Allameh Muhammad Baqer Majlesi
Allameh Muhammad Baqer Majlesi, born into an educated family, was the most cwlebrated Twelver Shia scholar and traditionist in the middle of the second half of the17th and the first ten years of the 18th century in Isfahan. Allameh was the 3rd son of “Allameh Muhammad Taqi Majlesi” who was one of the most prominent Shia schoalr. Allameh Majlesi studied most of the religious sciences in the presence of his father. The following are some of his masters:
1- Mullah Saleh Mazandarani ####
2- Mullah Hasan Ali Shushtari
3- Mirza Rafi’ al-Din Tabatabaei
4- Mir Muhammad Qahpaei Isfahani
5- Mullah Muhammad Sharif Isfahani
6- Sheilk Abdullah Aameli
7- Sheikh Ali Aameli
8- Mullah Mohsen Feiz Kashani
9- Seyyed Mirza Jazayeri
10- Mullah Muhammad Taher Qomi
His students:
1- Seyyed Ne’mat Allah Jazayeri
2- Mir Muhammad Sulh Khatun Abaadi
3- Abul Hasan Sharif Aameli
4- Sheikh Suleyman Bahreini
5- Mullah Muhammad Sarab
6- Mirza Abdullah Tabrizi
7- Mir Muhammad Hossein Khatun Abaadi
8- Mulalh Muhammad Majlesi , etc.
Works:
There are different ideas about the number of his books; some sources indicate that there are left 70 Arabic and Persian books altogether. The book “Reyhant al-Adab” indicate: 77 books.
The book “al-Zari’e” shows 169 books of Allameh Majlesi.
His Persian books:
1- Hayat al-Qolub (Life of hearts), 3 volumes, one of his most important books. The 1st volume on history of propherts, the 2nd on life of the Holy Prophet and the 3rd on life of the Imams and history of caliphs.
2- Eyn al-Hayat (spring of life)
3- Meshkat al-Anwar (Lamp of lights)
4- Jala al-Oyun (Polishing eyes) on life of the Imams
5- Zaad al-M’aad (The book is on prayers)
6- Spring of weeks
7- Tuhfat al-Zaer (present of pilgrim)
8- Ekhtiyarat al-Ayyam (Options od days)
9- Options of great days
10- Composition of desire
11- Times of noon and afternoon
12- The treatise “Bada’ “ (Bada’ means the change of God’s free will in some special positons
13- Translation of “Mufazzal’s monotheism” (the book Mufazzal’s monotheism is one of the most prominent Shia books in which Imam Sadeq explained philosophy of creation simply to his student “Mufazzal” )
14- Translation of the prayer :Jame’ Kabireh”
15- Translation of the prayer “Jushan Kabir”
16- Translation of Hadith “ Force” and “Free wil”
17- Translation of Hadith “Raja”
18- Translation of Hadith “Setat Ashya” (“the six things” is the name of a Hadith of Imam Sadeq)
19- Translation of Hadith “Sa’d Ibn Abdullah Ash’ari”
20- Translation of the famous prayer “Samaat”
21- Translation of “Teb al-Reza” (Explanations of the 8th Imam of Shias “Imam Reza” on hygiene and medical subjects)
22- Rules of saying prayers
23- Translation of “Malik Ashtar’s treaty” (Imam Ali’s companion)
24- Translation of Hadith “Resurrection”
25- Translation of the prayer “Mubaheleh”
26- Translation of the letter of Imam Sdeq to “Abdullah Najashi” (Governor general of Ahwaz – Iran)
27- Translation of Imam Sdeq’s letter to “Mufazzal Ibn Omar”
28- Ransom and its rules
29- Ta’zirat (“Beating” below the full amount priscibed by law) and penance
30- Helyat al-Mutaqin (on rules of personal and social Islamic life)
31- Rites of haj
32- Principles of religion
33- Cermnies of haj
34- Liturgy
35- Way of salvation
36- Rules of saying midnight prayers
37- Religions and nations (in Persian and Arabic)
38- A treatise on vow
39- A book on theology
40- A treatise on marriage
41- Principle of beliefs
41- Mafatih al-Qeyb
42- Mufatteh al-Shohur (On astronomy)
43- A treatise on “doubts of prayers”
44- Paradise and hell
45- Death of “Salman Farsi” (the Holy Prophet’s companion)
46- A treatise on “Temporary marriage”
And many othe books and treatises.
Arabic books:
Behar al-Anwar (Seas of lights) the most famous work of Allaemh Majlesi in 25 volumes:
1- The 1st volume: on ignorance and wisdom
2- The 2nd volume: on book of monotheism
3- The 3rd volume: on justice, divine decree and will of God
4- The 4th volume: on argumentation of Imams
5- The 5th volume: on biography of prophets
6- The 6th volume: on the biography of the Holy Prophet
7- The 7th volume: on common features of the Imams
8- The 8th volume: on tribulation and insurrection
9- The 9th volume: on life of Imam Ali “the 1st Imam of Shias”
10- The 10th volume: onlife of “Fatemeh” (the Holy Prophet’s daughter) and Imam Hasan and Imam Hossein (the 2nd and 3rd Imams)
11- The 11th volume: on life of the four Imams after Imam Hossein
12- The 12th volume: on life of the 8th Imam to the 11th Imam
13- The 13th volume: on life of the 12th Imam of Shias (Mahdi “p.b.u.h” )
14- The 14th volume: on the sky, the world and their creation
15- The 15th volume: on faith and atheism
16- The 16th volume: on rules of association and rights of parents and relatives
17- The 17th volume: on advice
18- The 18th volume: on juridical commandments
19- The 19th volume: on virtues of the Quran
20- The 20th volume: on juridical commandments
21- The 21th volume: on juridical commandments
22- The 22nd volume: on the prayers which have been quoted from the Imams
23- The 23rd volume: on juridical commandments
24- The 24th volume: on juridical commandments
25- The 25th volume: on permissions
26- Mirror of intellect
27- Answers of various questions
28- Arba’ein (Forty) on principles and branches of religion
29- Arba’ein (Forty) on Imamate
30- Superiority of Imam Ali over all people except the Holy Prophet
31- Proving genie
32- Religions and nations
33- Method of narrating “Sahifeh Sjjadiyeh” (belonged to Imam Sjjad “the 4th Imam of Shias”
34- Path of disciples (on principles of religions)
35- Path of paradise
36- Stories of prophets
37- Rules of Islam
38- The treatise “beliefs”
39- A treatise on doubts
40- Doubts of prayers
41- Friday prayer (The prayer which is said on Fraidays by Muslims)
42- Exegesis of some of the Quranic verses
43- Soul of souls
And many other books
Allameh Majlesi died in 1699 in Isfahan.
Sources :
The book Allameh Majlesi -written by Ali Dawani