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Shams al-Shumus

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Shams al-Shumus, a world of light — a Persian inscription carved in stone at the holy shrine of Imam al-Rida (a)

Shams al-Shumūs (Arabic:شَمس‌ُ الشُّموس) meaning "the Sun of Suns", is one of the titles of Imam al-Rida (a) used in Shi'a sources of ziyara, literature and culture. The title "Shams al-Shumus" is considered to indicate the brightness and intellectual leadership and lofty status of the Imam (a) in contrast to the dominant schools of thought during the Abbasid era and the foundation of Twelver Shi'a. The usage of this Representation is also observed in Persian poetry, book titles, and cultural products. This title has also been used for Imam Ali (a) and Imam al-Mahdi (a) in some sources.

The Epithet "Sun of the Suns" of Imam al-Rida (a) in Ziyara-texts, Poetry and Literature

See also: Ziyara-text

Shams al-Shumus, meaning "the Sun of Suns"[1] is one of the titles of Imam al-Rida (a).[2] While this title is not explicitly mentioned in some early Shi'a texts in reference to Imam al-Rida (a),[3]the book al-Misbah by al-Kaf'ami, in a section on tawassul uses the expression Shams al-Shumus to address Imam al-Rida (a): "Shams al-shumus wa uns al-nufus al-madfun bi-ard Ṭus al-Rida al-Murtaḍa" (The Sun of Suns and the solace of souls, buried in the land of Tus, al-Rida al-Murtada).[4] This usage indicates that the title “Shams al-Shumus” in ziyara literature represents uniqueness and importance of the spiritual light of Imam al-Rida (a)over others.[5]

In addition to its presence in hadith texts and religious greetings (ziyara), the expression "Shams al-Shumus" holds a special place in literary works, poems and book titles.[6]This fame has spread far and wide that its reflection is visible everywhere and has been used in the compositions of Persian-speaking poets[7] in praise of Imam al-Rida (a).

Reason for Calling Imam al-Rida (a) Shams al-Shumus

The expression Shams al-Shumus is used to describe the religious and educational station of Imam al-Rida (a). According to reports, this title was “Given to him because of the Imam’s role in facing different schools of thought, introducing the other Imams, and solving the religious disputes of that time."[8]

It is also stated in a report from Shafaqna that Imam al-Rida (a) played a significant role in stabilising Twelver Shi'ism (Imamiyya). During this period, deviant currents such as Waqifiyya came to an end and the Shi'a reached a complete acceptance of Imamate up to the Twelfth Imam. From this perspective the title "Shams al-Shumus" is considered a symbol of the light that illuminated the path of Imamate for the Shi'a.[9]

Usage of Shams al-Shumus for Other Imams

Although this title is mostly known for Imam al-Rida (a), it has also been used for Imam ʿAli (a) in some sources.[10] In Misbah al-za'ir, in a ziyara for Imam al-Mahdi (a), it is stated: "Peace be upon you, O Shams al-Shumus, Peace be upon you, O Mahdi of the Earth and the Clarifier of the Essence of Obligation, Peace be upon you, O my Master, O Sahib al-Zaman..."[11]

Notes

  1. ↑ What is the meaning of "Shams al-Shumus"?, Pāygāh-i Jāmiʿ-i Iṭṭilāʿ Rasanī-yi Imāmat.
  2. ↑ Zarandī Ḥanafī, Maʿārij al-wuṣūl, 1383 Sh, p. 157; Tīmūrī, Kūleh-pushtī-yi zāʾir, 1384 Sh, p. 104.
  3. ↑ "What is the meaning of Shams al-Shumus?", Pāygāh-i Jāmiʿ-i Iṭṭilāʿ Rasanī-yi Imāmat.
  4. ↑ Kafʿamī, Miṣbāḥ al-Kafʿamī, 1405 AH, p. 719.
  5. ↑ "What is the meaning of Shams al-Shumus?", Pāygāh-i Jāmiʿ-i Iṭṭilāʿ Rasanī-yi Imāmat.
  6. ↑ Rabbānī, Gazīda-yi kitāb-shināsī-yi Imām Riḍā (a), 1393 Sh, p. 91.
  7. ↑ Idāra-yi Tawlīdāt-i Farhangī-yi Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍavī, Madāyiḥ-i Raḍavī, 1385 Sh, p. 56; Ghafūrzādeh, Salām bar khurshīd, 1390 Sh, p. 51; Jamʿī az Nivīsandagān, Kūcheh-hā-yi ijābat, 1385 Sh, p. 26.
  8. ↑ "Why is Imam al-Rida (a) called Shams al-Shumus?", Quds Online; "The Philosophy of Imam al-Rida (a) being Shams al-Shumus", Khabarguzārī-yi Shabistān.
  9. ↑ "Why is Imam al-Rida (a) called Shams al-Shumus?", Khabarguzārī-yi Shafaqna.
  10. ↑ Zāhid, Asmāʾ Amīr al-Muʾminīn al-Imām ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib ʿalayh al-salām, 1423 AH, p. 16; Zayn al-Dīn, Muʿjam asmāʾ wa alqāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿalayh al-salām, 1432 AH, p. 246.
  11. ↑ Ibn Ṭāwūs, Miṣbāḥ al-zāʾir, 1375 Sh, p. 421.

References

  • Ghafūrzādeh (Shafaq), Muḥammad Jawād. Salām bar khurshīd. Mashhad, Muʾassisa-yi Chāp wa Intishārāt-i Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍavī, 1390 Sh.
  • Ibn Ṭāwūs, ʿAlī b. Mūsā. Miṣbāḥ al-zāʾir. Qom, Muʾassisa-yi Āl al-Bayt, 1375 Sh.
  • Idāra-yi Tawlīdāt-i Farhangī-yi Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍavī. Madāyiḥ-i Raḍavī. Mashhad, Muʿāwinat-i Farhangī-yi Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍavī, 1385 Sh.
  • Jamʿī az Nivīsandagān. Kūcheh-hā-yi ijābat. Mashhad, Muʾassisa-yi Chāp wa Intishārāt-i Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍavī, 1385 Sh.
  • Kafʿamī, Ibrāhīm b. ʿAlī al-. Al-Miṣbāḥ (Jannat al-amān al-wāqiya wa jannat al-īmān al-bāqiya). Qom, Dār al-Raḍī, 1405 AH.
  • Mihrparvar, ʿAlīriḍā. Gul-naghmeh-hā-yi ʿazādārī. Isfahan, Markaz-i Taḥqīqāt-i Rāyāneh-ī-yi Qāʾimiyya Iṣfahān, 1397 Sh.
  • Rabbānī, Hādī. Gazīda-yi kitāb-shināsī-yi Imām Riḍā (a). Qom, Muʾassisa-yi ʿIlmī Farhangī-yi Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1393 Sh.
  • Tīmūrī, Qanbar ʿAlī. Kūleh-pushtī-yi zāʾir. Mashhad, Bunyād-i Pazhūhish-hā-yi Islāmī-yi Āstān-i Quds-i Raḍavī, 1384 Sh.
  • Zāhid, ʿAbd Allāh b. Muḥammad. Asmāʾ Amīr al-Muʾminīn al-Imām ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib ʿalayh al-salām. Beirut, Dār al-Maḥajjat al-Bayḍāʾ, 1423 AH.
  • Zarandī Ḥanafī. Maʿārij al-wuṣūl. 1383 Sh.
  • Zayn al-Dīn, ʿAbd al-Rasūl. Muʿjam asmāʾ wa alqāb Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿalayh al-salām. Beirut, al-Ayyām, 1432 AH.
  • In praise of the Eighth Imam (a), Site-i Ganjoor, Accessed: 19 Ābān 1404 Sh.
  • "Kitāb-i Shams al-Shumūs", Muʾassisa-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi al-Sulṭān ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā (a), Accessed: 12 Ābān 1404 Sh.
  • Shams al-Shumūs al-Sulṭān ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā (a), Kitāb-i Jamkarān, Accessed: 12 Ābān 1404 Sh.
  • "Shams al-Shumūs: Sayrī dar zindagānī wa faḍāyil-i Ḥaḍrat-i ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā (a)", Kitābkhāna-yi Dījītāl-i Qāʾimiyya, Accessed: 12 Ābān 1404 Sh.
  • "The Philosophy of Imam al-Rida (a) being Shams al-Shumus", Khabarguzārī-yi Shabistān, Published: 20 Tīr 1398 Sh.
  • "What is the meaning of Shams al-Shumus?", Pāygāh-i Jāmiʿ-i Iṭṭilāʿ Rasanī-yi Imāmat, Published: 6 Tīr 1401 Sh.
  • "Why is Imam al-Rida (a) called Shams al-Shumus?", Khabarguzārī-yi Shafaqna, Published: 12 Tīr 1399 Sh.
  • "Why is Imam al-Rida (a) called Shams al-Shumus?", Quds Online, Published: 28 Mordād 1395 Sh.
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