Name:
Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ali ibn Hasan al-Tusi
Agnomen:Abu
Ja`far
Famous
title: Shaikh al-Taaifah
Birth:
He was born in the month of Ramadan, 385 A.H. in the city of Khurasan, Iran.
Since Tus is another name of Khurasan, he is famous as Shaikh al-Tusi
Demise:
Shaikh al-Tusi departed from this world on 22 Muharram 460 A.H. and is buried
in Najaf, Iraq opposite to the Mosque of Ameerul Momineen Ali ibn Abi Talib
(a.s.)
His Teachers:
In 408 A.H.
Shaikh al-Tusi migrated from Khurasan to Baghdad to attend the lectures of
Shaikh al-Mufeed (a.r) and became his student for 5 years. After the demise of
the latter in 416 A.H., he then became a student of Syed Murtaza (a.r.), the
brother of Syed Razi (a.r.) who compiled Nahj al-Balaagha. Syed Murtuza was
also a student of Shaikh al-Mufeed.
Shaikh al-Tusi remained the student of Syed Murtuza for 23 years. He
used to receive a stipend (Shahriya) of 20 gold coins per month. Syed Murtuza
was very rich and owned 70 villages. Shaikh al-Tusi was a master in all fields
of Islamic sciences.
He became
Shaikh al-Taaifah after Syed Murtuza. He had more than 300 Mujtahedeen as his
students. The Abbasi king “Al-Qaem be Amrillah” offered him the chair of
theology (Ilme Kalam).
In 448 A.H. he
returned to Najaf because his library & Madressa were burnt down in
Baghdad, thus laying the foundation of the Hauzah al-Ilmiya in Najaf.
His
Knowledge and Works:
Shaikh al-Tusi
was expert in all the fields of Islamic sciences. He was a Faqih, Mohaddis,
Usooli, Rejali, Kitabul Ad’iye (Duas). He has written more than 50 books, some
of which are as follows:
1.
Tafseer al-Tibyan
2.
Al-Fehrist
3.
Tahzeeb al-Ahkaam
4.
Al-Istebsaar
5.
Al-Mabsoot
6.
Al-Nihaayah
7.
Al-Udda
8.
Al-Ghaibah
9.
Al-Amaali
10.
Tarkhees al-Shafi
11.
Misbaah al-Mutahajjid (written for those who recite Namaze Tahajjud)
Students:
Amongst his
most famous students were his son Hasan and Abu Salah Al-Halavi, the author of Taqreeb al-Ma’aarif.
Kutub
al-Arba’ and Shaikh al-Tusi (a.r.)
Among the four
authoritative books of Shias, famously known as Kutub al-Arba’, two books
belong to Shaikh al-Tusi (a.r.) i.e. Tahzeeb al-Ahkaam and Al-Istebsaar.
Tahzeeb
al-Ahkaam is actually a Sharh of Al-Muleah by Shaikh al-Mufeed (a.r). Shaikh
al-Tusi worked for 40 years on this book. It is in 10 volumes and consists of
393 chapters and 13590 traditions. Till now more than 16 Sharh(commentaries)
have been written on Tahzeeb. Before Wasaael al-Shia it was the most important
book on Ijtehaad & Fiqh.
Al-Istebsaar is
a summary of Tahzeeb but in this book he has brought conflicting traditions
& solved them. It is in 4 volumes, consists of 925 chapters and carries
5511 traditions. Till now 18 Sharh (commentaries) have been written on it.
These two books
along with Al-Kaafi of Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Yaqub al-Kulaini (a.r.) and Man La
Yahzorohu al-Faqih by Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Baabwayh popularly known as
Shaikh Saduq(a.r.) are collectively known as Kutub al-Arba’ al-Muqaddam.
Interestingly, names of all three authors of Kutub al-Arba’ is Muhammad.
Al-Amaali of
Shaikh al-Tusi
This is a book
compiled by his students. The word Amaali is the plural of the word Imla’,
which means ‘dictation’. It is a collection of traditions which Shaikh al-Tusi
had dictated to his students in a series of Majaalis. It contains traditions on
beliefs, authenticated supplications and the virtues of Ahle Bait (a.s.).
This was just a
very short brief on the life of Shaikh al-Taaifah, Abu Ja’far al-Tusi (a.r.).
Those who are interested in reading more about him can refer to his books to
understand the greatness of this mighty student of Ahle Bait (a.s.).
Let us conclude
by a couple of traditions regarding the virtues of Ahle Bait (a.s.) and their
lovers which are mentioned in his Amaali:
Majlis 1,
Hadees 20
قَالَ
أَخْبَرَنِي مِينَا مَوْلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ قَالَ قَالَ لِي
عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ يَا مِينَا أُحَدِّثُكَ بِحَدِيثٍ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ
اللَّهِ ص قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ أَنَا شَجَرَةٌ وَ فَاطِمَةُ ع
فَرْعُهَا وَ عَلِيٌّ ع لِقَاحُهَا وَ الْحَسَنُ وَ الْحُسَيْنُ ع ثَمَرَتُهَا وَ
مُحِبُّوهُمْ مِنْ أُمَّتِي وَرَقُهَا
Meena, a slave
of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf said that Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf told me: O Meena!
Should I narrate to you a tradition which I heard from the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.)? I said: Yes. He said: I heard him (s.a.w.a.) saying that I am a
tree, Fatima (s.a.) is its branch, Ali (a.s.) is its seed, Hasan (a.s.) and
Husain (a.s.) are its fruits and their lovers from my nation are its leaves.
Majlis 11,
Hadees 9
عَنْ
أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ص وَ عِنْدَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ
وَ عُمَرُ فَجَلَسْتُ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ عَائِشَةَ فَقَالَتْ لِي عَائِشَةُ مَا
وَجَدْتَ إِلَّا فَخِذِي أَوْ فَخِذَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَقَالَ مَهْ يَا
عَائِشَةُ لَا تُؤْذِينِي فِي عَلِيٍّ فَإِنَّهُ أَخِي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ أَخِي
فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَ هُوَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُجْلِسُهُ اللَّهُ فِي يَوْمِ
الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ فَيُدْخِلُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَ
أَعْدَاءَهُ النَّارَ
Ameerul Momineen
(a.s.) said: I went to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and Abu Bakr and Umar
were near him. Then I sat near between him (s.a.w.a.) and Ayesha. Then Ayesha
told me, ‘did you not find (any other place) except (between) my feet or the
feet of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)?’ He (s.a.w.a.) said (in a reprimanding tone):
Stop O Ayesha! Do not hurt me (by saying anything) concerning Ali. For surely,
he is my brother in this world and my brother in the hereafter and he is
Ameerul Momineen. Allah shall make him sit upon the Bridge (Siraat) on the Day
of Qayamat and he shall make his lovers enter Paradise and his enemies into the
Fire.
May Allah include us among the lovers of Ameerul Momineen
(a.s.), grant us the Taufeeq to serve his son, Hazrat Vali-e-Asr (a.t.f.s.) and
grant us intercession on the Day of Qayamat to enter Paradise! Ameen.
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