Glosses upon Al-Kifayah (Häshiyah Al-Kifäyah)

This book is one of the Allame Tabatabai’s works and writings which has been written in Arabic. It is a “Usuli” book (means principles of jurisprudence), about the laws of inference which has been compiled in two volumes.

The brief biography of Author:
Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabi Tabrizi was born in 1903A.D.(1321A.H./1281S.H.). He went to school one year before his father’s death, but after finishing the seventh grade, it is deemed advisable to study at home. ####For this reason, he and his brother learn the Arab literature under the supervision of a competent literary man by the name of “Sheikh Mohammad Ali Saräi” and also learn the art of calligraphy under the supervision of “Mirza Ali Naghi Khatät. The late Alläme, at the age of 21 in 1924A.D.(1303) married with the daughter of “the late Haj Mirza Mahdi Agha Tabatabi Mahdavi” who was his father’s relative. Aläme, in 1925A.D.(1304 S.H.), after finishing the seminary courses of Tabriz, left for the Holy Najaf along with his wife, brother and newborn son. Acquaintance with Haj Mirza Ali Aghaye Ghazi, had such influence in him, that during 11 years living in “Najaf”, in addition of jurisprudence (fegh), methodology (osool), mathematics, philosophy, Rejal and commentary, had learned the “practical mysticism”(erfän amali) at the presence of this great master and profited from “spiritual journey”(seyr and solook) and “self-purification”(Tazkiyeh Nafs). [REJAL: is a science that studying the biographies of the transmitters of Hadith]. The late Mohammad Hossein Tabatabi”, in the latter part of life, in Najaf, spend his life with difficulty, so that, in the year of 1935A.D.(1314) because of financial problems, left for Iran and dwelled in the “Shäd Äbäd” village of Tabriz. For acquisition of learning, he left for “Qom” and forever bade farewell to Tabriz. He came to “Qom” in 1944A.D.(1325) and thus began his scientific productive life. He lived in this city for about 35 years and did the most services to Islam and theological schools. He started the philosophy lesson with new style. The life of this great scholars who is one of the great glories of Islam and rare researcher, ended and died in the morning of 9 o’clock in “Qom” in 1981/11/15(1360/8/24). Some works that he provided in Tabriz consists of:
1- A treatise on Names and Attributes
2- A treatise on Acts
3- A treatise on intermediaries between God and Man
4- A treatise on before world
5- A treatise in world
6- A treatise on after world
7- A treatise on guardianship
8- A treatise on prophecy
9- Genealogy book of Azarbijan’s Tabatabies.
A brief about Alläme’s services in Qom:
1- Founding a new method of commentary that is completely new and innovative
2- The dissemination of philosophy and intellection thought
3- Efforts in explaining the philosophy subjects and making tangible of many difficult(complex) subjects
4- Try to publish the works of “Household” (p.b.u.th).
5- Coincidence between quranic concepts with whatever have been related in reports of “Household of the messenger” (khändäne resälate)
6- The dissemination of Shiite thought, outside the Islam world.
7- Training and educating scientific and intellectual personages.
8- Valuable compilations whether published or unpublished..
9- Etc.

The book structure:
*The first volume: This volume including the following titles:
-the subjects of “certainties”(olum),
-defining the principles of jurisprudence’s science
-the subject of putting (means how a literal is putting for meaning?),
-the meanings of word
-the “correct” (sahih) and “incorrect”(a’am),
-the subject of derivation
-the subject of commands and forbidden things
-the subject of “devotional” (ta’abodi) and “tavasoli”,
-the preface of “necessary” (väjeb),
-the original and subordinate “necessary” (väjeb),
-a subject about forbidding things
- coincidence of commanding and forbidding
-forbidding from one thing indicate that doing that thing is incorrect,
-the subject of “concepts”(deeper meanings),
-the subject of “general”(äm) and “particular”(khäs),
-the subject of “absolute”(motlaq) and “conditional”(moqayyad),

*The second volume:
-on injunctions of certainty
-the brief “certainty” (elm), [means if the “certainty” (elm) is brief?),
-the subject of “uncertainty” (zann),
-the authenticity of literal meanings
-the authenticity of “single tradition” (khabare vähed) [single tradition or khabare vähed means hadith related by one persons),
-the authenticity of “lack of obligation”, (barä’at),
-a subject about this fact that the Man inevitably should do one of the two tasks which is prohibited
- It is a law in Islam which says we should not harm or injure to ourselves or others
-on “Estecehäb” (Estecehäb means: referring or to be certain to a pervious rule at the present time),
-the rule of violation means: after doing a task and expiring its time, the task which has been done is correct
-the general rule is that: a task which others has done, to be considered as a correct task
-in contradiction we should study two parts that which one is precede to other and for what reason
-the subject of “Ijtihad” (religious endeavor) and “Imitation”(Taqlid).

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