Documentary Evaluation of the Traditions in Al-Irshad by Sheikh Mufid (from the era of Imam Sajjad to Imam Al-Mahdi)
Subject Areas : کلام اسلامیAlireza delafkar 1 , Zahra Kheirollahi 2 , Reza ArabTabrizi 3
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Keywords: Al-Irshad, Sheikh Mufid, traditions, documentary evaluation, Shiite historiography,
Abstract :
The book "Al-Irshad" by Sheikh Mufid (d. 413 AH) is the first narrative-historical work regarding the lives of the Twelve Imams (peace be upon them) and is considered a turning point in Shiite historiography. Sheikh Mufid wrote it to establish the Imamate of the Shiite Imams. He aimed to narrate the history of the Imams (peace be upon them) based on traditions transmitted from the infallibles, adopting a theological approach. A significant portion of the traditions cited in "Al-Irshad" are regarded as weak by later hadith scholars. Although Sheikh Mufid sometimes refrains from mentioning the chain of narrations for historical events, unlike other historians, he frequently includes the chain to strengthen the credibility of the historical narrative. This article aims to examine and evaluate the traditions concerning the lives of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) to Imam Al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) in terms of their authenticity, revealing the reliability and accuracy of the traditions in this work. The findings indicate that regarding the period of the last nine Imams, there are virtually no fabricated hadiths, although some traditions are considered weak by later scholars; however, the number of weak hadiths decreases as we approach the end of the book.