A Glance at Aqa Jamal al-Din Khunsari’s Commentary on Ghurar al-Hikam wa Durar al-Kalim

Sayyid Hasan Islami

The writer renders an account of the high station of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib before the various trends of thought in the world of Islam. He also stresses on the tradition of memorizing his words and speech; in this regards, the following works are cited as examples: Miata Kalima of al-Jahiz, the Nahj al-Balagha, collected by al-Sharif al-Radi, and Ghurar al-Hikam of al-Amidi. He then considers the method of compiling the book Ghurar of al-Amidi and its commentary by Jamal al-Din Khunsari, which was edited by Jalal al-Din Urmawi. Also, Aqa Jamal al-Din's method in writing his commentary on Ghurar and its arrangement in a seven-volume book are discussed. A comparison is made between the work of al-Amidi and that of al-Sharif al-Radi; it is followed by a study of the factors which contributed to the success of the Nahj al-Balagha and the weaknesses of Ghurar. Finally, the writer makes a request for more attention to be paid to Ghurar and that it should be amended.

Key Words: Aqa Jamal al-Din Khunsari, Commentary, Ghurar al-Hikam wa Durar al-Kalim.

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