{"id":6758,"date":"2021-09-25T08:58:47","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T07:58:47","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2021-09-25T08:58:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T07:58:47","slug":"the-history-of-the-islamic-calendar-in-the-light-of-the-hijra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/6758\/the-history-of-the-islamic-calendar-in-the-light-of-the-hijra\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of the Islamic Calendar in the Light of the Hijra"},"content":{"rendered":"

The History of the Islamic Calendar in the Light of the Hijra<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The History of the Islamic Calendar in the Light of the Hijra: <\/strong>The period under discussion (95-148 A.H \/712-765 A.D.) began and ended in thetimes of the fifth and sixth Imams. The persecutions of the Shi\u2019is continued
\nunabated from Mu\u2019awiya\u2019s time to almost the very last days of the Umayyads,although this dynasty in its latter days was considerably weakened by internal strife.<\/p>\n

Zayd, the grandson of Husayn, rose up to establish the rule of religion
\nand justice in 122\/740, but he was felled by an arrow in his forehead, and his
\narmy of 15,000 fled. His body was exhumed by order of the Umayyad caliph, Hisham,
\nwas mutilated, beheaded and crucified in Kufa and left there for years on the
\ncross. Then Hisham\u2019s successor, al-Walid, ordered the body to be burned, and the
\nashes scattered on the banks of the Euphrates. Zayd\u2019s son, Yahya, rose up in
\nKhorasan; coincidently he also was killed by an arrow which pierced his brain.
\nHe was beheaded; the head was sent to al-Walid and the body crucified. This was
\nin 125\/743. The body remained on the cross till Abu Muslim al-Khurasani rose in
\nKhorasan and the call rose up against the Umayyads “to please the progeny of
\nMuhammad”, and Umayyad rule ended.<\/p>\n

But the persecution in itself was a major cause of the spread of the persecuted
\nShi\u2019a faith. Muhammad Jawad al-Mughniya writes: “The Shi\u2019is offered arguments from the Qur\u2019an and the traditions of the Prophet and advanced intellectual reasons to the effect that the love of the Prophet\u2019s family-members was obligatory, and that it was essential to follow them and to hold fast to their rope; that it was obligatory to keep aloof from their enemies. They wrote many books about their superiority and virtues. But none of these books or arguments proved as effective in strengthening and spreading the Shi\u2019a faith as did the policy of Mu\u2019awiya and his Umayyad successors. Surely the persecution carried out by the Umayyads was more effective than a thousand and one books or than a thousand and one proofs in proving the status of \u2018Ali and confirming his divine right to the Caliphate. [1] “\u2019 Dr. Taha Husain says: “So far as propagating beliefs and attracting people to follow them is concerned, nothing is more effective than persecution. It creates sympathy for those who undergo suffering, and are engulfed by tragedies, and who are subjected to pressure by the ruler. To the same degree it creates revulsion against this ruler who resorts to injustice, carries his tyrannies to the furthest limit and overburdens the population with hardships. For this reason, the Shi\u2019 a cause became great during the last decade of Mu\u2019awiya\u2019s reign, and their call spread -and what a spread it was-in the eastern Islamic countries and southern Arabia. And by the time Mu\u2019awiya had died, many people, and especially the general public in Iraq, believed that hate of Umayyads and love of the Ahl al Bayt was their religion.\u2019 [2] Wellhausen writes: “All the people of Iraq during Mu\u2019awiya\u2019s reign, and especially the Kufites were Shi\u2019i and this was not only among individuals but among whole tribes and chiefs of the tribes.” [3]<\/p>\n

Arabia, Iraq and Khorasan, together with the Yemen and Bahrain were in turmoil;
\nhatred of the Umayyads became an established factor of the body politic, and to
\nthe same degree people gravitated towards the descendants of \u2018Ali. Several
\nfactors led to this result:<\/p>\n

1. They were the Ahl al-Bayt; Allah had chosen that house for His Prophethood;
\nit was appropriate that the people should choose them for their guidance.<\/p>\n

2. They were the first to rise against the Umayyads and their tyrannies; they
\nwere the first to speak for the oppressed masses and to sacrifice their lives
\nfor this cause.<\/p>\n

3. Not only the Ahl al-Bayt, but even their Shi\u2019is, right from the beginning of
\nUmayyad rule, worked openly and secretly against those tyrants; and they faced
\nall the consequences: massacres, banishments, imprisonments, crucifixions, and
\nall types of torture. [4]<\/p>\n

Ibn al-Athir confirms that when the \u2018Abbasids joined this campaign towards the
\nend, “they were using the slogan that they wanted to avenge the murders of
\nHusayn, Zayd and Yahya.” [5]<\/p>\n

Wellhausen writes: “The \u2018Abbasids tried their utmost to keep secret from the
\npeople their intention that they wanted to replace the descendants of Fatima;
\ninstead, they pretended that they were doing whatever they were doing for the
\nsake of the Fatimids. They rose in Khorasan and other places claiming that they
\nwanted to avenge the martyrs of the children of Fatima.” [6]<\/p>\n

“The \u2018Abbasids rose in the name of the \u2018Alawites, and on the shoulders of their
\nShi\u2019is. (After the success) they changed their attitude towards them, and their
\noppression of the Shi\u2019is increased in magnitude and intensity.” [7]<\/p>\n

Muhammad Ahmad al-Buraq says: “The call really was for the \u2018Alawites, because
\nthe Khurasanis were attached to the descendants of \u2018Ali, not to the descendants
\nof Abbas. That is why as Saffah and his successors always kept their eyes open
\nand tried to prevent Shi\u2019ism from spreading further in Khorasan<\/p>\n

They encouraged the poets to praise them (i.e., the \u2018Abbasids) and gave them
\nrewards, and those poets used to cast aspersions against the descendants of
\n\u2018Ali.” [8]<\/p>\n

“This led the \u2018Abbasid \u2018caliphs\u2019 to renounce the faith of Ahl al-Bayt (which
\nthey had followed up to the beginning of their period of rule) and accept
\nSunnism, because they were afraid that if Shi\u2019ism spread, the rule would go to
\nthe \u2018Alawites. Thus the \u2018Abbasids faithfully followed the Umayyads in policy,
\nbelief and practice.” [9]<\/p>\n

Be that as it may, the Umayyads in their last days and the \u2018Abbasids in their
\nfirst days could not give much attention to the Shi\u2019 is. Thus the fifth Imam
\nstarted teaching his faith in Madina openly. People came to him from far and
\nwide to learn from him explanations of the Qur\u2019an, the traditions, rules of the
\nsharia, theology, etc. It was not a formal madrasa (university, school); yet,
\nfor want of a better word, we shall call it the madrasa of the Imam. The fifth
\nImam Muhammad Al-Baqir (95-114\/712-732) died before the madrasa had reached its
\npoint of perfection, but his son, the sixth Imam, Ja\u2019far As-Sadiq developed it
\nto such an extent that the number of his disciples exceeded four thousand. This
\ncontinued up to 132\/750 when the \u2018Abbasids came to power Although as-Saffah, the
\nfirst \u2018Abbasid caliph, ruled for only four years, and that time was mostly taken
\nup in consolidating his power, he found time to call the Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq to
\nhis capital, Hira, where he was held incommunicado. One man who wanted to see
\nhim had to disguise himself as a hawker of cucumber to reach the Imam.\u2019 [10] But
\nlater he came back to Madina.<\/p>\n

Then came al-Mansur (13S158\/754-775) whose only aim in life, it seems, was to
\nkill every descendant of \u2018Ali. The Shi\u2019is in general, and the \u2018Alawites in
\nparticular, were persecuted more brutally than they were during the reign of the
\nUmayyads. He put even more hindrance in the way of the Imam. “He forbade the
\npeople to go to the Imam, and forbade the Imam to sit (outside) to receive the
\npeople, and put the utmost pressure on him. So much so that if a problem
\nappeared in a Shi\u2019is life concerning, for example, marriage, divorce or some
\nother matter, and he had no knowledge of the rule of the sharia about it, he
\ncould not reach the Imam, and, as a result, the man and the wife had to
\nseparate. ” [11]<\/p>\n

After a long period, al-Mansur allowed the Imam to benefit the people with his
\ndivine knowledge, [12] but there were always spies to report his words and
\nanswers. Therefore, the Imam had to be cautious in his discourses. In short, the
\nperiod of freedom had gone, so far as the Shi\u2019is were concerned.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, this period coincided with the movement of free thinking which had
\nstarted in the Muslim world. Arabs came in contact with the older civilizations
\nof Iran, Syria and Egypt, and became acquainted with Zoroastrian and Manichean
\nbeliefs and Greek philosophy. Some books had already been translated from Greek
\nand other languages. Many scholars adopted strange beliefs and foreign ideas and
\nspread them among the common people. One finds a bewildering plethora of new
\nsects mushrooming. Atheism was openly advocated even in the great mosque of the
\nKa\u2019ba; the Murji\u2019ites, by saying that faith is not affected by deeds, supported
\nthe tyrannies of the rulers; the “exaggerators” (ghulat) claimed divinity for
\nthis or that human being (even the Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq was believed to be God
\nby Abul Khattab). The Kharijites declared that all Muslims who were opposed to
\nthem were infidels; The sufis adopted some ideas from Christian monks and Hindu
\nascetics, and led people away from Islamic monotheism; the traditionalists
\nflooded the Muslim world with forged traditions. In short, there was a deluge of
\nanti- Islamic ideals and ideas which inundated true Islam. Amidst this all,
\nthese two Imams guided to the truth.<\/p>\n

These Imams and their faithful disciples were the first to see this danger, and
\nthey were ready to fight it with their logical evidence. They defended the true
\nfaith, repulsed its enemies, and raised the standards of the shari\u2019a. They
\nlaunched an unremitting jihad (academic, of course) against the ghulat and
\nshowed them in their true colours. They argued with the Muttazilites, the
\nMurji\u2019ites, and the Kharijites in public and proved the weakness of their
\nstandpoints. They exposed the sufis and refuted their arguments. They corrected
\nwhat was wrong in the theological ideas of many Muslim scholars, and showed them
\nwhere they had gone wrong in jurisprudence.\u2019 [13]<\/p>\n

As we have explained above, the major part of this work was done by the Imam Ja\u2019
\nfar as-Sadiq. As a result of his untiring defence of Islam, the Muslim world
\ncame to see in him the only hope for the salvation of Islam. Eyes turned towards
\nhim, thinkers accepted the Imam as their “great-teacher”; people used to come
\ninto his presence with pen and paper ready, and his words were recorded on the
\nspot. Thousands of such notebooks were filled, and the words of the Imam Ja\u2019far
\nas-Sadiq attained the same prestige as those of the Messenger of God. Not only
\nthe Shi\u2019is, Sunnis, Mu\u2019tazilites and atheists, but also the Hindus and
\nChristians came to him and benefited from his discourses. The Sunni Imam, Malik
\nb. Anas, the founder of the Maliki school of law, said: “No eye ever saw, no ear
\never heard, and no heart ever imagined anyone superior to Ja\u2019far b. Muhammad in
\nvirtue, knowledge, worship and piety. [14]<\/p>\n

Ibn Shahr ashub writes: “So much knowledge has been narrated from as- Sadiq that
\nhas never been narrated from anyone else; and the scholars of traditions have
\ncollected the names of his trustworthy narrators of various beliefs and views,
\nand they were four thousand men.” Abu Na\u2019im writes in Hilyatu \u2018l-Awliya: “Malik
\nb. Anas, Shutba b. Hajjaj, Sufyan at-Thawri, Ibn Jarih, \u2018Abdullah b. \u2018Amr, Rawh,
\nb. Qasim, Sufyan b. \u2018Uyayna, Sulayman b. Bilal, Isma\u2019il b. Ja\u2019far, Hakim b.
\nIsma\u2019il, \u2018Abdu l-\u2019Aziz b. Mukhtar, Wuhayb b. Khalid, Ibrahim b. Tahman, among
\nothers \u2026, narrated from Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq, peace be upon him.” [15] Quoting from
\nothers, Ibn Shahr \u2018ashub has added the names of the Sunni Imams Malik, ash-Shat
\nand Ahmad b. Hanbal, and al-Hasan b. as-Salih, Abu Ayyub as-Sajistani and \u2018Umar
\nb. Dinar. [16]<\/p>\n

Hasan b. Ziyad says that Imam Abu Hanifa (founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni
\nlaw) was asked about the most learned man he had seen. He replied: “Ja\u2019far b.
\nMuhammad.” [17]<\/p>\n

Nuh b. Darraj asked Ibn Abi Layla: “Would you leave (i.e. change) an opinion you
\nhave expressed or a judgment you have delivered for any other person\u2019s words?”
\nHe said: “No. Except one man.” Nuh asked: “And who is he?” He said: “Ja\u2019far b.
\nMuhammad.”\u2019 [18]<\/p>\n

The above is only a partial list of Sunni scholars and Imams who came to the
\nImam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq and benefited from his teachings. Add to it the names of
\nthe sufis, atheists, Hindus and Kharijites who flocked to his madrasa, and one
\ncan appreciate what a treasure of knowledge was given to people by the Imam.<\/p>\n

When others benefitted so much, how much more must have been gathered by the
\nShi\u2019is. One of his well-known disciples, Aban b. Taghlib, narrated from him
\nthirty thousand traditions. Hasan b. Ali al-Washsha\u2019 said: “I found in the
\nmosque of Kufa nine hundred shaykhs, every one of them saying \u2018Ja\u2019far b.
\nMuhammad told me \u2026\u2019 ” [19]<\/p>\n

In al-Munjid we find: “His (Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq\u2019s) madrasa was the continuation of
\nhis father\u2019s (al-Baqir\u2019s) madrasa, and was extremely successful in spreading
\nIslamic culture; the number of its students in Madina was at least 4,000, and
\nthey came from all Muslim countries. There was a large branch-school in Kufa.
\nOne of the greatest achievements of as-Sadiq was his call to write and edit;
\nbefore that little writing was done. The number of the books written by his
\nstudents was at least four hundred by four hundred writers.” [20]<\/p>\n

The Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Muzaffar writes: “The best days for the Shi\u2019is
\nwere the transition period, the last years of the Umayyads and the early years
\nof the\u2019Abbasids \u2026 The Shi\u2019is took advantage of this breathing space to drink
\nfrom the stream of the knowledge of the Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq; they traveled to
\nhim to receive from him the commands of religion and its reality. His disciples
\nnarrated from him in every branch of knowledge, as is seen in the Shi\u2019is books.
\nHis disciples were not only from the Shi\u2019a community, but all the sects narrated
\nfrom him, as is clearly mentioned in the books of, hadith and rijal.<\/p>\n

Ibn \u2018 Uqdah, the Shaykh at-Tusi and the Muhaqqiq enumerated his narrators, and
\nthe total came to four thousand.” [21]<\/p>\n

This open teaching and unrestricted preaching increased the number of the Shi\u2019is
\nin every region throughout the Muslim world. It is not possible to give a list
\nof well-known Shi\u2019s scholars and missionaries of that time, as it would be too
\nlengthy. The teachings and explanations of the Imams removed the veils of
\nambiguity from the Shi\u2019i faith and showed its teachings in clear terms.
\nTheology, explanation of the Qur\u2019an, morality, jurisprudence, in short every
\nbranch of religious knowledge, was explained in a clear perspective. The faith
\nhad not changed an iota, nor the Qur\u2019anic explanations, nor the traditions; but
\nthe discussions and arguments with the newly-appeared sects clarified many fine
\npoints and gave Shi\u2019i theology its distinct shape. Also, Shi\u2019i fiqh (law) was so
\ndeveloped at this time that people started calling it the Ja\u2019fari school of law.
\nThe Shaykh Mustafa \u2018Abdur\u2019 Razzaq of al-Azhar University says: “The eagerness to
\ncodify law came to the Shi\u2019is earlier than to other Muslims.” [22]<\/p>\n

Some of the factors which helped in this development were:<\/p>\n

1. The intellectual advancement of the Muslims;<\/p>\n

2. The fortuitousness of the transitional period between the Umayyads and the
\n\u2018Abbasids;<\/p>\n

3. The gatherings of thousands of eager disciples.<\/p>\n

Such favourable factors never came together before or after this period, and
\nthat is why other Imams could not do as much, although all of them possessed the
\nsame divine knowledge.<\/p>\n

That knowledge was not confined to religious subjects only, and we shall mention
\nin the next part of this article two examples of the contributions of this
\nmadrasa to other branches of knowledge.<\/p>\n

Part II<\/p>\n

In part I we examined the prominence of the school of the Imam Ja\u2019far as- Sadiq
\nin the religious sciences, and discussed the reasons for its pre-eminence. Now
\nwe shall see how it also contributed to other branches of knowledge, those of
\nthe natural sciences.<\/p>\n

(a) Chemistry: Jabir b. Hayyan (the Geber of the Latins), who has been
\ncalled one of the \u2018fathers of chemistry\u2019 and \u2018the most famous Arabic alchemist\u2019
\n[23], was one of the students of the Imam Ja\u2019far, as-Sadiq. The quantity of
\nJabir\u2019s output is quite staggering: besides his writings in chemistry, he wrote
\n1,300 treatises on mechanics, 500 on medicine, and 500 against Greek philosophy,
\nnot to mention other subjects. The number of his books which have been printed
\nin Latin, French and German since the 17th century comes to thirty, if we count
\nhis \u2019500 booklets\u2019 as one book. There are 36 known manuscripts of his works in
\nthe British Museum, the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris and in other libraries in
\nGermany. Egypt, Iran and Turkey. The extent to which he is indebted to the Imam
\nJa\u2019far as-Sadiq in his research and teachings may be judged from the fact that
\nin many of his books we find: \u2018My master and mawla. Ja\u2019far. peace be upon him,
\ntold me that \u2026\u2019, and in his book, \u2018al Manfa\u2019a\u2019 he explicitly says: \u2018I acquired
\nthis knowledge from Ja\u2019far b. Muhammad, the leader of the people in his time.\u2019
\n[24]<\/p>\n

George Sarton, referring to Jabir\u2019s untranslated work, writes: \u2018We find in them
\nremarkably sound views on methods of chemical research; a theory on the geologic
\nformation of metals; the so-called sulphur-mercury theory of metals \u2026;
\npreparation of various substances (e.g., basic lead carbonate; arsenic; and
\nantimony from their sulphides). Jabir deals also with various applications,
\ne.g., refinement of metals, preparation of steel. dyeing of cloth and leather,
\nvarnishes to waterproof cloth and protect iron, use of manganese dioxide in
\nglass making, use of iron pyrites for writing in gold, distillation of vinegar
\nto concentrate acetic acid. He observed the imponderability of mag- netic
\nforce.\u2019 [25] He also discovered that each metal and material had a basic weight;
\nhe called this \u2018the knowledge of weights, \u2018ilm al-mawazin.\u2019 [26] He was, in the
\nwords of Sarton: \u2018a very great personality, one of the greatest in mediaeval
\nscience.\u2019 [27]<\/p>\n

Several of his writings have been translated by scholars such as M. Berthelot,
\nOctave Hodas, E. J. Holmyard, Ernst Darmstaedter and Max Mayerhoff. Berthelot
\nwrote in his \u2018History of Chemistry\u2019: \u2018The name Jabir holds the same place in the
\nhistory of chemistry which the name of Aristotle holds in the history of logic.\u2019
\n[28] Holmyard wrote: \u2018Jabir was the student and friend of Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq; and
\nhe found in his incomparable Imam a supporter and helper, the trustworthy guide
\nand helmsman whose direction is always needed. And Jabir wanted to free
\nchemistry, through the direction of his teacher, from the myths of the ancients
\nwhich had held it in shackles since Alexandria; and he succeeded to a great
\nextent in this aim.\u2019 [29]<\/p>\n

(b) Anatomy: A Hindu physician attached to the court of al-Mansur once
\nasked the Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq if he wanted to learn something in this field
\nfrom him. The Imam said: \u2018No. What I have is better than what you have.\u2019 Then
\nbegan a very interesting discourse, in which the Imam asked the physician
\nquestions like these: Why is the head covered with hair? Why are there lines and
\nwrinkles on the forehead? Why are the eyes shaped like almonds? Why has the nose
\nbeen placed between the eyes? Why are the hair and the nails without life
\n(sensation)? These questions moved from the head downwards, till he ended up by
\nasking: Why do the knees fold backwards, and why is the foot hollow on one side?
\nTo all these questions, the physician had only one reply: \u2018I do not know.\u2019 The
\nImam said: \u2018But I do know.\u2019 Then he explained all the questions, showing the
\nwisdom and power of the Creator. The hair is created over the head so that oil
\nmay reach inside, and heat may go out through it, and so that it may protect the
\nhead from heat and cold. There are lines and wrinkles on the forehead so that
\nsweat from the head does not reach the eyes. giving the person a chance to wipe
\nit away. The eyes are almond-shaped so as to make it easy to put medicine inside
\nthem and remove dirt from them. Had they been square or round, both would have
\nbeen difficult. The nose is put between the eyes as it helps to divide the light
\nequally towards both eyes. The hair and nails lack sensation to make it easier
\nto cut and trim them. If there were life in them it would have hurt a person to
\ncut them. The knees fold backwards because human beings walk forward, and the
\nfoot is hollow to make movement easier.\u2019 The physician became a convert to
\nIslam. [30]<\/p>\n

A booklet which was dictated by the Imam Ja\u2019far as-Sadiq in four sessions to his
\ndisciple Mufaddal b. \u2018Umar was widely narrated, and has been widely studied and
\ncopied to the present day; al-Majlisi copied the whole book into the second
\nvolume of his \u2018Bihar al Anwar\u2019. [31] In this book, the Imam explained the
\nwonders of creation, showing at every stage how all of it is inter related and
\ncould not have come into being by chance. In the first session, he explained the
\ncreation of man, his organs of perception, the power of his mind, his gradual
\ndevelopment. and all the functions of body and mind. In the second session. he
\nexplained the animal world and its common features; then he divided animals into
\ngroups: carnivorous and herbivorous animals; birds and reptiles; and so forth,
\nexplaining every group\u2019s special characteristics. In the process of doing this
\nhe described the donkey. the dog, the elephant, the giraffe, the monkey,
\ndomestic mammals, reindeer, the fox, the dolphin, the pythom the ant, the
\nspider, the chicken, the peacock the pheasant, the flamingo, the sparrow, the
\nowl, the bat, the bee, the locust and fish. The third session was devoted to
\ngeography. geology. astronomy (not astrology) and other related subjects, such
\nas minerals, trees and medicine. In the last session the Imam dealt with the
\nmost common objection made by atheists: If there is a Creator, then why is there
\nso much suffering in the world? The Imam answered this with the same attention
\nto detail as he had shown in the previous sessions, with systematic arguments.
\nThis book is a treasure of knowledge, written to refute the ideas of atheists.
\nEverywhere the Imam draws attention to the wisdom and power of the Creator. Two
\nexamples will be given here at random. \u2018Allah created eyesight to perceive
\ncolours; had there been colour but no eye to see it, there would have been no
\nuse for colour. And He created hearing to perceive sounds: had there been sounds
\nbut no ear to hear them, there would have been no reason to have them. The same
\nis true for all kinds of perception. and the same is true in the opposite sense:
\nhad there been eyesight but no colour to see, eyesight would have been useless;
\nand if there had been ears, but no sounds to hear, ears would also have been
\nuseless. Now, see how Allah has gauged everything to fit with everything else.
\nFor every organ of perception he made something for it to perceive, and for
\nevery sensory phenomenon something to perceive it. Not only that. but He created
\nthe medium between the organs of perception and their objects, without which
\nperception could not take place; for example, light and air: if there were no
\nlight eyesight could not perceive colour; and if there were no air to carry
\nsounds to the ear, it could not hear them. Can someone with a sound mind who
\nobserves all these interconnected phenomena fail to admit that they could not
\nexist without the Will and Measuring of a Merciful, All-Knowing Creator?\u2019 [32]<\/p>\n

At one point Mufaddal said: \u2018O My Master! Some people think that all this was
\nmade by nature \u2018 The Imam dictated: \u2018Ask them about this nature. Is it a thing
\nwhich has the knowledge and power for such work? Or is it without knowledge and
\npower? If they say that it has knowledge and power, then why should they
\ndisbelieve in a Creator, because these [i.e., knowledge and power] are His
\nattributes. And if they think that nature does it without knowledge and will,
\nand yet there is so much wisdom and perfection in these works, they must admit
\nthat it could come only from a Wise Creator. [The fact is that] nature is only
\n[a name for] the system in creation which operates as He has made it operate.\u2019
\n[33]<\/p>\n

There is an interesting aside in the fourth day\u2019s session, where the Imam said:
\n\u2018The name of the universe in Greek is qusmus (kosmos), and it means \u2018adornment\u2019.
\nThis name was given to it by their philosophers and wise men. Could they have
\nnamed it so except because of the order and system which they found there? They
\nwere not content to call it a system; they called it an \u2018adornment\u2019 to show that
\nthe order and system found therein has the highest degree of beauty and
\nsplendour.\u2019 [34]<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] Muhammad Jawad al Mughniya, ash Shia wal Hakimun, al Maktab al Ahliya,
\nBeirut, 1st edition 1961, p. 75<\/em><\/p>\n

[2] Taha Husain, Ali wa Banuh as quoted in ash Shia, p. 80<\/em><\/p>\n

[3] J. Wellhausen, al Khawarij wa shia (trans into Arabic of his The Kharijites
\nand the Shi\u2019ites ed. 1985 p. 499) quoted by M. J. al Mughniya in his ash Shia
\nwat Tashayyu, Maktaba al Madrasa wa Dar al Kitab al Libnani, Beirut, note 8 p.
\n68<\/em><\/p>\n

[4] M. J al Mughniya, as shia wat Tashayyu, pp. 134-5<\/em><\/p>\n

[5] Ibn al Athir, al Kamil fi t Tarikh, Beirut, 1975, vol. 4 pp 330-2<\/em><\/p>\n

[6] J. Wellhausen, Tarikh ad Dawlati l Arabiya (trans into Arabic of his History
\nof the Arabs), p. 489, quoted by M. J. al Mughniya is his ash Shia wa l Hakimun,
\np. 135<\/em><\/p>\n

[7] M. J. al Mughniya, op cit pp 135-6<\/em><\/p>\n

[8] Muhammad Ahmad al Buraq, Abu l Abbas as Saffah, as quoted in as Shia wal
\nHakimun, p. 134<\/em><\/p>\n

[9] M. J. al Mughniya, op cit p. 139<\/em><\/p>\n

[10] Muhammad Baqir al Majlisi, Bihar al Anwar, new edition, Tehran, 1385 A.H,
\nvol. 47, p. 171 quoting Qutb al Din ar Rawandi, al Kharaij wa l Jaraih, p. 234<\/em><\/p>\n

[11] Ibn Shahr ashub, Manaqib, vol. 4 al Matba al Alimiya, Qum, p. 238<\/em><\/p>\n

[12] ibid, many similar reports are given in Fadl b. Hasan at Tabarsi, al
\nIhtijaj, and al Majlisi, op cit<\/em><\/p>\n

[13] ibid<\/em><\/p>\n

[14] Ibn Hajar al Asqalani, Tadhib al Tadhib, Hyderabad, 1325 A.H, vol. 2, p.
\n104<\/em><\/p>\n

[15] Ibn Shahr ashub, Manaqab, vol. 4 p 247-8<\/em><\/p>\n

[16] Ibn Shahr ashub, op cit, p. 248<\/em><\/p>\n

[17] ibid, p. 254<\/em><\/p>\n

[18] ibid, p. 249<\/em><\/p>\n

[19] Muhsin al Amin, Ayan ash Shia, vol. 4 Part II, Mathah al Imaf, Ebirut, ed.
\n1380\/1920<\/em><\/p>\n

[20] Al Munjid fi l Alam, Beirut (21st ed.) 1973<\/em><\/p>\n

[21] Muhammad Husayn al Muzaffar, Tarikh ash Shia, Dar az Zahra, Beirut, 3rd
\nedition 1402\/1982 pp. 53, 55<\/em><\/p>\n

[22] M. Abdur Razzaq, Tahmid li Tarikh al Falsafat al Islamiy, Cairo, 1959, p.
\n202<\/em><\/p>\n

[23] G. Sarton. Introduction to the History of Science, vol. 1. Baltimore. 1927.
\np. 532.<\/em><\/p>\n

[24] \u2018Abdullah Nima. Falasifat ash Shi\u2019a, Beirut, 1966. p. 196. This book is an
\nexcellent source for those who wish to examine the contribution of Shiah
\nscholars to philosophy and science. The author discusses Jabirs life and
\ncontribution between pp. 184 and 231.<\/em><\/p>\n

[25] G. Sarton. op. cit., p. 532. For the Imam Ja\u2019far as Sadiq. see, ibid.. p.
\n508.<\/em><\/p>\n

[26] Quoted by Abdullah Ni\u2019ma. op. cit., pp. 61. 187.<\/em><\/p>\n

[27] G. Sarton. op. cit., p. 532.<\/em><\/p>\n

[28] Quoted by \u2018Abdullah Ni\u2019ma. op. cit., p. 187.<\/em><\/p>\n

[29] Quoted by \u2018Abdullah Niima. ibid., pp. 193-4.<\/em><\/p>\n

[30] ash-Shaykh as-Saduq, Ilal ash shari\u2019a, n.p., 1311. p. 44.<\/em><\/p>\n

[31] al Majlisi, Bihar al Anwar. new ed.. vol. 111, pp. 57-151.<\/em><\/p>\n

[32] ibid.,p.69.<\/em><\/p>\n

[33] ibid., p. 67. 34. ibid., p. 146.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The History of the Islamic Calendar in the Light of the Hijra The History of the Islamic Calendar in the Light of the Hijra: The period under discussion (95-148 A.H \/712-765 A.D.) began and ended in thetimes of the fifth and sixth Imams. The persecutions of the Shi\u2019is continued unabated from Mu\u2019awiya\u2019s time to almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7759],"tags":[13763,20884,7866,9546,19650,20196,19669,20318],"class_list":["post-6758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","tag-ahl-al-bayt-a-s","tag-calander","tag-history","tag-islam","tag-shia","tag-shia-imams","tag-shia-studies-world-assembly","tag-shia-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6758\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}