Lawami'-i Sahibqarani (book)

Lawami' Sahibqarani

Bibliographical Information
Author	Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi
Language	Persian
Series	8 vol.
Subject	Jurisprudence
Published	1414/1993-4, Qom
Publisher	Isma'iliyan Publication

Lawāmiʿ-i Ṣaḥibqarānī (Persian: لَوامِع صاحبقَرانی), known as Sharḥ-i faqīh (Persian: شرح فَقیه) is a book about jurisprudence in Persian written by Muhammad Taqi Majlisi, the father of al-'Allama al-Majlisi, who died in 1070/1660. The book is a Persian translation and exposition of the book, Man la yahduruh al-faqih, by al-Shaykh al-Saduq. The author avoided using technical terms of jurisprudence and discussing complicated issues. He rested content with brief comments about the chains of narrations of hadiths or replies to some objections.

Author

Main article: Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi

The author of the book is Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (b. 1003/1594-5 - d. 1070/1660), the father of al-'Allama al-Majlisi, and a Shiite scholar of the 11th/17th century. He also wrote other books such as Rawdat al-muttaqin . He taught in the Jami' Mosque of Isfahan. After his teachers, al-Shaykh al-Baha'i and Mir Damad, he was the first person who led friday prayers in the Jami' Mosque of Isfahan. Majlisi died in 1070/1660 in Isfahan and was buried in the Jami' Mosque of the city. His best-known children were Muhammad Baqir and Amina Baygum, the wife of Mulla Salih Mazandarani.

Appellation

According to Agha Buzurg Tihrani, the author of al-Dhari'a ila tasanif al-Shi'a , the book, Lawami' Sahibqarani, is the same as the book, Lawami' qudsiyya. It is called so because the author wrote it at the request of Shah 'Abbas Safawi, known as "Sahibqaran".

Lawami' qudsiyya, written by Muhammad Taqi Majlisi, is a translation and exposition of al-Shaykh al-Saduq's Man la yahduruh al-faqih in Persian. The sections concerning tahara (cleanliness), prayer, zakat, hajj and ziyarat (pilgrimages) through legal sections and duties of the body parts (furud al-jawarih) appear in this book within three volumes. The book was finished in 1066/1656. It covers half of Man la yahduruh al-faqih.

Date of Writing

According to the author at the end of the hajj section of the book, it was finished in Shawwal, 1066/July-August 1656.

Motivation for Writing

According to the author in the introduction of the book, when he wrote the book, Rawdat al-muttaqin fi sharh man la yahduruh al-faqih, in Arabic as an exposition of the book, Man la yahduruh al-faqih by al-Shaykh al-Saduq (which is one of the Four Books of Shias and a significant Shiite source of hadiths regarding jurisprudence), Shah 'Abbas Safawi asked him to write a Persian version of the book as well. He accepted the request and wrote the book, Sahibqarani known as Sharh al-faqih or al-Lawami' al-qudsiyya.

Structure of the Book

The book is written in eight volumes, including sections of tahara, prayer, zakat, fasting and hajj. In the introduction of the book, there is a brief biography of the author, the story of the author seeing the Five (a) as well as Imam al-Sajjad (a) in his dream, 12 points about the degrees of knowledge and the virtues of scholars and the obligation of seeking knowledge.