Sayyed Mohammad Hakak; Mohammad Reza Movahedi Najaf-Abadi
Volume 4, Issue 8 , July 2014, , Pages 43-57
Abstract
The first hadith of the chapter ‘Huduth al-Asma’ in Usul al-Kafi, which is one of the most difficult and problematic hadiths and is known as the hadith of ‘Huduth al-Asma’, consists of significant knowledge prevalent in the narratives of the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.). Because of its ...
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The first hadith of the chapter ‘Huduth al-Asma’ in Usul al-Kafi, which is one of the most difficult and problematic hadiths and is known as the hadith of ‘Huduth al-Asma’, consists of significant knowledge prevalent in the narratives of the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.). Because of its attractive content, the hadith has been an object of various interpretations. According to this hadith, which accounts for the sequence, degree, and plurality of the Divine Names, the first creature is a name with four components, one of which is under the veil of the three others. Each of these three components or names has four pillars, and each pillar has thirty names. Thus, the sum total of the names amounts to three hundred and sixty names. At the end of the hadith, there is an exegesis of the 110th Verse of Surat Al-'Isrā' that says “Say, ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names.’” Among the different interpretations of this hadith, the ones by Mulla Sadra in Sharh Usul al-Kafi and Allameh Tabataba’i in Al-Mizan and Risalah al-Asma are the most important and influential interpretations. In this paper, the two interpretations are explained and analyzed comparatively.
