Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Dedication

We dedicate this work to both of our parents to whom we are greatly indebted - our fathers: the late Mr. Mohammad Mehdi Peiravi, and Mr. Charles Henry Morgan, and our mothers who are alive and whom we and our children love and are still under their spiritual protection and loving support: Mrs. Talat Sheikh Peiravi and Mrs. Betty June Morgan.

Dr. Ali Peiravi

Ms. Lisa Zaynab Morgan

Translators’ Foreword

We thank God the Almighty for the opportunity granted to us to undertake the preparation of Al-Khisal (A Numeric Classification of Traditions on Characteristics) in two volumes after the successful completion of Uyun Akhbar al-Reza (MGB) in two volumes, An Anthology of Islamic Poetry in two volumes, Imam Reza’s (MGB) Pilgrimage Procedures and Prayers, A Divine Perspective on Rights, The Treatise on Rights, Mishkat ul-Anwar Fi Ghurar il-Akhbar and The Islamic Family Structure.

We have exactly cited the references to Holy Quranic verses for coherency using an available translation of the Quran into English by Mr. Abdullah Yusuf Ali (May God Reward Him).

We take this opportunity to thank Ms. Maryam Fajr Peiravi for her valuable assistance during the research and translation of this work. We warmly welcome any suggestions made by the readers that might help us learn about our mistakes and shortcomings, and help us improve our future works.

Dr. Ali Peiravi

Ms. Talat June Peiravi

Ms. Lisa Zaynab Morgan

Ali_peiravi@yahoo.com

Preface

Al-Khisal is a collection of religious and moral precepts from reliable works on the subject compiled by Sheikh Sadooq. Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Musa ibn Babooyeh Al-Qumi nicknamed Sheikh Sadooq1 was a jurist and a prominent scholar on Shiite traditions. Sheikh Tousi in his Al-Istibsar which is one of the four major Shiite reference books has nicknamed him Imad Al-Din that means the pillar of religion. About his date and place of birth there is no exact information. Ibn Babooyeh was brought up in a learned family in Qum and in his youth was educated by famous teachers of the city. On an unknown date Ibn Babooyeh left Qum for Ray which was the capital of the Buwahids and settled in that city. In 352 A.H. (963 A.D.) with the permission of Rukn ad-Dawlah the governor of Ray, he left for the holy city of Mashhad to perform the pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (MGB2 ). The main characteristic of Ibn Babooyeh is that by stressing on traditions, he explains and proves theological arguments. His jurisprudence is also based on traditions. He considers analogy and deduction not permissible.

Ibn Babooyeh traveled extensively to collect traditions. He met many masters of traditions and he has left behind many works in tradition. His nickname ‘Sadooq’ was due to his authenticity in narrating the traditions. The first person who nicknamed Ibn Babooyeh as ‘Sadooq’ was Ibn Idris.

Ibn Babooyeh was a voluminous writer. He himself mentions that he has compiled more than 245 books. Some of his works are as follows: Al-Iteqadat, Al-Amali, Man La Yahzaroh Al-Faqih, Uyun Akhbar Al-Reza, Al-Faqih, Al-Amali, Illal Ash-Sharayeh, Al-Tawhid, Thawab Al-Amaal va Uqab al-Amaal, Al-Khisal and a few other manuscripts which are present in several libraries. About 200 books ascribed to him are mentioned in Rijal-i-Najashi and the works of Tousi and Ibn Shahr Aashub.

Sheikh Al-Sadooq, who authored one of the four basic works on Shiite traditions, compiled dozens of authoritative collections of traditions, each of which usually follows a particular theme. His Al-Tawhid collects traditions which illustrate the profession of monotheism. His Uyun Akhbar Al-Reza gathers together everything that has been related about Imam Reza (MGB); the eighth Imam, whose tomb in Mashhad is the holiest pilgrimage site in Iran. The work contains such things as descriptions of the Imam's mother; explanations of the reason why his name was chosen; all the sayings which have been recorded from him; and traditions concerning his death and the miracles which have occurred at his tomb. The present work that is Sheikh Al-Sadooq's Al-Khisal demonstrates the importance of numbers in the traditions. This has led to a valuable collection of traditions that is very interesting to study. Each part of this book contains several traditions on various issues. His main theme in this book is on ethics, manners and good characteristics. This book covers numbered characteristics. It starts with one and ends with one million. The traditions are presented with a complete record of transmission.

This is the first book of this kind. Sheikh Sadooq himself presented his motivation for compiling Al-Khisal as follows, “I noticed that the previous Sheikhs and scholars have already compiled books on various aspects of knowledge. However, they have neglected to compile a book on numbers and good and bad characteristics. Since this topic is very useful for those who seek knowledge, I decided to compile this book in order to get closer to God, attain divine rewards, prosperity and the Almighty God’s Mercy. I ask God not to turn my hopefulness into hopelessness, since He has power over all things.”

Al-Khisal is a great encyclopedia on Islamic knowledge, the forbidden and the allowed acts, historical topics, interpretations on the Holy Quran, philosophical points and political issues. It is one of the most valuable sources of traditions from the members of the Holy Household of the Prophet of God (MGB). It is an authentic source and many authoritative works on Shiite traditions such as Bihar Al-Anwar have cited it as a reference. We have tried to enrich it with many footnotes which explain the concepts and words presented in the text after doing a lot of research so that the interested readers can gain as much benefit from the book as possible.

Notes

1. Born on 917A.D.

2. MGB is used throughout the book for May God Bless him/her/them.

A Short Bibilography of the Author

The compiler of the book - may God have Mercy upon him is the highly esteemed, noble Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Musa ibn Babooyeh al-Qumi known as Sheikh Sadooq. He has such a high rank in knowledge, understanding, realization of the true meaning of traditions, jurisprudence, honesty in speech and extensive highly valuable writings that no one can write about and fully express these. All the knowledgeable people who have either written his biography or used his highly valuable books have tried to praise his works and declare his Divine Leadership and honesty. They have called him 'Sheikh' that is normally the title of native scholars trained in the traditional sciences such as clerical dignitaries, members of a religious order, or professors of spiritual institutions of higher learning that is a master of an order. He has also been called honest and a forerunner.

We can say that he has been one of the signs of God. He passed away at an age over seventy in the year 993 A.D. His publications that were more than 300 in number were like brilliant stars guiding those who sought to follow the Divine Path. Unfortunately, the tragic occurrences in history resulted in the loss of the majority of his works. We can clearly state that not even one tenth of his writings have remained today.

His Nobility as Expressed by Noble Religious Scholars

There is no need to present any evidence or reasoning to prove his high rank. However, we will briefly mention a few of the remarks of our noble religious scholars about his noble personality here for the readers to get a bit more familiar with him.

Sheikh al-Taefeh (may God have mercy upon him) has called him ''of a high position'' in his book Al-Fehrest. Then he wrote, ''He is the protector of the traditions, aware and informed about the personalities, and is an informed person and a critic on traditions. One has not seen anyone of similar capabilities among the scientists in Qum. He has about 300 publications.'' He also makes similar remarks about him in his Rijal1 .

Najashi who was a great researcher on ''great men'' calls him ''Abu Ja’far from Qum''. He also calls him Sheikh, our jurisprudent, a shining character, and the honor of the Shiites in Khorasan2 . He wrote, “He was young when he entered Baghdad in the year 968 A.D. The great men of the Shiites listened to him to learn traditions and gain Divine Knowledge. Khatib Baghdadi in his famous book Tarikh-i-Baghdad3 wrote: He4 entered Baghdad and quoted traditions on the authority of his father. He was one of the well-known and noble men of the Shiites, and Muhammad ibn Talha an-Naáli told me about him.

Ibn Edris has praised him in his Saraér and said, ''He was honest in speech, noble, informed about the traditions5 , and a critic. He was very knowledgeable about the great men. He had memorized many traditions.” Allamih Hel'li has called him Sheikh, and has said that he is our jurisprudent, our honor, and the bright and real character of the Shiites.

He has been called the following titles by the noble religious Shiite scholars: Ibn Shahr Ashoob; Seyed ibn Tavoos; Fakhr al-Mohaghegin6 ; Shahid-i-Av’val7 ; Re'is al-Mohaditheen; Al-Sheikh al-Ajal; Imam-i-Asreh; Rukni Min Arkan ad-Din8 ; Sadooq al-Muslimeen; Ayatullah fil-Alemin; Al-Sheikh al-A'zam; Al-Sheikh al-Sadooq; Hujatul Islam; Al-Sheikh al-Seghat; Al-Mulood Bid-Da'vat; Al-Sheikh Al-Imam Al-Moghad'dam; Al-Fazil al-Moaz'zam; Umdatal Fuzala; Sheikh minal-Mashayekh; Rukne min Arkan ash-Shari’a; Ash-Sheikh al-Hifzah; Vajhet-Ta’efateh al-Mustahfazeh; Emad id-Din; Al-Sheikh al-Alam al-Amin, among many other titles.

His Trips

He made many trips to various towns in order to learn nobility and hear the traditions directly from the greatest scholars. He was born in Qum and raised there. He acquired knowledge from the great scholars there. Then, although there were many renowned religious scholars in Ray, he was invited by the people of Ray to go and reside there. Of course, there is no precise mention of the date of his emigration to Ray in the books on Rijal9 and Tarajim10 . However, one can conclude from what is written in this book, and Al-Khisal and Al-Amali that his emigration was after the month of Rajab of the year 339 A.H. (950 A.D.), and before the month of Rajab of the year 347 A.H. (958 A.D.) This is because he has cited a tradition he heard from Hamzih ibn Ahmad ibn Ja’far ibn Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (MGB) in the Quran on the first date, and has cited another tradition from Abul-Hassan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Asad Al-Asady known as Ibn Jaradih al-Bardaýee in Ray on the second date.

He lived in Ray from 347 A.H. (958 A.D.) until he requested permission from Rukn ud-Duwleh, the ruler of the Buya clan, to visit the holy shrine of Imam Reza (MGB) in Mashhad. Then he traveled to Mashhad in 352 A.H. (963 A.D.) and returned to Ray after visiting the holy shrine. Regarding this he wrote in this book: ''When I asked the successful ruler Rukn ud-Duwleh permission to visit the holy shrine of Imam Reza (MGB), he approved my request in the month of Rajab in the year 352 A.H. (963 A.D.) When I returned home, he called me in again and said, ''The place you want to visit is a blessed place of martyrdom. I have visited it myself. When I was there I asked God to fulfill the requests I had in my mind. God answered my prayers and fulfilled them. Therefore, when you get there, remember me, and do not forget to visit on my behalf and pray for me since prayers will be fulfilled by God when they are presented in that holy place.'' I promised him to do so, and I fulfilled my promise. Upon my return from the blessed town of Mashhad I went to see the ruler. He asked me if I had prayed for him, and visited the shrine on his behalf. I replied in the positive. He said, ''You did well since it has been proven to me that prayers will be accepted there.'' ''On this trip to Mashhad that year he entered Neishaboor. He recorded some traditions from the religious scholars there, among whom we can name Abu Ali Hussein ibn Ahmad Beihaqi who narrated several traditions for him in his own house, Abdul Vahed ibn Muhammad ibn Abdus Neishaboory, Abi Mansoor Ahmad ibn Ibrahim ibn Bakr Khori, Abu Saeed Muhammad ibn Fazl ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq Mozak'kar Neishaboory known as Abi Saeed Mual'lem, Abut-Tayýeb Hussein ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad Razi and Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab al-Sejezy. Also Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn al-Hussein ibn Ahmad ibn Ubayd al-Zab'by al-Marvani al-Neishaboory cited some traditions for him in Neishaboor. Also a group of people cited traditions for him in the town of Marv al-Ruz among whom we can name the jurisprudent Abul Hussein Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Shah, and Abu Yusuf Rafih ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Malik. In the same year he traveled to Baghdad and heard some traditions from the religious scholars there. He had also gone to Kufa, Fayd, Mavara un-Nahr, Balkh, Samarghand and Furghaneh, and had heard traditions from the religious scholars in these cities.

The Birth of the Author May God have Mercy upon Him

We are not precisely aware of the year in which he has born. None of the biographers have stated his birth date. However, we can draw some conclusions in this regard from his own book Kamal al-Din, and Sheikh Toosi's Ghaybat and Najashi's Fehrest that he was born after the demise of Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Umari - who was the second (of the four) representatives of the twelfth Imam (MGB) - that is in the year 305 A.H. (917 A.D.) at the beginning of the mission of Abil Qasim Hussein ibn Ruh who was the third representative of the twelfth Imam (MGB).

Sheikh Sadooq quoted on the authority of Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Asvad, ''After the demise of Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Umari - may God be pleased with him - Ali ibn al-Hussein ibn Musa ibn Babooyeh11 asked me to ask Hussein ibn Ruh to ask our master the Imam of Time12 (MGB) to pray and ask God the Almighty to grant him a son. I did so, and he secretly reported that. He informed me after three days that the Imam (MGB) has prayed for Ali ibn al-Hussein, and that God the Almighty will soon bless him with a son, and will grant him more children thereafter.'' The above has also been cited by Sheikh al-Taéfeh and Najashi - may God have mercy upon them. What was presented about his birth date were the information available from the great religious scholars and he himself who best knows about his life history. Thus, we can conclude that he was born after the year 305 A.H. (917 A.D.) His birth was a blessing, and he was blessed since he was born due to the prayers of the Imam of Time (MGB). Everyone benefited from him, and his being blessed. That is why he was always very proud and said that he was born due to the prayers of the Imam of Time (MGB). He also said, “There were many occasions when Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali al-Asvad (who narrated the details about his birth) saw how studiously I attended the classes of our Professor Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (May God have mercy upon him); and how eager I was to learn and memorize scientific books. He would tell me there is no wonder why I was so eager to acquire knowledge, since I was born due to the prayers of the Imam of Time (MGB)13 .

The Death of the Author and his Shrine

He died in 381 A.H. (991 A.D.) after living for seventy years. He was buried in Ray next to the Toghrol Garden, near the shrine of the blessed Abdul Azeem Hassan - may God be pleased with him. His shrine is simple, but spiritual. Many people make pilgrimage to his shrine and receive blessings.

A Demonstration of his Nobility

In the year 1238 A.H. (1822 A.D.), Fath Ali - the King of Ghajar ordered the building of the shrine to be reconstructed. This resulted in a demonstration of nobility. The word spread around among the people, and it was finally approved of by the government officials and the king. The details of this event have been recorded by many authors - may God have mercy upon them. Among them we can mention Ruwzat by Khansari, Qisas al-Ulama by Tonikaboni, Tanqih al-Maqal by Mamaghani, Motakhab ul-Tavarikh by Khorasani and Favaéd ar-Razavieh By Qumi. This has been recorded in Ruwzat by Khansari as follows:

This event was a demonstration of the nobility of the Sheikh. It attracted the attention of many people, and was a source of guidance for many and a cause of happiness for many enlightened people. Once there appeared a rupture in the shrine of the noble Sheikh that is located near Ray due to a flood. When they investigated to find out the degree of damage done in order to reconstruct it, they reached a chamber in which he was buried. Once they entered that room they found his body naked, with his private parts covered, and in perfect shape. His face was absolutely peaceful, and they could still see the polish14 on his nails. The shroud with which his body was wrapped at the time he was buried had worn out, torn into shreds and fallen down on the dirt around his corpse. The news rapidly spread around in Tehran. When Fath Ali - the grandfather of Naser ad-Din - the king of Ghajar heard about this around the year 1238 A.H. (1822 A.D.), he went there in person to investigate. He consulted with the government officials whom he trusted as to whether or not he should enter the tomb in person. They did not recommend that the King enters the tomb, as they thought this was not appropriate for his rule. Then a group of religious scholars and well-known people were then sent into the tomb to check the issue. No doubt was left for the King after many people - who had entered the tomb - all testified to the truth of this issue. Once he was certain about the truth of this issue, he ordered the cavity to be closed off, and the building of the shrine to be reconstructed; and decorated in the best possible fashion using mirror work. And peace be upon him the day he is born, and the day he dies, and the day he is resurrected.

Notes

1. Great Men similar to Who’s Who.

2. One of the provinces of Iran located in the northeast.

3. The history of Baghdad.

4. Sheikh Sadooq.

5. Akhbar.

6. The pride of the researchers.

7. The first martyr.

8. One of the pillars of religion.

9. Great Men similar to Who’s Who.

10. Biographies.

11. The father of the compiler of this book.

12. The twelfth Imam (MGB).

13. The Riser or Al-Mahdi (MGB).

14. Khazab.

Introduction

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Praise be to God, who is the Only in terms of Unity, and is singular in Divinity. He has created the servants using His Knowledge. The tongues are dull1 to describe Him, and the eyes are veiled from seeing Him. It is He who is higher than the characteristics of the creatures. And He is superior to limited concepts. There is no similitude for Him among all the creatures. And there is no god for all the people other than Him. And I witness that there is no god but God - the Only, and there is no partner for Him - being a witness confessing to His Unity; inclined towards His Grace; repenting from his sins. And I witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger - appointed by Him to His Prophethood, and He has entrusted him with the principle features of His religion. He has appointed him with His Book to be a proof for His servants. And I witness that Ali the son of Abi Talib is his2 Testamentary Trustee. He is the best of the people after him. He is in charge of his affairs. And he is a summoner to his way. And he is the Commander of the Faithful. And he is the master of the Testamentary Trustees. And he is the person of the highest priority to the Prophets.

And I witness that his wife Fatimah Az-Zahra3 is the master of all the women in the world. And that Al-Hassan, al-Hussein and the Imams who are his offspring are the leaders to guidance4 . They are signs of piety and the proofs of God to all the people of the world. And I witness that whoever follows them shall be saved, and whoever disobeys them shall be ruined. May God’s Blessings and His Mercy be upon them, their souls and their bodies. Moreover, I noticed that the previous Sheikhs and scholars have already authored books on various aspects of knowledge. However, they have neglected to author a book on numbers, and good and bad characteristics. Since this topic is very useful for those who seek knowledge, I decided to compile this book in order to get closer to God, attain Divine rewards, prosperity and the Almighty God’s Mercy. I ask God not to make me hopeless since He has power over all things.

المقدمة

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله الذي توحد بالوحدانية، وتفرد بالالهية، وفطر العباد على معرفته وكل الالسن عن صفته، وحجب الابصار عن رؤيته، الذي علا عن صفات المخلوقين وجل عن معاني المحدودين، فلا مثل له في الخلائق أجمعين، ولا إله غيره لجميع العالمين

وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، شهادة مقر بتوحيده، راغب في كرامته، تائب من ذنوبه

وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله، اصطفاه برسالته، وأودعه معالم دينه، وبعثه بكتابه حجة على عباده

وأشهد أن علي بن أبي طالب وصيه وخير الخلق بعده، والقائم بأمره، والداعي إلى سبيله، وأنه أمير المؤمنين، وسيد الوصيين، وأولى الناس بالنبيين، وأن زوجته فاطمة الزهراء سيدة نساء العالمين، وأن الحسن والحسين والائمة [التسعة] من ولده أئمة الهدى، وأعلام التقى، وحجج الله على أهل الدنيا، وأشهد أن من تبعهم نجا، ومن تخلف عنهم هلك، صلوات الله عليهم وعلى أرواحهم وأجسادهم ورحمة الله وبركاته

أما بعد فإني وجدت مشايخي وأسلافي - رحمة الله عليهم - قد صنفوا في فنون العلم كتبا وأغفلوا عن تصنيف كتاب يشتمل على الاعداد والخصال المحمودة، والمذمومة، ووجدت في تصنيفه نفعا كثيرا لطالب العلم، والراغب في الخير فتقربت إلى الله جل اسمه بتصنيف هذا الكتاب، طالبا لثوابه، وراغبا في الفوز برحمته، وأرجو أن لا يخيبني فيما أملته ورجوته منه بتطوله ومنه، إنه على كل شيء قدير

Notes

1. Unable

2. Muhammad’s (MGB) Trustee

3. The Blessed Faimah (MGB)

4. The Immaculate Imams (MGB)