Kitāb al-Ghayba
The Book of Occultation
By: Abū ʿAbd Allah Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm al-Nuʿmānī
Translator: Abdullah al-Shahin
Kitāb al-Ghayba, written by al-Shaykh Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm al-Nuʿmānī is a vital work regarding the occultation of the 12th Imam (a). This is for a variety of reasons, the first of which is considering the early authorship of this work— which seems to have been penned very shortly after the end of the minor occultation. Additionally, al-Nuʿmānī had the privilege of acquiring Ḥadīth from the great scholar al-Shaykh al-Kulaynī. The work itself consists of approximately 478 narrations which are spread across twenty-six chapters. The narrations themselves span a variety of topics, from discussions on the Imamate, the hardships and trials of the Shīʿa, signs of the Imam’s reappearance, and matters that speak of the nature of the governance of the Imam post-occultation. The traditions are chaptered in an excellent manner, making it easy for the reader to navigate— yet unlike other works written in this genre, the author rarely comments on the traditions within and allow them to speak for themselves.
1 | Introduction
Section 2
Chapter 1
12 AḥadīthPreserving the secret of the Prophet’s Family
Chapter 2
2 AḥadīthKeeping to the “Rope” Of Allah
Chapter 3
7 AḥadīthThe Imamate and the Will
Chapter 4
40 AḥadīthTwelve imams determined by Allah
Chapter 5
13 AḥadīthPretenders of being imams
Chapter 6
25 AḥadīthThe traditions narrated by the Sunni
Chapter 7
19 AḥadīthDoubting any of the twelve imams
Chapter 8
10 AḥadīthAllah does not leave the world with no authority (Hujjah)
Chapter 9
5 AḥadīthAl-Hujjah must appear
Chapter 10
89 AḥadīthDisappearance of the expected Imam
Chapter 11
17 AḥadīthBeing patient in waiting for deliverance
Chapter 12
19 AḥadīthDisagreement among the Shia during the disappearance
Chapter 13
45 AḥadīthAl-Qa’im’s aspects and deeds
Chapter 14
68 AḥadīthThe signs preceding the appearance
Chapter 15
7 AḥadīthThe distresses before the appearance of al-Qa’im
Chapter 16
15 AḥadīthForbidding timing and naming al-Qa’im
Chapter 17
6 AḥadīthThe distresses al-Qa’im meets from people
Chapter 18
18 AḥadīthThe rising of as-Sufyani
Chapter 19
5 AḥadīthThe Prophet’s banner
Chapter 20
12 AḥadīthThe army of anger
Chapter 21
10 AḥadīthThe Shia when al-Qa’im appears
Chapter 22
5 AḥadīthIslam began strange and returns strange
Chapter 23
4 AḥadīthThe age of al-Qa’im
Chapter 24
9 AḥadīthIssma’eel, the son of Imam as-Sadiq
Chapter 25
5 AḥadīthKnowing one’s imam
Thaqalayn
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