Conclusion

Based on the above three collections of the teachers of the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt, and after studying the chains in the books of the Sunnah and the Shia, we decided to write down the following observation.

It appears that the scholars of Ahlul-Bayt narrate from quite a good number of teachers, most of which are venerable, reliable and popular scholars, this shows that they took their knowledge from the purest of sources. However, in the books of the Shia the chains appear to be missing the names of their teachers; we give some examples below to illustrate this matter and clarify what we mean.

In the books of Ahlul-Sunnah, Sunan al-Nasa’i al-Kubra 2/308:

أَخْبَرَنَا عُتْبَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قال: أَنْبَأَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قال: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ  يَقُولُ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ يَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيُثْنِي عَلَيْهِ بِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: ” مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، إِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَأَحْسَنَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَشَرُّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلُّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

[`Utbah bin `Abdullah told us, he said: Ibn al-Mubarak had told us, from Sufiyan, from Ja`far bin Muhammad, from his father, from Jabir ibn `Abdullah, he said: “Rasul-Allah (saw) used to say in his sermon (until he said) every invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the fire.”]

Whereas in the books of the Shia, Al-Kafi 1/56:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أَبَانٍ الْكَلْبِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ الْقَصِيرِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَة وَ كُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

[Some of our companions, from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin `Isa, from `Ali bin al-Hakam, from `Umar bin Abban al-Kabli, from `Abdul-Rahim al-Qasir, from abu `Abdillah (as), he said: Rasul-Allah (saw) said: “Every innovation is a misguidance and every misguidance is in the fire.”]

As you can see, the name of his father Muhammad who narrates from Jabir al-Ansari have been crossed out.

In the books of Ahlul-Sunnah, Sunan al-Nasa’i al-Kubra 6/180:

أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا حَرْبٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عُمَرَو، أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حُسَيْنِ ابْنِ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَهُ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ  قَالَ: ” مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَتَصَدَّقُ بِالصَّدَقَةِ، ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ فِيهَا، كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ، قَاءَ، ثُمَّ عَادَ فِي قَيْئِهِ، فَأَكَلَهُ

[Ishaq bin Mansour told us, he said: `Abdul-Samad told us, he said: Harb told us, he said: Yahya told me, he said: `Abdul-Rahman bin `Amro told me, that he was told by Muhammad the son of `Ali bin Husayn bin Fatimah bint Rasul-Allah (saw), from Sa`eed bin al-Musayyib, from `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, that the Prophet (saw) said: “The example of one who offers charity then takes it back, is like a dog who vomits then swallows his own vomit.”]

Whereas in the books of the Shia, Tahdheeb al-Ahkam 9/155:

عنه عن ابن أبي عمير عن حماد عن الحلبي عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: إنما مثل الذي يرجع في صدقته كالذي يرجع في قيئه

[From him (Husayn bin Sa`eed), from ibn abi `Umar, from Hammad, from al-Halabi, from abi `Abdillah (saw), he said: Rasul-Allah (saw) said: “The example of one who takes back his charity is like one who swallows his vomit.”]

Also here, nothing about his father narrating it from ibn al-Musayyib from ibn `Abbas, this was all removed.

In the books of Ahlul-Sunnah, Musnad Ahmad 44/139:

حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ حَدَّثَنَا الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْحَجُّ جِهَادُ كُلِّ ضَعِيفٍ

[Waki` told us, al-Qasim bin al-Fadl told us, from abu Ja`far Muhammad bin `Ali, from Umm Salamah that she said: Rasul-Allah (saw) said: “Pilgrimage is the struggle of every weak person.”]

Whereas in the books of the Shia, Al-Kafi 4/259:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ جُنْدَبٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) الْحَجُّ جِهَادُ الضَّعِيفِ

[`Ali bin Ibrahim, from his father, from ibn abi `Umayr, from Jundab, from abu `Abdillah (as) that he said: Rasul-Allah (saw) said: “Pilgrimage is the struggle of the weak.”]

Again, there is no mention of his father who in turn heard it from Umm Salamah.

This is not just restricted to identical narrations, also the popular Shi`ee narrators in the books of Ahlul-Sunnah narrate in a different manner than the way they are claimed to narrate in Shia books.

Jabir bin Yazid al-Ju`fi who dwelled in Kufa narrates from Ahlul-Bayt often and his narrations are preserved in the books of Ahlul-Sunnah, we read some of his chains:

Musannaf ibn abi Shaybah:

حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا جَابِرٌ الْجُعْفِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ  خَرَجَ وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ الصَّلَاةَ فَمَرَّ بِقِدْرٍ تَفُورُ

[Hushaym told us, he said: Jabir al-Ju`fi told us, from abu Ja`far, from ibn `Abbas that Rasul-Allah (saw) went out seeking prayer etc…]

Musnad al-Bazzar:

حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ: نا أَبُو دَاوُدَ، قَالَ: نا شَيْبَانُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ  احْتَجَمَ عَلَى قَرْنِ رَأْسِهِ وَهُوَ مُحْرِمٌ

[`Amro bin `Ali told us, he said: abu Dawud told us, he said: we were told by Shaybah – meaning ibn `Abdul-Rahman – from Jabir bin Yazid, from Muhammad bin `Ali, from `Abdullah bin Ja`far, that the Prophet (saw) made Hijamah etc…]

Tabaqat ibn Sa`d:

أَخْبَرَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى الْعَبْسِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ بُدَيْلِ بْنِ وَرْقَاءَ، قَالَ: أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ  أَيَّامَ التَّشْرِيقِ أَنْ أُنَادِيَ

[`Ubaydullah bin Musa al-`Absi told us, Isra’il told us, from Jabir, from Muhammad bin `Ali, from Budayl bin Warqa’ al-Khuza`i, he said: Rasul-Allah (saw) had ordered me on the days of etc…]

On the other hand, in the books of the Shia Jabir al-Ju`fi only narrates up until the al-Baqir and doesn’t continue the chain. Now a person may argue that this is Irsal and that sometimes narrators decide to make a Hadith Marfou` to the messenger (saw) without naming their teachers, this is understandable but the problem with the Shia narrations of Jabir al-Ju`fi is that he always stops at the Imam and we never find complete chains.

Let us give an example of a Jabir al-Ju`fi chain from al-Kafi 3/489:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) لِجَبْرَئِيلَ

[Some of our companions, from Ahmad bin Muhammad, from ibn abi `Umayr, from Jabir, from abu Ja`far (as), he said: Rasul-Allah (saw) told Jibreel etc…]

All of the man’s narrations in the books of the Shia are similar to this one; it is too much of a coincidence.

The same can be noticed about other Shia narrators, we will give two more examples starting with Abban bin Taghlib al-Jariri who also dwelled in Kufa.

Akhbar Asbahan li-abi Nu`aym:

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ الْمُقْرِئِ، ثنا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ الْعَلَوِيُّ، ثنا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ يَزِيدَ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْهَاشِمِيُّ، ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ خَلَفٍ، ثن مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو الرَّازِيُّ، ثنا أَبَانُ بْنُ تَغْلِبَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ  لَبَّى بِحَجَّةٍ وَعُمْرَةٍ مَعًا

[Abu Bakr al-Muqri’ told us, Yahya bin Muhammad bin Ahmad al-`Alawi told us, al-Husayn bin `Ali bin Yazid al-Naysaburi told us, Ja`far bin Muhammad bin Hasan bin Ja`far bin Hasan bin Husayn bin `Ali al-Hashimi told me, Muhammad bin `Ali bin Khalaf told us, Muhammad bin `Amro al-Razi told us, Abban bin Taghlib told us, from Ja`far bin Muhammad, from his father, from Jabir, that the Prophet (saw) made Talbiyah for Hajj and `Umrah combined.]

Not only this, but Abban did not only take his knowledge from the so called infallible, he narrated from many others:

Sahih Muslim:

حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ، وَغَيْرُهُ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى، عَنْ الْبَرَاءِ، قَالَ: كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ

[Zuhayr bin Harb and ibn Numayr both told us, they said: Sufiyan bin `Uyaynah told us, Abban told us as well as others, from al-Hakam, from `Abdul-Rahman ibn abi Laylah, from al-Bara’ who said: We were with the Prophet (saw) etc…]

Al-Mu`jam al-Kabir lil-Tabarani:

حدثنا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، ثنا عَارِمٌ أَبُو النُّعْمَانِ، ثنا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبَانَ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ  قَالَ: مَنْ دَلَّ عَلَى خَيْرٍ فَلَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ فَعَلَهُ

[`Ali bin `Abdul-`Aziz told us, abu al-Nu`man `Arim told us, Hammad bin Zayd told us, from Abban bin Taghlib, from al-A`mash, from abu `Amro al-Shaybani, from abu Mas`oud al-Ansari, from the Prophet (saw): Whoever teaches a good thing etc…]

On the other hand, just like his companion al-Ju`fi, Abban in the books of the Shia always narrates up until the Imam without listing a full chain, we give an example of a typical narration from al-Kafi 2/352:

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْقَمَّاطِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ لَمَّا أُسْرِيَ بِالنَّبِيِّ

[Some of our companions, from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid, from Isma`il bin Mihran, from abu Sa`eed al-Qammat, from Abban bin Taghlib, from abu Ja`far (as): When the Prophet (saw) was made to ascend etc…]

Our last dweller of Kufa for this research is Thabit also known as abu Hamzah al-Thumali the popular Shi`ee narrator, who lived in the time of three of the Twelver Imams and narrated from them.

Sunan ibn Majah:

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَامِرِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّخَعِيُّ، عَنْ ثَابِتِ بْنِ أَبِي صَفِيَّةَ الثُّمَالِيِّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ، قُلْتُ لَهُ: حَدَّثْتَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ  تَوَضَّأَ مَرَّةً مَرَّةً، قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قُلْتُ: وَمَرَّتَيْنِ مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَثَلَاثًا ثَلَاثًا، قَالَ: نَعَمْ

[`Abdullah bin `Amir bin Zurarah told us, Shareek bin `Abdullah al-Nakh`i told us, from Thabit bin abi Safiyyah al-Thumali, he said: I asked abu Ja`far, I told him: You narrated from Jabir bin `Abdullah, that the Prophet (saw) made Wudhu’ a single then a single? He replied: “Yes.” I said: And double then double, and triple then triple? He said: “Yes”.]

Mu`jam al-Tabarani al-Sagheer:

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْقَسْرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ أَبُو حَمْزَةَ الثُّمَالِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ نِسَاءَ بَنِي مَخْزُومٍ قَدْ أَقْمْنَ

[Muhammad bin abi Zur`ah al-Dimashqi told us, Hisham bin `Ammar told us, Khalid bin Yazid al-Qasri told us, Thabit abu Hamzah al-Thumali told us, from abu Ja`far Muhammad bin `Ali bin al-Husayn, from Umm Salamah the wife of the Prophet (saw), that she said: O Rasul-Allah (saw), the women of Bani Makhzoum have etc…]

As for his narrations in the books of the Shia, we read in al-Kafi:

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ الثُّمَالِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ

[Muhammad bin Yahya, from Ahmad bin Muhammad, from Muhammad bin Sinan, from ibn Muskan, from abu Hamzah al-Thumali, from abu `Abdillah (as) that he said: A man came to the Prophet (saw) etc…]

Without prolonging this further, let’s us share with our readers what we assume is the case here based on a good quantity of evidence. The names of the teachers of Ahlul-Bayt were always present in the narrations of the early Shia in Kufa; these names were later completely dropped by either later stages of Shia in Kufa or only in Qum for several possible reasons:

1. Politics: The biggest motive that drove the Rafidah to delete the names of certain scholars or teachers of Ahlul-Bayt, was their enmity towards them. They simply detested these men for political and historical reasons and their bias drove them to remove such names from the Hadith.
2. Tribalism: One of the earliest beliefs of the Ghulat was that Ahlul-Bayt were the most knowledgeable and that correct knowledge can only come through them. This led them to cross out the name of anyone who was not from the household of Muhammad (saw) and they restricted the religious teachings to banu Hashim.
3. Infallibility: A later belief which emerged from the beliefs of the Ghulat and spread in Qum was that a certain number of individuals of Ahlul-Bayt were chosen by Allah and thus they had to be infallible, whenever one dies his knowledge is transferred to his successor. This meant that it is not possible for anyone other than these men to narrate a religious ruling since they are prone to error and prone to making mistakes. This forced the Imami branch of the Shia to remove all other names even if they were from Banu Hashim, and to tell people that whatever an Imam narrates is by necessity from his fathers before him.
4. Sectarianism: They wanted to advertise for their ways and wished to be known as the Ja`fari Madhab, so they would attribute popular connected prophetic chains to Ja`far al-Sadiq. A similar matter was done by some `Alawites who would attribute anything which sounds eloquent and wise to `Ali ibn abi Talib, even some prophetic narrations, this resulted in the book Nahj-ul-Balaghah. Also, attributing lies to one of the late descendants of the Prophet (saw) greatly lowers the risk of them being accused of lying and makes it much harder to catch the liars.