Tahrif or Not? A Shi’i Perspective on the Seven Ahruf Reports (Pt. IV)

Additional Evidence for the Meaning of Ḥarf I have argued that the key term Ḥarf referred to a pre-standardization Qirāʾa (recitation) associated with a certain companion i.e. the specific wording by which a companion recited the Qur’an was his Ḥarf. Some of the evidence to support this has already been presented in a previous installment, … Continue reading Tahrif or Not? A Shi’i Perspective on the Seven Ahruf Reports (Pt. IV) →

Recovering a Lost Biography: Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī’s Portrayal of al-Riḍā

For the one and only Shāh of Khurāsān In the hope that you come to the aid of your most humble servant in his day of need Introduction When our Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (d. 381) journeyed to Naysābūr in the year 352, he went to the house of a Sunni Ḥākim (judge) by the name … Continue reading Recovering a Lost Biography: Abū Bakr al-Ṣūlī’s Portrayal of al-Riḍā →

Like Praying behind a Wall!

Matn al-Ḥadīth Can the Shia pray behind the Mukhālifīn (non-Shia) or not? This is a practical question that our earliest predecessors must have asked themselves seeing as they were a minority group who sometimes had to dissimulate and partake in public ritual with the majority. One interesting report that gives us a precious window into … Continue reading Like Praying behind a Wall! →

Born Through the Duʿāʾ of the Imam

Introduction Unlike Kulaynī and Ṭūsī, whose fathers were not known for scholarship and remain obscure figures only recorded in history because of their sons’ accomplishments, Ṣadūq (d. 381) had a father who was a prominent and acknowledged authority in his own right in Qum, the center of Ṣhīʿī learning at the time. al-Najāshī says about … Continue reading Born Through the Duʿāʾ of the Imam →

The Burnt Book: A Case of Hadith Censorship by Early Sunni Critics

Introduction In a previous article[1] I demonstrated how the contents of a Hadith could play a significant role in the early Sunni Hadith critics’ acceptance or rejection of it[2] and could even affect the evaluation of a narrator who chose to transmit it[3]. What this means is that it was the subjective judgment of the … Continue reading The Burnt Book: A Case of Hadith Censorship by Early Sunni Critics →