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Part of a series on Hadith collections v • d • e

Most famous

Sunni six major collections (Al-Kutub al-Sittah): Sahih al-Bukhari Sahih Muslim al-Sunan al-Sughra Sunan Abu Da'ud Sunan al-Tirmidhi Sunan Ibn Maja/Al-Muwatta Shi'a collections: Nahj al-Balagha "The Four Books" (Al-Kutub Al-Arb'ah) Usul al-Kafi and Furu al-Kafi of Kulayni Man la Yahduruhu' l-Faqih of Shaikh Saduq Tahdhibu 'l-Ahkam by al-Tusi al-Istibsar by al-Tusi Ibadi collections: al-Jami' as-Sahih by al-Rabi' ibn Habib Tartib al-Musnad by al-Warijlani

Sunni collections

Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal — 780-855 Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah — 923 Sahih Ibn Hibbaan — 965 Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain — 1014 Mawdu'at al-Kubra— 1128-1217 Riyadh as-Saaliheen — 1233 - 1278 Talkhis al-Mustadrak — 1274-1348 Majma al-Zawa'id — 1335-1405 Bulugh al-Maram — 1372-1449 Kanz al-Ummal — 1500th Da'if al-Tirmidhi — 20th century Sahih al-Tirmidhi — 20th century

Shi'a collections

The book of Sulaym ibn Qays — 600th Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya — 678-713 Bihar al-Anwar — 1600s Haqq al-Yaqeen — 1600s Sharh Usul al-Kafi — ?-1081 Jesus through Shiite Narrations — ?

Mu'tazili collections

Nahj with comments — ?-1258

Usul al-Kafi (literally, "Sufficing fundamentals") is one of the most authoritative Shia hadith collections, collected by Muhammad Ya'qub Kulainy. It includes 16,199 traditions that can be traced back to Muhammad and his Ahl al-Bayt by an unbroken isnad (chain of transmission).

Contents 1 Content 2 Views 2.1 Shi'a view 3 References 4 Content 5 See also 6 External links

Of the basic traditions, 5,072 are considered sound (sahih) by scholars, i.e. first category; 144 are regarded as good (Arabic: Hasan), second category; 178 are held to be trustworthy (Arabic: muwaththaq), third category; 302 are adjudged to be strong (Arabic: qawi), fourth category; and 9,484 are considered weak (Arabic: da'if), fifth category ^[1].

The book has come under criticism throughout history. For example, Shaqyh al-Saduq, the famous Shi'a scholar, claimed that it consisted of mostly weak narrations. Sayyid al-Khoie points this out in his "Mu'jam Rijaal al-Hadith", or "Collection of Men of Narrations", in which he states:

Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei, a 20th century Shi'a twelver Islamic scholar states, in his Mu'jam:

This is not to dismiss al-Kafi in its entirety, as it still contains thousands of authentic narrations.

This is not true entirely the majority of Shia Classical Scholars held the opinion that Al-Kafi was 100% authenthic and all the hadiths were Sahih.

Infact Al-Kulayni in his Preface of Al-Kafi states;

“…You wanted to have a book which would be sufficient (for your religious needs) (kafin), which would include all kinds of knowledge (’ilm) of religion, which would be adequate for the student, and to which the teacher might refer. Thus it could be used by anyone who wanted knowledge of religion and of legal practice (’amal) according to only sound traditions (athar) from the truthful ones (the Imams)…Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious, has made the compilation of the book that you had wished for possible. I hope it will prove to be up to your expectations”

Thus, Imam Al-Kulayni had completed the task, and therefore it is no longer upto the Shia follower to question the authenticity of Al-Kafi which is declared Sahih by the scholars. In fact, he has in this same preface strictly forbidden the followers from questioning Al-Kafi’s veracity:

“Follow what is unanimously agreed upon (by the scholars) because there is no harm in what is unanimously agreed upon…refer to the scholar and accept that which is within the limit of his words, ‘Whichever you would follow in submission and obedience is excusable for you.’”

(source: Al-Kulayni in his Preface of Al-Kafi)

Many great Shia Scholars have written in defence of Al-Kafi for example;

Al-Tabrassi said:

“Al-Kafi among the four Shia books (Al-Kafi, Al-Tahzeeb, Al-Istibsar, Al-Faqih) is like the sun among the stars, and who looked fairly would not need to notice the position of the men in the chain of hadiths in this Book, and if you looked fairly you would feel satisfied and sure that the hadiths are firm and accurate.” (Mustadrak Al-Wasa’el, vol.3, p.532)

Al-Hur Al’amily said:

“The authors of the four Books of the Shia (Al-Kafi, Al-Tahzeeb, Al-Istibsar, Al-Faqih) have testified that the Hadiths of their books are accurate (Sahih), firm and well conducted from the roots that all Shia agreed on, and if you consider those scholars (the authors of the four books) are reliable then you must accept their sayings and their narrations.” (Al-Wasa’el, vol.20, p.104)

Sharaf Al Din Musawi said:

“Al-Kafi, Al-Tahzeeb, Al-Istibsar, and Mun La Yahdu-Ruhu Al-Faqih are Mutawatirah (100% accurate) and agreed on the accuracy of its contents (the Hadiths), and Al-Kafi is the oldest, greatest, best and the most accurate one of them.” (The book of Al-Muraja’aat, Muraj’ah number 110)

Muhammad Sadiq Al-Sadr said:

“The Shia are unanimous as to the four books (Al-Kafi, Al-Tahzeeb, Al-Istibsar, Al-Faqih) being accepted and all the narrations in them are accurate.” (”Kitab Al-Shia”, The Book of Shia, p.127)

www.Al-shia.com states;

Al-Kulayni, of all other compilers of hadith, alone was a contemporary of all the four successive special representatives and ambassadors of Imam al-Mahdi, the twelfth Imam. He had the chance to collect hadith from the proper sources. Al-Kafi, the book is a unique collection of hadith. Al-Kulayni compiled this book on request from a prominent Shi ‘a scholar (as mentioned in his introduction to al-Kafi).

…The compiler of al-Kafi, al-Kulayni was a contemporary of the four successive special representatives of Imam al-Mahdi. As al-Sayyid ibn Tawus has pointed out, “All the works and the collections (of hadith) of al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub al-Kulayni had been completed during the life time of the special representatives of Imam al-Mahdi. It is a ground to believe the veracity of his collection of hadith.

source: Preface of Al-Kafi http://www.al-shia.com/html/eng/books/hadith/al-kafi/abttrans.htm

1. ^ http://al-islam.org/al-serat/default.asp?url=kulayni-howard.htm
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.alkhoei.net/data/almaktaba/m_r/01/p3.html (Arabic reference)

• Hadith of Persians and belief
• Hadith regarding "The book of Fatimah" [1].

• List of Shi'a books
• Shahr Usul al-Kafi
• Furu al-Kafi
• Rawdat al-Kafi [2]
• Sharif al-Kafi [3]

• Selections from Usul al-Kafi
• Selections from Usul al-Kafi
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