Al-Jamia
Encyclopedia
Al-Jamia is a sacred and secret Shia text, the words of which were dictated by Muhammad
to Ali
, who then wrote down these words. Alternate spellings for al-Jamia include al-Jami’a, al-Jámi'a, al-Jami'ah, al-Jamea, al-Jami‘, al-Jami, or al-Jama, while alternate names for the text include Kitab al-Imam Ali (i.e. the Book of Imam
Ali) and al-Sahifa
(i.e. the Page). Al-Jamia was taught by Muhammad to Ali, and the later Imams were accustomed to refer at times to al-Jamia, that Ali left in their keeping. Belief in the existence of this text with the Imams was firm.
, the words of which Muhammad dictated to Ali, who then wrote them down in his own handwriting on the scroll.
Al-Jamia is currently in the possession of the 12th Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi
, after he inherited it from his predecessors.
evidences of the existence of al-Jamia:
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
to Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
, who then wrote down these words. Alternate spellings for al-Jamia include al-Jami’a, al-Jámi'a, al-Jami'ah, al-Jamea, al-Jami‘, al-Jami, or al-Jama, while alternate names for the text include Kitab al-Imam Ali (i.e. the Book of Imam
Imamah (Shi'a doctrine)
Imāmah is the Shia doctrine of religious, spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. The Shīa believe that the A'immah are the true Caliphs or rightful successors of Muḥammad, and further that Imams are possessed of divine knowledge and authority as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt,...
Ali) and al-Sahifa
Sahifah
Ṣaḥīfah or sahifa is the Arabic word for 'page'. In Persian, the word is pronounced sahifeh.*al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya*Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih...
(i.e. the Page). Al-Jamia was taught by Muhammad to Ali, and the later Imams were accustomed to refer at times to al-Jamia, that Ali left in their keeping. Belief in the existence of this text with the Imams was firm.
Description of al-Jamia
Al-Jamia is a scroll made from rams skin which measures 70 cubits long (as measured by the arm of Muhammad) and the width of a sheepskinSheepskin
Sheepskin is the hide of a sheep, sometimes also called lambskin or lambswool.Sheepskin may also refer to:* Parchment, a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin** Diploma, originally made of sheepskin...
, the words of which Muhammad dictated to Ali, who then wrote them down in his own handwriting on the scroll.
Al-Jamia is currently in the possession of the 12th Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi
Muhammad al-Mahdi
Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī is believed by Twelver Shī‘a Muslims to be the Mahdī, an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imām of the Twelve Imams...
, after he inherited it from his predecessors.
Contents
The contents of al-Jamia include:- Details and showing of all the permitted (halalHalalHalal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
) and forbidden things (haraamHaraamHaraam is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden", or "sacred". In Islam it is used to refer to anything that is prohibited by the word of Allah in the Qur'an or the Hadith Qudsi. Haraam is the highest status of prohibition given to anything that would result in sin when a Muslim commits it...
).
- All the legal verdicts that people need to know.
- In it is everything necessary for mankind until the end of time and all the sciences including even the blood-wit for wounding, and whether a full flogging or half a flogging is due and even the different compensation prices for a scratch, a whip and half a whip, were written.
- All the happenings of the world until the end of the world are included according to the science of Huruf (letters of the alphabet) and the 12 Imams know this science and rule with it.
Evidence of al-Jamia’s existence
The following are hadithHadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
evidences of the existence of al-Jamia:
- He Ja'far al-SadiqJa'far al-SadiqJaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...
('a) used to say: "Our knowledge is of what will be (ghabir), of what is past (mazbur), of what is marked in hearts (nakt fi al-qulub) and of what is tapped into ears (naqr fi al-asma). We have the red case (jafr), the white case and the scroll of Fatima, peace be on her, and we have (the document called) al-jami'a in which is everything the people need." He was asked to explain these words and he said: … (The document called) al-jami'a is a scroll 70 yards long which the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, dictated from his own mouth and Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him, wrote in his own handwriting. By God, in it is everything which people need until the end of time, including even the blood-wit for wounding, and whether a (full) flogging or half a flogging (is due).
- It is narrated from him from Muhammad from Yunus from Aban from abu Shaybah who has said the following: “I heard (Imam) abu ‘AbdallahJa'far al-SadiqJaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...
saying, ‘ibn Shabrama’s knowledge has been lost (after his death). The al-Jami’ah, which belongs to us is secure, it is a large book that was dictated by the holy prophet to Imam Ali , who wrote it with his own hands. There is nothing, which has been left out from al-Jami’ah. In it, is the knowledge of all lawful and unlawful matters. The people of analogyQiyasIn Islamic jurisprudence, qiyās is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur'an, in order to apply a known injunction to a new circumstance and create a new injunction...
(fatawa issuers) sought knowledge through analogy and as a consequence they kept going away from the divine knowledge. The religion of Allah does not consist of that which could be learnt through analogy.”
- Imam al-Sadiq: The knowledge of ibn Shubruma comparing Al-Jamia, which is dictated by the Messenger of Allah and written down by Ali, is nought. Al-Jamia is a complete text by itself and it contains the knowledge of the lawful and the unlawful.
- Imam Ja'fer al-Sadiq is quoted as saying, "We have the saheefa; it is dictated by the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) and hand written by Ali; nothing permissible or prohibitive except that it is recorded in it, and nothing people need, nor any issue, except that it contains it, even the penalty for slightly scratching one's cheek."
- A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ‘Abdallah ibn al-Hajjal from Ahmad ibn ‘Umar al-Halabi from abu Basir who has said the following: "I went to abu ‘Abdallah and said … The narrators has said that the Imam then said, "O abu Muhammad, with us there is al-Jami‘a. What do they know what al-Jami‘ is?" I then asked, "May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, what is al-Jami‘a? The Imam said, it is a parchment seventy yards by the yards of the Messenger of Allah long that contains his dictations that is in graved in to with the right hand writing of Ali. It contains all the lawful and unlawful and all matters that people need, even the law of compensation for a scratch caused to a person. He then stretched his hand to me and asked, ‘May I, O abu Muhammad?’ I then replied, "May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, I am all at your disposal." He pinched me with his hand and said, "Even there is the law of compensation for this." He seemed angry. The narrator has said, "I then said, "This, I swear by Allah is knowledge." The Imams said, "It certainly is knowledge but not that one."
- Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ibn Ri’ab from abu ‘Ubaydah who has said that the people from our group asked abu ‘Abdallah about JafrAl-Jafr (book)Al-Jafr is a mystical Shia holy book compiled, according to Shia belief, by Ali and inherited by him from Muhammad. Al-Jafr is composed of two skin boxes in which were kept various books of the past Prophets and the books inherited from Muhammad, Ali and Fatimah to the Ahl al-Bayt, with each new...
and the Imam said the following. "It is the skin of a bull which is full of knowledge." Then they asked the Imam (a.s.) about al-Jami‘a. The Imam replied, "It is a parchment that is seventy yards long with a width of hide like that of the leg of a huge camel. It contains all that people may need. There is no case for there is a rule in it. In it there is the law to settle the compensation for a scratch caused to a person."…
- A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Salih ibn Sa‘id from Ahmad ibn abu Bishr from Bakr ibn Karib al-Sayrafi who has said that he heard abu ‘Abdallah say the following. " With us there are such things that because of which we do not need people [but] instead people need us. With us there is a book that the Messenger of Allah had dictated and Ali had written it down. It is a book. In it there are all laws of lawful and unlawful matters. You come to us with an issue and we know when you follow the guidance and when you disregard it."
See also
- Al-Jafr (book)Al-Jafr (book)Al-Jafr is a mystical Shia holy book compiled, according to Shia belief, by Ali and inherited by him from Muhammad. Al-Jafr is composed of two skin boxes in which were kept various books of the past Prophets and the books inherited from Muhammad, Ali and Fatimah to the Ahl al-Bayt, with each new...
- Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya
- Book of FatimahBook of FatimahThe Book of Fatimah, Mushaf of Fatimah or Fatimah's Mushaf is according to Shi'as tradition, a book written by Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad.-Shi'a view:...
- MushafMushafA mus'haf is a codex or collection of sheets . The Qur’an, which Muslims believe to have been revealed at various times and in various ways during the 23-year period at the end of Muhammad's life, was collected into a codex under the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan..The Islamic term al-Qur’ān...
- Nahj al-Balagha