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Treatises on doctrines of Imamiyya

Treatises on doctrines of Imamiyya, Shia Graph

SHAFAQNA- In the centuries following the advent of Islam, Shia scholars followed the example of God’s authorities and began to write short treatises on the principles and doctrines of the Imamiyya.

Murtadha’s Jamal Al-Ilm wal-Amal

We have already described two such treatises by Saduq, now we refer to one written by Sharif Al-Murtadha (d. 436/1045). In it, he says:

  1. ‘All the bodies which are originated and preceded by non-existence, must naturally have a creator, since every new phenomenon is in need of a creator, like every artifice or written word…’

This treatise of Sharif Murtadha discusses the doctrines of the Imamiyya in more detail than that of Saduq’s. This treatise also proposes a theory regarding the inimitability of the Quran, known as Sarfah (the idea that the Quran was inimitable because God intervened to prevent anyone from imitating it), which later scholars did not approve of.

Tarablusi’s Bayan an Jumal Itiqad Ahlal-Iman

This work was written by Abul-Fat’h Karajaki Al-Tarablusi (d. 449/1057) following the model of his teacher, Sharif Al-Murtadha. He begins his book saying:

O’ my brother! God may bestow on you Divine Grace, and may help you with Divine blessings. You entreated me to compose a concise treatise on the basic doctrines of the Imamiyya so that it may act as guidance for others and that you yourself may commit it to your memory and also give it to the followers of the Imamiyya. I shall expound the basic tenets of Shiism in brief, without dealing with their reasons and justifications.’

Abu al-Fath begins with Divine Unity (tawhid), and then moves to prophethood (Nubuwwah), both in the general and special sense, the Imamate and Caliphate, until he reaches the doctrine of the Twelfth Imam. Finally, he ends the treatise by discussing the issues of repentance (Tawbah) and the Resurrection and then discussing some doctrines of the Muʿtazila (Kanz Al-Fuud, 240–252).

Tusi’s Al- Aqaid Al-Jafariyya

Sheikh Al-Tusi (d. 460/1067) followed the approach of his forebears and wrote a treatise on the doctrines of the Imamiyya, in which he summarized the whole idea of the book into five topics. This treatise has been published in Qadib. Al-Barraj’s Jawahir Al-Fiqh and also in Tusi’s other work, Al-Rasail Al-Ashr.

Analysis

The discussion of these treatises sheds light on three issues:

Firstly, the content of these treatises indicates that the Imamiyya drew all of its laws and principles from the Quran, Sunna, and the Infallible Imams (AS). Therefore, all of its principles are clear.

Secondly, even though in the treatises there are certain topics about which there are disagreements, the positions expressed on most of the major topics like God, His attributes and acts, prophethood and Imamate enjoy unanimity among the scholars of the Imamiyya.

Thirdly, a deeper look upon the contents of these treatises shows that although the Imāmiyya disagreed with other Islamic sects on issues such as the Imamate and Caliphate, in many other areas there was broad agreement amongst the Muslims. This unanimity is reason enough to either overlook the differences or to peacefully discuss them.

Source: Shia Islam: History and Doctrines, Ayatullah Jafar Subhani, Chapter 11

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