al-Jafr (book)

al-Jafr (Arabic: ٱلْجَفْر) is a mystical book which, in Shia belief, includes esoteric teachings, dictated by the Islamic prophet Muhammad to Ali.[1] Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad and is regarded by the Shia as their first Imam and the rightful successor to Muhammad.[2]

For other uses, see al-Jafr (disambiguation).
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In Shia belief, al-Jafr was a source of special knowledge in Muhammad's household (ahl al-bayt) available to the successors of Ali, namely, Shia Imams, which was handed down from each Imam to the next.[3] The book is said to contain all information ever needed in matters of religion, including a detailed penal code that accounts even for bruises.[4] The first mention of the book is often associated with the sixth Shia Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq.[5] The Twelver Shia believe that the book is now in the possession of the last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi.[6]

According to some Shi'i traditions, al-Jafr refers to two leather bags, one of which contains various scrolls of the past prophets and the scrolls inherited from Muhammad, Ali, and Fatima, daughter of Muhammad. The other bag is said to contain the armour and weapons of Muhammad.[7]

Etymology

The word jafr has multiple meanings in Arabic: numerical symbolism, science of numbers, numerical symbolism of letters, numerology, science of letters, alphabetical symbolism, or divination.[8] The prefix al- means "the".

Contents

The contents of al-Jafr have been reported differently and the book is said to contain:

  • the secret teachings of the Shia Imams.[9]
  • knowledge of all past and future events pertaining to Muslims.[6]
  • the knowledge of Muhammad.[10]
  • the original Injil (Gospel of Jesus), the Tawrat (Torah of Moses), the Zabur (Psalms of David), the Suhuf Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham), and the knowledge and history of the past prophets.[11]
  • the Islamic rules, directives, and matters about wars.[11]
  • the knowledge of the Israelite scholars.[10]

The term al-Jafr is mentioned in the storyline of One Thousand and One Nights, and a description of al-Jafr is offered by Burton in his supplement to the book.[12]

See also

References
  1. Esposito (2003, pp. 175, 176). Modarressi (2003, p. 5)
  2. Shah-Kazemi (2014)
  3. Modarressi (2003, pp. 5)
  4. Modarressi (2003, pp. 18, 19)
  5. Esposito (2003, pp. 175, 176)
  6. Burton (2013)
  7. "Imamreza.net: The Origins of the Knowledge of Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.), Source: Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) in the Holy Qur'an and Hadith, By Ayatullah Muhammadi Rayshahri". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  8. "Arabic lexicon".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. Esposito (2003, pp. 175, 176)
  10. "Imamreza.net: Imam Ali's Distinguished Place in Literary History". Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  11. "Imamreza.net: Collection of the Hadith by the Sh'ia". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  12. Burton (2013)

Sources
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