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Shaykh Saduq(ra)

He is the foremost of the traditionists and the senior Sheikh, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh Al-Qummi, known as Al-Saduq, may Allah sanctify his soul.

The pen falls short of praising and extolling him due to his greatness, renowned knowledge, reliability, and prolific writings. He is indisputably the face of the Shia and their jurist, whose rank remains unparalleled.

He descended from one of the most renowned scholarly families of Qom, the house of Babawayh, whose fame in virtue and knowledge is well-established. It suffices to honor him that the 11th Imam, Abu Muhammad Al-Hasan Al-Askari (peace be upon him), described him as "the righteous child."

In a letter addressed to the author’s father, the Imam (peace be upon him) wrote:

"In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. The ultimate end is for the pious, Paradise is for the monotheists, Hellfire is for the atheists, and there is no enmity except against the oppressors. There is no deity but Allah, the best of creators, and blessings be upon the best of His creation, Muhammad, and his pure progeny.

As for what follows, I advise you, O my Sheikh, my confidant, and my jurist, Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Al-Husayn Al-Qummi—may Allah grant you success in attaining His pleasure and bless you with righteous offspring through His mercy—to fear Allah, establish prayer, and give alms, for prayer is not accepted from those who withhold alms..."

(and so on).

His Birth and Upbringing:

He was born in Qom around the year 306 AH. He grew up under the care of his father, who was the most learned and pious man of his time. He studied under the scholars of Qom and later migrated to Ray in 338 AH at the invitation of its people. He remained there until 352 AH.

During that year, he sought permission from King Rukn al-Dawla al-Buwayhi to travel for the pilgrimage to visit Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him). He journeyed to Khorasan in the month of Rajab, where he completed his visit, prayed for himself and the believers under the dome of the eighth Imam (peace be upon him), and then entered Nishapur in Sha’ban of the same year. There, he studied under a group of its prominent scholars.

Later in that year, he traveled to Baghdad, where he studied with several of its renowned scholars, including Ibn Abi Tahir Al-Alawi Al-Husayni, Al-Dawalibi, and Ibrahim Al-Haysti.

In 354 AH, he arrived in Kufa and studied under a group of its distinguished scholars.

He then visited the House of Allah in Mecca during the same year. On his return from Mecca, he met Abu Ali Al-Bayhaqi at Faydh (2). That same year, he arrived in Hamadan and studied under its scholars.

In 355 AH, he entered Baghdad once more. He later visited the shrine of the eighth Imam in Khorasan two more times—once in 367 AH and again on Tuesday, the 17th of Sha’ban, 368 AH.

He then set out for the lands beyond the river and traveled to Balkh, where he studied under its scholars. He was narrated to in Balkh by Al-Hakim Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn Al-Husayn ibn Al-Hasan ibn Ali.

He then arrived in Sarakhs and studied under Abu Nasr Al-Faqih Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Tamim Al-Sarakhi. He also studied under the scholars of Ilak and was met there by Al-Sharif Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan ibn Ishaq ibn Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) discussed with him a book authored by Muhammad ibn Zakariya Al-Razi on medicine and the titles "For Those Without Access to a Physician." He then requested him to compile a book on jurisprudence, encompassing the lawful and the unlawful, religious laws, and rulings—one that would surpass all previous works on the subject. He responded to this request by authoring the book "Man La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih" (For Those Without Access to a Jurist).

This book became the highest reference for Ja'fari jurisprudence and is one of the four authoritative books relied upon by the Shia school of thought.

Opinions of Scholars about Him:

  • Sheikh Al-Tusi: "Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh Al-Qummi is a man of great stature, a preserver of traditions, astute in the knowledge of men, and a critic of reports. Among the scholars of Qom, there was none like him in terms of memory and extensive knowledge. He authored around 300 works."

  • Al-Najashi in his Rijal: "Abu Ja'far, the resident of Ray, was our Sheikh, our jurist, and the leader of the sect in Khorasan. He came to Baghdad in 355 AH, where the senior scholars of the sect narrated from him, even though he was young in age."

  • Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi in his Tarikh: "He resided in Baghdad and narrated there from his father. He was among the prominent figures of the Shia and a well-known Rafidhi. Muhammad ibn Talhah Al-Thalabi narrated to us from him."

  • Ibn Idris in his Al-Sara'ir: "He was trustworthy, of great stature, knowledgeable of traditions, a critic of historical accounts, and an expert in the knowledge of men. He was the teacher of our Sheikh Al-Mufid."

He was also praised by:

  • Ibn Shahr Ashub in Ma'alim Al-Ulama

  • Sayyid Ibn Tawus in Iqbal Al-A'mal

  • Al-Muhaqqiq Al-Hilli in the preface of Al-Mu'tabar

  • Al-Allama Al-Hilli in Khulasat Al-Aqwal

  • Ibn Dawood in his Rijal: "Abu Ja'far Al-Saduq was of great stature, insightful in jurisprudence and traditions, the Sheikh and jurist of the sect in Khorasan, and the author of numerous works."

  • Fakhr Al-Muhaqqiqin: "He was the Sheikh and Imam."




  • The First Martyr (Al-Shahid Al-Awwal): "The Imam, son of the Imam Al-Saduq."

    Trustworthiness:

    • Sheikh Ali ibn Hilal Al-Jaza’iri: Referred to him as "Al-Saduq Al-Hafidh" (The Truthful and the Preserver).
    • Al-Muhaqqiq Al-Karaki: Described him as "The Sheikh, the jurist, the trustworthy one, the Imam of his time."
    • Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Qatifi: Referred to him as "Al-Sheikh Al-Saduq Al-Hafidh."
    • The Second Martyr (Al-Shahid Al-Thani): Called him "The Sheikh, the Imam, the learned jurist, Al-Saduq."
    • Sheikh Hasan ibn Al-Shahid: Referred to him as "The Sheikh, the Imam, the jurist."
    • Sheikh Al-Baha’i in Daraayah: Called him "The Leader of the Narrators and the Proof of Islam."
    • Al-Muhaqqiq Al-Damad: Described him as "Al-Saduq, son of Al-Saduq, the Pillar of Islam."
    • Mulla Al-Majlisi (the First): Referred to him as "The Blessed Imam, the jurist, a pillar among the pillars of religion."
    • Al-Allama Al-Majlisi (the Second): Described him as "The great, well-known jurist."
    • Al-Hurr Al-Amili: Called him "The Sheikh, the trustworthy Al-Saduq, the Leader of the Narrators."
    • Sayyid Hashim Al-Bahrani: Referred to him as "The Sheikh Al-Saduq, the face of the sect, the leader of the narrators."
    • Sayyid Al-Khunsari in Rawdat Al-Jannat (p. 530): "The trustworthy, learned Sheikh, the pillar of the religion, the leader of the narrators, Abu Ja'far II, Muhammad ibn the trusted Sheikh and insightful jurist, Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh Al-Qummi, famously known as Al-Saduq. His eminence in knowledge, justice, understanding, nobility, jurisprudence, greatness, trustworthiness, praiseworthy character, prolific authorship, and high-quality writings, among other traits of distinction, is clearer than needing any explanation or requiring the effort of the pen to elaborate in such a context."

    His Valuable Works:

    Sheikh Al-Saduq authored approximately 300 books in various sciences and fields. Sheikh Al-Tusi in Al-Fihrist mentioned this and listed 40 of his books, while Al-Najashi in Rijal recorded around 200 of his works. All these books have been of immense benefit to the Ummah from their time of composition to the present. Some of his notable works include:

    1. 1. Al-Amali or Al-Majalis
    2. 2. Ilal Al-Shara’i
    3. 3. Ma’ani Al-Akhbar
    4. 4. Al-Tawhid
    5. 5. Thawab Al-A’mal wa Iqab Al-A’mal
    6. 6. Al-Khisal
    7. 7. Uyun Akhbar Al-Ridha (peace be upon him)
    8. 8. Kamal Al-Din wa Tamam Al-Ni'mah
    9. 9. Mashyakhat Al-Faqih
    10. 10. Man La Yahduruhu Al-Faqih (his most renowned book)

    His Teachers and Students:

    His teachers and those he narrated from were numerous—over 250 prominent narrators from various cities, as recorded in books of biography and history.

    As for his students and those who narrated from him, the senior scholars of the sect listened to him while he was still young. Their number exceeds his teachers, though detailed records of their names are scarce. Notable among them are:

    1. Sheikh Al-Mufid (Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Nu’man Al-Tal’akbari)
    2. Sayyid Al-Murtadha, Alam Al-Huda
    3. The famous biographer Al-Najashi (Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Al-Abbas)
    4. Muhammad ibn Talha Al-Tha’labi, teacher of Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, the author of Tarikh
    5. His brother, Abu Abdullah Al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh Al-Qummi
    6. Abu Ali Al-Shaybani Al-Qummi, author of Tarikh Qom

    His Death and Burial:

    Sheikh Al-Saduq passed away in Ray in the year 381 AH, at the venerable age of over seventy years. He was buried near the grave of Sayyid Abdul Azim Al-Hasani in Ray, in a garden known as Tuğruliyah, in a sacred shrine with a high dome. People visit his grave to seek blessings. Sultan Fath Ali Shah Qajar renovated the shrine in 1237 AH after reports of many miracles attributed to his tomb following his death.