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== Scholarly Position ==
== Scholarly Position ==
Al-'Allama al-Majlisi has such a fame in different Islamic sciences that needs no explanations. He was among great scholars who had comprehensive knowledge. He was the top scholar of his time in different Islamic sciences such as [[exegesis of Qur'an]], [[hadith studies]], [[fiqh]], [[usul]], history, [[rijal]], and [[diraya]]. A look at ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'' best demonstrate this.
Al-'Allama al-Majlisi was knowledgeable in different Islamic sciences such as [[tafsir]], hadith, [[fiqh]], [[usul]], history, [[rijal]] and [[diraya]] and wrote different works about them. He was a prolific writer and according to some calculations, he wrote about 67 lines of on average 50 words everyday during his scientific life (after the age of maturity).


Moreover, having knowledge of rational sciences such as [[philosophy]], [[logic]], mathematics, [[Arabic literature]], geography, [[medicine]], [[astronomy]], and [[occult sciences]] made him a great personality.
===Bihar al-anwar and other Hadith Works===
Al-'Allama al-Majlisi loved to compile hadith collections more than anything and his most famous work is ''[[Bihar al-anwar]]'' which is a great collection of hadiths from [[Imams (a)]]. Returning to hadiths, compiling hadith collections and writing commentaries on hadith references was a movement promoted during [[Safavid]]s which had roots in the efforts of [[Shi'a]] scholars and their answers to ideological needs of their time. Writing ''Bihar al-anwar'' was following the general attention of the scholars to hadiths and preserving them.


He was very sharp-witted about the hadiths which were difficult to understand. His explanations about [[hadith|hadiths]] and verses of the [[Qur'an]] are very nice and very little mistakes could be found in them. In addition to hadiths, al-'Allama al-Majlisi was very knowledgeable in fiqh even though most of the volumes of ''Bihal al-anwar'' dedicated to fiqh did not become rewritten and corrected.
''Bihar al-anwar'' covered all human sciences reflected in the hadiths of Imams (a) and played the role of Shi'a encyclopedia at its time. Scholars at that time, including al-'Allama al-Majlisi, wrote such works with this idea that all sciences have divine roots and can be found in the sayings of Imams (a).
 
Revival of Shi'a hadiths was an effort to provide the access of the public to authentic religious thoughts (which were reflected the most in hadiths of Imams (a)) and compiling texts to answer the questions of Shi'a and to prevent them from going astray. Therefore, al-'Allama al-Majlisi's work in compiling hadith collections is usually evaluated as a measure to strengthen Shi'a and thus, he has been considered as a reviver of Shi'a.
 
Arabic works of al-'Allama al-Majlisi are mentioned up to 10 titles, most voluminous of which is ''Bihar al-anwar'' which has about 700 thousand lines and one of its prints is in 110 volumes. Al-'Allama al-Majlisi also wrote commentaries on old Shi'a hadith collections. In those commentaries, he discussed different issues including issues in fiqh. He wrote a commentary on ''[[al-Kafi]]'' and called it ''[[Mir'at al-'uqul]]''. He also wrote a commentary on [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]]'s ''[[Tahdhib al-ahkam]]'' and titled it ''[[Maladh al-akhyar fi fahm Tahdhib al-akhbar]]''. Some other works of al-'Allama al-Majlisi are ''Sharh chihil hadith'', ''[[al-Fawa'id al-tarifa fi sharh al-Sahifa]]'' which is a commentary on ''[[al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya]]'', ''Risala i'tiqadat'', ''Risala awzan'' and ''al-Wajiza fi al-rijal''.
 
===Persian Works===
Al-'Allama al-Majlisi wrote several books and treatises in Persian which have been counted up to 49 works. Previous to al-'Allama al-Majlisi, scholars wrote Persian treatises to promote religious sciences among common people, but al-'Allama's works became more famous and were better welcomed by Persians.
 
Some of his Persian works are:
* ''[['Ayn al-hayat]]'' which is a commentary on [[the Prophet]]'s will to [[Abu Dhar]] and contains moral advice;
* ''[[Mishkat al-anwar]]'' on the [[Qur'an]], supplications and rewards for reciting them;
* ''[[Hayat al-qulub]]'' on the lives of the [[Prophets (a)]], the life of the Prophet of Islam (s) and [[Imamate]];
* ''[[Jala' al-'uyun]]'' on history and hardships of 14 [[Infallible Ones (a)]];
* ''[[Hilyat al-muttaqin]]'' on the manners of associating with people and recommendations of daily individual and collective life;
* ''[[Haqq al-yaqin]]'' on religious beliefs.


== In the Talk of the Noble ==
== In the Talk of the Noble ==

Revision as of 10:51, 5 March 2017

Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi
Painting of al-'Allama al-Majlisi by one of his contemporary painters
Painting of al-'Allama al-Majlisi by one of his contemporary painters
Personal Information
Well-Known AsAl-'Allama al-Majlisi, the Second Majlisi
Well-Known RelativesMuhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (father), Mulla Salih Mazandarani
Birth1037/1628-29
ResidenceIsfahan
Death1110/1699-1700
Burial PlaceGrand Mosque of Isfahan
Scholarly Information
ProfessorsMuhammad Taqi al-Majlisi, Mulla Salih al-Mazandarani, Mulla Muhsin al-Fayd al-Kashani
WorksBihar al-anwar, Mir'at al-'uqul, Haqq al-yaqin, 'Ayn al-hayat, Hayat al-qulub, ...
Socio-Political Activities
Socio-Political
Activities		Religious reformation at his time; Working as shaykh al-islam in the time of Shah Sultan Sulayman and Shah Sultan Husayn


Muḥammad Bāqir b. Muḥammad Taqī b. Maqsūd ʿAlī al-Majlisī (Arabic: محمد باقر بن محمد تقي بن مقصود علي المجلسي) (b. 1037/1628-9 d. 1110/1699) known as al-ʿAllāma al-Majlisī (Arabic: العلامة المجلسي) or the Second Majlisī (Arabic: المجلسي الثاني) was among the most famous Shi'a scholars in fiqh and hadith.

Al-'Allama al-Majlisi was interested in hadith studies more than other Islamic sciences and was close to Akhbaris. His most famous book was the comprehensive hadith collection of Bihar al-anwar which played a great role in revival of the significance of hadith in religious study. By educating pupils and writing many works, some of which were in Persian and for general readers, he influenced on the Shi'a culture and scientific methods of later scholars.

He was very famous due to his cooperation with Safavids and his influential social and political roles at that time. During the rule of Shah Sulayman Safavi, al-'Allama al-Majlisi reached the position of Shaykh al-Islam and was very influential during the rule of Sultan Husayn Safavi.

Birth and Lineage

He was born in Isfahan in 1037/1628. He was born in the rule of Safavids and the last year of the rule of Shah 'Abbas I. His father, Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi was among the noblemen and famous Islamic authorities of his time and one of the students of Baha' al-Din al-'Amili, 'Abd Allah al-Shushtari, and Mirdamad. Muhammad Baqir's mother was a daughter of Sadr al-Din Muhammad al-'Ashuri al-Qummi who was in a family of knowledge and virtue.

It is quoted from Muhammad Baqir's father, "One night after the midnight prayer, I had a great feeling and just heard my kid's crying. I said to God, 'O God! By the rights of Muhammad (s) and his family (a) make this kid a preacher of Your religion and the rulings of the Master of Prophets (s) and bless him with limitless opportunities.'"[1] It is also quoted from him that he ordered his wife not to milk Muhammad Baqir when she was not tahir.

It is said that Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi had three wives, 4 sons, and 5 daughters.

Majlisi Family

Family of al-'Allama al-Majlisi is among the most honorable Shi'a families in recent centuries. There have been about a hundred pious scholars in this family.

Muhammad Baqir's progenitor of his father was Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani. He was among the hadith scholars and memorizers of the Qur'an. Muhammad Baqir's grandfather was Mulla Maqsud who is described as a pious poet and a knowledgeable scholar. His father's mother was the daughter of Kamal al-Din al-Hasan al-'Amili al-Natanzi al-Isfahani. Muhammad Baqir's brothers were Mirza 'Aziz Allah and Mulla 'Abd Allah who have been praised by Muhaddith Nuri. Amina Biygum was the most famous sister of al-Majlisi who was among the scholars of her time and the wife of Mulla Salih Mazandarani.

Reason for Naming

It is said that since his grandfather held great majlis (religious gathering) or since he used the pen-name "Majlisi", his family become famous as Majlisi. Another report is that they became famous as Majlisi was because Muahammad Taqi was living in the village Majlis of Isfahan.

Education

There is not much information about different stages of the education of Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi. Apparently, he was educated by his father, Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (d. 1070/1660) more than any other teacher and because his father was among the pupils of al-Shaykh al-Baha'i, he and his father were influenced by al-Shaykh al-Baha'i's thoughts. Moreover, Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi heard hadiths from many of the scholars of his time and received permission for narrating hadiths from those scholars such as Mulla Salih Mazandarani (d. 1081/1670-1671), Mulla Muhsin Fayd Kashani (d. 1091/1680-1681) and al-Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili (d. 1104/1693). Sources have mentioned 18 of his teachers.

Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi had many students and several classes. Some sources mentioned the number of his students more than 1000 people. Some of his students became famous Shi'a scholars such as Mirza 'Abd Allah Afandi Isfahani (d. 1130/1718), al-Sayyid Ni'mat Allah al-Jaza'iri (d. 1112/1701), al-Shaykh 'Abd Allah al-Bahrani (d. 1127/1715), Muhammad b. Ali Ardabili (d. 1101/1689-90), Mir Muhammad Husayn Khatun Abadi (d. 1151/1738-39) and Sayyid Abu al-Qasim Khwansari (d. 1157/1744-45).

Scholarly Position

Al-'Allama al-Majlisi was knowledgeable in different Islamic sciences such as tafsir, hadith, fiqh, usul, history, rijal and diraya and wrote different works about them. He was a prolific writer and according to some calculations, he wrote about 67 lines of on average 50 words everyday during his scientific life (after the age of maturity).

Bihar al-anwar and other Hadith Works

Al-'Allama al-Majlisi loved to compile hadith collections more than anything and his most famous work is Bihar al-anwar which is a great collection of hadiths from Imams (a). Returning to hadiths, compiling hadith collections and writing commentaries on hadith references was a movement promoted during Safavids which had roots in the efforts of Shi'a scholars and their answers to ideological needs of their time. Writing Bihar al-anwar was following the general attention of the scholars to hadiths and preserving them.

Bihar al-anwar covered all human sciences reflected in the hadiths of Imams (a) and played the role of Shi'a encyclopedia at its time. Scholars at that time, including al-'Allama al-Majlisi, wrote such works with this idea that all sciences have divine roots and can be found in the sayings of Imams (a).

Revival of Shi'a hadiths was an effort to provide the access of the public to authentic religious thoughts (which were reflected the most in hadiths of Imams (a)) and compiling texts to answer the questions of Shi'a and to prevent them from going astray. Therefore, al-'Allama al-Majlisi's work in compiling hadith collections is usually evaluated as a measure to strengthen Shi'a and thus, he has been considered as a reviver of Shi'a.

Arabic works of al-'Allama al-Majlisi are mentioned up to 10 titles, most voluminous of which is Bihar al-anwar which has about 700 thousand lines and one of its prints is in 110 volumes. Al-'Allama al-Majlisi also wrote commentaries on old Shi'a hadith collections. In those commentaries, he discussed different issues including issues in fiqh. He wrote a commentary on al-Kafi and called it Mir'at al-'uqul. He also wrote a commentary on al-Shaykh al-Tusi's Tahdhib al-ahkam and titled it Maladh al-akhyar fi fahm Tahdhib al-akhbar. Some other works of al-'Allama al-Majlisi are Sharh chihil hadith, al-Fawa'id al-tarifa fi sharh al-Sahifa which is a commentary on al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Risala i'tiqadat, Risala awzan and al-Wajiza fi al-rijal.

Persian Works

Al-'Allama al-Majlisi wrote several books and treatises in Persian which have been counted up to 49 works. Previous to al-'Allama al-Majlisi, scholars wrote Persian treatises to promote religious sciences among common people, but al-'Allama's works became more famous and were better welcomed by Persians.

Some of his Persian works are:

In the Talk of the Noble

About him, it is said that he was the first person who taught hadith sciences in [[[Safavid]] era.

Al-Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili says, "He paid attention to all sciences and studied them carefully."[2]

Muhammad 'Ali Ardabili praised him greatly.

Mirza Muhamamd Tunkabuni says, "His Haqq al-yaqin alone made 3000 of Syrian Sunnis convert to Shi'a."[3]

The Sunni scholar 'Abd al-'Aziz Dihlawi, who wrote books against Shi'a, said, "If Shi'a is called Majlisi's religion, it would be fine; that was he who promoted this school and before that it was not influential."[4]

Teachers and Hadith References

According to Mirza Husayn Nuri's al-Fayd al-Qudsi fi tarjimat al-Allama al-Majlisi, Majlisi's teachers are many and Nuri mentions 18 of them:

Students and Narrators

Some reports have mentioned the number of his students exceeded 1000, each of whom became a famous scholar of his own field. Mirza Husayn Nuri mentioned 49 of them, some of whom are:

Scholarly, Political and Cultural Services

  • Fighting with Sufis and their thoughts and beliefs
  • Writing different books in different topics of fiqh, exegesis of Qur'an, theology, hadith studies, history, du'a and prayers, and writing the hadith encyclopedia of Bihar al-anwar and collecting hadiths and categorizing them.
  • Writing and translating some religious texts in simple Persian for common people.
  • Issuing fatwa and answering people's religious questions in the most simple ways.
  • Religious reformations and fighting with centers of corruption, idol houses, and fighting alcohol drinking.
  • Establishing Friday prayer, congregatioal prayer, religious gatherings, and speeches.
  • Accepting the position of judgment and being Shaykh al-Islam at the time of Shah Sultan Sulayman and Shah Sultan Husayn and using his influence for establishing Shi'a beliefs.
  • Reconciling people's arguments.

Works

one volume of the great hadith collection of Bihar al-anwar

'Allamah Majlisi's works in different topics which exceed 70 topics in Persian and Arabic. Aqa Buzurg Tihrani counted Majlisi's works as 169 volumes.

the tomb of al-'Allama al-Majlisi and his father, Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi in Isfahan

Demise

Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi passed away in the eve of Ramadan 27, 1110/March 29, 1699 in Isfahan at the age of 70. He was buried beside the Grand Mosque of Isfahan beside the grave of his father according to his will.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol.102, P.11
  2. ↑ Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol.107, P.104
  3. ↑ Tunikabuni, Qisas al-'ulama, P.205
  4. ↑ Al-Amin, A'yan al-Shi'a, Vol.9, P.183

References

  • The material for this article is mainly taken from محمد باقر مجلسی in Farsi WikiShia.
  • Amin, Sayyid Muhsin al-. A'yan al-Shi'a. Bierut, Dar al-Ta'aruf li-l-Matbu'at;
  • Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir al-. Bihar al-anwar. Beirut, mu'assisa al-wafa', 1403 AH;
  • Tunikabuni, Mirza Muhammad. Qisas al-'ulama;
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