Rijālī-Historical Books

The Science of rijāl is one of the important branches of Islamic history. The Shi‘ites have given much attention to this particular field by meticulously recording the names of the companions of the Prophet and the Imams (‘a), as well as the chains of narrations. Although most of the early Shi‘ite works of rijāl have not survived, the most important of the extant works is the book al-Ikhtiyār Ma‘irfah al-Rijāl or Rijāl al-Kashshī as it is also known. It should be considered important from every aspect. Another important work is Rijāl al-Najāshī, which apart from its rijālī details, is a mine of information on Shi‘ite books of the early centuries of Islam as well as Shi‘ite cultural history. During the later eras, such works were not compiled as much as before, but every work compiled in this regard is important from the historical point of view. Among them are such books as al-Fihrist and al-Rijāl by Shaykh Tusī and also the al-Rijāl by ‘Allāmah Hilli. The valuable book al-Fihrist by Ibn Nadīm should also be considered a fully Shi‘ite work, something that has been duly proved. Ibn Abī Tayy, the Shi‘ite scholar of the seventh century AH (d. 630) wrote a book entitled Tabaqat al-Imāmiyyah which has unfortunately been lost. Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalānī has quoted from it in his al-Isābah on Yaghus Sahābī. Ibn Abī Tayy also wrote a history which was in chronological order. This work has also been given up for lost. A few quotations from it are found in Safdī’s Nukat al-Hamiyān on prominent blind figures.[31]

We should not overlook the books of ansab or geneology which are also in a way related to history. This science was prevalent among the Shi‘ite and two of the earliest books in this field are al-Mujdī and Sirr al-Silsilah. This branch in the history of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) cannot be overlooked.  A list of the scholars related to the late Ayatullāh Sayyid Shihāb al-Dīn Mar‘ashī Najafī has been mentioned in the introduction to Lubāb al-Ansāb. In addition to elaborating on the geneologies these books also mention historical issues. 

During the Safawid and Qajarid eras several encyclopaedic rijālī works such as Riyāz al-‘Ulamā’ and Rawzāt al-Jannāt were written, giving us more detailed historical information especially in the field of the history of culture.