Commentaries

This article reviews the commentary tradition around the Metaphysicsof Avicenna’s Shifā’as it evolved in the lands that belonged to Avicenna’s own cultural horizon, most of all in Iran. From this overview it emerges that this tradition is characterized by a keen interest  in textual criticism and a solid philosophical grasp of Avicenna’s metaphysical doctrines. This interest is reflected in the variety of writings that this tradition produced. The scope and quality of the surviving material are such that any future edition of Avicenna’s opus majorwill have to give this tradition its fullest consideration.

The reason for the introduction of a hadith refers to the conditions and situations in which the impeccable Imam (AS) took action to express a statement, issue a ruling, or perform an action. Recognizing this context, especially considering the audience, social atmosphere, and cultural background of the time the narration was issued, plays an important role in correctly understanding the concepts of the hadith. The present research, with a descriptive-analytical approach and focusing on Shaykh Ṣadūq's book, Maʻānī al-Akhbār, explains the position of the reason for introduction in the analysis of narrations. Also, the views of Shiʻa and Sunni commentators have been examined to determine their impact on a better understanding of the reason for introduction and the analysis of the content of the narrations. The results show that the late Ibn Bābawayh, using the method of Fiqh al-Hadith, especially relying on the reason for introduction, analyzes the narration and emphasizes avoiding the absolute or inappropriate generalization of the meaning of the narration. In addition, in understanding the reason for the introduction of the hadith, interpretive views should not be ignored, especially when the relevant narration is a point of contention between the two sects.