Arbainiyyat on the Virtues of Imam Ali

Abdullah Baqiri Bidhandi

Compiling books or treaties of forty hadiths, or translating and explaining forty hadiths, has been one of the most long standing activities among Muslim ulema (for further information, see Ulum-i Hadith [Hadith Sciences], no. 14,p.139). A large portion of such writings is concerned with the hadiths on the virtues of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt [Viz. the infallible members of the Prophet’s house].  Among the Shiite and Sunnite arbainiyyat [i.e. Forty-hadith collections], a Considerable portion is concerned with the virtues of Imam Ali. These hadiths are mostly prophetic, but sometimes in the Shiite ones, some talk of the superiorities, honors, and records of Imam Ali in his mouth or the Imams after him. The article contains a bibliography of seventy-Seven books, manuscript and printed, on the virtues of Imam Ali.

Key Words: Virtues, Imam Ali, Arbainiyyat, Forty Hadiths.

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