''Al-Irshad'' ( fa, ارشاد), also called the ''Book of Guidance into the Lives of the 12
Imams,'' is a biography of the lives of the 12 Shia Imams. It describes their historical circumstances, miracles and virtues.
The book also includes evidence for
Imamates among
Shia
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, mo ...
.
Author
Shaykh Mufid was a prominent
Twelver
Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
Shi'a theologian.
He was the son of Muallim, and was called
Ibn Muallim. Mufid was taught by
Al-Shaykh al-Saduq
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi ( Persian: ar, أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱبْن بَابَوَيْه ٱلْقُمِيّ; –991), commonly referred to as Ibn Babawayh (Persian: ar, ...
,
Ibn Qulawayh
Ibn Qulawayh ( fa, ابن قولویه) (died in Baghdad, 978 or 979 AD) was a Twelver Shia traditionalist and jurist. He is one of the authoritative traditionalists among the Shia.
Life
His official name was Ibn Qūlawayh (Qūlūya), Abu'l-Qasem ...
,
Abu Abdallah al-Basri and al-Rummani. He passed his teachings to his own students, including
Sharif al-Murtaza
Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (Arabic: أبو القاسم علي بن الحسين الشريف المرتضى ) (commonly known as: Sharīf Murtaḍā, Sayyid Murtaḍā, (Murtazā instead of Murtaḍā in non-Ara ...
and
al-Shaykh al-Tusi. Only 10 of his 200 works have survived, including ''Amali'', ''Al-Irshad'', ''Al-Muqni'ah'', and ''Tashih al-Itiqadat''.
Content
He described the situation and life of each Imam and the circumstances of each of their deaths. He mentioned the disappearance of the last
Muhammad al-Mahdi. The work reflects Mufid's perspective on history and hadith rather than theology or philosophy.
This book begins by praising Allah, prophet Muhammad and Shia's twelve Imams. Nearly half of the book is dedicated to Imam Ali and his characteristics and virtues.
Translation
This book was translated into English by I.K.A. Howard.
The book is available in many languages such as Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Azeri and German.
External links
Introduction to Kitab al-IrshadObituary of I.K.A. HowardGreat Shia Works Kitab al-IrshadKitab al-Irshad
See also
*
Ja'fari jurisprudence
References
{{Reflist, 30em
History books about Islam
Biographies (books)