''Baṣāʾir ad-Darajāt fi ʿUlūm ʾĀle Muḥammad wa-mā khaṣṣahumu--Allāh'' ( ar, بَصَائِر ٱلدَّرَجَات فِي عُلُوم آل مُحَمَّد وَمَا خَصَّهُم ٱلله بِهِ), alternatively known as ''Baṣaʾir ad-Darajāt al-Kubrā fī Faḍāʾil ʾĀle Muḥammad'' ( ar, بَصَائِر ٱلدَّرَجَات ٱلْكُبْرَىٰ فِي فَضَائِل آل مُحَمَّد), is a

Hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

compilation considered to be one of the oldest books in Hadith among

Shias Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

. The book's author is Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Farrūkh al-ʾAʿraj ( ar, ‌أبو جعفر �و أبو الحسنمحمد بن الحسن بن فروخ الأعرج), popularly known as Sheikh aṣ-Ṣaffār al-Qummī ( ar, ‌الشيخ الصفار القمي) (d. 290 AH / 902-903 CE)

Author

Abu Jaʿfar Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Farrukh al-Araj
popularly known as Sheikh as-Saffar al-Qummi (d. 290 AH / 902-903 CE), was a contemporary of the tenth and eleventh

Imams Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

. He was probably the disciple of the eleventh, and an acquaintance of his son, Imam Mahdi. He was one of the earliest systematic compilers of Hadiths about Imamat Theology, constituting the basis of early Twelver metaphysics and mystical theology. His greatest work, which is also the only one that has survived, is ''Baṣāʾir ad-Darajāt fi ʿUlūm ʾĀle Muḥammad wa-mā khaṣṣahumu--Allāh.'' It was edited in Iran under the title ''Baṣaʾir ad-Darajāt al-Kubrā fī Faḍāʾil ʾĀle Muḥammad''. In addition to being a Hadith compiler, Sheikh as-Saffar al-Qummi is himself also known as a prominent narrator of Hadith.

Characteristics

The book includes 1881 Hadiths. The book is divided into ten original parts, with such each part having 10 or 24 subdivisions. Sheikh as-Saffar al-Qummi presents the narrations methodically by grouping details in independent chapters. Some scholars have stated that Basa'ir ad-Darajat is the oldest large-scale compilation of Shia Hadiths.

''Basa'ir ad-Darajat'' is a hadith collection with a theological approach whose Hadiths are about the

Imamate {{expand Arabic, date=April 2021 The term imamate or ''imamah'' ( ar, إمامة, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate, in Sunni doctrine the caliphate :* Naqshb ...

, how to know an

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

(a) and the virtues of

Ahl al-Bayt Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...

(Household of Prophet)). Shaikh as-Saffar al-Qummi begins his book with the famous Hadith "The search for science is a religious duty for every Muslim. Allah loves those who ardently search for knowledge".

His Teachers

Apart from Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), al-Saffar quoted hadiths from prominent hadith transmitters, such as * Ibrahim b. Hashim al-Qummi (Father of the Author of ''Tafseer Qummi'': Ali b. Ibrahim) * Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqi (Author of ''Mahasin'') * Ahmad b. Muhammad b. 'Isa al-Ash'ari

Authenticity

Al-Hurr al-Amilii in preface of his book '' Wasailus Shia'' says: “''Basa'ir ad-Darajat'' is a well reliable book”. Allameh Majlisi in Preface of ''Bihar-ul-Anwar'' says: ”The book ''Basa'ir ad-Darajat'' is very authentic book from where scholars like Shaikh Kulayni and others have narrated”. Mohaddis-e- Noori at the end of
Mustadrakul Wasail
' says: “Saffar is a respected and reliable narrators of Ahadith and his book ''Basa'ir ad-Darajat'' is well authenticated”. However, some of the book's narrations have also been reported in authentic books, such as

Al-Kafi ''Al-Kafi'' ( ar, ٱلْكَافِي, ', literally "''The Sufficient''") is a Twelver Shia hadith collection compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni. It is divided into three sections: ''Uṣūl al-Kāfī'', dealing with epistemology, theolo ...

.(Al-Kafi, Muhammad Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, Pg. 177, 229)

References

External links