Methods and characteristics of writing the books of shia ulama

Abstract

Shia is a sect in Islam that emerged after the tahkim incident during the companions era. The change in the motivation of Ali bin Talib’s supporters from a political movement to a theological movement gave rise to a new teaching, namely imamate or believing that there were twelve caliphs after the Prophet Muhammad. This had an impact on the emergence of a new style in the hadith tradition and interpretation of the qur’an, through the intermediary of Shia muhadists and their books such as al-Husain ibn Sa'id who wrote the book Al-Mukmin and the Shia mufasir and his book Abu Zahrah who wrote the book Minal I'jaz Al-Balaghy Wal Adady Lil Qur’an. Even though they have the same background, they both have different methods and characters in writing books and presenting Shia teachings. Like al-Husain ibn Sa’id who does not mention much in his book about Shiite teachings, but rather general discussions that are often encountered by the public. Meanwhile, Abu Zahrah mentions a lot in his book about Shiite teachings, especially those related to the number 12 and the teachings of the Imamate.