Four Books: Difference between revisions

'''The Four Books''', known in Arabic as الکتب الأربعة or الأصول الأربعة, are the four main collections of [[ahadith]] which form the basis of Shi'a beliefs and practices after the [[Qur'an]]. The Four Books are ''[[al-Kafi]]'', ''[[Tahdhib al-ahkam]]'', ''[[Al-Istibsar fi ma ikhtalaf min al-akhbar]]'' and ''[[Man la yahduruh al-faqih]]''.

''Al-Kafi'' was compiled by [[Al-Kulayni|Abu Ja‘far Muhammad b. Ya'qub Kulayni]] (d. 329 AH) during [[the Minor Occultation]] period. It contains 16,000 [[hadith|ahadith]] which are divided into the three general sections of ''usul'', ''furu‘'', and ''rawdah''. ''Usul'' contains ahadith related to beliefs, ''furu‘'' contains hadith concerning ''[[fiqh]]'', and ''rawdah'' covers hadith pertaining to ''[[akhlaq]]'' and morality.<ref> Modir Shanehchi, Tarikh-e Hadith, pp. 116 - 119.</ref>

This work was compiled by [[al-Shaykh al-Saduq]], Abu Ja‘far Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn b. Babawayh al-Qummi (d. 381/991).

This hadith collection was compiled by [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi|Shaykh al-Ta’ifah Abu Ja‘far Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Tusi]] (d. 460/1067). The ahadith it contains are mainly related to ''[[fiqh]]''.

Al-Shaykh al-Tusi compiled this work by the order of [[al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] as a commentary to al-Mufid’s ''[[al-Muqni'ah]]''.

This hadith collection was also compiled by [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]]. He compiled this work after ''Tahdhib al-ahkam'' in response to some of his students’ requests.

In this work he has collected only those ahadith pertaining to ''[[fiqh]]'' which apparently contradict each other. Like other ''fiqh'' references, the categorization of topics in this book begins with ''[[taharah]]'' and ends with ''[[diyat]]''. Under each topic, he first mentions the ahadith he regards as authentic, then mentions the ones that apparently contradict them; and finally, attempts to harmonize them.

There are 5,511 ahadith in this book.<ref> Modir Shanehchi, Tarikh-e Hadith, pp. 148 - 150.</ref>