Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

HAZRATH ALI (A.S) and the Philosophy of Religions

A man enters a garden laid out into beautiful flower beds, artistically and aesthetically arranged. The flowers have been grown by those persons who know the art and science of it. The beauty of their colors and the delicacy of their forms and shades are pleasing to the eyes, and their fragrance enchants the minds. The man knows that he has not the knowledge and capability to cultivate and grow flowers like that and the public has no time to go through the garden and enjoy the sights and fragrance of these beds at leisure. He picks up a few flowers from each of these beds and arranges them in a bouquet as a humble homage to the grandness and beauty of the garden.

With this view in mind, these chapters were written. I have drawn freely from the following books A Al-Murtaza, al-Kurrar,Al-Sirajul-Mubin. Thazeedul-Matin, Nufs al-Rasul, the Spirit of the Islam, Islam Under the Arabs, the preaching of Islam, Khasa’is al-Nisa’i, al-Tabrisi’sIhtijaj, Bihar al-Anwar, Al-Manaqib ,Sharh of Ibn Maisum,Sharh of Mirza Fathallah, theSharh of Ibn Abil-Hadid andIrshad .

I am sure Theselection is not the best, but it is the best that I can do and I am sure it will provoke minds superior to mine for better efforts.

In this last chapter, I shall try to discuss the teachings of the Imam (–) in the field of philosophy of religion.

With Imam Ali (A.S)  and the Imams of his descent, religion was a vital and positive force of life. Their philosophy never sinks to a war of words without life and without earnestness which is the main feature of the schools under Ptolemies or the vicious circles created by the philosophers of the West and East. Their ardent love of knowledge, devotion in the evolution of the human mind, their sincere faith in Allah and His Mercy, Love and Kindness, and their looking upwards for the literalness of common interpretations of law, show the spirituality and expansiveness of their philosophy of religion. The Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (†) defines knowledge by saying, A Enlightenment of the heart is its essence, Truth is its principal object, Inspiration is its guide, Reason is its acceptor, Allah is its Inspirer, and the words of man are its utterers. To him, the evolution of the mind was the essence of life and religion was the essence of the evolution of the mind.

How correctly Imam Ali (A.S)  taught us that a man without a mind is not a man, and a mind without religion is worse even than the instinctual nature of a beast, more harmful, more dangerous and more carnivorous. Devotion without understanding will not bring the Blessing of Allah, it is useless.

He attaches so much value to the mind and its correct ways of grasping the truth that he says your first leader and guide is your mind. At other places he says that nothing is more useful to man than his intelligence, there is nothing wealthier than wisdom, there is no greater bounty of the Master than the intellect granted to you, you can dispense with everything but your mind and intelligence, there is no better guide towards truth than wisdom, one hour of deep and sober meditation is better than a life of prayers without understanding, and a wise man thinks first and speaks or acts afterwards.

Next to intelligence and wisdom, he taught us to attach importance to the sincerity of purpose in life. Once explaining a certain verse to Abdullah ibn Abbas, he said, A Ibn Abbas, if you sincerely and intelligently go in search of truth or religion and if you wander out of the right path, even then there is a reward for you. There is a sermon inNahjul-Balagha in which he says, A Do not kill Kharijites after me because to go in search of truth and to lose the true path is better than to spend the entire span of ones life in pursuit of vicious pleasure and wickedness.

The natural and logical sequence of the above two attributes is to take account of yourself, your knowledge, your thoughts, your intentions, your desires and your deeds. He therefore advises us A To weigh your own souls before the time of weighing of your actions arrives. Take account of yourself before you are called upon to account for your conduct in this existence.

To obtain favorable results of such weighing and taking account of oneself, one must have done good deeds. And as far as actions and reactions are concerned, he wants us to understand that human conduct is not fortuitous, one act is theresult of another; life, destiny and character means a series of incidents, events and actions which are related to each other, as cause and effect by an ordained Law. Therefore, apply yourself to good and pure actions, adhere to truth, follow the true path to salvation, before death makes you leave this abode. If you do not warn and guide yourself none other can direct you. The Master has pointed out to you the path of salvation and has warned you of the temptations of this world. Abstain from foulness though it may be fair to your sight. Avoid evil, however pleasant, for you know not how far it can take you away from him.

His discourses inNahjul-Balagha about noble deeds are supreme reading. His warnings against sinful life are very persuasive teachings. He says, A O Ye servants of the Master! Fulfill the duties that are imposed on you for in their neglect there is abasement, your good work alone will render easy the road to death and to the Heaven. Remember each sin increases the debt and makes the chain heavier. The message of mercy has come, the path of truth (haqq ) is clear; obey the command that has been laid on you; live in purity and work with nobility of purpose and ask Allah to help you in your endeavors and to forgive your past transgressions. Cultivate humility and forbearance, comfort yourself with sincere truth.

Next to sincere faith in the Unity of Allah and the Prophet (P.B.U.H. and His Household)  hood of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. and His Household) , he lays great stress on piety. He wants us to realize that piety is not a juicy morsel to be swallowed easily nor is it dip in the river to clean all dirt and filth from the body. Piety means those actions, which at the beginning may be sour, harsh and painful to perform. Piety means to free oneself from vicious desires and wicked deeds. This freedom cannot be obtained but by constant effort and endeavor. Such efforts are a continuous struggle and a long drawn war against the vicious cravings of the mind. Nobody can be free from vices and sins unless he or she develops the capacity to abhor and hate them. When once this capacity develops, to adopt a pious and sober life becomes a habit, a second nature. Few things are forbidden to you and so many things are lawful that no one is barred from normal relaxation, ease and comfort from sober and harmless pleasures and pursuits.

To him, asceticism was a sin against Theself. History cites many instances where he admonished the persons who had given up their homes and families, had severed every connection with society, had taken to a mosque, and had been praying, fasting and reciting the Holy Book morning, noon and night. He sent them back to their homes and told them that their duties lie among their fellow beings, and what they had done was not piety but fanatic asceticism which is not allowed in Islam. He strongly reprobated observance of asceticism and condemned the abandonment of the affairs of this life in fanatic pursuits of rituals.

He says that he who acts with piety gives rest to his soul; he who takes warning understands the truth and he who understands it attains the perfect knowledge.

His teachings do not convey any impression of predestination; on the contrary they portray a soul animated with a living faith in Allah and yet full of trust in human development founded on individual exertion springing from human volition. One day, someone asked him the meaning of Quaza and Quader. He replied, AQaza’ means obedience to the commandments of Allah and avoidance of sin, andqadar means the ability to live a pious and holy life, to do that which brings one nearer to Allah and to shun that which throws him away from His Perfection. Say not that man is compelled, for that attribution is tyranny against Allah, nor say that man has the absolute discretion to decide what is right and what is wrong, we are furthered by His Help and Grace in our endeavors, to act righteously and we transgress because of our neglect of His Commandments.

Explaining the meaning of the verse, A There is no power nor help but from Allah, he said, A It means that I am not afraid of Allah’s Wrath, but I am afraid of His Purity; nor have I power to observe His Commandments, but my strength is in His assistance. Allah has placed us on earth to try each of us according to his endowments. Explaining the verse saying, A We will try you to see who are strivers (after truth and purity) and who are forbearing and patient, and we will test your actions and we will help you by degrees to attain what you know not! he says, A these verses prove the liberty of human volition. Explaining the verse A Allah directs him whom He chooses, and leads him astray whom He chooses he says, A This does not means that He compels men to evil or good deeds, or that He either gives direction or refuses it according to His caprice, for this would do away all responsibility for human action; on the contrary it means that Allah points out the road to truth, and lets men choose as they will.

In a sermon inNahjul-Balagha Imam Ali (A.S)  says, A The theory of compulsion, predestination or predetermination of fate is a satanic insinuation and a doctrine of faith among the enemies of Allah. On the contrary, Allah has ordained man to obey His Commands and has given him freedom of will and action, he is at full liberty to obey His Commands or to disobey. There is no compulsion in accepting thereligions preached by His Messengers and no compulsion to obey His Commands. Even His Commands (like daily prayers, fasting,zakat, etc.) are not hard, harsh and unbearable and every leniency and case on account of age and health is granted to man.

The freedom of human will, based on the doctrine that man would be judged by the use he had made of his reason, was inculcated in the teachings of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. and His Household) , along with an earnest belief in the Supreme Power ruling the universe. Imam Ali (A.S)  gave this idea a more definite form and it grew into a philosophy. In reply to a question he says, A Perhaps you consider predestination to be necessary and the particular decree to be irreversible; if it were so then reward and punishment would be in vain, and the promise and the threat would be of no account; and surely blame would not have come from Allah for the sinner nor praise for the righteous, nor would the righteous be more worthy of thereward of his good deeds, nor the wicked be more deserving of the punishment of his sin than the righteous. Allah hath ordained the giving of choice to man and the putting of them in fear and He hath not laid duties upon men by force nor sent his prophets as farce. When asked, A What is predestination and the particular decree which drove us? he answered, A The command of Allah, and therein His purpose. Then he repeated the verse, A The Master hath ordained (predestined) that you worship none but Him and kindness to your parents.

Morality of life is another point which Imam Ali (A.S)  wanted men to realize fully, sincerely and rationally. He wants us to understand that death is a biological incident of all forms of life and it is unavoidable, inevitable and sudden. No one knows when and how he or she is going to cross this barrier. Therefore it is foolish to imagine that it can be avoided, sinful self deception to forget it, and idiotically timid to be afraid of it. He says, A I am as fond of death as a baby is fond of his mother’s breast. the natural sequence of the mortality of life is that everything connected with it and with this world is mundane and has no lasting value. Therefore, why concentrate on pleasure and take to vicious ways to acquire them, why not try to improve your lot in the hereafter.

Imam Ali’s teachings are a true gospel of the work ethic. He wants man to work, to work honestly, sincerely and diligently and to work for thereward reserved in the Heaven. He says, A Work, work, and do good work while you still have life, health and opportunities. Allah ordains you to work while there is still time to work. Be thankful for the time and opportunities allotted to you and work for the good of mankind and for your own good. A life without work is a life without worth. A mind without sober thoughts and a life without a program of honest work is the most fertile soil for Theseeds of wickedness and vice. Work, with the nobility of purpose is one of the forms of prayer. His advice to his son was, A Exert yourself to earn an honest living. The worst form of folly is the wasting of opportunities. Opportunities do not repeat themselves so make use of each of them when it presents itself, but let piety guide in all of your actions.

Thus Imam Ali (A.S)  guides us through the problems of men with respect to ourselves individually as he leads us towards solving problems encountered with one another. In a letter to Imam Hasan (†). he says, A My dear son, as far as your behavior with other human beings is concerned let yourself act as scales to help you judge its goodness or wickedness. Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you. Whatever you dislike to happen to you, spare others from such happenings. At another place, he advises, A Do not make yourself a slave of anything. Allah has created you a free man. Do not sell away this freedom in return for anything. There is no real value or benefit that you derive by selling your honor, conscience and self respect. Do not run after him who tries to avoid you. Remember that to oppress a weak or helpless person is the worst form of tyranny. Do good to your brother when he is bent upon doing harm to you. Befriend him when he ignores you. Be generous to him if he is miserly to you. Be kind to him if he is harsh and cruel to you. But be very careful that you do not behave with undeserving, mean and wicked persons.

Imam Ali (A.S)  had a very soft corner in his noble heart for the poor, the disabled, the aged and the orphans. To Malik he says, A I want to caution you about the poor. Fear Allah about your attitude towards them. Let it be remembered that their welfare is the first charge to a state and on the well-to-do-people.

As far as the question of man and Allah is concerned, Imam Ali (A.S)  teaches us to believe in Allah Who has created us, Who loves us, nourishes us, helps us and is our well-wisher. He should be loved, adored and venerated.

Through many of his prayers Imam Ali (A.S)  has implanted in the minds of those who have faith in Allah the highest devotional spirit. He teaches us to love and adore Him and to think of Him as A The Master, the Adorable, the Eternal, the Ever Existing, the Cherisher, the True Sovereign, Whose Mercy and Grace over-

shadows the universe. Who is the Master, the Loving and Forgiving, Who bestows power and might on whom He pleases. None can lower him whom He exalted. Whose beneficence is all persuading. Whose Forgiveness and Mercy is all embracing. Who is the Helper of the afflicted, thereliever of all distressed, the Consoler of the broken hearts. Who is present everywhere to help His Creatures. Who fulfillls all needs, bestows all blessings. Who is a friend of the poor and the bereaved. At another place he beseeches the Master thus, A You art my Fortress; a Castle for all who seek Your Protection and Help. The Helper of the pure and true, therefugee of the weak. The Helper of those seeking Your Help. Thanks be to You O Master, Whose Mercy extends to every sinner, and who provides for even those who deny Him.

This is how he wants us to have faith in Allah, a Creator, a Nourisher, a Helper, a Refuge, a Protection. One who loves you and One to be loved, adored, venerated and worshipped.

The other aspect of his teaching is that he has clearly and emphatically condemned all anthropomorphic (to attribute human forms, qualities or personality to Allah) and anthropopathic (ascription of human passion and affections to Allah) conceptions. He says, A Allah is not like any object that the human mind can conceive. No attribute can be ascribed to Him which bears the least resemblance to any qualities which human beings have perceived of from their knowledge of material objects. The perfection of piety consists in knowing Allah; the perfection of knowledge is the affirmation of His Verity; and the perfection of verity is the acknowledgment of His Unity in all sincerity; and the perfection of sincerity is to deny all attributes to the Deity. He, who refers an attribute to Allah believes the attributes to be Allah, and he who so believes an attribute to be Allah, regards Allah as two or part of one. He who asks where Allah is assimilates him with some object. Allah is the Creator, not because He Himself is created. Allah is Existent not because he was non-existent. He is with every object, not from resemblance or nearness. He is outside everything not from separation or indifference towards His creatures. He works and creates not in the meaning of motions or actions. He sees and hears but not with help of bodily organs or outside agencies. He was seeing when there was nothing created to see. He has no relation to matter, time and space, Allah is Omniscient because knowledge is His Essence, Loving because Love is His Essence, Mighty because Power is His Essence, Forgiving because Forgiveness is His Essence, and not because these are attributes apart from His Essence.

At another place he says, A O my Master! You art the Creator, I am the created; You art the Sovereign, I am only Your servant; I am the one who beseeches, You, my Master art therefuge. You art the Forgiver, I am the sinner, You my Master, art the Merciful, All knowing, All loving; I am groping in the dark; I seek Your knowledge and Love. Bestow my Master all Your Knowledge, Love and Mercy and let me approach You, my Master. You live in every heart and every soul. Your Knowledge is ingrained in every mind.

COMPILER and Some Commentators

The last compiler of the sermons, letters, orders and sayings of Imam Ali (A.S)  was Sayyid al-Razi. His was the compilation which came down to us in its entire form through ten centuries. He named this compilationNahjul-Balagha .

Sayyid al-Razi’s name was Abul-Hasan Sayyid Muhammed al-Razi. Al-Razi was his nicknamed A Laqub. He was born in Baghdad (in 359 A.H.) in a family famous all over the country for their connections with the state, for their patronage of art and literature, and for their interest in history, philosophy and religion. It was a time when Baghdad was vying with Cairo and Cordoba for superiority over arts, science, philosophy and languages.

His father, Abu Ahmed Sayyid Husain, was appointed five times as A naqueebs or chiefs of the Family of Imam Ali (A.S) His family was held in the highest regards by Abbaside caliphs and Alawide kings.

Sayyid al-Razi’s father was a descendant of the Imam Moosi al-Kazim (†) being the great grandson of the Imam. His mother was the great granddaughter of the Imam Zainul-Abideen (†). She was a woman famous for her piety and her literary talents.

His elder brother, Sayyid Murtaza, was a great theologian and poet. Sayyid Murtaza’s work (poems) are still being published in Cairo and Beirut and form part of the course of Arabic literature in the universities of those two cities. Sayyid Murtaza has a great place among the Shi’a theologians and is nicknamed A a’lamul-huda (standards of the true path of religion).

His mother took keen interest in educating her two sons, Sayyid Murtaza and Sayyid al-Razi. She personally took them both to the Shi’a theologian andmujtahid , Abu Abdullah Sheikh Mufid and requested him to educate these children under his personal supervision and care.

Sayyid al-Razi, under the instructions of Sheikh Mufid, received an early education in Arabic grammar, literature and lexicology from Hussan ibn Abdullah Sairfee. At the early stage of ten he was considered a finished product of that institution and a good poet. He joined the educational institutions of Aby Ishaq-Ahmed ibn Muhammed-Tabari, Ali ibn Eesa Rubace, A Othman ibn Jinny and Abu Bakr Muhammed ibn Musa Khawrzami, and with them he studied the Holy Qur’an, the Traditions, theology, history of religions, philosophy and literature. From early childhood, his keen desire of acquiring knowledge and concentrating on studies was noted and appreciated by every one of those great scholars under whom he received his training. As a matter of fact, he was considered as a prodigy by many of them.

At the age of twenty, his merit was recognized and respected by all of them and even Sheikh Mufid regarded this young man as his equal.

Sayyid al-Razi died young at the age of forty-five or forty-seven years, but during this short period he had written many books. His commentary of the Holy Qur’an is considered by the historian ibn Khalakan to be peerless, and his explanation of the traditions of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. and His Household)  is still respected as a great resource of the meaning of the words used by the Holy Messenger of Allah.

At the age of twenty-one he was elected in place of his father as Naqueeb of the family of Abu Talib and was appointed by the State as the Amir of Pilgrimage to Mecca.

He was a man of strong character, free will and independent views. During his time the Abbasites caliphate of Baghdad was at war with the Fatemite caliphate of Egypt, and had persuaded Sunni and Shi’a men of importance to sign amahzar (public attestation) depicting non-Muslims tendencies and activities of the Fatemite caliphs. Even the elder brother of Sayyid al-Razi and his father were forced to sign it, but Sayyid al-Razi refused to sign such a decree. This brought him onto a blacklist of the government, but he cheerfully accepted the loss of political privilege and status. Four times during his life he refused to accept financial aid from the government.

In his early age he had come across sayings, sermons and letters of Imam Ali (A.S) He had found them scattered in various books of philosophy, religion, history, biography, literature and commentaries of the Holy Qur’an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. and His Household) He had also found that the collections of Imam Ali’s work as carried on by great scholars of the first four centuries, because of the unsettled political condition of the centers of learning in the peninsula, were lost. He therefore decided to re-collect them once again. The desire became a passion with him. He toured all over the peninsula to collect these sermons, sayings and letters, gathering all the various books containing them and classified them into sermons, letters and sayings. The letters also included orders of Imam Ali (A.S)  to his officers and two of his wills. In fact, the classification was on the basis of what Imam Ali (A.S)  preached, what he wrote and what he said. Some biographers say that for years he devoted eighteen hours a day for this work. It was a labor of love for him. His health was failing yet he continued the work without an abatement of intensity.

To him this compilation was a sacred duty and he carried it out with the devotion and diligence that it deserved. He was particularly and sincerely careful not to add and not to subtract a word from the texts which he found. If he found a sermon divided into many parts he did not join them into a continuous whole but let them remain as two, three or four disjointed parts. This system of compilation annoyed the later commentators ofNahjul-Balagha , like ibn Abil Hadid and ibn Maisum, and they have complained about it. Sometimes when Sayyid al-Razi found the middle part of a sermon missing, he left the two remaining parts as two separate sermons.

He collected from a pile of books and manuscripts on various subjects and had come across those books at various periods of his work. Naturally, there was not any chronological order in his collection. The sermons which are supposed to be delivered in Medina or in the early period of Imam Ali’s temporal rulership are found in the later part of the book and sermons on the events of Siffin and Nahrawan in early part. Similarly, the sermon, which is considered as the last sermon of Imam Ali (A.S) , preceeds many discourses which, by their test, may rightly be considered to be delivered in Medina during the periods of the first and second caliphates. At places, we find that the Sayyid had copied the same sermon in different places as quoted by different authors. All these discrepancies jar upon the minds of thereaders. But they stand as iron clad irrefutable proof to the honest and sincere desire of Sayyid al-Razi to present the work as he found it and not to interfere with it in any way however essential it might be.

Some historians and biographists are of the opinion that Sayyid al-Razi was helped in this work by his elder brother Sayyid Murtaza. But, had this been a fact, the noble-minded Sayyid would have willingly mentioned it in his preface, because he has tried to mention all the sources from which he found these sermons etc.

Sayyid al-Razi died in the month of Muharram 404 A.H. at the age of 45 years. Some biographists are of the opinion that the year of his death was 406 A.H. and his age at the time of death was 47 years. His elder brother Sayyid Murtaza and his teacher Sheikh Mufid were so grievously stricken that they could not lead the funeral service of that great man and Theservice was led by the Prime Minister Abu Ghalib Fakhrul Mulk.

Sayyid al-Razi has left about 40 books as his memorial, some of them are great works, they consist of commentaries of the Holy Qur’an on religion and philosophy, yet his masterpiece was the collection of the sermons, letters and sayings of Imam Ali (A.S) .

As soon as the noble Sayyid compiled this book (Nahjul-Balagha ) his contemporaries started writing commentaries on it. The work of commenting on the text and explanation of meanings of the words used by Imam Ali (A.S) , and the historical events mentioned therein is still continued today. I am citing herein the names of some of the famous commentators ofNahjul-Balagha .

Sunni Commentators:

 1. Imam Ahmed ibn Muhammed al-Wayri (about 470 A.H.)

 2. Abul-Hasan Ali ibn Abul-Qasim al-Bayhaqi (565 A.H.). His commentary is quoted byMu’jam al-Udaba’ of Yaqut al-Hamawi, Vol. 13, p. 225, printed in Egypt.

 3. Imam Fakhruddin al-Razi (606 A.H.). His commentary is quoted by:

(i) Akhbarul-Hukama’ of ibn al-Qufti, p. 192 printed in Egypt.

(ii) A Uyun al-Anbiya’ of Ibn Abu Sabee’a , p. 25, printed in Egypt.

 4. Abdul-Hamid Hibathullah Muhammed ibn Muhammed ibn Abil Hadid, the Mu’tazilite scholar (known as Ibn Abil Hadid, 655 A.H.). His commentary is a world-famous classic covering 17 volumes, printed half a dozen times in Cairo, Beirut, Tehran and Isfahan.

 5. Sheikh Kamalud-Din Abdul Rehman Shaybani (about 705 A.H.)

 6.‘Allama Sa’dud-Din al-Taftazani (797 A.H.)

 7. Judge of Baghdad Sheikh Qa’imud-Din.

 8.‘Aallama Sheikh Muhammed Abdoh (1323 A.H.)

His commentary has been printed very often and forms a part ofthe university course in Cairo and Beirut.

 9. Professor Muhammed Hasan al-Nayer al-Mursafi of Egypt. His commentary is printed in Darul-Epistle Press Cairo, Egypt.

10. Professor Muhammed Mohiuddin Abdul Hamid, Professor of Lexicology of Alazhur University.

His book was printed at Istiqamatul-Misr Press, Cairo.

11. Professor Sheikh Abdullah al-Bayruni of Cairo, Egypt.

Shi’a Commentators:

1.’Allama Sayyid Ali ibn Nasir (about 450 A.H.). He was a contemporary of Sayyid al-Razi.

2. The famous Shi’amujtahid , theologian and philosopherA allama Qutubud-Din al-Rawandi. His Commentary is titledMinhajul-Bara’a .

3. Fazil al-Jalil,A allama Sayyid Ibn Tawus.

4.‘Allama ibn Maisum al-Bahrani (about 660 A.H.). He was a contemporary of ibn Abil-Hadid. His commentary is famous and is considered of immense value on problems of the philosophy of Islam. He has not devoted as much time towards the literary and historical aspects ofNahjul-Balagha as ibn Abil-Hadid. His book is greatly valued by Shi’a theologians and philosophers.

5.‘Allama Qutubud-Din Muhammed ibn Husain al-Iskandari. His commentary is namedAl- Islah .

6. Sheikh Husain ibn Sheikh Shihabud-Din Hayder Ali al- A Amili al-Karki. He died in Hyderabad, India, in the year 1076 A.H.

7. Sheikh Nizamud-Din Ali ibn al-Husain ibn Nizamud-Din al-Jilani. He named his commentary asAnwarul-Fasaha andAsrarul-Balagha .

8.‘Allama Sayyid Sanad Mirza Allaudin Muhammed ibn Abu Turab, known as Fazil al-Gulistanah (1110 A.H.). His commentary covers 20 volumes.

9. Agha Sheikh Muhammed Raza. His commentary is calledBa’dra al-Najafia . It has been printed often and very well received throughout Iran.

10.‘Allama Sayyid Ma’jid ibn Muhammed Bahrani. He was a contemporary of Sheikh Bahayee and died in 1028 A.H. His commentary is greatly valued by Shi’a theologians.

11. Mullah Fadlallah Kashani. He died in 997 A.H. He was a lexicographer, grammarian, mathematician, physicist, engineer and theologian. He had been to the court of Akbar also. He was a contemporary of the famous historian of Akbar’s court,

12. Mullah A Abdul-Qadir Badayuni. The Mullah speaks very highly of him in his bookMuntakhabul-Tawarikh . He says A Adil Khan, governor of Deccan, Khan al-Khanan and Hakeem Abul-Fath of the court of Akbar paid great respects to him and Akbar also had great regards for him. His commentary is printed very often, and so far as the translation of words used by Imam Ali (A.S)  in Persian is concerned, it is the best book ever published.