Sirat al-Husayn Fil Hadith wa at-Tarikh (Book)
The book Sirat al-Husayn Fil Hadith wa at-Tarikh narrates from the time of Imam Husayn’s birth till the aftermath of the event of Ashura.
About the Author[edit | edit source]
Seyyed Jafar Morteza Ameli (1364-1441 AH) was born in Lebanon. Ameli migrated to Qom in 1388 and there in the seminary, he was a student of Shabiri Zanjani, Sheikh Morteza Haeri, Fani Esfahani, etc.
He has many works in the field of the lives of Prophets and Imams as well as Quranic sciences and their interpretation. His works include 73 titles and 168 volumes, among which we can mention Ma'sah al-Zahra, Marasim Ashura, Ali wa Khawarij, Hayat Siyasiye Imam Reza, Seerat Al-Husayn's Fil al-Hadith wa at-Tarikh, etc.
About the book[edit | edit source]
The book "Sirat al-Husayn Fil al-Hadith wa at-Tarikh" written by Seyyed Jafar Morteza Ameli in 24 volumes has been published in 24 volumes in Arabic by the Markaz ul-Islami ad-Darasat. During the writing of the first and second volumes, the author was diagnosed with cancer and finally completed the 24 volumes in 1437 AH. The present book deals with the biography of Imam Husayn in six parts. These six sections are:
•The first part: The era of the Prophet's caliphate (6 volumes)
•The second part: The era of the three caliphs (1 volume)
•The third part: The era of Imam Ali and Imam Hassan (2 volumes)
•The fourth part: The beginning of the Imamate of Imam Husayn until the day of Ashura (6 volumes)
•The fifth part: the events of the day of Ashura (4 volumes)
•The sixth part: Ahl al-Bayt and events after Ashura (2 volumes)
At the end of the book, the author has included a collection of topics related to Imam Husayn from his books, such as Mizan al-Haq, Khazrat al-Mufid, etc.
The Value and Importance of the book[edit | edit source]
In the book, the author has quoted every historical issue in a way that if there is a hadith of Imams regarding it, he has quoted it from numerous Shia and Sunni sources and if there isn't any hadith regarding an issue, he would limit himself to historical analysis. The evaluation criteria of the book have been examined from different perspectives. One of the most obvious characteristics of the study of biography is the ideological view of historical texts. All his evaluations are visibly based on theological foundations, which are a mirror of the whole face of Shiite belief.
The most important criterion for considering the sources as authentic according to Jafar Ameli', is the acceptance of that source as authentic by majority of scholars. Therefore, instead of relying on reliable written sources, the content of this source emphasizes on writings that do not adhere to the narration of events and are based on oral stories and imaginations.
Ameli also believes that there are many differences in the contents of historical hadiths and if we consider it as a reason to reject hadiths, there will remain only a few traditions that can be argued upon. Therefore, he cited all those hadiths regardless of their acceptability. Another one of the criteria for the author's work is that he places people in the heart of the stories, and gives them a key role that they can't be present in that situation.
Resources[edit | edit source]
- Shahidi, Ruhullah; "Miyarhaye Arzyabi Kitabe Sirat al-Husayn Fil al-Hadith wa at-Tarikh", A'eene Pijhohish, vol. 30, no. 179