Quran & Hadith

Detailed commentary on 40 selected traditions narrated through the Prophet (S) and his Ahl al-Bayt (a) on topics of ethics and spirituality, including jihad al-nafs. Second revised edition. The original work in Persian, recently published under the title “Arba’in, ya chihil hadith” was written by Imam al-Khumayni forty-six years ago and was completed in the month of Muharram 1358 (April-May, 1939). The manuscript of this work, together with that of two other unpublished works of the author, Sharh Du’ae sahar, and Adab al-salat, were recovered from the library of the late Ayatullah Akhund al-Hamadani. All the three works have now been published.

40 selected traditions narrated through the Prophet [s] and his Ahl al-Bayt [a] on the topic of Parents and their high status in Islam.

Imam Zayn al-'Abidin's `Treatise on Rights' is the only work attributed to him other than supplications or relatively short sayings and letters. The `Treatise on Rights' elaborates on a well-known saying of the Prophet, which has been transmitted in a rather large number of versions, because he repeated it in many different contexts.

The book, although short, distills many volumes into its pages and is like the synopsis of a major commentary. It brings out the significance of the Qur’an for the life of Muslims, the features of the sacred Text which seems enigmatic, the inner and outer levels of meaning of the Text and the sciences of the Qur’anic exegesis. It also treats in a clear and direct manner the Shi’ite understanding of the Qur’an and the role of the Imams in its interpretation. It is a veritable prolegomenon to the study of the Sacred Book, and it is perhaps the most accessible introduction available in English to the study of the Qur’an as traditionally understood by the mainstream of Shi’ite thought, in fact Islamic exegetical thought in general.