Book of 'Ali: Difference between revisions

The Book of 'Ali (Kitab 'Ali), also known as al-Jami'a (The compendium), is a collection of hadiths dictated by the Prophet and transcribed by Imam 'Ali. This book is considered a trust of the Imamate, and possession of it signifies the rightfulness claim of its holder to the Imamate position. According to hadiths, al-Jami'a contains all Sharia laws, even the most specific ones. It also includes teachings on ethics, beliefs, stories of the prophets, and esoteric narratives.

Some hadiths suggest that a few individuals outside the Ahl al-Bayt also saw the book, including Muhammad b. Muslim, Zurara b. A'yan, and al-Mansur al-'Abbasi. Mahdi Mehrizi authored a book titled Kitab 'Ali, in which he discusses al-Jami'a.

According to Shiite hadiths, al-Jami'a is a book dictated by the Prophet and transcribed by 'Ali. The book is also known by other titles, such as al-Sahifa and Kitab 'Ali, which researchers believe refer to the same text, given the identical characteristics attributed to all of them. However, Aqa Buzurg Tihrani (1293–1389 AH) argues that Kitab 'Ali is distinct from al-Jami'a.

According to certain hadiths, al-Jami'a is a trust of the Imamate, signifying the rightful claim of its holder to Imamate. Aqa Buzurg Tihrani argues that, like other trusts associated with the Imamate, the Book of 'Ali was passed down among the Shiite Imams and is now in the possession of Imam al-Mahdi.

According to numerous hadiths, all rulings pertaining to halal and haram, including nuanced issues such as the diya (blood money) for merely scratching someone’s skin, are mentioned in al-Jami'a. Some researchers speculate that the book is called al-Jami'a (literally, "comprehensive" or "compendium") due to its inclusion of all Sharia rulings. Sayyid Hossein Modarressi Tabataba'i, a Shiite researcher of the twenty-first century, cited various hadiths in his book Tradition and Survival: A Bibliographical Survey of Early Shi’ite Literature, suggesting that the Book of 'Ali encompassed the following contents: jurisprudential rulings (including prayer, hajj, jihad, marriage, divorce, judgeship, testimony, hudud, and diyat), ethics, beliefs and virtues, stories of the prophets, and esoteric narratives.

According to Majid Maaref (b. 1332 Sh), over forty individuals have reported the existence of the book al-Jami'a. Some hadiths mention that several companions of the Imams, including Muhammad b. Muslim, Zurara b. A'yan, Abu Basir al-Muradi, 'Abd al-Malik b. A'yan, and Mu'attab, as well as some of their adversaries, such as al-Mansur al-'Abbasi, had seen the book al-Jami'a. Al-Sayyid Muhammad Kazim al-Tabataba'i suggests that eighty hadiths cited in Wasa'il al-Shi'a are, in fact, quoted from the Book of 'Ali.

Some researchers suggest that, unlike in Shiite accounts where the Book of Jafr and al-Jami'a and their contents are clearly distinguished, there is no such distinction in Sunni reports. In some Sunni accounts where the two books are differentiated, their contents are said to be identical. Al-Sayyid Mir Sharif al-Jurjani, a Hanafi scholar of the eighth century AH, believes that al-Jami'a was written using an encoded method based on the science of letters ('ilm al-huruf). Haji Khalifa identifies the Book of Jafr as pertaining to the Tablet of Predestination (qada), and al-Jami'a to the Tablet of Fate (qadar).

According to some hadiths, the Book of 'Ali is described as having a length of seventy cubits (approximately 35 meters) and a width equal to that of a camel’s thigh, indicating its substantial size and volume. However, other hadiths suggest that the book was small enough to fit within a sword scabbard. Some researchers, citing additional hadiths, argue that the smaller book was only a portion of the original text. Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i (b. 1344 Sh) believes that the smaller book was actually a different text, distinct from the Book of 'Ali.

Mahdi Mehrizi authored a book titled Kitab 'Ali about the Book of 'Ali, published by Sahifa Khirad in 1390 Sh, with a total of 220 pages.