Perfecting the religion and completing the favor

This book is one of the greatest works composed on life and the occultation of the 12^th Shiite Imam (Imam Mahdi), written in Arabic by the celebrated “sheikh sadouq”

Name of the book is derived from the koranic verse: “I have perfected your   religion for you and completed My favour, towards you.” (5/3)
 “Once on my way back from Mashad (in Neishabour) a group of Shiites came to visit me.

They had misgivings about the Imam (Imam Mahdi):

I cited some prophetic Hadiths for them. I made a great effort to clarify their problems, then a night I had a dream about Imam Mahdi standing in the doorway of kaba  ( in Mecca)  , I said hello to him and he ordered  me to write  a book on the occultation .

The day after this dream, I started writing this book (perfecting the religion and completing the favour) Arabic: “(I kmal al- Din va ttmam al- Ne mat)” said sheikh sadouq.

The author

Abu Jafar Muhammad Babwayh Qomi, known as “Ibn Babwayh” and “Sheikh Saduq” and “Ibn Babwayh”, a celebrated Shia jurisconsult and great traditionist in the 10^th century. He was born in 900.

After primary education, he studied jurisprudence and Hadith in the presence of great jurisconsults and traditionists of Qom such as: his father (Ali Ibn Babwayh Qomi), Muhammad Ibn Hossein Ibn Walid, Ahmad Ibn Ali Qomi, Hossein Ibn Idris Qomi and other great scholars.

Sheikh Saduq lived in the reign of the Shia dynasty “Buyids” which ruled the great part of the Islamic world, therefore Sheikh Saduq travelled a lot to visit Shia scholars in different places.

In 936, learnt Hadith from “Abul Hasan Muhammad Asadi” in Rey – Iran. In 941, he learnt Prophetic Hadiths from the great scholars of Neishabour: “Aqbu Ali Hossein Beyhaqi” and “Abdul Rahman Abdus”. Also in Marv from: “Abul Hasan Muhammad Faqih” and “Abu Yusuf Rafe”.

And in other cities: Kufa, Mecca, Baghdad, Balkh and Sarakhs learnt more Hadiths.

In 948, by request of the Buyid caliph “Rukn al-Dowleh Deylami”, Sheikh Saduq was resident in Rey and became the religious leader of Shias.

Works:

1. Attributes of Shias
2. Monotheism
3. Ma’ani al-Akhbar
4. The city of science (Madinat al-Ilm)
5. Moqanna’ (On jurisprudence)
6. Acquaintance
7. The reasons for religious laws
8. Proving the guardianship of Imam Ali (the 1^st Imam of Shias)
9. Perfecting the religion (Islam) and completing blessing

10-Oyun al-Akhbar

Habits (Khesal) ,etc.

Great scholars such as: Sheikh Tusi, Ibn Idris Helli, Ibn Shahr Ashub, Allameh Helli, Najashi, Fakhr al-Muhaqeqin and Allameh Bahr al-Ulum all have praised Sheikh Saduq.

He died in 991. His tomb is a place of pilgrimage in Rey – Iran.

The book structure

The book is composed  in 62 chapters, in which  the  author  presents  several prophetic  Hadiths on Imam and Imamate  and also the Hadiths cited by the Imams on the  occultation of the 12^th Imam (Imam Mahdi) sheikh sadouq also  concerns the misgivings about lifetime of
Imam  Mahdi and his occultation.

Then he presents the occultation of the prophets: Noah, Moses, Adam, Abraham, saleh, Joseph.

The author also reveals the reason of the occultation.

In addition to comprehensive aspect of the work it, was written in the beginning of the occultation of the Imam. (932/253 H). The book was published in 1881.

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