Zayn al-Dīn Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Shahrāshūb ibn Abī Naṣr ibn Abī al-Jaysh (Arabic: زین الدین أبوجعفر محمد بن علي بن شهرآشوب بن أبي نصر بن أبي الجيش), more commonly known simply as Ibn Shahrāshūb (إبن شهرآشوب), died 1192, was an Iranian prolific
Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
commentator, traditionist and
jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...
. He was an early eminent scholar amongst the shia community in the investigation of hadith and also Quranic sciences.
Life
He was born in 1095. His complete name was Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Shahr Ashub.
It seems that he originally was from
Sari, Iran
Sari ( ) is a city in the Central District (Sari County), Central District of Sari County, Mazandaran province, Mazandaran Province, serving as capital of the district, county, and province. Sari was the former capital of Iran for a short perio ...
city of
Mazandaran
Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari, Iran, Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is border ...
province.
Due to lack of prominent sources, his birthplace remains uuncertain. It is well-documented that he memorized the whole
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
.
Scientific journey
Given that Ibn Shahr Ashoub was a traditionist, he traveled to many cities and countries, listening to and collecting Hadith. First he traveled to
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
during
Al-Muqtafi
Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mustazhir (; 9 April 1096 – 12 March 1160), better known by his laqab, regnal name al-Muqtafi li-Amr Allah (), was the List of Abbasid caliphs#Abbasid Caliphs (25 January 750 – 20 February 1258), Abbasid ca ...
as
caliph
A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
of
Abbasid dynasty
The Abbasid dynasty or Abbasids () were an Arab dynasty that ruled the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 1258. They were from the Qurayshi Hashimid clan of Banu Abbas, descended from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The Abbasid Caliphate is divid ...
, then to
Mosul
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
and after to
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
. He also traveled to Khorasan before going to Baghdad. Also, he was for a while in Neishabour, sabzevar and kharazm. Also it is said that he visited some cities such as
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
,
Ray,
Kashan
Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
History
Earlies ...
and
Hamadan
Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
. Apparently when he was in Aleppo, both Ibn Batriq and Ibn Idris had listened to him. Ibn Shahr Asoub migrated and also died in Aleppo.
Teachers
According to pakatchi, Ibn Shahr Asoub had many popular masters in hadith such as follow:
* Ahmad Ghazali
* Ja Allah zamakhshari
* Abu Ali Tabarsi
* Abul Hasan Beihaqi farid Khorasan
* Khatib-e- khawrazm
* Qotb Addin Ravandi
Works
He left many books but some of them have been published. He wrote
Manaqib Of Ale Abi Talib in praise of the virtues of
Imam Ali
Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...
. Some sermon also narrated by him for the first time. The most important books by him could be listed as below:
*
Manaqib Of Ale Abi Talib
*
Ma'alim Al Quran
*
Motashabih al Quran va Mokhtalifih
Theological beliefs
At the same time some other scholars believe that Ibn Shahr Ashoub not only believe in Imam's knowledge to Qhayb but he refers to it by reports from Imam Ali including possessing knowledge of Unseen and prophesy future events such as times of death of various people. On the other hand, some scholars think that he believed that both Imams and prophets couldn't have any knowledge of the Ghayb (absence) and that of past and future. Ibn Shahr Asoub denied these kinds of knowledge for imams and prophets. He believed, if this belief would be correct then we believe in parties for God. Instead he had believed that Imams and prophets just have knowledge of religion and law. he also referred to the point that Fatima has addressed by divine message.
Death
He died in 1192 when he had residence in
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
. He was buried near a place by the name of Jabal Al Joshan known as Mashahd al Hosein.
See also
*
Fiqh Jaffaria
The Jaʿfarī school, also known as the Jafarite school, Jaʿfarī fiqh () or Ja'fari jurisprudence, is a prominent school of jurisprudence (''fiqh'') within Twelver and Ismaili (including Nizari) Shia Islam, named after the sixth Imam, Ja'far ...
*
Shia Islam
Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...
*
Hadith studies
Hadith studies is the academic study of hadith, a literature typically thought in Islamic religion to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators.
A major area of inter ...
*
Shaykh Tusi
Shaykh Tusi (), full name ''Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi'' (), known as Shaykh al-Ta'ifah () was a Persian scholar of the Twelver school of Shia Islam. He is the author of two of the Four Books of hadith; namely, '' Tahdhib al-Ahka ...
References
Further reading
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{{Authority control
Iranian Shia scholars of Islam
Iranian scholars
12th-century Persian-language writers
People from Sari, Iran