Imam Al-Sadiq

prophets, may Allah bless him and his family. That is because the Shi'a thought that al- Sadiq
did not create those traditions. Rather, the Prophet had said them. For this reason, the Shi'a
learned them from him without any doubt or objection. Also, they asked him about every
thing which they needed. So, his reported traditions have every thing.
If the reporters were over four thousand persons, then what would be the number of the
traditions? The biographers have mentioned that Aban b.
Taghlub reported thirty thousand traditions from him, Mohammed b. Muslim reported sixteen
thousand traditions from him, and thirty thousand traditions from al- Baqir, and Jabir al- Ju'fy
reported a lot of traditions from al- Sadiq. Then can you count the traditions reported on his
authority? Many of these traditions have been lost, and some of them have been neglected.
Still, the traditions which were reported on the authority of al-Sadiq are very many.
From the four books Al- Kafi, Man La Yahdarahu Al- Faqih, Al-Tahdhib, and Al- Istibsar, I
have collected a part of those traditions which have been reported on the authority of al-
Sadiq, his grandfathers, and his children. These traditions are about ethics, manners, and rules
only. Then Mulla Muhsin al- Fayd al- Kashany(183) has collected them in the book Al-Kafi.
Al- Hur al- 'Amily(184) found other suitable books for Islamic rules. He has added their
contents to those of the four books mentioned- above. So, he has written his book called
'Tafsil Wasai'l Al- Shi'a'. So, he has reported eighty tradition books from al- Sadiq with out
means and seventy tradition books with means.
Finally, al- 'Allama (the scholar) al- Nury Mirza Husayn(185) studied many books. He found
them good for issuing Islamic rules. So, he has written his book called Mustadrak Al- Wasa'il.
The above- mentioned books have been specialized to Islamic rules. Ethics and manners have
not been collected in the four books except al-Kafi. Most traditions which have been
mentioned in these books are on the authority of al- Sadiq, peace be on him. And if you want
to count the books on the traditions on the authority of al- Sadiq, his grandfathers, and his
children, you will be tired of counting. For example, Shaykh al- Saduq Mohammed b. 'Ali b.
Babawayh has written tens of books which contain the traditions of ahl al Bayt.
What al- Majlisy has collected in his book Bihar Al- Anwar denotes the plentiful traditions of
Ahl al Bayt.
Although this book has strong and weak traditions as the other big books have, you will find
their plenty when you read some volumes of it.(186) It is strange that this comprehensive
book does not have all the traditions of ahl al- Bayt So, the great scholar Mirza Mohammed
al- Tehrani collected many traditions of ahl al- Bayt in his book called 'Mustdrak al-Bihar'.