Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari al-Saghir: Difference between revisions

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''Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-Ṭabarī''' known as '''al-Tabari al-Saghir''' or '''al-Tabari, the Third''' is a disputed person who some [[Rijal]] scholars have considered to be the author of ''[[Dala'il al-imama]]''. There are arguments among scholars on the historical existence of such a person and each group of scholars proposes their own justifications. Those who have accepted his existence based on the evidences mentioned in ''Dala'il al-imma'' have considered him among the scholars contemporary with [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] and [[al-Najashi]], most likely has lived in [[Baghdad]].

== Views on Tabari Saghir ==

In history, there are two people among [[Muslims]] to have the name Muhammad b. Jarir Tabari.

# [[Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Jarir b. Yazid Tabari]] (d. [[310]]/922-923), a [[Sunni]] Muslim, the author of [[Tafsir]] and Tarikh Tabari, who is also famous for his historical books.

# [[Muhammad b. Jarir b. Rustam|Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Jarir b. Rustam Tabari]] (d. [[329]]/940-941), a [[Shia]] Muslim, contemporary with [[Shaykh al-Kulayni]], who is the author of [[al-Mustarshid fi al-Imama]].

However, the discussion on the author of [[Dala’il al-Imama]] led to the idea of a third Tabari. For some time, Dala’il al-Imama was thought to be the work of Muhammad b. Jarir b. Rustam Tabari the Shia. But in the book, there are indications that show the work does not belong to Tabari the Shia. Hence, they have suggested that it is the work of a third Tabari.

# [[‘Abd Allah Mamaqani]] says that [[Shaykh al-Tusi]] in his book on Rijal uses the attribute Kabir [lit. “The great”] when describing Tabari the Shia for by saying, “Muhammad b. Jarir b. Rustam al-Tabari al-Kabir”. Mamaqani believes that Shaykh al-Tusi has hired this particular attribute to separate Tabari the author of [[al-Mustarshid fi al-Imama]] from the third Tabari.

# [[Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei]] has supported the existence of a third Tabari; however, he has referred the readers of [[Mu’jam Rijal]] to al-Dhari’a and [[Tabaqat a’lam al-Shi’a]].

# [[Aqa Buzurg Tehrani]] mentions the attribute “Kabir” by Shaykh al-Tusi in his introduction to al-Mustarshid fi al-Imama and suggests that there must have been a third Tabari living later than the second one. Later in the 8th volume of [[al-Dhari’a]], when discussing [[Dala’il al-Imama]], Aqa Buzurg opens an in-depth discussion proving the existence of a third Tabari. He then reviews different evidences and also different generations of the chains of transmitters of hadiths. By his sources of hadiths in [[Dala’il al-Imama]] and [[Nawadir al-mu’jizat]] , he concludes that the third Tabari has been contemporary with [[Najashi]] (d. 450/1058-1059) and Shaykh al-Tusi (d. 460/1067-1068). The question which then surfaces is how would Najashi, Tusi and [[Muntajab al-Din Razi]] who were very accurate in listing Shia scholars have failed to mention such a person who has been contemporary with them, has narrated hadiths from many of their hadith sources and even most possibly has been living in Baghdad? Aqa Buzurg answers: “that Shaykh al-Tusi and Najashi have not mentioned such a person in their books would not be a good reason to say that he did not exist. Because, they have not mentioned some other scholars contemporary with them either such as:

* [[Sallar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz]] (d. 413/1022-1023), student of [[Shaykh al-Mufid]].

*  [[Qadi Ibn Barraj]] (d. 436/1044-1045), student of [[Sayyid Murtada]]."

Also some have attributed Dala’ila al-Imama to Tabari Saghir (the Third). Their proof is that the sources of hadiths in Dala’ila al-Imama are older than Tabari the Second.

[[Muhammad Taqi Shushtari]] believes that the title “Kabir” in the words of [[Shaykh al-Tusi]] cannot justify the existence of a third Tabari alone, rather [[Shaykh al-Tusi]] only aimed to express third Tabari’s position before [[Shia]]. At the end, Shushrari clearly emphasizes that there has been a person contemporary with Shaykh al-Tusi and [[Najashi]] who has written a book. But that person was not the Tabari, author of al-Mustarshid fi al-Imama.

Also Fu’ad Sizgin, a non-shia, has only mentioned Tabari the Second and while listing his books, he has also mentioned [[Dala’il al-Imama]] as well which is of course wrong and no one has attributed it to him.

Among other reasons for invalidating the existence of a third Tabari are:

# The title “Kabir” has not been recognized by Najashi.

# About mentioning the name of Tabari, the provided explanations for Najashi is not convincing because the name of Tabari has been associated with another person. So mentioning his name, attributes and works would have been necessary. And if Najashi was careless about it, then Shaykh al-Tusi must have mentioned it. Even if Shaykh al-Tusi forgot about it, then Muntajab al-Din Razi must have mentioned it somewhere.

# Until the 7th century AH, none of Shia [[hadith]] scholars and authors note such a person. Only in [[664]]/ 1265-1266, [[Sayyid b. Tawus]] has mentioned some of the hadiths of Dala’il al-Imama in his works for the first time.

Again after Sayyid b. Tawus, for centuries there has been no mention of Dala’il al-Imama until [[Sayyid Hashim Tubali Bahrani]] (d. [[1107]]/1695-1696) has brought its name back to focus and has included some parts of Dala’il al-Imama in his Madinat al-Ma’ajiz.

== Books Attributed to Tabari the Third ==

Two books have been attributed to him:

* ''[[Dala’il al-Imama]]''

* ''[[Nawadir al-Mu’jizat fi manaqib al-a’immat al-hudat]]''

Haji Nuri and Aqa Buzurg Tehrani have attributed the latter to the author of Dala’il al-Imama. However, some people have argued that the book is more recent than Dala’il al-Imama. They claim that both books have not been written by the same author.

== Life of Tabari the Third ==

Naturally, we would have very limited information about the third Tabari’s life because of the ambiguity surrounding this person’s state of being. But based on references, narrations and the chains of different generation of narrators of [[hadith]] and the reports of the two historical books which are attributed to Tabari the Third, the extent of his ideological or intellectual interests and connections can be roughly estimated.

If we accept the famous report and assume the title “Kabir” in [[Shaykh al-Tusi’]]s work a reason for the existence of the third Tabari and also rely on citations by [[Ibn Tawus]], the name of the author of [[Dala’il al-Imama]] is [[Muhammad b. Jarir b. Rustam]]. But, Rustam is a non-Islamic Iranian name which suggests that either his ancestors had not been Muslims or they had kept their Iranian name after they became Muslim. But, the name of his father has been Jarir which is an Arabic name and is seen frequently among the Arabs living before and after Islam. His [[kunya]] “Abu Ja’far” also suggests that either he has had a son named Ja’far or it is an honorary kunya which has been common among Arabs too.

The two attributes “Tabari and Amoli” which have been mentioned for him, suggest that he was originally from [[Tabarestan]] [now Mazandaran province] or the city of [[Amol]].

About his place of living, there is no historical report available. But according to the sources in narration, who lived in Baghdad, it could be safe to assume that he must have spent many years of his life in [[Iraq]] especially [[Baghdad]].

There is no sign of the exact dates of (the third Tabari) birth or death. However, his living can be approximately guessed. Of course, this would only be possible through relying on sources that have narrated about him if Tabari the Third has narrated from them directly in the session of hadith hearing in classes ([[Sama’]]), not that he would be narrating from their books (or on the road).

[[Aqa Buzurg Tehrani]] regards Tabari the Third among the scholars contemporary with [[Shaykh al-Tusi]] (d. 460/1067-1068) and Najashi (d. 450/1058-1059), and thus living about a hundred years after Tabari the second. Researchers on [[Dala’il al-Imama]] have all approved of contemporaries. They further believe that he preceded them in both generation and position.

Therefore, it can be said that Tabari, the Third is among the scholars who has been living since the second half of 4th century AH until the first decades of 5th century AH.

=== Hadith Sources ===

Researchers on [[Dala’il al-Imama]] have introduced two groups of his (the third Tabari) hadith sources:

*The first group are those Tabari the Third attended their classes and received the [[permission for narrating hadith]] from them so that he could say “Hadathna” [retold us], “Haddathani” [told me] or “Akhbirni” [reported to me]. The number of these sources is 19 people among whom are some great [[Shia]] and [[Sunni]] scholars.

*The second group are those from whom Tabari directly or through other narrators have narrated [[hadiths]] or he has benefitted from their books and thus upon quoting a hadith from them, he says “Rawiya” which suggests that he narrated through someone else. The number of these sources is more than 20 people.

==Notes==

==External Links==

The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%AC%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B1_%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%B1%DB%8C_%D8%B5%D8%BA%DB%8C%D8%B1 محمد بن جریر طبری صغیر] in Farsi Wikishia.