A Study of the Hadith Methodology of Allamah Ibrahim bin Muhammad al-San’ ani in his Manuscript "Ishraq al-Isbah fi Manaqib al-Khamsah al-Ashbah

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student in Comparative Hadith Sciences, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran

2 Corresponding author, Assistant Professor and Faculty Member, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran

10.22034/pht.2025.16778.1475

Abstract

In every nation, cultural heritage forms its identity; Thus, people without heritage are people without identity, and whoever seeks to erase the identity of a nation must begin by obscuring its heritage. This research sheds light on one of the significant manuscripts within Islamic heritage, dating back to the 8th century AH. It was authored by a prominent scholar of the Zaydī school and focuses on the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Its title is Ishrāq al-Iṣbāḥ fī Manāqib al-Khamsah al-Ashbāḥ (The Radiance of Dawn on the Virtues of the Five Luminaries), by al- ‘Allāmah Ibrāhīm ibn  Muḥammad ibn  ‘Alī al-Ṣan ‘ānī al-Ḥaḍramī (d. after 753 AH). The significance of this study lies in its unveiling of the author’s personality and biography, which major biographical dictionaries have largely overlooked, except for a few lines by scholars of his own school of thought. Furthermore, it aims to bring to light one of the esteemed works within Zaydī heritage that has not yet been published, remaining in its original manuscript form. This is achieved by examining the author’s methodology in compiling this valuable volume. To accomplish the objectives of this research, we employed the scholarly method of manuscript verification, which involved gathering and studying copies, collating them, and addressing challenges encountered along the way. In addition, we utilized descriptive-analytical and interpretive methodologies to obtain the required information, relying on heritage manuscripts and public libraries. The most important conclusion of this article is the necessity of a precise, scholarly verification of this book. This entails correcting the text, tracing its sources, and comparing its narrations with the foundational hadith sources extant among both the Imāmī and Sunni schools. Beyond the intrinsic scholarly value of such an endeavor, it may also serve as an important contribution to strengthening the narratives concerning the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), reinforcing them both in text and chain of transmission.

Keywords


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