This was because their books...

This was because their books, even though they were the summaries of their ijtihad , were in the form of collections of traditions and not in the form of verdicts. Now we will look at the history of Shia jurisprudents, as I have said, from the period of the Imam’s occultation. Ali ibn Babawayh Qumi died in 329 A.H. buried in Qum. The father of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Babawayh is known as Shaykh Saduq, who is buried near Tehran.

The son was learned in Traditions, the father in jurisprudence, and compiled a book of his verdicts. Normally this father and son are called Saduqayn. ‘Ayashi Samarqandi, lived at the same time as Ali ibn Babawayh or a little before. The author of a famous commentary of the Quran, though his specialty was commentary, he is still numbered amongst the jurisprudents. He wrote many books in different fields including jurisprudence.

Ibn Nadim writes that the books of this man were largely available in Khorasan, but I have not yet seen his views related anywhere, and his books on jurisprudence no longer exist. ‘Ayashi was originally a Sunni Muslim but later became a Shia. He inherited vast wealth from his father, and this he spent on collecting and copying books and on teaching and training his students. Ibn Jamid-Iskafi, one of the teachers of Shaykh Mufid. It seems he passed away in 381 A.H.

and it is said that his books and writings numbered fifty. His views have ever been subject to consideration in jurisprudence and still are to this day. Shaykh Mufid. His name was Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Numan. He was both a mutakallim (theologian) and a jurisprudent. Ibn Nadim, in the section of his book Fihrist in which he discusses Shia mutakalamin, calls him “ibn Mu’alim” and praises him. Born in 336 A.H. he passed away in 413.

His famous book in jurisprudence, Muqna’ah , is still used today. The son-in-law of Shaykh Mufid, Abu Y’ala J’afari, tells us that Shaykh Mufid slept little at night, and spent the rest in worship, study, and teaching or reciting the Quran. Seyyid Morteza, known as ‘Alam ul Huda, was born in 355 A.H. and passed away in 436 A.H. Allamah Hilli has called him the teacher of the Shias of the Imams. He was a master of ethics, theology, and jurisprudence.

His views on jurisprudence are still studied by the jurisprudents of today. He and his brother, Seyyid Razi the compiler of the Nahj ul-Balagha , both studied under Shaykh Mufid.