Sayyid Abd al-Azim al-Hasani, One of the Greatest Defenders of Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) - Part 2

His Teachers and Authorities

A fleeting glance at the traditions transmitted by Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani tells us firstly of his close associations with the two Imams Muhammad bin ‘Ali al-Jawad and ‘Ali al-Hadi (‘a) and secondly, of his close links with the prominent authorities of the Hadith. In what follows we shall seek to present the names of the authorities from whom he narrated traditions as culled from the four major books of traditions and other books of tradition compilations. His authorities number thirty-three and the following are their names along with the sources where the recorded traditions transmitted by Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim al-Hasani on their authority occur.

 

1) ‘Ali bin Asbat (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 118).

2) ‘Ali bin Ja’far (Masa ‘il ‘Ali bin Ja’far, pg 343).

3) Al-Husayn bin Miyah (al-Kafi volume: 1. pg 424).

4) Bakkar (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 424).

5) Ibn Udhayna (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 424).

6) Muhammad bin al-Fudhayl (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 423).

7) Ibrahim bin Abi Mahmud (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 2, pg 113).

8) Yahya bin Salim (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 423).

9) Musa bin Muhammad (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 220).

10) Muhammad bin Abi ‘Umayr (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 218).

11) Musa bin Muhammad al-’Ijli (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 207).

12) Hisham bin al-Hakam (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 424). His mention has been made previously.

13) His father, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ali (al-’Amali of Shaykh Tusi, pg 652).

14) Al-Hasan bin Mahbub (Ma’ani al-akhbar, pg 339).

15) His grandfather, ‘Ali bin al-Hasan (Kamal al-Din, pg 312, chapter 28, hadith number 3).

16) Malik bin ‘Amir (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 377).

17) Mahmud bin Abi al-Bilad (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 1, pg 27).

18) Al-Hasan bin al-Husayn (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 599).

19) Sulayman bin Ja’far al-Ja’fari (al-’Amali of Shaykh al-Saduq, pg 85).

20) Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin Yazid (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 598).

21) Harb (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 599).

22) Sulayman bin Sha’ban (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 2, pg 598).

23) Al-Hasan bin al-Husayn al-’Irni (al-Kafi volume: 2, pg 369, Kamil al-Ziyarat, pg 163 where his name occurs as al-’Umariy, which seems to be an apparent case of corruption).

24) Al-Husayn bin ‘Ali (al-Kafi volume: 3, pg 563).

25) Ibrahim bin Hashim (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 1, pg 286).

26) Al-Hasan bin al-Hakam al-Nakha’i (Kamil al-Ziyarat, pg 256).

27) Al-Hasan bin ‘Abdallah bin Yunus bin Dhibyan (‘Ilal al-Shara’i volume: 1, pg 178).

28) Sulayman bin Hafs al-Marwazi (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 2, pg 22).

29) Safwan bin Yahya (Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni’ma, pg 319).

30) Muhammad bin ‘Ali bin Muhammad bin Kathir (al-TaHsin of Ibn O~awus, pg 576).

31) ‘Abd al-Salam bin Salih al-Harawi (‘Uyun akhbar al-Ridha’ volume: 1, pg 188).

32) Ishaq al-Nasih, the client of Ja’far (Bihar al-Anwar volume: 57, pg 214).

33) Ahmad bin ‘Isa al-’Alawi (Bihar al-Anwar volume: 75, pg 453).

Thus these were his authorities and teachers.

Those Who Narrated and Transmitted from him

Among those who narrated from him, are identified a group of great and erstwhile scholars of hadith such as al-Barqi, Ibrahim bin Hisham, Sahl bin Ziyad al-Adami and others, who were well-known for their proficiency in the narration of traditions and for being firmly established in this field. The following are their names and the sources where their narrations, transmitted on Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azim’s authority occur.

1) Sahl bin Ziyad al-Adami who died in 255 AH/869 AD (al-Faqih volume: 3, hadith number 343).

2) Ahmad bin Mihran (al-Kafi volume: 1, pg 118).

3) Ahmad bin Abi ‘Abdillah al-Barqi, the compiler of al-Mahasin, who died in 274 AH/887 AD (Masa ‘il ‘Ali bin Ja’far, pg 343).

4) ‘Abdullah bin Musa al-Ruyani, Abu Turab (al-’Amali of Shaykh Tusi, pg 589).

5) Ibrahim bin ‘Ali (Ma’ani al-akhbar, pg 339).

6) Muhammad bin Faydh al-’Ijli, Abu Salih (al-’Amali of Shaykh al- Tusi, pg 136).

7) Al-Husayn bin Ibrahim al-’Alawi al-Nasibi (Misbahul Mutahajjid, volume: 2 and al-’Amali of Shaykh Tusi, pg 602).

8) Sahl bin Sa’d (Fadha ‘il al-Ash-hur al-Thalatha of Shaykh al-Saduq, pg 63).

9) Al-Nawfali (al-Kafi volume: 2, pg 661).

10) Sahl bin Jamhur (al-Kafi volume: 3, pg 669).

11) Ahmad bin al-Hasan (al-Ikhtisas, pg 96).

12) ‘Abdullah bin Muhammad al-’Ijli (al-’Amali of Shaykh al-Saduq, pg 388).

13) Bakr bin Salih al-Dhabbi (Mukhtasar Basa ‘ir al-Darajat, pg 94).

14) Hamza bin Qasim al-’Alawi (al-’Amali of Shaykh al-Mufid, pg 319).

15) Muhammad al-’Alawi al-’Aridhi (Bihar al-Anwar, volume: 75, pg 453).

16) ‘Abdullah bin al-Husayn al-’Alawi (Bihar al-Anwar, volume: 60, pg 236).

The Term ‘Musnad’ and What it Means

The term ‘musnad’ is designated in opposition to the term ‘mursal’. Thus if a tradition is transmitted by means of a complete chain which stretches right up to an infallible, then it is designated ‘musnad’, and if not, then it is called ‘mursal’. Al-Sakkuni reports from Abu ‘Abdillah al-Sadiq (‘a) who said: ‘Amir al-Mu ‘minin (‘a) said: “When you narrate a report then (be sure to) name the person who reported it to you, for if that (report) was truthful, then it will be (counted) in your favour, and if it was false, then it will be (counted) against him”.

 

The term ‘musnad’ is also in contrast to the term ‘musannaf’. In this case the two terms are designations of two types of tradition compilations. The difference between the two is that the recording of traditions in the latter is according to topical chapters (containing the reported traditions of different narrators); while in the former it is according to the narrator at which the chain terminates. Thus the ‘Musnad of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbass’ is an expression meaning; a compilation of traditions on different topics and subjects, all the chains of which are connected to him and terminate at him.

Fu ‘ad Sezgin in his work Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums volume: 1, pg 227, writes, ‘the traditionists began the recording of the traditions in the style of the ‘musnad’ at the close of the second century hijri’. This is correct as far as the ‘musnad’ literature of the Sunnis is concerned. As for the Shi’ites, they preceded them in this field, for the four hundred Usul works were all in the style of the ‘musnad’.

Thus the ‘Musnad of Zurara’ is an expression denoting a hadith compilation of all that Zurara reported in different fields, and the Shi’ites began to compile traditions in this style beginning in the era of Imam al-Baqir (‘a) (which would fall in the last quarter of the first century and into the beginning of the second century hijri, which was the duration of his imamate).

However, unfortunately time took its toll on the ‘musnad’ literature of the Shi’ites, especially after the first and second phases of the ‘Jami’’ compilations when the Shi’ites thought them dispensable and stopped taking care of them.