An Analysis of Rijal and Hadith Reports on Nasr ibn Sabah

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Quranic Studies Department, Qom University and Seminary Research Institute, Qom, Iran.

2 Graduate of Level 3 of the Hadith Specialized Center of Qom Seminary, Qom, Iran.

10.30512/kq.2024.21705.3897

Abstract

Nasr ibn Sabbah is counted among the narrators of Hadith. His student, al-Kashi, extensively documented his reports and views in "Ma'rifat al-Rijal". Earlier biographical scholars considered him an exaggerator and deemed his reports unreliable. Apart from this accusation, sufficient information for a precise understanding of him is lacking. His birth, death, period of life, and narrative class remain unknown. To assess the reliability of a narrator's traditions, it is imperative to analyze the surviving Rijal reports. However, if these data are insufficient, there is no choice but to collect the available information from Hadith, Rijal sources, and bibliographical sources to reduce ambiguities and uncover untold details. From a careful analysis of the existing reports, it can be inferred that Nasr ibn Sabbah lived between 230 and 300 AH and was an expert in Shiite sects and the science of Rijal. There is no explicit authentication of Nasr ibn Sabbah in Rijal sources, and the praises attributed to him are contentious. It seems he held some degrees of exaggeration; however, this point should not lead to the invalidation of all his reports. Some prominent Rijal scholars believe that the charge of exaggeration against him stemmed from the specific interpretations of earlier scholars; therefore, not all of Nasr ibn Sabbah's reports should be considered false. On the other hand, he himself labeled some narrators as exaggerators and reported their religious corruption, which indicates his awareness of the dangers of exaggeration. Nevertheless, his association with some narrators accused of exaggeration affects the credibility of his traditions. Nasr ibn Sabbah was a well-known figure in his time, and people consulted him for matters of Islamic law. From the reports of al-Kulayni and Shaykh al-Sadouq, it is clear that he held a firm belief in Imam al-Mahdi, which solidifies his position among true Shiites. Therefore, it must be concluded that, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, his reports are considered acceptable information.

Keywords

References

A‘raji Kazemi, Mohsen. (1995). Uddat al-rijal. Isma‘iliyān. [In Arabic]
Allama Hilli, Hassan bin Yousuf. (1991). Khulasat al-aqwal (edited by Mohammad Sadeqh Bahr al-‘Ulum). Dar al-Dhakhair. [In Arabic]
Astarabadi, Mohammad bin Ali. (2002). Manhaj al-maqal fi taḥqiq aḥwal al-rijal. Mu’assisat Aal al-Bayt. [In Arabic]
Ha’eri Mazandarani, Mohammad bin Ismail. (1996). Muntaha al-maqal. Mu’assisat Aal al-Bayt. [In Arabic]
Hosseini Shirazi, Sayyed Alireza, & Lotfipour, Mohammad. (2023). Analysis of taxonomic data of Muhammad b. ‘Isa b. ‘Ubayd in the light of rijali and hadithi sources. Danesh-ha va Amoozah-haye Qur’an va Hadith, 10(1), 137–162. [In Persian]
Ibn al-Ghadaʾiri, Ahmad bin Hossein. (1985). Al-Rijal (M. R. Hosseini, Ed.). Dar al-Hadith. [In Arabic]
Ibn Babawayh, Ali bin Hossein. (1984). Al-Imama wa al-tabṣira min al-ḥayra. Madrasat al-Imam al-Mahdi. [In Arabic]
Kashi, Mohammad bin Umar. (1984). Ikhtiyar ma‘rifat al-rijal (M. Rajai, Ed.). Mu’assisat Aal al-Bayt. [In Arabic]
Kashi, Mohammad bin Umar. (1989). Ikhtiyar ma‘rifat al-rijal (H. Mostafavi, Ed.). University of Mashhad. [In Arabic]
Khateeb Baghdadi, Abubakr Ahmad bin Ali. (1997). Tarikh Baghdad (M. ‘Abd al-Qadir, Ed.). Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah. [In Arabic]
Khoei, Abulqasem. (1993). Mu‘jam rijal al-hadith. n.p. [In Arabic]
Kulayni, Mohammad bin Ya’qhoub. (1987). Al-Kafi (edited by Ali Akbar Ghafari). Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. [In Arabic]
Mamaqani, Abdullah. (1973). Tanqih al-maqal fi ‘ilm al-rijal. Matba‘at al-Haydariyya. [In Arabic]
Mufid, Mohammad bin Mohammad. (1993). Al-Irshad fi ma‘rifat hujjaj Allah ‘ala al-‘ibad. Congress of Shaykh al-Mufid. [In Arabic]
Najashi, Ahmad bin Ali. (1986). Rijal al-Najashi. Mu’assisat al-Nashr al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Qahpayei, Inayat Allah. (1985). Majma‘ al-rijal (edited by Zia al-Din Allameh). Isma‘iliyān. [In Arabic]
Sadouq, Mohammad bin Ali. (1975). Kamal al-din wa tamam al-ni‘ma (A. A. Ghafari, Ed.). Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. [In Arabic]
Sadouq, Mohammad bin Ali. (1983). Ma‘ani al-akhbar (A. A. Ghafari, Ed.). Daftar Nashr al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Sadouq, Mohammad bin Ali. (1993). Man la yaḥḍuruhu al-faqih (A. A. Ghafari, Ed.). Daftar Nashr al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Saffar, Mohammad bin Hassan. (1984). Basair al-darajat (Kuchebaghi, Ed.). Maktabat Ayatollah al-Mar‘ashi al-Najafi. [In Arabic]
Shahid Thani, Zain al-Din bin Ali. (1988). Al-Ri‘aya fi ‘ilm al-diraya (A. M. Bakkal, Ed.). Maktabat Ayatollah al-Mar‘ashi. [In Arabic]
Shobeiri, Sayyed Mohammad. (2022). Dars kharij fiqh zakat. Retrieved March 2024 from https://eshia.ir/feqh/archive/text/shobeiry_mohammad/feqh/1401/14010817/ [In Persian]
Shoushtari, Mohammad Taqhi. (1990). Qamus al-rijal. Mu’assisat al-Nashr al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Tabrasi, Ali bin Hasan. (1965). Mishkat al-anwar. Maktabat al-Haydariyya. [In Arabic]
Tousi, Mohammad bin Hasan. (1994). Rijal al-Tusi (J. Qayyumi, Ed.). Mu’assisat al-Nashr al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Tousi, Mohammad bin Hasan. (1997). Uddat al-usul (M. R. Ansari Qomi, Ed.). N.p. [In Arabic]
Tousi, Mohammad bin Hasan. (2000). Al-Fihrist (A. Tabataba’i, Ed.). Maktabat al-Muhaqqiq al-Tabataba’i. [In Arabic]
Wahid Behbahani, Mohammad Baqher. (n.d.). Ta‘liqa ‘ala Manhaj al-maqal. n.p. [In Arabic]
 
Ketab-E-Qayyem
Volume 15, Issue 2 - Serial Number 33
September 2025
Pages 225-245

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 29 May 2024
  • Revise Date: 30 July 2024
  • Accept Date: 30 July 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics