Taqleed & Ijtihad

Commentary by Imam Hasan al-Askari (as)

Whether it is a treasure of Commentaries or a collection of Traditions; whether it is organized by the earlier intellectuals or collected by later authors; all such researches cannot be declared totally clean. So even in those books of Islamic Knowledge that are generally depended on by all Muslims some people are able to find faults, such as, “this anecdote looks similar to Israeli stories; the narrators of this tradition do not come up to the mark; that tradition does not have solid proofs; there is some doubt in this tradition; and so on”.

However, in spite of all such faults no presentation has totally been discarded because if people start rejecting books for minor defects, there will be no such thing left as a book. This is why the scholars do not outrightly throw away someone’s hard work when they find some deficiency, rather they try to explain it.

What is surprising is that some people show such disdain towards the Commentary associated with Imam Hasan Askari (as) as if they will lose Islam by just looking at it or they will be left faith-less; even though what is mentioned in this book is also there in other collections.

There can only be one explanation - people belonging to a certain group have been clamoring for a long time that taqleed is not mentioned in the literature related to Shia belief system, whereas the Commentary under discussion clearly and emphatically recounts the issue of taqleed and Ijtihad in the sacred words of the virtuous Imam. With this background in mind, it will not be unreasonable to say that the taqleed-denying folks intentionally or un-intentionally have not done justice to the under-discussion commentary.

At this point we have 42 critiques of this book. Twelve of them have negative opinion on it and thirty favor it. The books with negative opinion are the following:

  1. Kitabuz Zuafa by Ibnul Ghazairi

  2. Khulasatul Aqwal by Allama Hilli

  3. Naqdur Rijal by Al-Tafrashi

  4. Shara Un-Nijat by Researcher Damad

  5. Minhaj Ul-Miqal by Speaker Ustarabadi

  6. Jama Ur-Riwat by Urdbaili

  7. Majma Ur-Rijal by Qahbani

  8. Aala Ur-Rahman by Muhammad Jawad Balaghi

  9. Kitabul Akhbar by Researcher Tastari

  10. Hashia Majma Ul-Bayan by Mirza Abul Hasan Sha’rani

  11. Majam Rijal Ul-Hadith by Ayatullah Sayed Abul Qasim Khooi

  12. Fiqhatur Ridha’ by Sayed Muhammad Hashim Khwansari

The list of scholarly works with positive attitude is as follows:

  1. Man La Yahzaratul Faqiah by Sheikh Saduk Muhammad Ibn Babuya Qumi

  2. At-Tawhid by same author

  3. Al-Uyun by same author

  4. Al-Kamal by same author

  5. Al-Aamali by same author

  6. Al-Alal by same author

  7. Maanil Akhbar by same author

  8. Al-Ihtijaj by Abu Mansu Tibrisi

  9. Al-Kharaij by Qutub Ravandi

  10. Maalim Ul-Ulama by Ibn Shehr Ashob

  11. Maniatul Murid by Shaheed Sani

  12. Rauzatul Muttaqeen by Majlisi First Muhammad Taqi

  13. Bihar Ul-Anwar, vol 1 by Majlisi Second Muhammad Baqir

  14. Wasayl ush-Shia by Sheikh Hurr al-Amili

  15. Isbat Ul-Hidat by same author

  16. Tafsir Safi by Faiz Kashani

  17. Tafsir Burhan by Sayed Hashim Bohrani

  18. Tafseer Noor Us-Saqalain by Sheikh Abd Ali Havezi

  19. Aklail Ur-Rijal by Muhammad Ja’far Khurasani

  20. Al-Fawahidul Najafia by Sheikh Sulaiman Bohrani

  21. Muntahil Miqal by Abu Ali

  22. Al Taaliqatu Ali Minhajul Miqal by Wahid Bahihani

  23. Tafsir Miraatul Anwar by Sheikh Abul Hasan Al Sharif

  24. Itqanul Miqal by Sheikh Muhammad Taha

  25. Tasliatul Fawad by Sayed Abdullah Shabbar

  26. Nakhbitul Miqal by Sayed Hussain Barojardi

  27. Sahifatul Abrar by Hujjat Ul Islam Tabrezi

  28. Awalimul Ulum by Sheikh Abdullah Bohrani

  29. Faraidul Usul by Sheikh Ansari

  30. Tanqihul Miqal by Sheikh Abdullah Mamiqani

  31. Jami Ahadith Ush-Shia by Ayatullah Barojardi

  32. Alzaria vol 4 p 283 by Allama Tehrani

The well-known authors of the books in this list have written at length about this commentary. They have scrutinized it from every angle and have praised it a great deal. As an example, Majlisi First Muhammad Taqi (RA) has written in the Farsi commentary of Rauzatul Muttaqeen and Faqih:

“The truth of the matter is that this commentary is one of the treasures of Allah (SWT).” [^1]

And Majlisi Second Muhammad Baqir writes on p 28, vol 1 of Bihar Ul-Anwar, “This commentary referenced to Imam Hasan al-Askari (as) is a well-known book and the well-known personality, Sheikh Saduq, has expressed confidence in it.”

In addition, the author of Wasayl ush-Shia, Sheikh Hurr al-Amili has counted it as a source for his creation, Fiqhi Dairatul Maarif Wasail. Similarly, the famous researcher, Sayed Abdullah Shabbar, also labels this commentary as the foundation for his own scholarly works. And Ayatullah Burujardi says, “I am one of the beneficiaries of this commentary by Imam al-Askari (as).”

[^1]: Commentary on Faqih, vol 5, p 142 – 213