Sharh nahj al-balagha (by Ibn Abi l-Hadid): Difference between revisions

Abd al-Hamid b. Hibat Allah, known as Ibn Abi l-Hadid (586-656 AH) was born in Mada’in. He began his education in his hometown and then travelled to Baghdad to continue his studies.  

Ibn Abi l-Hadid was a Shafi’i in jurisprudence and a Mu’tazilite in beliefs. He composed works in the fields of theology, logic, history, and poetry, but he is known mainly for his commentary on ''Nahj al-balagha'', which reveals his mastery of literature, theology, ethics, history of early Islam, and Arabic poetry.  

According to what Ibn Abi l-Hadid mentions at the end of his work, the compilation of the commentary took him four years and 8 months, which, he notes, was the duration of the caliphate of Imam Ali (a). Ibn Abi l-Hadid started writing the commentary on Rajb 1st, 644 AH and finished it on the end of Safar 649 AH.  

He dedicated the commentary to Ibn Alqami (591-656 AH), the Abbasid vizier, and received from him precious gifts in return.

Among the features of the commentary are the following:  

* Using Shiite and Sunni sources. Ibn Abi l-Hadid uses Shiite and Sunni sources in the compilation of his commentary. For instance, to refute Qadi Abd al-Jabbar’s defenses of Uthman, he uses the responses of al-Sharif al-Murtada. It is said that Ibn Abi l-Hadid was the supervisor of the libraries in Baghdad, including the ten-thousand-volume library of Ibn Alqami, and this is why he has used in his commentary sources that were not even at the disposal of Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari, the well-known historian of the third century AH.  

* Comprehensiveness. The Commentary of Ibn Abi l-Hadid on ''Nahj al-balagha'' is considered an encyclopedia of literature, theology, jurisprudence, ethics, history, genealogy, and general Arab culture. According to Mahdavi Damghani, one of the translators of ''Nahj al-balagha'', among the various aspects of Ibn Abi l-Hadid’s commentary, its literary, historical and social, and theological aspects are especially significant. The commentary contains an account of Islamic history since the time of the Prophet (s) until 623 AH, i.e., thirteen years before the conquest of Baghdad by the Mongols. Almost half of the book is dedicated to materials about the historical and social circumstances of the first half of the first century AH. Moreover, in this commentary, about eight thousand verses of poem are used.  Ibn Abi l-Hadid has also responded to the claims about inauthenticity of parts of ''Nahj al-balagha''.  

* Defining difficult words. Ibn Abi l-Hadid first quotes a passage of ''Nahj al-balagha'' under the title ''asl'' (principle), then under the title ''sharh'' (commentary) he writes his explanations which include definitions of difficult words and expressions.  

* Providing an account of the author’s time. Living at the time of the Mongol invasion, Ibn Abi l-Hadid provides an account of their emergence and conquest of Transoxiana, Khorasan, Iraq, and especially Baghdad. For this reason, the work is considered one of the important sources of the history of that period.  

* Providing a biography of al-Sharif al-Radi. In his introduction to the commentary, Ibn Abi l-Hadid provides a biography of al-Sharif al-Radi and his genealogy.

In his introduction to the commentary, Ibn Abi l-Hadid mentions the views of the Mu’tazila on imamate, superiority of Ali (a) over the first three caliphs, and the status of those who fought with him and the Kharijites.  

According to Ibn Abi l-Hadid, the Mu’tazilites were of three opinions regarding the order of superiority among the first four caliphs: some considered Imam Ali (a) to be the best, some chose Abu Bakr as the best, and a third group did not take a position. Following the Mu’tazila of Baghdad, Ibn Abi l-Hadid believed in the superiority of Imam Ali (a) over the other caliphs due to the Imam’s greater reward and nobler characteristic. However, he did not believe that the Prophet (s) had designated Ali (a) as his successor.  

Ibn Abi l-Hadid also believed that those who engaged in the Battle of Camel against Imam Ali (a) are doomed to hell—except A’isha, Talha, and Zubayr, because, according to Ibn Abi l-Hadid, they repented. Likewise, he maintained that those who participated in the Battle of Siffin against Imam Ali (a) and also the Kharijites were all doomed to hell.  

Ibn Abi l-Hadid maintained that Imam Ali had the best and most advantageous views and plans in various situations. He gave best advices to Umar in his battles with the Romans and Persians. He also offered Uthman advices that were to the latter’s good and could prevent the events that led to the revolt against him and his murder.  

Shiite scholars have written refutations on ''Sharh Nahj al-balagha'' by Ibn Abi l-Hadid, because it contains contents that are against Shiite beliefs regarding the issue of imamate and its history. Among these refutations are the following:  

Sultan Mahmud Tabasi has also written a summary of it, and Muhammad Qanbar Ali Kazimi has produced the book ''Iltiqat al-durar al-muntakhab'' (Picking Select Pearls) as a selection of its contents.  

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