Analysis of the Attribution of Tazkirāt Al-A’ima to Allāma Muhammad Bāqir al-Majlesi

The present study tries to find the original author of the book through following 3 steps: a) Analyzing the in-textual evidence, b) by analyzing the extracted evidence from the remaining manuscripts of this treatise, c) by reviewing the reports of the historical biographers.

Disagreement exists among historical biographers in attributing the authorship of Tazkirat al-A’ima to either Allāma Muhammad Bāqir Bin Muhammad Taqii Majlesi or his contemporary scholar of the same name, Muhamad Bāqir Bin Muhammad Taqi Lāhiji. The remaining manuscripts of this book have also been attributed to both writers. The similarity of their first names as well as their fathers’ names on the one hand and their contemporaneity on the other, has paved the way for this ambiguity. The present study tries to find the original author of the book through following 3 steps: a) Analyzing the in-textual evidence, b) by analyzing the extracted evidence from the remaining manuscripts of this treatise, c) by reviewing the reports of the historical biographers. This study suggests that the remaining manuscripts of this treatise fall into two categories: Those which contain the original text of Tazkirat al-A’ima and those that cover its abridged form. The original version of the treatise is the work of Allāma Majlesi. Even though there is no direct mention of Lāhiji within the remaining manuscripts, a number of biographical books have remarked on it.

Tazkerat al-A’ima is a treatise written in Persian with the aim of illustrating
the lives of the Imāmiyya leaders. It is among the texts which has been both used by the historical biographers and had been duplicated by a large number of
scribes. Today, more than 120 copies of this treatise have been introduced in
Iranian libraries. It had been first published using lithography in 1260 and 1277 A.H. Regardless of its popularity which the book rightfully deserves, discrepancy exists in both the historical biographies and the remaining copies in attributing it to two Shiite authors of the same name: Muhammad Bāqir bin Muhammad Taqi Majlesi (known as Allāma Majlesi, D.1110 A.H), and Muhammad Bāqir Bin Muhammad Taqi Lāhiji.

Bibliographic Information

Title: Analysis of the Attribution of Tazkirāt Al-A’ima to Allāma Muhammad Bāqir al-Majlesi

Author(s): Hadi Salehizadeh, Ibrahim Noei and Abbas Ahmadvand

Published in: Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies, Volume 2, Issue 1. 2020

 Language: English

Length: 19 pages

Analysis of the attribution of Tazkirāt Al-A’ima to Allāma Muhammad