كان أبو الخطاب أحمق فكنت أحدثه فكان لا يحفظ، و كان يزيد من عنده Abu al-Khattab was a fool - I would narrate to him so he would not preserve it, and he would add from himself[1] Imam al-Sadiq   Introduction The first installment of a promised multi-part ‘response’ to my incomplete series on Mufaddal … Continue reading Revisiting Abu al-Khattab and the Khattabiyya (A Response) →

Cursed or Not? The most important report concerning Mufaḍḍal b. ʿUmar is the one in which two men come and present his belief to the Imam. One of these men is Ḥujr b. Zāʾida. The Imam’s reaction is not pretty if you are a Mufaḍḍal supporter. ʿAbdallāh b. Muskān narrates: Ḥujr b. Zāʾida and ʿĀmir … Continue reading Reports and Counter-reports: The Case of Mufaḍḍal b. ʿUmar (Pt. II) →

فلما انصرفت إلى الكوفة أقبلت علي الشيعة فمزقوني كل ممزق، يأكلون لحمي ويشتمون عرضي، حتى أن بعضهم استقبلني فوثب في وجهي، وبعضهم قعد لي في سكك الكوفة يريد ضربي، ورموني بكل بهتان So when I reached Kufa, the Shīʿa turned towards me, and began tearing me to shreds, eating my flesh and disparaging my honour, such … Continue reading Rivalry between Companions: The Case of Mufaḍḍal b. ʿUmar (Pt. I) →

“He had a great status with Abi al-Hasan Musa b. Ja’far, peace be upon them. A great standing in the Ta’ifa (sect as a whole)” Tusi’s summation of Ali b. Yaqtin[1]   Introduction Sometimes, and through a curious mix of dedication and fortune, tangible evidence is found to make what we read in our old … Continue reading Ali b. Yaqtin: The Imam’s Secret Agent →

Introduction Whether a man called Abdallah b. Saba existed historically or not has become a fraught question in light of the latter’s relevance in polemics against the Shia. After all, it is this supposed former Jew from Yemen who stands accused of single handedly causing an irreparable schism among early Muslims by originating the heretical … Continue reading Abdallah b. Saba – Man or Myth? →