Sayyid Murtada and Lack of Validity of Isolated Traditions in Concern with Common-among-Public Issues
It is known to us that despite the variety in the resources for inferring religious regulations, the main role in independent reasoning in this regard is played by appealing to the conduct of the prophet PBUH, which is available through the traditions; however, these traditions are not credible, unless there are evidences for their validity. The validity of a widely transmitted narration results from its being repeatedly narrated. However, most of the available traditions are isolated traditions and they have not been widely transmitted. Sometimes the traditions are neither isolated nor widely transmitted; such kinds of traditions are classified as “mostafiz”. The transmission number and concordance for such traditions is just about enough to result in relative validity. The external and contextual evidences for their credibility can increase the validity of such traditions.
Even if the latter kind of traditions is considered valid, the major portion of the available traditions still remains in need of conclusive evidences for their validity. Furthermore, the extent of confidence in traditions is relative and varies among different individuals in different cases.
Therefore, the discussion about different types of traditions, their classification and the evidence for their validity has been among major concerns since the very beginning of the development of hadith and fiqh resources, and one can find various views and considerable discrepancies in this regard. Along with the development of the science of osul-i fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence) and growth of the written sources in this area, this issue became a major category in the discussions. The significance of the role of “traditions” in a part of theological issues has increased its importance. Therefore, the theological arguments which are based on traditions, the principles and criteria for the validity of the traditions are taken into consideration.
The main question in all the discussions about traditions is: what are the boundaries for the validity of traditions. All the classifications and explanations for identification and evaluation of traditions has been the result of the attempts to answer the mentioned question. The validity of widely transmitted traditions has not been questioned much; so the major part of the concern in this field is about the validity of isolated traditions. After the approval of the validity of isolated traditions, one of the important questions has been to determine the issues for which the validity of isolated traditions is acceptable.
Sayyid Murtada does not basically believe in the validity of isolated traditions; however, one can notice a different view by him in this regard in one of his book, Masaa’il al-Nnaasiriyyaat. His view differentiates between the issues common among public and the issues not common among public. The distinction was welcomed by some of the jurists after Sayyid Murtada; however, it is not viewed so much favorable presently.
In this article after a review on the mentioned view by Sayyid Murtada and the others who followed him, we will conclude that by considering the reason of the isolated tradition, the mentioned view is defendable and acceptable and one cannot act according to the common-among-public religious regulations unless he or she makes sure of the existence of an isolated tradition in that regard.
Keywords: Sayyid Murtada, isolated tradition, common among public, Al-Nnasiriyyat
*. Associate Professor, The Research Center for The Islamic Sciences and Culture
