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Tawqi of Amma l-Hawadith l-Waqi'a

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The Tawqīʿ of Ammā l-Ḥawādith al-Wāqiʿa (Arabic: توقیع أَمَّا الحَوَادِثُ الوَاقِعَة) is a letter from Imam al-Mahdi (a) issued in response to questions from Ishaq b. Ya'qub. It is cited as one of the proofs for Wilaya al-Faqih.

In this Tawqi', Imam al-Mahdi (a) introduces the narrators of hadith as his proof (Hujja) and asks Shi'as to refer to them in events and occurrences. The phrase "narrators of our hadith" (ruwāt ḥadīthinā) is interpreted to mean jurists who have the ability to deduce religious rulings and lead society.

Ishaq b. Ya'qub is not explicitly deemed trustworthy (Thiqah) in biographical sources, but contextual evidence such as the narration of this Tawqi' by hadith scholars like al-Kulaynī, al-Saduq, and al-Shaykh al-Tusi, the content of the Tawqi, and the special salutation of Imam al-Mahdi (a) to Ishaq in it, indicate his trustworthiness.

Status and Importance

The Tawqi of Amma al-Hawadith al-Waqi'a is considered one of the narrative proofs for establishing Wilaya al-Faqih.[1] This Tawqi' is a response from Imam al-Mahdi (a) to a letter from Ishaq b. Ya'qub, which reached the Imam through Muhammad b. Uthman al-'Amri, one of the Four Deputies.[2] Hadith scholars such as al-Shaykh al-Saduq in Kamal al-din[3] and al-Shaykh al-Tusi in al-Ghayba[4] have narrated it quoting al-Kulayni.

أَمَّا مَا سَأَلْتَ عَنْهُ أَرْشَدَكَ اللَّهُ وَ ثَبَّتَكَ .... وَ أَمَّا الْحَوَادِثُ الْوَاقِعَةُ فَارْجِعُوا فِيهَا إِلَى رُوَاةِ حَدِيثِنَا فَإِنَّهُمْ حُجَّتِي عَلَيْكُمْ وَ أَنَا حُجَّةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ .... وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا إِسْحَاقَ بْنَ يَعْقُوبَ وَ عَلى‌ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدى‌.[5]

— As for what you asked about, may Allah guide you and keep you firm... As for the events that occur, refer regarding them to the narrators of our hadith, for they are my proof over you, and I am Allah's proof over them... Peace be upon you, O Ishaq b. Ya'qub, and upon those who follow guidance.

Documentary Evidence for Wilaya al-Faqih

This Tawqi' has been cited to prove Wilaya al-Faqih during the Occultation.

Argument based on "Al-Hawadith al-Waqi'a"

According to Shaykh al-Ansari, "occurring events" (al-ḥawādith al-wāqiʿa) does not merely refer to individual religious issues, but rather all events and matters where reference to a leader and head of society is necessary from the perspective of reason, custom, and Shari'a. The reason for this inclusivity is that the necessity of referring to jurists for understanding religious rulings was obvious and did not require asking. Therefore, by this statement, Imam al-Mahdi (a) appointed jurists as the authority in matters of governance and administration of society.[6] Furthermore, given the absolute nature of Imam al-Mahdi's (a) response and the absence of any restriction in it, limiting the scope of this instruction to specific events mentioned in the narrator's question has been rejected.[7]

Argument based on "Fa-innahum Hujjati 'alaykum"

The phrase "for they are my proof over you" indicates the managerial and authority role of jurists.[8] The "proof" (Hujja) status of the Infallible is not limited to stating religious rulings, but extends to all areas where the Infallible Imam (a) has authority as Divine Proof; the jurist is also considered a proof and guardian of the affair (Wali al-Amr) by extension.[9] Just as referring to the Imams (a) in social and governmental matters is necessary, referring to jurists in these matters is also obligatory, and disobeying their orders will be a cause for Divine argumentation against the person.[10]

Meaning of "Ruwat Hadithina"

The phrase "narrators of our hadith" in this Tawqi' is interpreted to mean jurists who have the ability to deduce religious rulings from narrative texts, not a narrator who merely transmits traditions.[11]

Is Ishaq b. Ya'qub Trustworthy?

Ishaq b. Ya'qub is not explicitly deemed trustworthy in biographical sources.[12] Some have doubted the validity of this Tawqi based on this reason.[13] Sayyid Kazim al-Ha'iri in the book Wilayat al-amr fi 'asr al-ghayba, citing the conduct of the Minor Occultation era, considers the narration by al-Kulayni as evidence for Ishaq's trustworthiness. He argues that claiming to receive a Tawqi in that sensitive era was only possible for a very trustworthy person or a very corrupt person (Fāsiq), and given that a meticulous hadith scholar like al-Kulayni, who was his contemporary, narrated this tradition, the possibility of corruption and fabrication would not have been hidden from him.[14]

Additionally, internal evidence of the Tawqi,[15] such as the implication of the Tawqi's content[16] and Imam al-Mahdi's prayers for Ishaq such as "May Allah guide you and keep you firm" and "Peace be upon you...", are considered evidence of his endorsement by Imam al-Mahdi.[17] The content of the questions raised by Ishaq and their transmission by al-Shaykh al-Tusi are also seen as indicating his scholarly status.[18]

The silence of some scholars of Fiqh and Principles such as Shaykh al-Ansari, Muḥaqqiq Isfahani, and Mirza Na'ini regarding his trustworthiness, and the description by Ayatollah al-Khoei who considered him among the "illustrious scholars" (ajillāʾ al-ʿulamāʾ),[19] are considered contextual evidence supporting the narrator's reliability.

Why is the Tawqi Not Narrated in al-Kafi?

Al-Kulayni did not narrate this Tawqi' in al-Kafi, which has caused doubt about its attribution to him.[20] Sayyid Kazim al-Ha'iri believes that al-Kafi was written for the general public, and explicitly mentioning the name of the narrator and the special deputy of the Imam in it—given the atmosphere of suppression and Taqiyya—could have posed security risks for the agents and the Imam's communication network. It is also possible that this Tawqi reached al-Kulayni after the compilation of al-Kafi.[21]

It has also been said that since the Tawqi did not contain jurisprudential matters, al-Kulaynī did not mention it in Al-Kāfī. However, al-Kulayni had a book titled al-Rasa'il which was dedicated to collecting letters and Tawqiat of the Imams (a), and citing the Tawqi in that book would have been more appropriate than in al-Kafi; therefore, it is probable that he mentioned this Tawqi in that book.[22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, p. 555; Imām Khumaynī, Kitāb al-bayʿ, 1421 AH, vol. 2, p. 635.
  2. ↑ Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn, 1395 AH, vol. 2, pp. 483-485; Ṭūsī, Al-Ghayba, 1411 AH, pp. 290-291.
  3. ↑ Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn, 1395 AH, vol. 2, pp. 483-485.
  4. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Ghayba, 1411 AH, pp. 290-291.
  5. ↑ Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn, 1395 AH, vol. 2, pp. 483-485.
  6. ↑ Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, pp. 555-556.
  7. ↑ Muntaẓarī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 481.
  8. ↑ Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, pp. 555-556.
  9. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Kitāb al-bayʿ, 1421 AH, vol. 2, p. 636; Muʾmin Qummī, Al-Wilāya al-ilāhiyya, 1425 AH, vol. 3, p. 402.
  10. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Wilāyat-i faqīh, 1381 Sh, pp. 80-82.
  11. ↑ Muntaẓarī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 479.
  12. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Qummī, Dirāsātunā min al-fiqh al-Jaʿfarī, 1400 AH, vol. 3, p. 111; Khūʾī, Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī, vol. 22, p. 82.
  13. ↑ Shuqayr, "Pazhūhishī darbāra-yi tawqīʿ-i sharīf...", Majalla-yi Fiqh-i Ahl-i Bayt (a).
  14. ↑ Ḥāʾirī, Wilāyat al-amr fī ʿaṣr al-ghayba, 1413 AH, pp. 100-101.
  15. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shāhrūdī, Kitāb al-ḥajj, 1381 AH, vol. 3, p. 394.
  16. ↑ Māmaqānī, Tanqīḥ al-maqāl, 1431 AH, vol. 9, p. 228.
  17. ↑ Muʾmin Qummī, Al-Wilāya al-ilāhiyya, 1425 AH, vol. 3, p. 400.
  18. ↑ Mudarrisī Yazdī, Āfāq-i wilāyat, 1403 Sh, vol. 2, p. 163.
  19. ↑ Khūʾī, Miṣbāḥ al-faqāha, 1368 Sh, vol. 5, p. 48.
  20. ↑ Muntaẓarī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 479.
  21. ↑ Ḥāʾirī, Wilāyat al-amr fī ʿaṣr al-ghayba, 1413 AH, p. 103.
  22. ↑ Shuqayr, "Pazhūhishī darbāra-yi tawqīʿ-i sharīf...", Majalla-yi Fiqh-i Ahl-i Bayt (a).

References

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  • Ḥāʾirī, Sayyid Kāẓim. Wilāyat al-amr fī ʿaṣr al-ghayba. Qom, Majmaʿ al-Fikr al-Islāmī, 1413 AH.
  • Ḥusaynī Shāhrūdī, Sayyid Maḥmūd. Kitāb al-ḥajj. Transcribed by Ibrāhīm Jannātī. Qom, Anṣāriyān, 1381 AH.
  • Imām Khumaynī, Sayyid Rūḥ Allāh. Kitāb al-bayʿ. Tehran, Muʾassasa-yi Tanẓīm wa Nashr-i Āthār-i Imām Khumaynī, 1421 AH.
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  • Marvī, Jawād. "Ithbāt-i iʿtibār-i sanadī-yi tawqīʿ-i sharīf". Website of Shaykh Jawād Marvī. Accessed: Shahrivar 22, 1404 Sh.
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  • Nāʾīnī, Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Munyat al-ṭālib fī ḥāshiyat al-makāsib. Tehran, Al-Maktaba al-Muḥammadiyya, 1373 AH.
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  • Shuqayr, Muḥammad. "Pazhūhishī darbāra-yi tawqīʿ-i sharīf-i Imām Zamān (a) bih Isḥāq b. Yaʿqūb". Majalla-yi Fiqh-i Ahl-i Bayt (a). No. 46. Year 12. pp. 193-207.
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