Wasa'il al-Shi'a (book): Difference between revisions

Tafsil wasa’il al-Shi‘a ila tahsil masa’il al-shari‘a reputably known as: Wasa’il al-Shi‘a is  a [[Shi‘a]] [[Hadith collection]], compiled by [[al-Shaykh al-Hur al-‘amili]](d.1104/1693). It consists of Shi ‘a narrative traditions from early Shi‘a hadith collections like [[The Four Books]] and other sources, pertaining exclusively to jurisprudential matters.

Muhammad b. Hasan b. Ali b. Muhammad b. Hussain, widely known as: al-Shaykh al-Hur al-‘amili, is an Imami [[Jurist]] and [[Traditionist]] in eleventh/seventeenth century, who, along his magnum opus, wrote several valuable books. In scholarly circles, he is famous as: “the author of al-Wasa’il”. He passed away in [[Mashhad]] and was buried in one of the courtyards of [[Imam Rida’s Holy Shrine]].

Wasa’il al-Shi‘a is an extensive collection of authentic narrations from [[the Holy Prophet (s)]] and [[the Ahlulbayt (a)]] regarding [[Shi‘a jurisprudence]] and practical Laws. The narrations are classified in 50 categories, and the final section presents various discussions about Hadith sources, the [[chains of narration]] and [[‘ilm al-Rijal]] (study of transmitters of Hadith). al-Shaykh al-Hur compiled these narrations within 20 years, finishing in 1082/1671. The book holds distinctive scholarly merits which made it a necessary reference for all scholars and [[Mujtahids]] since its compilation.

In the introduction, the author writes: for a long time, I had this idea in mind, to collect narrations about Shari‘a and practical laws from reliable books that are at the reach of ‘Ulama, for these books, in addition to redundancy and repetition,  contain other unrelated traditions that are not helpful for jurists. Therefore, I started to compile narrations pertaining to practical laws, I did whatever I could and I did not take but from reliable and reputable books.

This great collection, contains 36 thousand narrations, dealing with: practical laws, obligations and rituals. The book is a scrutinized selection from authentic early Shi‘a Hadith collections and [[primary manuscripts]] of early companions.

3- Author’s random explanation about certain narrations, particularly those that seemingly conflict with other narrations.

4- The author’s final inference of all narrations in each group, which is represented as the title for the group.

7- An authenticity-based order in each group. That is, each group begins with the most authentic narrations and ends with the weak ones. (according to author’s viewpoint)

8- the Twelve Discussions at the final section, introducing Hadith sources and discussing some topics within the discipline of Hadith and ‘il al-Rijal.

[[Sayyid Husayn Sadr]] says: whenever a jurist or Mujtahid looks in this book, he finds what he needs like neatly ordered pearls. There’s no issue but to get addressed in this book, which gained the admiration of scholars and is distinguished from other books, like the way the verses of Qur’an are distinguished from other words.

[[Al-‘allama al-Amini]] writes: there’s no biographical account of al-Shaykh al-Hur but to contain admirations and appreciations of his great work, Wasa’il al-Shi‘a.

1- Tahrir Wasa’il al-Shi‘a wa Tahbir masa’il al-Shari‘a, by: al-Shaykh al-Hur al-‘amili

2- Ta’liqa ‘ala Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, by: al-Shaykh al-Hur al-‘amili

3- Hidayat al-umma ila ahkam al-’a’imma, by: al-Shaykh al-Hur al-‘amili

4- Sharh Wasa’il al-Shi‘a and Majma‘ al-ahkam, by: al-Shaykh Muhammad Maqabi bahrani

5- Sharh Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, by: Muhammad Radi Qazwini.

6- Sharh Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, by: [[Sayyid al-Khuyi]].

7- [[Mustarak al-Wasa’il]], by: [[‘allama Nuri]].

1- Manuscript in the Library of [[the Holy Shrine of Imam Rida (a)]] in [[Mashahd]]. this is the first draft of the book, written by the author himself. The author has dated it: Rabi‘ al-awwal 1072/Oct.-Nov.  1661.

2- Manuscript in the Library of late [[Ayatollah Mar‘ashi Najafi]] in [[Qom]]. This is the second version of the book, written by the author himself and is dated 1082/1671.

3-Second manuscript in the Library of Imam Rida’s Holy Shrine, which dates back to 1114/1702. This manuscript is a copy of the third version, which had been written down by the author. Also, this version bears the final amendments and footnotes in the author’s handwriting.

After being recopied countlessly in scholarly circles, the book was published for the first time with the amendments by [[Ayatollah Shahid Shaykh Fadl Allah Nuri]] in six volumes. Its 20 volume version, with ‘abd al-Rahim Rabbani Shirazi’s footnotes was published in 1403/1983. In 1414/1993,[[ Alulbayt Foundation]] published the book in 30 volumes.