Re-Reading Ideas of ‘Abdullah Ibn AbiYa’fur concerning Imamate and Stations of the Imams (A.S)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Abstract

Belief in Imamate is the cornerstone of Shi‘i thought. Because of this
importance and the fact that companions of the Imams (A.S) revealed or
concealed some stations and virtues of the Imams (A.S), those who have
written about various Shi‘i groups have classified them under numerous
sects. ‘Abdullah Ibn AbiYa’fur is one of the greatest companions of Imam
Sadiq (A.S) who have narrated many hadiths about issues concerning
Imamate. Relying upon some historical reports, some modern authors have
tried to regard him as being among moderate Shi‘is who do not believe in
Divine stations of the Household (A.S). Because of its historical approach and
since it has sufficed to a very small number of reports, this view has been
used as an evidence for the claim that Shi‘i beliefs are of an evolutionary
nature and there are some ideological disagreements among companions
contemporary to the Imams (A.S). The present writing tries to discuss
hadithsnarrated by ‘Abdullah Ibn AbiYa’fur and, in this way, find a more
accurate idea about “Imamate”. Also, in the present article, the historical
methodology used in the above-mentioned writings has been scientifically
criticized and challenged.