مهدی بیات مختاری

Faḍl ibn Shādhān Nīshābūrī (d. 260 AH/874 AD), who resided in Neishabur and was among the companions of Imam Riḍā (AS), severely criticized Dualism (Thanawīyyah), Trinitarianism (Tathlīthīyyah), Murjiʻah, Khawārij, Ahl al-Hadith, Mu'tazilah, Zaidiyyah, Waqifiyyah, and Isma'iliyyah in his refutations. His refutations indicate the active presence of these theological groups in Neishabur. Therefore, the opponents and audience of Imam Riḍā (AS) upon his arrival in Neishabur were four groups: Zanadiqa (dualists and Manichaeans) and Thanawīyyah (dualists); Trinitarians; groups of the Caliphate school; and branches of Shi'ism. Imam Riḍā (AS), by reporting three Hadiths of Silsilat al-Dhahab – "Shafaqat" (compassion), "Faith" and "Ḥiṣn" (fortress) – to thousands of Nīshābūrīans , identified all those beliefs and religions as misguided and unstable. He sought to highlight the discourse of Shi'i thought. Undoubtedly, the selection of these Hadiths at that historical juncture arose from the exigencies of the time and habitat. In addition to theoretical-cognitive functions, Imam Riḍā (AS) presented at least four miracles and charismatic acts to establish his own legitimacy and that of the Shi'i school: "Planting a healing almond tree; determining the Qibla (direction of prayer) of Neishabur; causing a spring to flow; and healing an injured person." The author of these lines, by library-based collection of the aforementioned data and presenting it in an analytical-descriptive manner, has endeavored to provide a documented and insightful article.

There is no doubt about the reception and stop of Imam Riḍā (AS) in Nīshābūr during his transfer to Merw; however, there is inconsistency in the sources regarding those who held the reins of his mount and those who requested the narration of hadith.  The present study, by compiling a library of research papers and presenting them in an analytical-descriptive manner, aims to provide a documented demarcation of the individuals who made the request. Aḥmad ibn Ḥarb Nīshābūrī (d. 234 AH), Ibn Rāhwayh (d. 238 AH), Muḥammad ibn Aslam Ṭūsī (d. 242 AH), Muḥammad ibn Rāfiʻ Qushayrī Nīshābūrī (d. 245 AH), Yāsīn ibn Naḍr Nīshābūrī (d. 252 AH), Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā Nīshābūrī (d. 226 AH), and Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā Dhuhlī Nīshābūrī (d. 258 AH) are those whose names have been reported by reliable sources; however, including Abū Zurʻah Rāzī (d. 264 AH), Ibn Khuzaymah Sullamī Nīshābūrī (d. 311 AH), Abū Alī Thaqafī Nīshābūrī (d. 328 AH), Ᾱdam ibn Abī Ayās ʻAsqalānī (d. 220 AH), Naṣr ibn Alī Jahḍamī Rāzī Ḥanafī (d. 250 AH), and Muʻallā ibn Manṣūr Rāzī  Ḥanafī   (d. 211 AH) among them is shaky, and the evidence does not support it. These individuals were either not yet born, were not of an age to comprehend hadith, or lived in other regions.  Shia scholars must avoid accusations of historical distortion and fabrication by relying on authentic narrations.

The writings of Shaykh Ṣadūq (d. 381 AH) increasingly contain narrations from " Faḍl ibn Shādhān "(d. 260 AH) from Imam Riḍā (AS). Over the past centuries, theologians and jurists have relied on these reports as a basis for their arguments and interpretations in theological and jurisprudential matters. However, Professor Muḥammad Baqir Behboudi, citing the Rijāl of Kashshī and Ṭūsī , claims that " Ibn Shādhān "was born after the martyrdom of Imam Riḍā (AS) and thus considers those narrations to be unreliable. In his view, the responsibility for attributing the narration of " Faḍl " from Imam Riḍā (AS) lies with " ʻAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Qutayba ," whom he deems to be a false and untrustworthy individual. In contrast, the author of this article, through a review of the Rijāl of Kashshī and Ṭūsī and other sources, and by considering various evidences, reaches a different conclusion in both areas, positing that Ibn Shādhān was born around the year 180 AH or earlier, which would allow for the possibility of reporting from Imam Riḍā (AS) (who died in 203 AH). Moreover, the reports from " ʻAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Qutayba "recognized as a Shiʻa narrator and theologian contemporary with Imam Hādī and Imam ʻAskarī (AS), are transmitted in " Tehdhīb al-Aḥkām ," " al-Istibṣār ," " Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhul Faqīh ," and the writings of Shaykh Ṣadūq as well as other foundational Hādīth sources. The author, through a deep exploration of the statements of Kashshī, Najāshī, Ṭūsī, Ḥillī , and other experts in the field of Rijāl such as Mirdāmād, Wahid Behbahani, Shūshtarī, and Zanjani, firmly establishes that " Ibn Shādhān "is a highly esteemed scholar, trustworthy, and one of the eminent luminaries of the Ahl al-Bayt school of thought.