Furāt Ibn-e  Ibrāhim Kūfī

Birth

Abul-Qāsim Furāt, son of Ibrāhīm son of Furāt-e Kūfī, is accounted as one of the luminaries in the period of “Ghaybat-e Sughrā” (minor occultation of Imām-e ‘Asr Mahdī, may Allāh hasten his reappearance). He was one of the narrators of Hadīth (Traditions), and has narrated lots of Riwāyāt (Narrations) from the great Shi’a scholars. He has been contemporary to Thiqat-ul-Islām Kuleinī.

Furāt was born in Kūfah. Perhaps this might be the reason for him to be named ‘Furāt’ (as Furāt is the name of a river passing through Kūfah). Kūfah was the center of Islamic science at that time and delivered a large number of knowledgeable scholars to the world of Islam, and Furāt son of Ibrāhim is one of them.

Personality

Furāt was a virtuous thinker, and enjoyed plenty of cultural and social science. As Abul-Qāsim Alāwī - his pupil - states, Furāt has been the prominent teacher of Muhaddethīn (narrators of Hadīths) at his time.

Religious Sectarian Tendency

Taking into consideration the only existing book of Furāt, namely ‘Tafsīr-e Furāt’ (The Exegesis of the Holy Qur’an by Furāt), it seems that he has been a follower of ‘Zaydīyyeh’ sect, or at least had a tendency toward them. In his book he narrates a lot from ‘Zaydīyyeh’ celebrities; and his Riwāyāt (Narrations) resemble the Zaydīyyeh narrations. He has not quoted even a single narration evidencing Imamate of twelve infallible Imāms of Shi’a. However, there are lots of narrations in his book, which denote Imamate of Imām Muhammad Bāqir and Imām Ja’far Sādiq (A.S.). On the contrary there is a narration in Furāt’s book that confines ‘Ismat’ (divine purification) only to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.), his daughter Fātimah (S.A.), Imām Alī (A.S.), Imām Hasan (A.S.), and Imām Husein (A.S.), but does not extend it to other Imāms of Shi’a. This maybe the reason that his name is not mentioned in Rijāl books (biographies of trustworthy scholars and narrators of Hadīths) because Imāmīyyah (Shi’a) do not consider him as a Shi’a, and  ‘Ahl-e Tasannun’ (Sunnites) have the same attitude towards him; therefore, like other Zaydīyyeh celebrities, his name has been fallen into oblivion during the passage of time.

On the other hand, there are numerous narrations, which Furāt has cited from ‘Husein Son of Sa’īd Āhwazī, a sincere follower and disciple of Imām Jawād, Imām Hādī, and Imām Askarī (A.S.); moreover, according to abundant narrations that ‘Sheikh Sadūq’ and his father ‘Ibn-e Bābiwayh’ narrate from Furāt, and the contents of such narrations one may conclude that Furāt has been a Shi’a scholar.

Nevertheless, by going over his book of ‘Tafsīr’, the supposition will be strengthened that Furāt is very likely to be a follower of Zaydīyyah sect. There may also be another probability to say that first he has been a follower of Zaydīyyah and then converted to Shi’a, or to say that he belongs to a faction of Zaydīyyah, which has been very close to Shi’a, and its followers have had frequent social intercourse with Shi’a scholars and narrators.

Sayings of  Great Men

Allāmah Majlesī states: “Even though there is no trace of Furāt’s name in Rijāl books, one can attain certainty and confidence in him by going through his book of ‘Tafsīr’ and finding out its accordance with the authentic narrations on hand, and noticing the careful attention that Furāt has paid in quoting the narrations.”

The writer of book ‘Riādh-ul-Ulamā’ says: “Sheikh Furāt Ibn-e Ibrāhim is accounted amongst the ancient scholars and narrators of Shi’a.”

Teachers

Furāt has cited narrations from more than one hundred outstanding narrators, some of them listed below:

1-   Husein Son of Sa’īd Āhwazī

2-   Ibrāhīm Son of Ahmad Son of Umar Hamdānī

3-   Ibrāhīm Son of Banān Khath’amī

4-   Ja’far Son of Muhammad Azdī

5-   Ja’far Son of Muhammad Son of Hushām

6-    Husein Son of Hakam Hebrī

Pupils

Many scholars have cited narrations from Furāt, such as:

1-   Abul-Qāsim Alawī

2-   Abd-ur-Rahmān Son of Muhammad Huseinī

3-   Abul-Hasan Muhammad Son of Ahmad Son of Walīd

4-   Husein Son of Muhammad Son of Farazdaq Fazārī

5-   Muhammad Son of Hasan Son of Sa’īd Hāshemī