Monday, July 30, 2012

Reciting Salawat Removes Hypocrisy

Here are two Ḥasan (Good) or Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth about reciting salawāt removes nifāq. Also, in the second ḥadīth it says that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) says to “raise your voices” when saying salawāt, which this can be seen in Shī`ah centers all over the world. Both aḥādīth have the same chain of narrators.

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص الصَّلَاةُ عَلَيَّ وَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِي تَذْهَبُ بِالنِّفَاق
`Alī b. Ibrāhīm[1] from his father[2] from Ibn Abī `Umayr[3] from `Abd Allāh b. Sinān[4] from Abī `Abd Allāh said, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), “Salāh (Prayers) upon me and upon my Ahl al-Bayt removes hypocrisy (nifāq)[5]


ابْنُ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص ارْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ عَلَيَّ فَإِنَّهَا تَذْهَبُ بِالنِّفَاقِ
[`Alī b. Ibrāhīm[6] from his father[7] from] Ibn Abī `Umayr[8] from `Abd Allāh b. Sinān[9] from Abī `Abd Allāh, that he heard him say that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said, “Raise your voices in Salāh (prayers) upon me, for it removes hypocrisy (nifāq)”[10] 


[1] `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworth) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 260, person # 680) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 100, person #45).
[2] Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim is praised according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 16, person # 18), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 12, person # 6) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 5, person #9).
[3] Muḥammad b. Abī `Umayr is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 326, person # 887), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 404, person # 618 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 265, person # 5413), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 140, person #16).
[4] `Abd Allāh b. Sinān is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 214, person # 558), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 291, person # 434) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 104-105, person #15).
[5] al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 2, pg 492, ḥadīth # 8; al-Majlisī said this ḥadīth is Ḥasan Kal-Ṣaḥīḥ (Good like a Ṣaḥīḥ (ḥadīth)) (See: al-Majlisī, Mir’āt al-`Uqūl, vol. 12, pg. 98).
[6] Refer to footnote 1.
[7] Refer to footnote 2.
[8] Refer to footnote 3.
[9] Refer to footnote 4.
[10] al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 2, pg 493, ḥadīth # 13; al-Majlisī said this ḥadīth is Ḥasan Kal-Ṣaḥīḥ (Good like a Ṣaḥīḥ (ḥadīth)) (See: al-Majlisī, Mir’āt al-`Uqūl, vol. 12, pg. 99).

Bibliography


al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.
al-Kulaynī. al-Kāfī. Ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī. 3rd. 8 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1388.
al-Majlisī. Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl. 26 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410.
al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.
al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.
—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Recite Surah Rahman After Fajr Salat

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth that says it is mustaḥabb (desirable) to recite Sūrah al-Raḥmān after Fajr prayers on Fridays. Also, this ḥadīth says that when you recite the verse that repeats in Sūrah al-Rahman, we should say “I do not deny any of Your bounties of my Lord” (لَا بِشَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْ آلَائِكَ رَبِّ أُكَذِّبُ).

al-Majlisī has graded this ḥadīth in al-Kāfī as Da`īf (weak)[1], this grading by al-Majlisī is wrong and inconsistent by al-Majlisī’s own standards. He has graded a ḥadīth with the same sanad (chain of narrators) as this ḥadīth as Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)[2]. This ḥadīth has also been narrated by al-Ṭūsī in his Tahdhīb al-Aḥkam, and al-Majlisī has graded this ḥadīth as Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)[3]. al-Ḥillī has graded this ḥadīth as Ṣaḥīḥ[4] as well.

الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ يُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ تَقْرَأَ فِي دُبُرِ الْغَدَاةِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ الرَّحْمَنَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ تَقُولَ كُلَّمَا قُلْتَ
al-Ḥussayn b. Muḥammad[5] from `Abd Allāh b. `Āmir[6] from `Alī b. Mahziyār[7] from Muḥammad b. Yaḥya[8] from Ḥammād b. `Uthmān[9] said, I heard Abā `Abd Allāh say, “It is mustahabb (desirable) to recite all of Sūrah al-Raḥmān after the morning prayer on the day of Jumu`ah, and when you say

﴿فَبِأَيِّ آلاءِ رَبِّكُما تُكَذِّبانِ
(And which of my the bounties of your Lord do you deny?), you should say,

«لَا بِشَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْ آلَائِكَ رَبِّ أُكَذِّبُ»
(I do not deny any of Your bounties of my Lord)[10]



[1] al-Majlisī, Mir’āt al-`Uqūl, vol. 15, pg. 370
[2] al-Majlisī, Mir’āt al-`Uqūl, vol. 13, pg. 78, The ḥadīth he has graded is from al-Kulaynī’s al-Kāfī, vol. 3, pg. 27, ḥadīth # 8:
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ كُنْتُ قَاعِداً عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَدَعَا بِمَاءٍ فَمَلَأَ بِهِ كَفَّهُ فَعَمَّ بِهِ وَجْهَهُ ثُمَّ مَلَأَ كَفَّهُ فَعَمَّ بِهِ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ مَلَأَ كَفَّهُ فَعَمَّ بِهِ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى ثُمَّ مَسَحَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَ رِجْلَيْهِ وَ قَالَ هَذَا وُضُوءُ مَنْ لَمْ يُحْدِثْ حَدَثاً يَعْنِي بِهِ التَّعَدِّيَ فِي الْوُضُوءِ
[3] al-Majlisī, Milādh al-Akhyār, vol. 4, pg. 351
[4] al-Ḥillī, al-Muntaha al-Muṭṭalib, vol. 5, pg. 472
[5] al-Ḥussayn b. Muḥammad b. `Imrān al-`Asharī al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 66, person # 156) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 52, person #24).
[6] `Abd Allāh b. `Āmir b. `Imrān al-`Asharī al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 218, person # 570) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 111, person #42).
[7] `Alī b. Mahziyār al-Ahwāzī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 253-254, person # 664), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 265-266, person # 379 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 360, person # 5336) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 92-93, person #6).
[8] Muḥammad b. Yaḥya al-Khazzāz is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 359, person # 964) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 158, person # 120).
[9] Ḥammād b. `Uthmān al-Nāb is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 142, person # 371), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 156, person # 240) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 56, person #3).
[10] al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 3, pg. 429, ḥadīth # 6; al-Ṭūsī, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, vol. 3, ch. 1, pg. 8, ḥadīth # 25

Bibliography


al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.
—. al-Muntaha al-Muṭṭalib. 1st ed. 10 vols. Mashhad: Majma` al-Buhūth al-Islāmiyyah, 1412.
al-Kulaynī. al-Kāfī. Ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī. 3rd. 8 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1388.
al-Majlisī. Milādh al-Akhyār. 1st. 16 vols. Qum: Maktabah Ayatollah al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī, 1406.
al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.
al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.
—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.
—. Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām. 4th. 10 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1407.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Ulul Azm

Here is a Muwaththaq (Reliable) ḥadīth that gives the names of the Ulul `Azm Prophets (عليهم السلام), another beneficial thing about this ḥadīth is that it says that there were prophets after Prophet `Īsa (عليه السلام). It is commonly believed that there were no prophets between Prophet `Īsa (عليه السلام) and Prophet Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).

Another great thing about this ḥadīth is that it says that the halāl of Muḥammad is halāl until the Day of Judgment, and his harām is harām until the Day of Judgment. I have given another ḥadīth that says this same thing (Click here)

«عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَوْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَاصْبِرْ كَما صَبَرَ أُولُوا الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ فَقَالَ نُوحٌ وَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ وَ مُوسَى وَ عِيسَى وَ مُحَمَّدٌ ص قُلْتُ كَيْفَ صَارُوا أُولِي الْعَزْمِ قَالَ لِأَنَّ نُوحاً بُعِثَ بِكِتَابٍ وَ شَرِيعَةٍ وَ كُلُّ مَنْ جَاءَ بَعْدَ نُوحٍ أَخَذَ بِكِتَابِ نُوحٍ وَ شَرِيعَتِهِ وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ حَتَّى جَاءَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ع بِالصُّحُفِ وَ بِعَزِيمَةِ تَرْكِ كِتَابِ نُوحٍ لَا كُفْراً بِهِ فَكُلُّ نَبِيٍّ جَاءَ بَعْدَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ع أَخَذَ بِشَرِيعَةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ وَ بِالصُّحُفِ حَتَّى جَاءَ مُوسَى بِالتَّوْرَاةِ وَ شَرِيعَتِهِ وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ وَ بِعَزِيمَةِ تَرْكِ الصُّحُفِ وَ كُلُّ نَبِيٍّ جَاءَ بَعْدَ مُوسَى ع أَخَذَ بِالتَّوْرَاةِ وَ شَرِيعَتِهِ وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ حَتَّى جَاءَ الْمَسِيحُ ع بِالْإِنْجِيلِ وَ بِعَزِيمَةِ تَرْكِ شَرِيعَةِ مُوسَى وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ فَكُلُّ نَبِيٍّ جَاءَ بَعْدَ الْمَسِيحِ أَخَذَ بِشَرِيعَتِهِ وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ حَتَّى جَاءَ مُحَمَّدٌ ص فَجَاءَ بِالْقُرْآنِ وَ بِشَرِيعَتِهِ وَ مِنْهَاجِهِ فَحَلَالُهُ حَلَالٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ حَرَامُهُ حَرَامٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَهَؤُلَاءِ أُولُو الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ ع»
From a number of our companion[1] from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Khālid[2] from `Uthmān b. `Īsa[3] from Samā`ah b. Mihrān[4] said, I asked Abī `Abd Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) about Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) saying, “Have patience like the Ulul al-`Azm had patience” (46:35). And he (عليه السلام) said, “(They are) Nūḥ, Ibrāhīm, Mūsa, `Īsa and Muḥammad (عليهم السلام)” I said, ‘How did they become Ulil al-`Azm? He (عليه السلام) said: ‘Because Nūḥ was sent with a book and a sharī`ah, and whoever came after Nūḥ took Nūḥ’s book, and his (Nūḥ’s) sharī`ah, and his manhaj (course) until

Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام) came with his suḥuf and with determination. He abandoned Nūḥ’s book, but not disbelieving in it, and every prophet that came after Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام) took by the sharī`ah of Ibrāhīm, his manhaj, and the suḥuf until

Mūsa came with the Torah and his sharī`ah, his manhaj, and with determination. He abandoned the suḥuf, and every prophet that came after Mūsa (عليه السلام) took the Torah, and his sharī`ah, and his manhaj until

al-Masīḥ (`Īsa) (عليه السلام) came with the Injīl and with determination. He abandoned the sharī`ah of Mūsa, and his manhaj, and every prophet that came after al-Masīḥ took his (`Īsa) (عليه السلام) sharī`ah, and his manhaj until

Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) came with the Qur’ān, with his sharī`ah, his manhaj, so his halāl is halāl until the Day of Judgment, and his harām is harām until the Day of Judgment, and these are the Ulul `Azm from the Messenger”[5]


[1] When al-Kulaynī says “From a number of our companions from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Khālid”, he is getting his ḥadīth from a number of people: `Alī b. Ibrāhīm al-Qummī, `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Abd Allāh b. Udhaynah, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Umayyah, `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn al-Sa`adābādī.
[2] Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Barqī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 76-77, person # 182), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 53, person # 65) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 15, person # 7)
[3] `Uthmān b. `Īsa al-Kilābī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Ghaybah, pg. 63-63). He is said to be a Wāqifī according to al-Ṭūsī.
[4] Samā`ah b. Mihrān is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 193, person # 517) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 15, person # 7). al-Ṭūsī said Samā`ah is of the Wāqifiyyah (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 337, person # 5021).
[5] al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 2, pg. 17-18, ḥadīth # 2.
Al-Majlisī grades this ḥadīth Muwaththaq (Reliable) (See: al-Majlisī, Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, vol. 7, pg. 98)

Bibliography


al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.
al-Kulaynī. al-Kāfī. Ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī. 3rd. 8 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1388.
al-Majlisī. Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl. 26 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410.
al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.
al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.
—. al-Ghaybah. Ed. `Ibād Allāh al-Ṭihrānī. 1st ed. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Ma`ārif al-Islāmiyyah, 1411.
—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

1000 Doors of Knowledge

One of the commonly known things of both the Shī`ahs and Sunnīs is the great knowledge of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). Even Sunnīs acknowledge that Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) was one of the most knowledgeable, if not the most knowledgeable companion of the Prophet Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).

            This article will analyze one of the most famous aḥādīth that shows the reason for the vast knowledge of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام). The narration I am talking about is before the death of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) brought Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) close and Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) says that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) taught him a door (of knowledge), and that door opens a 1000 more doors, which in turn opened up a 1000 more doors. This is seen in both the Shī`ah and Sunnī books.

            The focus of this article is to analyze the narrations that are found in al-Ṣadūq’s al-Khiṣāl, all of these narrations are from his al-Khiṣāl. We have analyzed the chains of narrators in depth, and have placed them into three categories.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Memorize 99 Names of Allah

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) or Muwaththaq (Reliable) ḥadīth that gives the number of names of Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) and tells us to call by them. It also says whoever memorizes them will go to heaven.

«حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رضي الله عنه قال حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم عن أبيه عن أبي الصلت عبد السلام بن صالح الهروي عن علي بن موسى الرضا عن أبيه عن آبائه عن علي (ع) قال قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) لله عز وجل تسعة وتسعون اسماً، من دعا الله بها استجاب له، ومن أحصاها دخل الجنة»
Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Ja`far al-Hamadānī (رضي الله عنه)[1] said `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim[2] from his father[3] from Abī al-Ṣalt `Abd al-Salām b. Ṣāliḥ al-Harawī[4] from `Alī b. Mūsa al-Riḍā from his father from his fathers from `Alī (عليه السلام) said, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: “For Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has ninety-nine (99) names, whoever does du`ā’ by them, he will be answered. And whoever memorizes them[5] will enter jannah.”[6]




[1] Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. al-Hamadānī is thiqah (thiqah) according to al-Ṣadūq (See: al-Ṣadūq’s Kamāl al-Dīn, vol. 2, pg. 369) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāsah, pg. 19, person # 37).
[2] `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworth) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 260, person # 680) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 100, person #45).
[3] Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim is praised according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 16, person # 18), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 12, person # 6) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 5, person #9).
[4] `Abd al-Salām b. Ṣāliḥ, Abū al-Ṣalt al-Harawī is thiqah (thiqah) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī’s al-Rijāl, pg. 245, person # 643) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāsah, pg. 117, person # 2).  al-Ṭūsī calls Abū al-Ṣalt an `Āmī (Sunnī) (See: al-Ṭūsī’s al-Rijāl, pg. 360, person # 5328). al-Khoei contends that Abū al-Ṣalt was not an `Āmī, rather he was a Shī`ah. Either way, his status a thiqah narrator does not change.
[5] There is a difference of opinion regarding the words (من أحصاها man aḥṣāhā). According to Ibn Athīr some say that it means مَنْ حَفِظَها عَنْ ظَهْرِ قَلْبِهِ “whoever memorizes them (learns by heart)”. This ḥadīth is also found in Sunnī books, and they have translated it as “whoever memorizes them”. Other people have said it means “having knowledge of its meanings and acting by it, while others say “having knowledge of it, believing in it, and having certainty of the characteristics of Allāh”. (See: Ibn Mundhūr, Lisān al-`Arab, vol. 14, pg. 184 & Abū Manṣūr al-Harawī (d. 370), Tahdhīb al-Lughah, vol. 5, pg. 107)
[6] al-Ṣadūq, al-Tawḥīd, ch. 29 – Chapter on Names of Allāh and the Difference Between their Meanings, pg. 195, ḥadīth # 9

Bibliography


al-Harawī, Abū Manṣūr. Tahdhīb al-Lughah. Ed. Muḥammad b. `Awḍ Mur`ab. 1st ed. 8 vols. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-`Arabī, 2001.
al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.
al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.
al-Ṣadūq. al-Tawḥīd. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1398/1978.
—. Kamāl al-Dīn. 2nd. 2 vols in 1 vols. Qum: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1395/1975.
al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.
—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.
Mundhūr, Ibn. Lisān al-`Arab. Qum: Nashr Adab al-Hawzah, 1405.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Fasting Three Days in Sha'ban

Here is a Muwaththaq (Authentic) ḥadīth about the faḍā’il (merits) for fasting at least three days in the month of Sha`ban.

حدثنا أَحْمَدَ بْنِ زِيَادِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ «مَنْ صَامَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ وَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص شَفِيعَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ»
Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Ja`far al-Hamadānī[1] said `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim[2] from his father[3] from Ibn Abī `Umayr[4] from Abān (b. `Uthmān)[5] from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said, “Whoever fasts three days of Sha`ban, jannah is wājib for him, and the Messenger of Allāh will do shafā`ah on the day of Judgment for him”[6]


[1] Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. al-Hamadānī is thiqah (thiqah) according to al-Ṣadūq (See: al-Ṣadūq’s Kamāl al-Dīn, vol. 2, pg. 369) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāsah, pg. 19, person # 37).
[2] `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworth) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 260, person # 680) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 100, person #45).
[3]Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim is praised according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 16, person # 18), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 12, person # 6) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 5, person #9).
[4] Muḥammad b. Abī `Umayr is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 326, person # 887), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 404, person # 618 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 265, person # 5413), al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 140, person #16). Muḥammad b. Abī `Umayr narrates his ḥadīth from Abān b. `Uthmān.
[5] Abān b. `Uthmān is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Kashī’s statements of him being amongst the Aṣhāb al-Ijmā` (See: al-Kashī, Ikhtiyār Ma`rifah al-Rijāl, 375, statement # 705). After a lengthy discussion al-Ḥillī says he accepts his narrations (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 21-22, person # 3).
[6] al-Ṣadūq, Faḍā’il al-Ash-har al-Thalāthah, Kitāb Faḍā’il Sha`ban, pg. 43, pg. 60, ḥadīth # 42:
Hādī al-Najafi says this ḥadīth has a mu`tabar (authentic) sanad (chain of narrators) (See: Hādī al-Najafī, Mawsū`ah Aḥādīth Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 5, pg. 355-356).

Bibliography


al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.
al-Kashī. Ikhtiyār Ma`arifah al-Rijāl. Ed. Dr. Ḥasan al-Muṣṭafawī. Mashhad: Mu’assasah al-Nashr fī Jāmi`ah, 1390.
al-Najafī, Hādī. Mawsū`ah Aḥādīth Ahl al-Bayt. 1st. 12 vols. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-`Arabī, 1423/2002.
al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.
al-Ṣadūq. Faḍā’il al-Ash-har al-Thalāthah. Ed. Mirza Ghulām Riḍa `Irfāniyyān. 1 vols. Beirut: Dār al-Maḥajjah al-Bayḍā’, 1412/1992.
—. Kamāl al-Dīn. 2nd. 2 vols in 1 vols. Qum: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1395/1975.
al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.
—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Prophet Noah's Age

The age of Prophet Nūḥ (عليه السلام) is an age that is hard for us to grasp, since today the average age is about 75 years old. Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) has said in the Qur’ān that Prophet Nūḥ (عليه السلام) called to his people for 950 years[1]. We have many conflicting narrations on the age of Nūḥ (عليه السلام), al-Majlisī says this after a narration that states he lived for 2450 years[2]:

«بيان اعلم أن أرباب السير اختلفوا في عمره ع فقيل كان ألف سنة و قيل كان ألفا و أربعمائة و خمسين سنة و قيل كان ألفا و أربعمائة و سبعين سنة و قيل ألفا و ثلاثمائة سنة و أخبارنا المعتبرة تدل على أنه عاش ألفين و خمسمائة سنة و هذا الخبر لا يعتمد عليه لمخالفته لأقوال الفريقين و أخبارهم»
«Commentary: Know that the great biographers differ on his (عليه السلام) age. Some say he was 1000 years, others say he was 1450 years, others say he was 1470 years, and others say he was 1300 years. Our authentic narrations show that he (عليه السلام) lived for 2500 years, and this khabar (narration)[3] should not be relied upon for it contradicts the opinions of the two sects and their narrations»[4]

This Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) narration shows that Prophet Nūḥ (عليه السلام) lived for 2500 years, and Imām al-Ṣādiq (عليه السلام) breaks down the life of Nūḥ (عليه السلام) and divides it into parts.

حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني ره قال حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم عن أبيه إبراهيم بن هاشم عن علي بن الحكم عن هشام بن سالم عن الصادق جعفر بن محمد ع قال عاش نوح ع ألفي سنة و خمسمائة سنة منها ثمان مائة و خمسون سنة قبل أن يبعث و ألف سنة إلا خمسين عاما و هو في قومه يدعوهم و مائتا سنة في عمل السفينة و خمسمائة عام بعد ما نزل من السفينة و نضب الماء فمصر الأمصار و أسكن ولده البلدان ثم إن ملك الموت جاءه و هو في الشمس فقال السلام عليك فرد عليه نوح و قال له ما جاء بك يا ملك الموت فقال جئت لأقبض روحك فقال له تدعني أدخل من الشمس إلى الظل فقال له نعم فتحول نوح ع ثم قال يا ملك الموت فكان ما مر بي في الدنيا مثل تحولي من الشمس إلى الظل فامض لما أمرت به قال فقبض روحه ع
Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Ja`far al-Hamadānī (عليه السلام)[5] said `Alī b. Ibrāhīm[6] narrated to us from his father Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim[7] from `Alī b. al-Ḥakam[8] from Hishām b. Sālim[9] from al-Ṣādiq Ja`far b. Muḥammad (عليه السلام) said, “Nūḥ lived for 2500 years, from it 850 before he was sent (ba`ath - becoming a Prophet), 950 years he was calling to his people, 200 years in building the safīnah (ship), and 500 years after the ship descended and the water dried out, then he built the cities and resided there with his children in the cities. Then the Malik al-Mawt (Angel of Death) came to him and he was in the sunshine, and he said, ‘Assalāmu `Alaykum’. And Nūḥ replied to him. He (عليه السلام) said to him, ‘Why have you come, O Angel?’ So he said, ‘I have come to take your life’. Then he (عليه السلام) said, ‘Can you let me enter from the sunshine to the shade?’ So he (the angel) said, ‘Yes’. Nūḥ (عليه السلام) moved, then he (عليه السلام) said, ‘O Angel of Death, what has passed by me in this world was like me moving from the sunshine to the shade. You may now do what you were commanded.’ He (عليه السلام) said: ‘Then he captured his (عليه السلام) soul.’[10]

This ḥadīth is also Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) through another chain of narrators in al-Ṣadūq’s Kamāl al-Dīn[11]



[1] Sūrah al-`Ankabūt (29) : Verse 14
[2] al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 8, pg. 284, ḥadīth # 429; al-Majlisī said this ḥadīth is Mursal (Disconnected) (See: al-Majlisī, Mir’āt al-`Uqūl, vol. 26, pg. 303
There is also another ḥadīth that says 2450 and it is narrated in al-Ṣadūq’s Kamāl al-Dīn, vol. 2, ch. 46, ḥadīth # 3. This ḥadīth is also Da`īf (Weak), because of Muḥammad b. Yūsuf al-Tamīmī, who is majhūl (unknown) (See: al-Shāhrūdī, Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl, vol. 7, pg. 378, person # 14748).
[3] Referring to the narration that says he lived for 2450 years.
[4] al-Majlisī, Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 11, pg. 290
[5] Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. al-Hamadānī is thiqah (thiqah) according to al-Ṣadūq (See: al-Ṣadūq’s Kamāl al-Dīn, vol. 2, pg. 369) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāsah, pg. 19, person # 37).
[6] `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim al-Qummī is thiqah (trustworth) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 260, person # 680) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 100, person #45).
[7] Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim is praised according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 16, person # 18), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 12, person # 6) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 5, person #9).
[8] `Alī b. al-Ḥakam al-Anbārī is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 263-264, person # 376) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 93, person # 14).
[9] Hishām b. Sālim is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 434, person # 1165) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī’s al-Khulāṣah, pg. 152, person #71).
[10] al-Ṣadūq, al-Amālī, Majlis # 77, pg. 511-512, ḥadīth # 7
`Āṣif al-Muḥsinī says this ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) (See: `Āṣif al-Muḥsinī’s Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 1, pg. 261). Al-Majlisī says this ḥadīth is Mu`tabar (Authentic) (See: al-Majlisī’s Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 11, pg. 290). `Alī Namazī al-Shāhrūdī says this ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) (See: al-Shāhrūdī’s Mustadarak Safīnah al-Bihār, vol. 10, pg. 160).
[11] al-Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-Dīn, vol. 2, ch. 46, ḥadīth # 1:
حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه قال حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن علي بن الحكم عن هشام بن سالم عن الصادق
Narrated to us Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad b. al-Walīd (رضي الله عنه) said Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār narrated to us from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa from `Alī b. al-Ḥakam from Hishām b. Sālim

Bibliography


al-Ḥillī. al-Khulāṣah al-`Aqwāl. 1st ed. 1 vols. Qum: , Dār al-Dukhā’ir, 1411.
al-Majlisī. Bihār al-Anwār. 4th. 110 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1362.
—. Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl. 26 vols. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410.
al-Muḥsinī, `Āṣif. Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwār. 2nd. 2 vols. Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Maṭbū`āt, 1426/2005.
al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.
al-Ṣadūq. al-Amālī. 4th. 1 vols. Qum: Maktabah al-Islamiyyah, 1404.
—. Kamāl al-Dīn. 2nd. 2 vols in 1 vols. Qum: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1395/1975.
al-Shāhrūdī. Mustadarak Safīnah al-Bihār. Ed. Ḥasan `Alī al-Namāzī. 10 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1419.
al-Shahrūdī. Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl. 1st. 8 vols. Tehran: Ibn al-Mu'alif, 1412.
al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.