أدرك سلمان العلم الاول والعلم الاخر، وهو بحر لا ينزح، وهو منّا أهل البيت Salman attained the knowledge of the First and the Last, and he is a sea which does not drain, and he is from us the People of the House - Attributed to Imam al-Sadiq عليه السلام   Introduction Occasionally, historical figures transcend … Continue reading Some Notes on the Status of Salman in Early Shi’ism (Pt. 1) →

كان واحد أهل زمانه في الأشياء كلّها He (Ibn Abi Umayr) was the Unique One of his Age in all things - The Basran polymath al-Jahiz   Introduction The name Muhammad b. Abi Umayr should not be foreign to those who peruse Shi’i books of Hadith. This is because his appearance in the chains is … Continue reading Muhammad b. Abi Umayr: The Trial of Faith →

Was he Praised by the Imam? There exist narrations in which Muhammad b. Sinan is being praised by Imam al-Jawad عليه السلام عن أبي طالب عبد الله بن الصلت القمي قال: دخلت على أبي جعفر الثاني عليه السلام في آخر عمره فسمعته يقول: جزى الله صفوان بن يحيى و محمد بن سنان و زكريا بن … Continue reading Muhammad b. Sinan: A Controversial Narrator (II) →

Introduction Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. Sinan (d. 220) was a descendant of Zahir the Mawla (client) of Amr b. al-Hamiq al-Khuzai, a close companion of Ali who was murdered by Mu’awiya. His grandson, Abu Isa Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Sinan explains that his actual name was Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Sinan but his … Continue reading Muhammad b. Sinan: A Controversial Narrator (I) →

سمعت الرضا عليه السلام يقول: يونس بن عبد الرحمن في زمانه كسلمان الفارسي في زمانه  Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman in his times is like Salman al-Farsi was in his times [Imam al-Ridha]   Prologue: A Day in the Life كان ليونس بن عبد الرحمن أربعون أخا يدور عليهم في كل يوم مسلما، ثم يرجع إلى … Continue reading Yunus b. Abd al-Rahman: The Salman al-Farsi of his Times (I) →