AL-AMĀLI

(By SHEIKH SADŪQ)
This
book is dictated by Sheikh Sadūq, Abū Muhammad son of Ali son of Husain son of
Mūsā son of Bāb-e Weyh-e Qummī (known also as IBNE BĀB-E WEYH-E QUMMI)

COMPILATION:

This book
was the result of twice-weekly (Tuesdays & Fridays) dictations of Sheikh-e Sadūq
to his students at Mashhad city during the period from 18 Rajab 367 H. to 11
Sha'bān 368 H. The art of Amālī' began to be practiced by learned men of the
late third century Hegira, who dictated their material in special gatherings
convened for note-taking students. On completion of the lectures, the notes were
collected and compiled in form of a book known as Amālī' (i.e. Transcriptions).
Amālī' books by Shiite jurisprudents have been valued immensely, and the book
Al-Amālī' by Sheikh-e Sadūq is one of them.

CONTENTS:

Contents
of the book include Traditions & Narrations, which are quoted along with their
chains of documentations. This book reveals Sheikh-e Sadūq's expertise in
collecting and preserving Shiite and Sunnite narrations. He has quoted from
seventy-one Shiite and Sunnite Scholars along with the chain of documentations
in his book named Khisāl. These scholars belonged to the Islamic world,
including those from central Asia to Baghdad. They were known to be in
possession of the documents of Traditions. Sheikh-e Sadūq during his painstaking
travels had called on them and recorded their Traditions. These are included in
the book Amāli'.

Their
contents are of ethical and historical significance.
In particular, they refer to the merits of the Ahl-ul Bayt (A.S.). The relevant
Traditions of ethical significance narrated by non-Shiite scholars are accepted
due to sound judgment. To hear virtues of the household of the Holy Prophet of
Islam (S.A.) narrated by the opponents is also completely proved, because such
narrators did not have any reason for forging the Narrations. Therefore the
Sheikh has narrated a great number of such Narrations.

Other
topics of this book include: divine rewards for fasting in the months of
Dhul-Hajja, Rajab, Sha'bān and Ramadān, value of dreams and sleeping of Mu'minin
(the believers), the Maqtal' (story of martyrdom of Hazrat-e Imam Husain A.S.),
recommended prayers, the Islamic teachings, and the Shari'a (Islamic
prescripts), among similar others.

RELIABILITY OF TRADITIONS & NARRATIONS:

In some of
the Traditions quoted in the book, the contents appear to be rather weak and
objectionable. Towards explaining them, it can be safely said that several of
them are of an ambiguous nature. Their contents involve something imperceptible,
including postulations about what may happen in future, even in terms of the
proceedings in the Hereafter.

Following
the factual position that there exist in the Holy Qur'an itself some verses
which are ambiguous (known as Mutashābih) and others quite clear (known
as Muhkam: admitting of no allegorical interpretations), the ambiguous
verses are meant to be understood in the detailed context of their purposes, and
not literally.

The ruling
for the ambiguous Narrations is that we should turn to the sayings of the
Infallible Imāms (A.S.) for necessary guidelines.

The
ambiguous Traditions have sometimes been meant to test the status of faith of
the believers.