Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih

Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih
	Cover of the book
Language	Arabic
Published	Maktabat al-Saduq, 1972

Last updated April 21, 2019

Man lā yahduruhu al-Faqīh (Arabic : من لا يحضره الفقيه‎) is a hadith collection, by the famous Twelver Shi'a hadith scholar Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawaih al-Qummi, commonly known as Ibn Babawayh or Al-Shaykh al-Saduq. This work is included among The Four Books of Twelver Shia Islam.

Hadith collections of sayings and teachings of Muhammad

Ḥadīth in Islam are the record of the words, actions, and silent approval, traditionally attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Within Islam the authority of hadith as a source for religious law and moral guidance ranks second only to that of the Quran. Quranic verses enjoin Muslims to emulate Muhammad and obey his judgments, providing scriptural authority for hadith. While the number of verses pertaining to law in the Quran is relatively few, hadiths give direction on everything from details of religious obligations, to the correct forms of salutations and the importance of benevolence to slaves. Thus the "great bulk" of the rules of Sharia are derived from ahadith, rather than the Quran.

Twelver or Imamiyyah is the largest branch of Shia Islam. The term Twelver refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, lives in occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi. According to Shia tradition, the Mahdi's tenure will coincide with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Isa), who is to assist the Mahdi against the Masih ad-Dajjal.

Shia Islam is one of the two main branches of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor and the Imam (leader) after him, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm, but was prevented from the caliphate as a result of the incident of Saqifah. This view primarily contrasts with that of Sunni Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor and consider Abu Bakr, who they claim was appointed caliph by a small group of Muslims at Saqifah, to be the first rightful caliph after the Prophet.

Name

The translation of the title Kitābu man lā yaḥḍuruhu l-faqīh is "Book of him who is not in the presence of a jurisprudent", or, in more idiomatic English, "Book for those who do not have a jurisprudent to ask". Others translate the title as "Every man his own lawyer".^[1]^[2]

Compilation

In his introduction to the book the author explains the circumstances of its composition and the reason for its title. When he was at Ilaq near Balkh, he met Sharif al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah known as Ni'mah. He brought a book compiled by Muhammad b. Zakharia al-Razi entitled Man la yahduruhu al-Tabeeb or Every man his own doctor to the attention of Shaikh al-Saduq. He, then, asked him to compile a book on Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), The Halal and the Haram (the permitted and prohibited) and al-shara-i' wa-'l-ahkam (revealed law and ordinary laws) which would draw on all the works which the Shaikh earlier had composed on the subject. This book would be called Man la yahduruh al-faqih and would function as a work of reference.^[3]^[4]

Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is often described as the human understanding of the sharia, that is human understanding of the divine Islamic law as revealed in the Quran and the Sunnah. Fiqh expands and develops Shariah through interpretation (ijtihad) of the Quran and Sunnah by Islamic jurists (ulama) and is implemented by the rulings (fatwa) of jurists on questions presented to them. Thus, whereas sharia is considered immutable and infallible by Muslims, fiqh is considered fallible and changeable. Fiqh deals with the observance of rituals, morals and social legislation in Islam as well as political system. In the modern era, there are four prominent schools (madh'hab) of fiqh within Sunni practice, plus two within Shi'a practice. A person trained in fiqh is known as a faqīh.

Halal, also spelled hallal or halaal, refers to what is permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law. It is frequently applied to permissible food and drinks.

Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih is mainly concerned with Furoo al-Din.^[5] The book is meant to be a reference book to help ordinary Shia Muslims in the practise of the legal requirements of Islam. Generally, the Isnad's (Chains of the narrations) is absent. Thus, the book is a summary of the study of legal traditions.^[6]^[7] Shaikh al-Saduq himself said about his work:

I compiled the book without Isnads so that the chains (of authority) should not be too many (-and make the book too long-) and so that the book's advantages might be abundant. I did not have the usual intention of compilers (of books of traditions) to put forward everything which they (could) narrate but my intention was to put forward those things by which I gave legal opinions and which I judged to be correct ^[8]

View

Shi'a regards this book as among the most reliable Hadith collections. Thus, the book is included in The Four Books of the Shi'a, together with Al-Kafi, Al-Istibsar and Tahdhib al-Ahkam. As with all Hadith collections, however, there is no guarantee of the authenticity of each individual hadith and the reliability of each must be separately assessed.^[9]^[10]

The Four Books four major hadith collections in Twelver Shiism

The Four Books, or The Four Principles, is a Twelver Shia term referring to their four best-known hadith collections:

Kitab al-Kafi book by Muḥammad Ibn-Yaʿqūb al-Kulīnī

The book Al-Kāfī is a Twelver Shīʿī ḥadīth collection compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya‘qūb al-Kulaynī. It is divided into three sections: Usūl al-Kāfī, which is concerned with epistemology, theology, history, ethics, supplication, and the Qurʾān, Furūʿ al-Kāfī, which is concerned with practical and legal issues, and Rawdatal-Kāfī, which includes miscellaneous traditions, many of which are lengthy letters and speeches transmitted from the Imāms. In total, al-Kāfī comprises 16,199 narrations.

Al-Istibsar is a Hadith collection, by the famous Twelver Shia Hadith scholar Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hassan Tusi, commonly known as Shaykh Tusi. This work is included among The Four Books of Shia Islam. It includes the same subjects as Tahdhib al-Ahkam but in a shorter form.

Related Research Articles

Bihar al-Anwar is a comprehensive collection of traditions (ahadith) compiled by Shia Muslim scholar Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi, known as Allama Majlisi. It is a hadith collection as the secondary source used beside the four books. Bihar al-Anwar which a compendium of Hadiths, historical subjects and commentaries on many Qur'anic verses,completed between 1106 AH and 1110 AH.

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<i>Reality of Certainty</i> book by Muḥammad Bāqir Ibn-Muḥammad Taqī Maǧlisī

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Shaykh Tusi, full name Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hassan Tusi, known as Shaykh al-Taʾifah was a prominent Persian scholar of the Twelver school of Shia Islam. He became known as "Sheikh of the Sect ," authored two of the four main Shi'i books of hadith, Tahdhib al-Ahkam and al-Istibsar, and is believed to have founded the Najaf Hawza. He also counts as the founder of Shia jurisprudence.

Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, commonly referred to as Ibn Babawayh or al-Shaykh al-Saduq was a Persian Shi'ite Islamic scholar whose work, entitled Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih, forms part of The Four Books of the Shi'ite Hadith collection.

Wasā'il al-Shīʿa is a reputable book of hadith in Shia Islam, compiled in the 17th century by Shaikh al-Hur al-Aamili. Shaikh Al-Hur wrote two editions of this book, ahl al-bayt which is a 30 volume long edition of it, and Al-Islamiyyah which is 20 volumes long.

Tahdhib al-Ahkam(Tahdhib al-Ahkam fi Sharh al-Muqni'ah) is a Hadith collection, by Twelver Shia Hadith scholar Abu Ja'far Muhammad Ibn Hasan Tusi, commonly known as Shaykh Tusi. This work is included among the four books of Shia Islam. It is a commentary on the Al-Muqni'ah by Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid, who was a Twelver Shia theologian.

Uyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, counted as a Hadith book among Shiite, the book has written by Ibn Babawayh, one of the great Jurist and theologian of Shiites. The book concerned with saying and life of eight Shiite Imam Ali al-Ridha.

The Risalat al-Huquq is a work attributed to Ali ibn al-Husayn the fourth Imam of the Shia except for his relatively short sayings and letters. Risalah al-Huquq is narrated in Al-Khisal, Al-Amali, and Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih all by Shaykh al-Suduq and in Tuhaf al-Oqul by Hussayn ibn Shu'bah Harrani. This charter is narrated by Abu Hamza al-Thumali, a reliable and admired companion of Ali ibn al-Husayn for the first time. Risalah al-Huquq is prefaced in of the two versions by: "This is the treatise of Ali ibn al-Husayn to one of his companions", which shows to be written at the request of a pupil of him. Based on On 'Treatise of rights' that the word 'rights' is much better translated as duties, obligations or responsibilities.

Al Amali means "book of dictations". The Al-Amali of Shaykh Saduq is a hadith collection by al-Shaykh al-Saduq, the shia jurist and theologian. Amālī or Majāles, recorded his regular Tuesday and Friday sessions in Nīšāpūr in 367-68/978-79. These dictations consist of miscellaneous traditions, but mostly accounts of the virtues of the Imams. These include the virtues and moral character of the household of Muhammad and moral exhortations.

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References

↑ Al-Islam.org
↑ Eliade, Adams, Mircea, Charles J. The Encyclopedia of religion, Volume 6. Macmillan, 1987. p. 558. ISBN 9780029097502.
↑ Man la yahduruh al-faqih, Introduction, p.2-3 as cited at Al-Islam.org
↑ Ak̲h̲tar, Vaḥīd. Early Shīʻite Imāmiyyah Thinkers. Ashish Publishing House, 1988. p. 44. ISBN 9788170241966.
↑ Pickthall, Asad, Marmaduke William, Muhammad. "Islamic Culture, Volume 76". Islamic Culture Board, 2002.
↑ Meri, Josef W. Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Routledge; 1 edition (October 31, 2005). ISBN 978-0415966900.
↑ Mahmasani, Subhi. Falsafat al-tashri fi al-Islam. Penrbitan Hizbi (1987). p. 72. ISBN 978-9679964066.
↑ Man la yahduruh al-faqih, Introduction as cited by Al-Islam.org
↑ Brown, Jonathan. The Canonization of al-Bukhr and Muslim (Islamic History and Civilization). BRILL (June 5, 2007). p. 227. ISBN 978-9004158399.
↑ Esposito, John L. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, Volume 2. Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 30, 1995). ISBN 978-0195066135.

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[1] Al-Islam.org

[2] Eliade, Adams, Mircea, Charles J. The Encyclopedia of religion, Volume 6. Macmillan, 1987. p. 558. ISBN 9780029097502.

[3] Man la yahduruh al-faqih, Introduction, p.2-3 as cited at Al-Islam.org

[4] Ak̲h̲tar, Vaḥīd. Early Shīʻite Imāmiyyah Thinkers. Ashish Publishing House, 1988. p. 44. ISBN 9788170241966.

[5] Pickthall, Asad, Marmaduke William, Muhammad. "Islamic Culture, Volume 76". Islamic Culture Board, 2002.

[6] Meri, Josef W. Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Routledge; 1 edition (October 31, 2005). ISBN 978-0415966900.

[7] Mahmasani, Subhi. Falsafat al-tashri fi al-Islam. Penrbitan Hizbi (1987). p. 72. ISBN 978-9679964066.

[8] Man la yahduruh al-faqih, Introduction as cited by Al-Islam.org

[9] Brown, Jonathan. The Canonization of al-Bukhr and Muslim (Islamic History and Civilization). BRILL (June 5, 2007). p. 227. ISBN 978-9004158399.

[10] Esposito, John L. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, Volume 2. Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 30, 1995). ISBN 978-0195066135.