Treatise of salvation (The principles of beliefs)

Treatise of salvation is the name of a great work composed in Persian by the outstanding scholar Allameh Majlesi, in which the author mentions the principles of beliefs.

The author

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” )

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”

The book structure

The treatise includes the chapters as follows:

- proving the creator (of universe)

-proving power of the creator

-on knowledge

- On Justice and wisdom

- On prophecy

- proving prophecy

- proving Imamate

- Necessity of Imams existence

- Commentary of the sura (Koranic chapter) “Hamd”   (The Opening) (the 1^st –sura) and its correspondence with religious principles

- Commentary of the Sura “Tawhid” (Sincerity) and the correspondence with the principles of religion

- Commentary of the tradition “whoever knows his own soul, he will know his God.

Sources

Keywords