Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Organizers of the International Ibn Shahrashub Congress

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Let us express a sentence on the occasion of the commendable work that our scholars of Mazandaran and Mr. Tabarsi are doing regarding the great scholar, Ibn Shahrashub; and that is that honoring the prominent scientific figures in our history encourages us to move more towards the peaks of knowledge. At a time when the means of education and travel were very limited and acquiring knowledge was very difficult, we have personalities like Ibn Shahrashub; now, hundreds of great scholars have been recorded and documented in our history and scientific heritage. This great man, under those conditions, learned from great personalities, from masters like Tabarsi, the author of Majma' al-Bayan, Tabarsi, the author of Al-Ihtijaj, Abdul Jalil Razi Qazwini, Seyyed Fazlullah Rawandi, Qutb al-Din Rawandi, Abu al-Makarim Ibn Zahra, and Zamakhshari; meaning he went to these individuals and learned knowledge. He read the famous book Rabi' al-Abrar by Zamakhshari in front of Zamakhshari himself and obtained permission to narrate that book. In that very difficult era—in the hundred years that he lived, which was a long and good life—this great man truly utilized this long life for acquiring knowledge; thus, he was a jurist, a hadith scholar, a genealogist, a poet, a secretary, a literate and eloquent person—what has been written about him includes these attributes—a comprehensive personality like this; this is a lesson for us, a lesson for our youth; we both take pride in that past and are encouraged to learn.

The works you mentioned—that his books should be researched and worked on—are very good and beneficial; there is a necessary task that apparently has not yet been done regarding Ibn Shahrashub, and that is to document or authenticate his narrations. For instance, he has narrated so many hadiths in his book Manaqib; none of these have a chain of narration, while this great man sometimes narrates from Sheikh Tusi through one intermediary and sometimes through two intermediaries; meaning he sometimes narrates from his father, and he from his teacher [and he] from Sheikh Tusi, and sometimes he narrates from his grandfather, that is Shahrashub, and he from Sheikh Tusi; meaning his chain of narration is so close to Sheikh Tusi. Very well, individuals should sit down and refine the chains of Ibn Shahrashub; meaning if they can sit down and refine the chains of Ibn Shahrashub—which he himself has mentioned some of these in Ma'alem al-Ulama—to the narrative masters like Sheikh Tusi, whose chains to the Imams are completely known and clear, they should identify and correct all these narrations that are in the book Manaqib or many of these narrations will be authenticated; all these narrations that are currently unconnected will be connected; this is a very important task. This should, of course, be entrusted to a group of knowledgeable hadith scholars and genealogists in Qom, so that they can, God willing, also carry out this great task.

We hope that God, God willing, grants you success, and you can bring this gathering and research work to the best, clean, organized, and polished outcome, God willing.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings