188-189.

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