Sheikh Muntajabuddīn

Birth

Muntajabuddīn, Alī son of Ubaidullāh son of Hasan son of Bābiwayh Qummī was born in 504 Hegira in a family who were well known for being Shi’a and scholar in the city of Qum - the center of science, Shi’ism and affinity to Ahl-ul-bayt (A.S).

Ancestry

Sheikh Muntajabuddīn was a descendant of Sheikh Sadūq’s brother, known as Sheikh Haskā. Sheikh Sadūq and his brother were born consequent upon the prayer of Imām-e Asr Mahdī (May Allah hasten his reappearance). The story is as follows:   

When Ibn-e Bābiwayh – father of Sheikh Sadūq - went to Iraq, he met Husein Ibn-e Rūh, the distinguished representative of Imām-e Asr (A.S.). After that they began to have correspondence with each other. In one of these letters he asked Husein- Ibn-e- Rūh to hand in his request for having a child to Imām Asr (A.S.). Soon afterwards he received a corresponding answer from His Holiness: “We requested Almighty Allah to grant you a child; you will soon be bestowed two beneficent and charitable sons.”

Therefore Sheikh Sadūq and his brother (the grandfather of Muntajabuddīn) were born on the request of Imām Mahdī (A.S.).

Personality

Although Sheikh Muntajabuddīn spent most of his life in “Rey” and seldom went on a trip, his contemporaries confess that with regard to collection and memorization of Hadiths (Traditions of Holy Prophet and his infallible successors A.S.) as well as multiplicity of his teachers, a few people could be compared with him. He was a great scholar and pure Shi’a for Ahl-ul-Bayt (A.S.).

His teachers

Sheikh Muntajabuddīn is one of the scholars who were taught by numerous teachers. The number of his teachers was up to 55, the most brilliant of whom are as follows:

1- Muhammad son of Nāsir son of Muhammad Baghdādī

2- Hibatullah son of Muhammad son of Abdul-Wāhid Shaibānī

3- Muhammad son of Hasan son of Alī Māverdī

4- Abdullāh son of Ahmad son of Muhammad Bazzāz

5- Muhammad son of Heitham

6- Qeis son of Muhammad Mu’azzin

Compilations

1-     ‘Al Fihrist’, which is the most renowned book of Sheikh Muntajabuddīn.

Allāmih Majlisī has narrated this book in volume 105 of his ‘Bihār-ul-Anwār’.

Despite its low volume, Al-Fihrist is very useful. It can be used as a complete reference for the identification of reliability of the former Ulamā and their books.

Al-Fihrist includes subjects from the time of Sheikh Tūsī (born in 460 Hegira) up to the time of the author (around 600 Hegira), however, what gives value to this book is its authenticity and reliability.

2-     ‘The history of Rey, a great book on biographies of the Ulamā of Rey city. This book has been available up to the ninth century Hegira, and was being used as a reference book for other compilations; but its original copy is unfortunately not on hand today.

3-     ‘Al-Arba’īn An-il-Arba’īn Min-al-Arba’īn Fī Fazā’il-e Amīr-ul-Mu’menīn (A.S.)’, this book contains 40 Hadiths narrated by 40 Muhaddiths (Narrators) from 40 companions of the Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.) about Imam Ali’s merits and virtues. At the end of this book, Sheikh Muntajabuddīn writes: “If I live long enough, I will add another 40 Hadiths to this book.” After finishing this book, he has narrated 14 documentary narrations on the same subject (Imam Ali’s merits and virtues).

Death

Except Sayyid Muhsin Amīn in his ‘A’yān-ush-Shi’a’ and Sheikh Abbās Qummī in his ‘Tatammat-ul-Muntahā’ who have mentioned the year 585 Hegira for Sheikh Muntajabuddīn’s death, there is no other evidence of his exact date of death in historical books. Only it is mentioned that his death has been after the year 585; Rāfeī Shāfeī - one of Muntajabuddīn’s pupils - has affirmed this idea in his book ‘At-Tadwīn’.

But according to the comprehensive and careful survey done by late Muhaddith-e Armawī in his annotation to the recent publication of ‘Al-Fihrist’, Sheikh Muntajabuddīn’s death has happened after 600 Hegira, which indicates that this scholar lived over 100 years.