Fihrist-e Asmā-e Musannafī Ash-Shi'a (list of names of Shi'a writers), popularly known as Rijāl Najāshī'
Abul-Husain, Ahmad son of Ali son of Ahmad Najāshī (372- 450 H.)
It includes a name-list of outstanding Shi'a writers and compilers, and is accounted as one of the primary sources of Rijāl' (identification and criticism of personages who have narrated Islamic Hadīths, Narrations, etc.). It lists only the names of great Shi'a personages who wrote a book or left behind a piece of work in Islamic science.
PAST HISTORY OF WRITING RIJĀL': Shi'a great Ulamā of the first Islamic century onward up to now paid special attention to the field of Rijāl', since credibility of all Rawāei' books (i.e. books comprising Islamic Traditions & Narrations) depends on the reliability and trustworthiness of the narrators and compilers themselves, and these qualities are verifiable only through the science of Rijāl' in which biographies, backgrounds, along with criticism of the chain of narrators are discussed.
The first significant attempt in writing Rijāl' was made by Ubaidullāh son of Abī Rafi' who was a scribe of Amīr-ul-Mu'minīn Ali (A.S.). He wrote down the names of companions and disciples of Imam Ali (A.S.) who took part in battles commanded by his Holiness.
After him, Abdullah son of Jebellah Kan'ānī (died in 219 H.), Abū Fazzāl, and Ibn-e Mahbūb, of the second and third century, respectively offered books in this regard. Unfortunately none of them reached us.
(1) Rijāl-e Keshī (2) Fihrist-e Najāshī'
(3) Rijāl-e Sheikh-e Tūsī'
(4) Fihrist-e Sheikh-e Tūsī'
(5) Rijāl-e Barqī'
After these five primary books, in the subsequent centuries, hundreds of books on Rijāl' were written, most of which did make substantial use of the aforementioned sources. (For further information on the history of Rijāl' refer to the introduction in Najāshī's Rijāl', printed by Dār-ul-Adhwā, Beirut, 1408 H.)
AUTHOR'S
"I heard what Sayyid Sharīf (Sayyid Murtadhā Alam-ul-Hudā) had said that a group of opponents of Shi'a sect had reproached Shi'a believers on not having any pioneer or religious scholar who had composed or compiled a book in the field of Islamic knowledge
To refute such an allegation, I was prompted to compile this book, in which I collected as many names of Shi'a writers as I could."
This statement represents the highest religious zeal that an individual may have.
This book is one of the original sources concerning Rijāl'. It serves as an important reference book for identifying trustworthiness and reliability of the ancient personages. According to Sheikh Āqā Buzurg Tehrānī, Rijāl' is as important as the book Kāfī' among Kutub-e Arba'ah (the four authoritative books of Shi'a). On any controversial point, what Najāshi's book says is preferable, since what the disputants argue is by no means comparable to the reasoning of Najāshī.
Najāshi's book is so important that everyone who writes about Rijāl' or any book on the biographies of great Islamic scholars, would be compelled to make use of Najāshī's work as well as that of Keshī and Sheikh-e Tūsī.
1) Date of compilation of Najāshi's book is chronically subsequent to Fihrist-e Sheikh-e Tūsī'. Furthermore, Najāshī wrote it at his old age, while Sheikh-e Tūsī finished it at his youth.
2) Sheikh-e Tūsī has compilations on different subjects; as a result, his scientific competence is divided into several fields; therefore, many critics are against his works, whereas Najāshī concentrated on the science of Rijāl' only.
3) Najāshī was quite expert on Ilm-ul-Ansāb' or genealogy, and genealogy is a necessity for understanding Rijāl.
4) Most of the narrators have been from Kūfa and its surrounding area. Najāshī is also from Kūfa and therefore more familiar with them.
5) Najāshī personally has been in contact with Ibn-e Ghazāyeri, who was a master of the art of Rijāl', and much benefited from his expertise.
6) Najāshī was personally associated with many other Ulamā who were well-versed in Rijāl', while Sheikh-e Tūsī has not met them.
Najāshī must have written his Rijāl' between the years 419 and 436 H., as indicated by the dates given in the book. One of the given dates pertains to the death of Muhammad Ibn-e Abdul-Malik Tabān (died in 419 H), which is pointed out in the book.
Somewhere else in the book, Najāshī - when referring to the name of Sayyid Murtadhā Alam-ul-Hudā - states a phrase in which he prays to Allāh to prolong his life and maintain His blessings upon him. Taking into consideration the date of demise of Sayyid Murtadhā Alam-ul-Hudā which has been 436 H., we can conclude that the book has been written before 436 Hegira.
The book contains the names and biographical information concerning 1269 Shi'a personages (narrators & writers), ranging in volume from just a few lines to one or more pages.
SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE BOOK: 1- Personages are identified on the basis of their religious convictions as well as their personal trustworthiness and reliability, together with the list of their writings and books. 2- The book is the most important source for evaluating documentations, reliability of narrators, and rectification or verification of information concerning them; 3- The book's aim, as stated before, has been to identify the Shi'a writers and their books. So narrators, from whom there is no compilation or piece of works left, are not mentioned in the book; 4- The book does not contain the whole writers of Shi'a of that period and earlier. In contrast, some of the non-Shi'a writers who had written about or for Shi'a sect are included or introduced in the book. 5- While describing biographies of some individuals, rectification of other narrators and chain of documentations pertaining to them are also mentioned in this book; e.g. general trustworthiness of Halabiyūn' (Serial No.229 in Najāshī's list). 6- Najāshī did not content himself just with a single name or nickname of a specific person, but included all various titles, names, and nicknames of that narrator; 7- In many cases dates of birth, death, authorization for narration, etc. are given in the book. 8- In some cases the book highlights the confidence expressed by great men in a book, or underlines presentation of a specific book to an infallible Imam (A.S.) for approval.
Listing of writers in the book starts from the contemporary writers with the Holy Prophet(S.A.), or those who lived in a period of time nearer to His Holiness. Then, the subsequent writers are alphabetically arranged, in which the first letters of the names have been taken into consideration only.
Order of the succeeding letters and father's name is not observed in the book. Mawlā Ināyatullāh Qahpāei improved the listing on these bases too, to make the use of it easier. Unfortunately, however, his manuscript or a copy of it is not available.
The present print follows the same original writer's listing.
Available Manuscripts 1- A manuscript, with the handwriting of Sheikh Fadhl son of Muhammad Fadhl Abbāsī, belongs to the year 1021 Hegira. This is transcribed from those manuscripts whose original copy belongs to that of Ibn-e Idrīs Hillī, and further scripts of Sayyid Abd-ul-Karīm Ibn-e Tāwūs and Sayyid Muhammad Ibn-e Sayyid Mūsawī can be noted on it. 2- A manuscript in the library of Āstān-e Quds-e Radhawī' (Holy Shrine of Hazrat-e Imām Redhā A.S.) dates back to 967 H. 3- And finally a manuscript is available in the Tabriz Library, which is dated 981H. It has been transcribed from a manuscript that belonged to the year 551 Hegira.