SHARIAsource

This decree established by the Abbasid caliph, al-Ṭāʾiʿ li-Allāh (r. 974-991) establishes the role of the Ṣāḥib al-Maẓālim as different from that of the judge. The Ṣāḥib, or officer, is tasked with investigating complaints of injustice in situations where the executive power must intervene.  In this capacity he can search “for types of evidence that are obscure and concealed.” In contrast, the judge must rely only on “solid and plain evidence.”

In this source, Sharīf al-Murtaḍā assumes the opinion of many Shīʿite jurists in a matter of judicial procedure: permitting the judges to rule according to their personal knowledge of a case. Hossein Modarressi comments that knowledge in this context was generally understood to mean instances in which the judge had personally witnessed an event occur. Some jurists also distinguish between knowledge acquired by the senses (ʿilm ḥissī) and knowledge acquired by "guessing" (ʿilm ḥadsī), which perhaps includes circumstantial evidence .

In this source, Ayatollah Khomeini seconds the opinion of many Shīʿite jurists in a matter of judicial procedure: permitting the judges to rule according to their personal knowledge of a case. Hossein Modarressi comments that knowledge in this context was generally understood to mean instances in which the judge had personally witnessed an event occur. Some jurists also distinguish between knowledge acquired by the senses (ʿilm ḥissī) and knowledge acquired by "guessing" (ʿilm ḥadsī), which perhaps includes circumstantial evidence .

Al-Māwardī explains the position of the Ṣāḥib al-Maẓālim and his wide reaching investigative authority. He writes that the officer “uses extra intimation and looks for clues through indications and circumstantial evidence (al-amārāt al-dālla wa shawāhid al-aḥwāl).” These investigative tactics are not available to the judges.

In this excerpt, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Dawānī (d. 908/1502–3), philosopher and chief judge of the southern Iranian province of Fars in the late fifteenth century CE, reports that the maẓālim courts were able to resolve many cases because of their ability to consider diverse forms of evidence. In contrast, he says that the traditional Islamic courts’ admission of only oral testimony could hamper Muslim judges’ ability to administer justice. In his chapter on circumstantial evidence in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Hossein Modarressi draws on Dawānī’s treatise and its illustration of how justice was obstructed in the traditional courts of his day through bureaucratic maneuvers orchestrated by the ʿudūl, or court clerks. The ʿudūl nitpicked at the specific wording of the petitions and various types of testimony, and they oversaw a lengthy process of determining the credibility of witnesses by bringing in further witnesses to testify for or against the main witnesses. Modarressi quotes Dawānī’s lament that as a consequence, “a small petition [lingered] around in the court for such a long time that the parties [got] fed up with the process. When the case is a criminal case, the purpose is completely lost” (115). Modarressi argues that these difficulties in traditional courts were exacerbated by the fact that Islamic legal procedure restricted judges to using testimony or oaths, and that these procedural rules were not open to modification.

In this excerpt, ʿAbd al-Karīm Zaydān (d. 2014), an Iraqi scholar, gives a summary of the Ẓāhirī, Shāfiʿī, Ḥanbalī, Ḥanafī, and Mālikī viewpoints on the question of judicial knowledge—that is, whether it is permissible for a judge to rule according to his own knowledge in court—and evaluates their merits. In his chapter on circumstantial evidence in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Hossein Modarressi cites this source to demonstrate the range of opinions held by Sunnī jurists on this issue.

In chapter two of Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Hossein Modarressi examines procedural differences between criminal and ordinary courts during the ʿAbbāsid period. 

This volume is a tribute to Professor Roy Mottahedeh, who retired in 2016. The following essays focus on courts and judicial procedure in early Islamic law and society, this book places theory alongside practice in ways that concern events of legal history-as-social history to reflect Mottahedeh's mark on the field. 

In this excerpt, al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (d. 436/1044) cites a number of opinions regarding whether judges are permitted to rule according to their personal knowledge of a case. He focuses specifically on the question of how many additional witnesses are needed alongside a judge’s use of his own knowledge to render a valid verdict. In his chapter on circumstantial evidence in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Hossein Modarressi cites this source to illustrate some Shīʿī jurists’ endorsement of the validity of judicial knowledge.

This source is part of the Online Companion to the book Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, ed. Intisar A. Rabb and Abigail Krasner Balbale (ILSP/HUP 2017)—a collection of primary sources and other material used in and related to the book.

In this excerpt, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Dawānī (d. 908/1502–3), philosopher and chief judge of the southern Iranian province of Fars in the late fifteenth century CE, reports that the maẓālim courts were able to resolve many cases because of their ability to consider diverse forms of evidence. In contrast, he says that the traditional Islamic courts’ admission of only oral testimony could hamper Muslim judges’ ability to administer justice. In his chapter on circumstantial evidence in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Hossein Modarressi draws on Dawānī’s treatise and its illustration of how justice was obstructed in the traditional courts of his day through bureaucratic maneuvers orchestrated by the ʿudūl, or court clerks. The ʿudūl nitpicked at the specific wording of the petitions and various types of testimony, and they oversaw a lengthy process of determining the credibility of witnesses by bringing in further witnesses to testify for or against the main witnesses. Modarressi quotes Dawānī’s lament that as a consequence, “a small petition [lingered] around in the court for such a long time that the parties [got] fed up with the process. When the case is a criminal case, the purpose is completely lost” (115). Modarressi argues that these difficulties in traditional courts were exacerbated by the fact that Islamic legal procedure restricted judges to using testimony or oaths, and that these procedural rules were not open to modification.

This source is part of the Online Companion to the book Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, ed. Intisar A. Rabb and Abigail Krasner Balbale (ILSP/HUP 2017)—a collection of primary sources and other material used in and related to the book.

In this excerpt, Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) relays cases in which a presiding judge revealed the falsity of the petitioner’s or defendant’s claim by employing shrewd investigative techniques to detect their guilt. For example, in one case the petitioner accused the defendant of failing to return money he had entrusted to him. The judge bade the petitioner to go to the mosque in Karkh where he claimed the money had been transferred and fetch a page of the Qurʾānic muṣḥaf kept there, so the defendant might swear his innocence on it. Once the petitioner was on his way, the judge asked the defendant whether he thought the petitioner had already reached the mosque. Although the defendant had claimed that he was not familiar with the site in question, he answered, “Not yet.” Having caught the defendant in a lie, the judge decided the defendant was deceitful and must return the money to the petitioner. In a second case, the judge of Hamadān discerned the dishonesty of a man who was called to give testimony by noting a difference in his stride. The man usually walked with a measured stride, taking a certain number of steps through the courtyard when he was called as a witness, but this time the judge noticed that the crossing took him several additional steps, “indicating that he walked slower to feign dignity.” The judge thus drew on his individual knowledge of the witness’s behavior to reject the latter’s credibility on the basis of subtle evidence. In his chapter on circumstantial evidence in Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, Hossein Modarressi cites these cases to illustrate how the judge might employ various forms of evidence, including his own knowledge, in order to resolve a case and achieve justice. However, he notes that both instances occurred before the stage of the case at which procedural due process begins, and thus they do not prove that the judge can employ personal knowledge later.

This source is part of the Online Companion to the book Justice and Leadership in Early Islamic Courts, ed. Intisar A. Rabb and Abigail Krasner Balbale (ILSP/HUP 2017)—a collection of primary sources and other material used in and related to the book.

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some of the various terms used in early sources to refer to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and his followers, the Jaʿfarīs (e.g., aṣḥāb Jaʿfar), during and after Jaʿfar's lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an alleged meeting that took place between Abū Ḥanīfa (the eponym of the Ḥanafī school) and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in the presence of the Abbasid caliph Manṣūr (r. 136-58) where Abū Ḥanīfa acknowledges Jaʿfar as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an early definition of Shīʿism by the Kūfan scholar Abān b. Taghlib (d. 141): "The Shīʿa are those who follow the opinion of ʿAlī when reports from the Prophet are contradictory, and the opinion of Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad [al-Ṣādiq] when reports from ʿAlī are contradictory."

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's use of the term "those who have affection for us" (ahl mawaddatina). Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show that the ʿAlids (i.e., ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib and his descendants) had many dedicated supporters.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an alleged meeting that took place between Abū Ḥanīfa (the eponym of the Ḥanafī school) and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in the presence of the Abbasid caliph Manṣūr (r. 136-58) where Abū Ḥanīfa acknowledges Jaʿfar as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an alleged meeting that took place between Abū Ḥanīfa (the eponym of the Ḥanafī school) and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in the presence of the Abbasid caliph Manṣūr (r. 136-58) where Abū Ḥanīfa acknowledges Jaʿfar as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an alleged meeting that took place between Abū Ḥanīfa (the eponym of the Ḥanafī school) and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in the presence of the Abbasid caliph Manṣūr (r. 136-58) where Abū Ḥanīfa acknowledges Jaʿfar as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an alleged meeting that took place between Abū Ḥanīfa (the eponym of the Ḥanafī school) and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in the presence of the Abbasid caliph Manṣūr (r. 136-58) where Abū Ḥanīfa acknowledges Jaʿfar as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an alleged meeting that took place between Abū Ḥanīfa (the eponym of the Ḥanafī school) and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in the presence of the Abbasid caliph Manṣūr (r. 136-58) where Abū Ḥanīfa acknowledges Jaʿfar as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's agreement with the various legal opinions of the jurists of Mecca, Medina, and Iraq on some questions. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show the extent to which Jaʿfar was aware of the differing legal views of his time.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Abū Ḥanīfa's acknowledgment of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq as being the most knowledgable person in religious law. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how other Muslim scholars recognized Jaʿfar's mastery of Islamic law.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's agreement with the various legal opinions of the jurists of Mecca, Medina, and Iraq on some questions. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show the extent to which Jaʿfar was aware of the differing legal views of his time.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's extensive knowledge of the differing legal opinions of his time as well as points of consensus. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how Jaʿfar disagreed with jurists of other regions on some legal questions.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's extensive knowledge of the differing legal opinions of his time as well as points of consensus. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to show how Jaʿfar provided various legal answers especially to those who did not follow him.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some individuals and groups who pretended to have affection for and claimed affiliation with the House of the Prophet. Hossein Modarressi uses this reference to argue that some "esoterics" attempted to attempted to acquire social distinction by setting themselves up as devoted supporters of the Shīʿī cause and would often forge materials and ideas and ascribe them to the Imams.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to how Mālik b. Anas (the eponym of the Mālikī school of law) remembered Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq: exceptional in his manners and religious devotion.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to how Mālik b. Anas (the eponym of the Mālikī school of law) remembered Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq: exceptional in his manners and religious devotion.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some well-known formulas used in various religious sources of the early period of Islam (e.g., "I said, he said"). Hossein Modarressi employs this reference as an example of the use of reports that contain external evidence such as widespread language and style of legal discourse. 

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a plague outbreak in Iraq in 131 AH. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference as an example of the importance of employing external evidence (such as corroborating dates for historical events that appear in various sources) with respect to the use of materials attributed to or about Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some well-known formulas used in various religious sources of the early period of Islam (e.g., "I said, he said"). Hossein Modarressi employs this reference as an example of the use of reports that contain external evidence such as widespread language and style of legal discourse. 

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to some well-known formulas used in various religious sources of the early period of Islam (e.g., "I said, he said"). Hossein Modarressi employs this reference as an example of the use of reports that contain external evidence such as widespread language and style of legal discourse. 

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the use of the epithet al-Ṣādiq ("the truthful") to refer to Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad during his lifetime.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the year 80 AH as the date of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's birth. Hossein Modarressi notes that many Sunnī sources list this year as al-Ṣādiq's date of birth.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the high standing status of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's father Muḥammad al-Bāqir (57-114 AH) among his followers especially in Iraq. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to argue that al-Bāqir was considered the spiritual leader of the pro-ʿAlid communities of Iraq in the late first and early second centuries of Islam.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the year 83 AH as the date of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's birth. Hossein Modarressi notes that this is the preferred date of al-Ṣādiq's birth in most Shīʿī sources.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the high standing status of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's father Muḥammad al-Bāqir (57-114 AH) among his followers especially in Iraq. Hossein Modarressi employs this reference to argue that al-Bāqir was considered the spiritual leader of the pro-ʿAlid communities of Iraq in the late first and early second centuries of Islam.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the location of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's house in Medina, which can be found in the oldest partially-surviving account of the city by Ibn Shabba (d. 262 AH). Al-Ṣādiq's house was located southeast of the Prophet's mosque next to the house of the prominent Companion Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī (d. 52 AH).

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's outstanding generosity. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Muḥammad al-Bāqir's reluctance to fulfill the hopes of some of his followers who expected him to challenge the Umayyads during his time.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's cautioning against participation in the often antagonistic theological and sectarian debates of the time. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the text of a document of manumission written by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's advice to a questioner to burn his astrological books. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Rajab or Shaʿbān as two possible months for Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's death. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's knowledge of the various types of dates and his overall preference for the dates of the Ḥijāz versus those of Iraq. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's praise of the cleanliness of Christian churches that he visited in Iraq. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's personal life.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the concentration of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's large number of followers in Iraq in general and Kūfa in particular during his lifetime. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's political stance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's non-participatory, peaceful, and non-violent disposition with respect to political matters during his life. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's political stance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the fear of governmental persecution that Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's followers had during his lifetime. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's political stance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's avoidance of participating in any political activities during the anti-Umayyad revolution of his time, despite the expectations of some of his followers and admirers that he would provide leadership. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's political stance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq forbidding his followers from joining movements in the anti-Umayyad and pro-Abbasid political environment of his time. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's political stance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq leaving Medina and avoiding support for the revolt of Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Nafs al-Zakiyya. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's political stance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to notable Sunnī jurists who attended Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's audience, including, for example, Rabīʿat al-Raʾy (d. 136 AH). Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's jurisprudence.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's extensive knowledge of the range of opinions on legal matters during his time. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's jurisprudence.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq advising his disciples to write down his teachings. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's jurisprudence.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an example of some of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's senior disciples holding their own legal views and interpretations, such as Zurāra b. Aʿyan. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's circle of disciples.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's reluctance to intervene in heated disputes between his disciples. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's circle of disciples.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the names of some of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's disciples who became notable jurists and scholars. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's circle of disciples.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the extent to which fabricators went to portray the Shīʿī Imams quoting the Sunna of the Prophet from some of his Family's archenemies. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's views on ḥadīth fabrication.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq attending the Friday prayer with other Muslims, in contrast to some Muslims who did not pray with anyone who did not share their doctrinal tendencies. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's rejection of sectarianism.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr's estimation that twelve thousand false ḥadīths were fabricated and circulated among the people. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's views on ḥadīth fabrication.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's manner of being well-dressed in public as a form of moderation and in keeping with the social customs of his time. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's views on religious ethics.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the early legal schools of the Ḥijāz and Iraq. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to argue that the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet differed in its sources and approaches from these schools.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the Quṣṣāṣ ("storytellers"), members of an institution reportedly established by Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān to promote Umayyad propaganda. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in his discussion of some of the features of al-Ṣādiq's views on ḥadīth fabrication.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Ṣaḥīfat al-farāʾiḍ, a text on the designated shares of inheritance recorded by ʿAlī from the statements of the Prophet, which Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq possessed and showed to his disciples. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to argue that ʿAlī was "the father" of the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet and that the Prophet's teachings were passed down through the family from one generation to the next.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Kitāb ʿAlī, an early book that contained material transmitted by ʿAlī from the Prophet, which Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq possessed and showed to his disciple Zurāra. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to argue that ʿAlī was "the father" of the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet and that the Prophet's teachings were passed down through the family from one generation to the next.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the recognized status of ʿAlī as a major authority on the Prophet's Sunna. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to argue that ʿAlī was "the father" of the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet being informed primarily by the teachings and practice of ʿAlī, his sons Ḥasan and Ḥusayn, ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, Muḥammad al-Bāqir, and Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq. Hossein Modarressi argues that it was with al-Bāqir that this legacy assumed formal shape as a systematic and well-organized tradition.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to ʿAlī's description of the Sunna of the Prophet. Hossein Modarressi argues that in the legal legacy of the Family of the Prophet, the Prophet's Sunna was next to the Qurʾān in importance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to al-Shāfiʿī's report indicating that the Prophet advised his followers to compare the statements attributed to him to the Qurʾān and to accept those that conform to the Qurʾān and reject those that do not. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to show that the understanding among many early Muslims was that the Qurʾān was the criterion for testing the validity of all other sources.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a story about one of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's slaves, together with someone else, who killed a person. When permission for retaliation was sought from al-Ṣādiq by the governor of Medina, al-Ṣādiq at first remained silent because his view was that two people could not be put to death for the murder of one person, later withdrawing his protection of his slave after the victim's family convinced the governor to put pressure on him. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to explain that al-Ṣādiq was keenly attuned to social sensitivities.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022). 

This is a reference to ʿAlī's refusal to adopt the practice of anyone beside the Prophet, including the caliphs who preceded him when he was offered the caliphate after the death of ʿUmar. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to argue that ʿAlī understood the Sunna to be restricted to the Prophet's actions, decisions, and endorsements.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's position on the consequences of ignorance of the law, especially among new converts. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference as an example of one of the legal presumptions of al-Ṣādiq's legal school: the effect of ignorance.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's use of term Āl Umayya rather than the more common term Banū Umayya to refer to the Umayyads. Hossein Modarressi draws on this reference to make the case that al-Ṣādiq's advice to his followers to follow that which contradicts the masses had no sectarian implications; rather, it was because the Umayyads had insisted on promoting beliefs and practices that explicitly contradicted the legal legacy of the House of the Prophet. 

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a report by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq where he is asked about the permissibility of consuming an eel-like fish (jirrī/jirrīth); al-Ṣādiq states that eating it is impermissible based on the view of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to argue that, contrary to reports found in some Sunnī works that claim that ʿAlī agreed with others on the lawfulness of eating jirrī, reports from al-Ṣādiq and his father al-Bāqir challenge the validity of this attribution.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's position on recognizing the validity of the rules of other religions, such as marriage among the Magians, for example. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference as an example of one of the legal presumptions of al-Ṣādiq's legal school: the rule of recognition.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a collection of multiple reports in connection with mutʿa marriage. Hossein Modarressi cites this source to argue that Sunnī scholars disagreed over whether and when mutʿa was abrogated by the Prophet or, as was commonly believed, proscribed by ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a report in Muslim's Ṣaḥīḥ collection indicating that mutʿa remained in effect during the lifetime of the Prophet and Abū Bakr. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to show the complexity of discussions surrounding the meaning and lawfulness of mutʿa in early Islamic discourse.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to Sunnī views on the legal status of homicide in situations of "precautionary secrecy" (taqiyya). Hossein Modarressi cites this source to show the various legal arguments and views pertaining to taqiyya, which is often misunderstood and additionally considered a sectarian issue.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to unusual sexual behaviors that were espoused by the school of Medina based on the idea that a wife's entire body was available for her husband's pleasure. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to show that, along with other schools and jurists, Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq strictly forbade such sexual relations.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to reports from Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq that condemn certain sexual behaviors (e.g., anal intercourse) and clarify the meaning of Q. 2:223: "Your women are a tilth to you, so go unto your tilth as you will." Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in the course of his discussion on the attribution of conflicting legal views to al-Ṣādiq on the subject.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the opinion that held to the continuing legality of mutʿa in the first century and the first half of the second century of Islam, represented by Ibn ʿAbbās and the school of Mecca, which was also held by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to make the case that mutʿa was considered to be lawful and established by the Qurʾān and the Prophetic Sunna in the legal legacy of the House of the Prophet.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022). 

This is a reference to the tradition of the House of the Prophet that held the call to prayer (adhān) to be taught to the Prophet by the angel Gabriel. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference as an example of how the tradition of the House of the Prophet compared to the Sunnī belief that the call to prayer originated in a Companion's dream.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to an example of belief in the legality of wiping over one's boots in ritual ablution as part of Sunnī creed. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to show how belief in the legality of wiping over one's boots had become a sectarian issue.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a report by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq that indicates the importance of performing each daily prayer in its respective best time. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to show that, although al-Ṣāḍiq and his father al-Bāqir endorsed the practice of the Prophet that permitted combining prayers (outside of special circumstances), they also emphasized the importance of performing each prayer separately during its time. This is another example of differing legal practices between the Shīʿa and other Muslims.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a report by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq that holds the original call to prayer (adhān) to have included a call to "the best of acts" (ḥayya ʿalā khayr al-ʿamal). Hossein Modarressi cites this report as an example of one of the differences between the legal legacy of the House of the Prophet and other legal schools with respect to cases concerning prayer.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a report by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq in conversation with his disciple Abān b. Taghlib concerning restitution for bodily injury to a woman. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in the course of his discussion about the authority of the Imam to determine correct answers when legal cases arose that appeared to contradict common sense.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022). 

This is a reference to 400 books thought to be compiled by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's disciples and including his legal opinions. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference in the course of his discussion on the extremely large number of reports and statements attributed to al-Ṣādiq, which, in the Shīʿī tradition, are held to have originated with the efforts of his many disciples.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a report from Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq where he advises his followers to suspend judgment and refer the case to the Imam when they are unable to discern a legal ruling based on the sources.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022). 

This is a reference to the similarity between "seven years of servitude" in the report in Kulaynī, Kāfī, 6:196–97 and in Deuteronomy 15:12–15. Hossein Modarressi cites this source in the context of his selection of legal responses by Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq on the maximum number of years of servitude by a believer, drawing attention to the similarity between the case in Jewish and Islamic law. 

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the common Medinan practice of women asking for their dowers before moving to the matrimonial home. Hossein Modarressi cites this reference to clarify the context surrounding Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq's view with respect to when a wife may no longer be entitled to request her dower (in Kulaynī, Kāfī, 5:385-86).

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to the disagreements of the early jurists and various schools on the question of liability if one's riding animal hits another person. Hossein Modarressi cites this source to present a comparison between these views and that of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, which restricted liability to the case of the animal hitting another person with its forelegs, not hind legs. 

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to a Sunnī source on the unlawfulness of assassination. Hossein Modarressi draws on this source to show various Muslim legal views (including that of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and the legal legacy of the House of the Prophet) on the impermissibility of assassination.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law examines the main characteristics of the legal thought of Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, a preeminent religious scholar jurist of Medina in the first half of the second century of the Muslim calendar (mid-eighth century CE). Numerous works in different languages have appeared over the past half century to introduce this school of Islamic law and its history, legal theory, and substance in contexts of Shīʿī law.

While previous literature has focused on the current status of the school in its developed and expanded form, this book presents an intellectual history of how the school began. The Jaʿfarī school emerged within the general legal discourse of the late Umayyad and early Abbasid periods, but was known to differ in certain approaches from the other main legal schools of this time. Namely, the Jaʿfarī school expanded the tools for legal interpretation generally and contracts specifically, to a degree unmatched by any of its counterparts in the Muslim legal tradition. In addition to sketching the origins of the school, the book examines Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq’s interpretive approach through detailing his position on a number of specific questions, as well as the legal canons, presumptions, and other interpretive tools he adopted.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

In the Introduction to Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law, Hossein Modarressi introduces the topic of his study: the early development of the Jaʿfarī Islamic legal school. Modarressi notes that the Jaʿfarī school emerged in the late Umayyad period (i.e., the first half of the second Islamic century/mid-eighth century CE) and its eponym was Imam Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq (d. 148/765), a preeminent jurist of Medina and a revered member of the House of the Prophet (ahl al-bayt). Over the course of the Introduction, Modarressi draws on various sources to show how Imam al-Ṣādiq was revered by many as a leading jurist during his time. Modarressi notes that his project utilizes “all material that corresponds to the language and character of Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, as known through both historical and biographical accounts, and as such can reasonably be deemed reliable,” without regard to sectarian tendencies and doctrinal affiliations (p. 11).

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).

This is a reference to how Mālik b. Anas (the eponym of the Mālikī school of law) remembered Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq: exceptional in his manners and religious devotion.

This source is part of the Online Companion to Hossein Modarressi, Text and Interpretation: Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and His Legacy in Islamic Law (Harvard University Press, 2022).