Ekhtiyar Ma'refat Al-Rijal
Ekhtiyar Ma'refat Al-Rijal (Arabic:اختیار معرفه الرجال) is a book in the sphere of Rijal written by Shaykh Tusi. Tusi mentioned the reason of writing the book as such that there are many faults found in the Kashi's Rijal book.
Presently, Kashi's original work is not available, however Shaykh Tusi's Ekhtiyar is available.[1]
Author
He was born in Tus in Iran in 995 AD/385. In 1018 AD/408 A.H.[2] His life was along with the government of Buyid dynasty.[3] He was born according to praying of twelfth imam of shia namely Mahdi[4] He learned significant level of Islamic sciences of that period in Tus[5] in Khorasan.[6] he left Tus to study in Baghdad. In 1055 AD/447 A.H Tughril-bek entered Baghdad. there he could participate in the courses of Shykh Al-Mufid as paramount teacher.[5] Also he wrote some of his books when he was between twenty and thirty. When he was forty two he participated in the class of his master namely Shaykh Murtaza.[7] At this time many Muslim scholars in Baghdad, both Sunni and Shiʿite were killed. The house of al-Shaikh al-Tusi was burnt down, as were his books and the works he had written in Baghdad, together with important libraries of Shi'ite books. Al-Tusi went to al-Najaf after the fall of Baghdad. He died at Najaf on the 22nd of Muharram in the year 460 A.H/2 December 1067.
Description
The book is an abridgement one of Kashi's Rijal. As Shaykh Tusi thought that the book of Kashi contained falsities, he made the decision to select from it and rewrite it in the form of Ekhtiyar.[8] This book contains 1115 Hadith and refer to 515 people including the friends of the Shia Imam.[9]
References
- Amīn, Aʿyān al-Shīʿa, vol. 10, p. 27-28.
- Abū al-Faz̤l ʻIzzatī, 2008 & Concise Description of Islamic Law and Legal Opinions, p. i
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr; Hamid Dabashi; Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr (26 April 1989). Expectation of the Millennium: Shi'ism in History. SUNY Press. pp. 253–. ISBN 978-0-88706-844-7.
- Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi. Your Questions Answered volume V. Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania. pp. 37–. ISBN 978-9976-956-67-2.
- ʻAlī Nāṣirī (28 February 2013). An Introduction to Hadith: History and Sources. MIU Press. ISBN 978-1-907905-08-7.
- Hamid Wahed Alikuzai (October 2013). A Concise History of Afghanistan in 25 Volumes. Trafford Publishing. pp. 111–. ISBN 978-1-4907-1441-7.
- Imam Khomeini, 2003 & The Greatest Jihad, p. 20
- Adibi Mehr & 1384 solar, p. 132
- Ma'aref, Majid & 1376 solar, pp. 43–44