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Tinat Hadiths
SubjectDifference in the primordial substance of the creation of believers and disbelievers
Issued byImam al-Sajjad (a), Imam al-Baqir (a), Imam al-Sadiq (a)
NarratorsAbu Hamza al-Thumali, Zurara b. A'yan, Ibn Mahbub
Validity of the chain of transmissionMutawatir
Shi'a sourcesAl-Kafi, 'Ilal al-shara'i', al-Mahasin
Sunni sourcesAl-Durr al-manthur, Jami' al-bayan, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'azim


Tinat Hadiths denote a corpus of narrations regarding the creation of believers from ‘Illiyyin (a fragrant, primordial substance) and disbelievers from Sijjin (a malodorous, foul substance). These narrations posit that the tinat (primordial clay) of individuals influences their propensity for faith versus disbelief, and obedience versus disobedience. Furthermore, these traditions allude to a primordial covenant and trial at the level of tinat, detailing the obedience of the People of the Right and the defiance of the People of the Left during this divine trial.

The majority of Shi'a scholars regard the Tinat hadiths as Mutawatir (consecutively reported) and accept their core content. Conversely, scholars such as al-Sharif al-Murtada and 'Allama al-Sha'rani classify them as Khabar al-wahid (solitary reports) and argue for their weakness.

The apparent tension between Tinat narrations and the concepts of human free will and Divine Justice has rendered this subject one of the most complex in hadith studies. Shi'a theologians have adopted various approaches to accept, reject, or reconcile these narrations with broader religious doctrines. These approaches generally fall into three categories: rejection, suspension of judgment (silence), and hermeneutic interpretation (ta'wil).

Status and Importance

Tinat hadiths comprise a collection of narrations asserting that the primordial substance of human creation is not uniform; rather, they describe the creation of believers from a fragrant, pleasant substance termed "Tinat 'Illiyyin," and the creation of disbelievers from a foul, unpleasant substance termed "Tinat Sijjin."[1] This series of narrations—featuring varying motifs such as creation from light and darkness or from Paradise and Hell—appears in numerous Shi'a hadith compilations, including Al-Mahasin,[2] Basa'ir al-darajat,[3] Al-Kafi,[4] 'Ilal al-shara'i',[5] and Bihar al-anwar.[6] Tinat hadiths also appear, albeit partially, in certain Sunni sources.[7]

The prevailing view is that Tinat hadiths are mutawatir[8] and reliable,[9] a position held notably by scholars such as Al-Hurr al-Amili and Muhaddith al-Jaza'iri.[10] However, figures such as Al-Sayyid al-Murtada and Abu l-Hasan al-Sha'rani,[11] deemed these narrations weak, rejecting them on the grounds of conflict with Qur'anic verses and rational proofs.[12]

The prima facie meaning of Tinat narrations suggests a form of predestination, which contradicts the apparent meaning of various Qur'anic verses and narrations,[13] as scripture portrays human beings as possessing free will and bearing responsibility for their actions.[14] This conflict has rendered the issue of tinat one of the most intricate topics in hadith studies.[15] Most Shi'a scholars, including Aqa Jamal Khwansari[16] and Imam Khomeini,[17] interpret tinat as the essence or primordial substance of creation that manifests in human actions and behavior throughout life.

Content

Researchers note that these narrations classify humanity into distinct groups based on their tinat. The first categorization divides humans into believers and disbelievers; specifically, the tinat of believers is derived from that of the prophets (a) and Imams (a), while the tinat of disbelievers is derived from fire or Sijjin. Another categorization delineates three groups: believers, Nasibis, and the disempowered (intellectually weak). In this schema, the tinat of believers is a derivative of the prophets' (a) tinat; that of Nasibis comes from "hama' masnun" (foul mud); and that of the weak comes from "turab" (dust). These narrations generally emphasize that the tinat of the Imams (a) and the Shi'a is connatural, causing the hearts of the Shi'a to incline toward the Imams (a), whereas the hearts of disbelievers incline toward the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[18]

Certain narrations describe the tinat of believers and disbelievers as being created in a commingled state. According to these accounts, after the creation of Tinat 'Illiyyin (believer) and Tinat Sijjin (disbeliever), God mixed them together. Consequently, a believer may occasionally commit a sin, and a disbeliever may at times perform good deeds. Ultimately, the transgressions of a believer are attributed to the disbeliever's element, while the virtues of a disbeliever revert to the believer's element.[19] Additionally, some narrations mention the emergence of the People of the Right and the People of the Left from the initial tinat. After creating Adam's tinat, God separated particles for the People of the Right and the People of the Left, commanding them to enter the fire. The People of the Right obeyed the command and cast themselves into the fire, whereas the People of the Left disobeyed.[20] These narrations emphasize that tinat plays a role in shaping faith and disbelief, or obedience and disobedience, and that a divine trial occurs within this sphere. Furthermore, the covenants taken from creation include confessing to the Lordship of God, the special prophethood of the Messenger of God (s), and the Wilaya of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[21]

Views: From Complete Rejection to Interpretive Acceptance

Shi'a hadith scholars and experts have adopted various approaches to accept, reject, or reconcile these narrations with broader religious doctrines. 'Allama al-Majlisi records five opinions in Mir'at al-'uqul,[22] while Sayyid Abd Allah Shubbar recounts nine views in Masabih al-anwar.[23] These perspectives can generally be categorized into three groups: rejection, suspension of judgment (silence), and hermeneutic interpretation (ta'wil):

Interpretive Views

Many Shi'a scholars, while accepting the Tinat hadiths, have interpreted them through mystical, philosophical, and theological lenses.[24] Some posit that the difference in tinats stems from God's foreknowledge of human choices,[25] whereby God created an individual's tinat in accordance with His knowledge of their future faith or disbelief.[26] Others attribute the divergence in tinats to the outcome of the trial in the world of Al-Dharr, arguing that a good tinat was assigned to the obedient and an ugly tinat to the disobedient.[27] 'Allama Tabataba'i argues that while tinat influences human happiness and wretchedness, it does not do so absolutely; its effect on shaping temperament is limited, and thus it does not conflict with human free will.[28]

Rejection of Tinat Hadiths

Image of the book Sharh ahadith al-tinat by Aqa Jamal Khwansari
  • Abu l-Hasan al-Sha'rani, in his marginalia on al-Mazandarani's Sharh usul al-Kafi, argues that Tinat hadiths conflict with fundamental Imami principles, specifically Justice and the Rule of Grace (Lutf). He also notes their conflict with narrations regarding Fitra,[29] concluding that they must be discarded and are unworthy of citation.[30]
  • Some scholars dismiss these narrations as fabrications by the Ghulat (extremists), designed to assert a fundamental difference between the creation of the Imams (a) and other humans; they argue these reports should be set aside due to weak documentation.[31]
  • Others attribute the Tinat narrations to Taqiyya (precautionary dissimulation). Proponents of this view suggest that because the narrations seemingly endorse determinism, the Shi'a Imams (a) may have issued them to protect the lives of the Shi'a in the oppressive atmosphere of the era's governments.[32]

View of Silence

'Allama al-Majlisi classified Tinat hadiths as ambiguous (mutashabih) and difficult reports. He believed one should not delve too deeply into their exegesis, as human intellect is incapable of fully grasping the reality of these hadiths; rather, one must accept them submissively and leave their analysis to the Imams (a).[33] Abd al-Hadi Mas'udi, a researcher in hadith sciences, also categorizes these hadiths as "difficult and complex," asserting that their explanation requires a level of comprehension beyond ordinary understanding.[34]

Monograph

  • Sharh ahadith al-tinat: In this Persian-language work, Aqa Jamal al-Khwansari discusses and examines ten Tinat hadiths. The book was published through the efforts of Abd Allah Nurani by Nahdat-i Zanan-i Musalman in 1980.[35] The author states that his motivation for writing the book was to address misunderstandings surrounding Tinat narrations, the issuance of which he accepted.[36]

Notes

  1. ↑ Riḍwānī & Dhākirī, "Riwāyāt-i ṭīnat wa ikhtiyār-i insān", pp. 47-48.
  2. ↑ Al-Barqī, Al-Maḥāsin, 1371 AH, vol. 1, pp. 132-135 & 282-283.
  3. ↑ Al-Ṣaffār, Baṣā'ir al-darajāt, 1404 AH, pp. 14-18 & 171.
  4. ↑ Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 2, pp. 2-7.
  5. ↑ Al-Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, 1385 AH, vol. 1, pp. 82-84 & 116-117.
  6. ↑ Al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 5, pp. 152-161.
  7. ↑ Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 3, p. 150; Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, 1419 AH, vol. 2, p. 627; Al-Suyūṭī, Al-Durr al-manthūr, 1404 AH, vol. 2, p. 15.
  8. ↑ Al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Al-Fuṣūl al-muhimma, 1418 AH, vol. 1, p. 420.
  9. ↑ Al-Jazāʾirī, Al-Anwār al-nuʿmāniyya, 1429 AH, vol. 1, p. 212.
  10. ↑ Fadāʾī & Mūsawī, "Taḥlīl-i aḥādīth-i ṭīnat wa rābiṭa-yi ān bā ikhtiyār-i insān", pp. 94-95.
  11. ↑ Al-Jazāʾirī, Al-Anwār al-nuʿmāniyya, 1429 AH, vol. 1, p. 212.
  12. ↑ Ṣāliḥ al-Māzandarānī, Sharḥ uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1382 Sh, vol. 4, p. 8; Shubbar, Maṣābīḥ al-anwār, vol. 1, p. 11.
  13. ↑ Maḥmūdī & Ḥusaynī, "Dīdgāh-i 'Allāma Tabataba'i pīrāmūn-i aḥādīth-i ṭīnat", p. 78.
  14. ↑ Shubbar, Maṣābīḥ al-anwār, 1371 Sh, vol. 1, p. 35.
  15. ↑ Imam Khomeini, Miṣbāḥ al-hidāya, 1373 Sh, p. 110.
  16. ↑ Āqā Jamāl al-Khwānsārī, Sharḥ aḥādīth al-ṭīnat, 1359 Sh, p. 17.
  17. ↑ Imam Khomeini, Ṭalab wa irāda, 1362 Sh, p. 160.
  18. ↑ Riḍwānī & Dhākirī, "Riwāyāt-i ṭīnat wa ikhtiyār-i insān", pp. 47-48; Ghulāmī & Dhākirī, "Ṭīnat wa ʿadl-i ilāhī", pp. 112-114.
  19. ↑ Karīmī & Dāwarī, "Taḥlīl-i aḥādīth-i ṭīnat az manẓar-i fiqh al-ḥadīth", pp. 67-68.
  20. ↑ Riḍwānī & Dhākirī, "Riwāyāt-i ṭīnat wa ikhtiyār-i insān", pp. 49-52.
  21. ↑ Ghulāmī & Dhākirī, "Ṭīnat wa ʿadl-i ilāhī", pp. 112-114.
  22. ↑ Al-Majlisī, Mir'āt al-ʿuqūl, 1404 AH, vol. 7, p. 15.
  23. ↑ Shubbar, Maṣābīḥ al-anwār, 1371 Sh, vol. 1, pp. 35-39.
  24. ↑ Ghulāmī & Dhākirī, "Ṭīnat wa ʿadl-i ilāhī", p. 116.
  25. ↑ Al-Ḥillī, Mukhtaṣar al-baṣāʾir, 1421 AH, p. 384.
  26. ↑ Al-Māzandarānī, Sharḥ uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1382 AH, vol. 8, p. 5; Shubbar, Maṣābīḥ al-anwār, p. 38.
  27. ↑ Shubbar, Maṣābīḥ al-anwār, p. 38.
  28. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 8, pp. 98-99.
  29. ↑ In critique of this view, some contemporary thinkers, citing religious texts, have reached the belief that in addition to common innate matters in all humans, every human can possess innate matters specific to themselves; as every human, due to the trial they underwent in the World of Al-Dharr, has acquired a tinat and innate morality specific to themselves (Birinjkār, "Fiṭrat dar aḥādīth", 1384 Sh).
  30. ↑ Al-Māzandarānī, Sharḥ uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1429 AH, vol. 8, pp. 4-5.
  31. ↑ Mudarrisī Tabataba'i, Maktab dar farāyand-i takāmul, 1389 Sh, p. 70.
  32. ↑ Shubbar, Maṣābīḥ al-anwār, 1371 Sh, vol. 1, p. 36.
  33. ↑ Al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 5, p. 260.
  34. ↑ Masʿūdī, Āsīb-shināsī-yi ḥadīth, 1389 Sh, p. 281.
  35. ↑ Khwānsārī, Sharḥ aḥādīth al-ṭīnat, 1359 Sh, p. 3.
  36. ↑ Khwānsārī, Sharḥ aḥādīth al-ṭīnat, 1359 Sh, p. 8.

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