Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi (Persian language: محمد بن علی بن بابَوَیْهِ قمی ; –991), commonly referred to as Ibn Babawayh (Persian: ابن بابویه ) or al-Shaykh al-Saduq (Persian: شیخ صدوق ), was a Shia Islam scholar, jurist (faqīh), theologian and hadith collector of Persian people descent.[Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ibn Bābawayh, also spelled Ibn Babūyā, in full Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Ḥusayn ibn Mūsā al-Qummī, also called aṣ-Ṣadūq (born c. 923, Khorāsān province, Iran—died 991, Rayy), Islamic theologian, author of one of the "Four Books" that are the basic authorities for the doctrine of Twelver (Ithnā ʿAshāri) Shīʿah."][Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.135. Scarecrow Press. .]
Life
His
patronymic,
Ibn Babawayh indicates a
Persian people origin, as
Babawayh is an Arabic form of the Persian name
Babuyah.
[Fyzee A. "A Shi'ite Creed." Calcutta, 1942 p8 footnote 2.] For some length of time, unknown, the family had been devout adherents of
Shia Islam. Ibn Babawayh's father, Ali ibn Babawayh Qummi (d. 939 CE) was a leading figure among the
Islamic scholars of
Qom.
[ Man la yahduruhu al-faqih. al-Musawi al-Khurasan H. Teheran, 1390. pages h-w.]
Birth
The exact date of Ibn Babawayh's birth is not known. Shia scholars consider his birth to be after the year 305 A.H. (probably 306 A.H.) He was born and raised in
Qom, a town about south west of
Tehran in modern-day
Iran. His birth is considered a miracle as he was born after the twelfth Shia Imam, al-
Mahdi's,
supplications. Ibn Babawayh was educated by his father, Ali ibn Babawayh. He was taught by local scholars of Shia Islam.
Qom was a center of study of Shia traditions and it was this form of religious learning to which Ibn Babawayh adhered.
Middle years
In 966 CE, Ibn Babawayh left
Qom for
Baghdad. He travelled widely, learning about the tradition of Islam. Ibn Babawayh later emphasized the importance of tradition over speculative theology. His works reflect this interest in traditions and nearly all of them take the form of compilations of traditions. However, Ibn Babawayh did write a creed of Shia Islam
al-I'tiqadat. His pupil, the al-Shaykh al-Mufid, revised this creed in
Tashih al-I'tiqad, critiquing several points.
[Madelung W. Imamism and Mu'tazilite Theology, Le Shi'isme Imamite, Paris 1970 vol 21.]
Works
Ibn Babawayh was a prolific scholar.
[al-Tusi al-Fihrist. Mashhad 1932 (1351 A.H.) p303.] Shaykh Tusi (d. 1067 CE) numbered Ibn Babawayh's works at over 300 but counted only 43 in his immediate possession. al-Najashi (d. 1058 AD) listed 193 works but does not mention Ibn Babawayh's sentinel work,
Man la yahduruhu al-faqih. Many of Ibn Babawayh's works are considered lost but some do survive. Some have been published and others survive in manuscript form.
Later years
During the last years of his life al Shaykh al-Saduq lived in Ray. He had been invited there by
Rukn al-Dawla of the
Buyid family.
Although he was treated well, his teaching was then restricted by the Buyid family
wazir (official), ibn 'Abbad. The attack appears to have been aimed at traditionalists in general as several Sunni traditionists suffered similar restrictions.
Death
Ibn Babawayh died in Ray in 381 A.H. (991 CE). He was likely more than 70 years old at the time of his death. He is buried at
Ebn-e Babooyeh in
Persia (modern-day
Iran).
[al-Qummi, Mirza Abu al-Qasim. Ghana'im al-Ayyam fi Masa'il al-Halal wa al-Haram, vol. 1, p. 34. Original source (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 8 March 2019 via Web Archive.][ Al-Shaykh al-Saduq. Imam Reza Network (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 8 March 2019 via
]
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Web Archive.
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih (lit.
For Him Who is Not in the Presence of a Jurisprudent or
When No Theologian is Present) a component of the group of four major books about the traditions of Shi'ite Islam. Despite the fact that many of Ibn Babawayh's other works are extremely important, this book is probably the most famous of his extant writings.
However, some authorities maintain that there were five major books of traditions that included another of Ibn Babawayh's works,
Madinat al-'ilm.
Al-Tusi mentions that the latter work was bigger than
Man la yahduruhu al-faqih but may no longer exist.
Madinat al-'ilm was likely concerned with
al-din (the principles of religion) rather than
furu', the practical regulations for carrying out the
shari'a (Islamic law).
Purpose
Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih (lit.
For Him Who is Not in the Presence of a Jurisprudent) is concerned with
furu' (Jurisprudence). The title has been neatly translated by Edward Granville Browne as "Every man his own lawyer".
In his introduction to the book, Ibn Babawayh 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. Ibn Babawayh was delighted with Sharif al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah's discourses with him and his gentleness, kindness, dignity and interest in religion. Sharif al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah showed Ibn Babawayh a book compiled by Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi entitled
Man la yahduruhu al-Tabib or "Every man his own doctor". Sharif al-Din Abu 'Abd Allah, then asked Ibn Babawayh to compile a similar work of reference on
Fiqh (jurisprudence),
al-halal wa al-haraam (the permitted and prohibited), and
al-shara-i' wa-'l-ahkam (revealed law and ordinary laws).
[ Man la yahduruh al-faqih, I. 2-3.]
Man la yahduruh al-faqih represents a synopsis of all the traditions that Ibn Babawayh had collected, while his prior works, for example, Kitab al-nikah (the book of marriage) and Kitab al-hajj (the book of pilgrimage) are each a treatise on different aspect of furu'.
Ibn Babawayh said he wrote the synopsis:
"... because I found it appropriate to do so. I compiled the book without isnads (asanid) 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.
Contents
Ibn Babawayh not only records the traditions but also gives interpretation. For instance, in a summary of the various traditions of the
pilgrimage, he gives a long outline of all the rituals which should be performed by the faithful, with very few traditions interrupting his description.
The book is not arranged in
kutub (chapters) but in
abwab (sections).
Sources
In
Man la yahduruhu al-faqih, Babawayh discusses his sources. These include the works of Hariz ibn 'Abd Allah al-Sijistani and 'Ubaid Allah ibn 'Ali al-Halabi who were contemporaries of the Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. They also included the works of Ali ibn Mahziyar; al-Husayn ibn Sa'id; and Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Isa (died 297 A.H.) who all heard the traditions of the Imams
Ali Al-Ridha, Muhammad al-Jawad and
al-Hadi. Other sources were the works of Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn 'Imran al-Ash'ari, Sa'd ibn 'Abd Allah (died about 300 A.H.) and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (died 343 A.H.) Ibn Babawayh was taught by the latter. The sources also included the works of Muhammad b. Abi 'Umayr (died 218 A.H.), Ahmad ibn Abi 'Abd Allah al-Barqi (died in 274 or 280 A.H.) and the
Risala which Ibn Babawayh's father had written to him. Ibn Babawayh also cites his own works.
Critiques
Man la yahduruhu al-faqih' has been the subject of many critiques. These include commentaries by Zain al-'Abidin al-'Alawi al-'Amili (died 1060 A.H.) and Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi al-Awwal (died 1070 A H ).
Other works
-
Kamal al-din wa tamam al-ni'mah meaning "the perfection of the religion and the end of the blessings"
[Muhammad J. Kamal-ud Din wa Tmam-un Nimat fi Asbat-ul-Ghaibat wa Kashf-ul-Hairet. Syed-us-Sanad Press, Iran, 1782. p357.] is about Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer. It includes questions and answers about The Occultation, the event when the Mahdi appears.[Ayoub M. Redemptive suffering in Islam: a study of the Devotional Aspects. Haydariyyah Press. 1978 p290. "Ikmal al-Din wa-Itmam al-Ni'mah fi Ithbtit al-Raj'ah."][Omar I. Muslim View of Christianity. p89. "Abu'ja'far al-Suduq Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, Ikmal al-Din."][Antoun R. and Hegland M. Religious Resurgence: Contemporary Cases in Islam, Christianity. 1987 p76 "Abu Jafar al-Saduq Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, Ikmal al-Din."]
-
Ma'ani al-Akhbar explains the complexities of traditions and the verses.
-
Oyoun Akhbar Al-Ridha, dedicated to Ibn-e Ebad, the minister of the Buyid dynasty, includes some of the Imam Rida's traditions.
-
Al-Khisal is about moral instruction and their scientific, historical and legal origins.
-
Al-Amali is a collection of Ibn Babawayh'
-
Ilal al-shara'i (meaning "the cause of situations") explores the philosophy of the Islamic ordinances.
-
Eʿteqādātal-Emāmīya (meaning "creeds of Shia") presents a summary of the core tenets of the Shi'ite creed.
-
Man la yahduruhu al-faqih, Ilal Al-Shara'i, Kamal al-din, Al-Khisal, Ma'ani al-Akhbar, Al-Tauheed and Sawab ul Amal wa Aqab ul Amal have been translated in Urdu language by Al-Kisa Publishers.
See also
-
Ibn Babawayh Cemetery
-
Shaykh Mufid
-
Shaykh Murtaza
-
Syed Razi
Further reading
External links
