Maʿānī al-ʾAkhbār

By: Shaykh Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Ṣaduq

Translator: Basel Kadem

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Maʿānī al-Akhbār, meaning "The Meanings of Reports," is an essential compilation by the eminent Shīʿī scholar al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, renowned for his profound knowledge of Ḥadīth and jurisprudence. This scholarly work, completed in the fourth/tenth century, collects and elucidates approximately 500 terms from the Qurʾān, Ḥadīths, theology, jurisprudence, and other Islamic sciences, leveraging narratives from Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Maʿānī al-Akhbār provides rich insights into various aspects of Islam, organised into five primary categories: Ḥadīths on Qurʾānic exegesis, jurisprudential Ḥadīths, theological, ethical, and historical Ḥadīths. The book comprises 809 Ḥadīths, arranged into 429 diverse sections, each shedding light on particular terminologies or concepts, ranging from widely recognized phrases to in-depth theological principles. Distinctive features of Maʿānī al-Akhbār include the author's rigorous scholarly approach to narrations, noting the time and location of some Hadith's transmission, and reference to lexicological experts' opinions. al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq also articulates his theological arguments, referencing other sources, and often clarifying the true meaning of famous Sunnī Ḥadīths through Shīʿī chains of transmission. The book's unique focus on explaining ambiguities and problems within Ḥadīths, using the explanations provided from the Ahl al-Bayt's (as), is what sets it apart from other works. Maʿānī al-Akhbār is praised for its distinctive subject matter and methodology, offering unrivalled insight into understanding and interpreting key terms and concepts in Islamic sciences.