Due to its maximum number of hadiths narrated from Shi’a Imams (a)...

Due to its maximum number of hadiths narrated from Shi’a Imams (a), chaptering of topics, explanation of hadiths, various theological, historical, jurisprudential, exegetical, ethical, hadith, and lexical researches. Bihar al-anwar has a great position among researchers; so that regardless of its many volumes, since its first publication, many manuscript copies of that were written and with later development of printing industry, all or parts of it have been frequently printed.

Goal of Writing In the introduction of Bihar al-anwar, al-Majlisi explained his goal of writing the book as: The reason for writing this book is that I was enthusiastic in learning different types of knowledge, and after spending a part of my life on learning different sciences and thinking about the fruits and goals of these sciences, I found that knowledge is achieved only through the revelation and the hadiths of the (a) and in the hereafter, only this type of knowledge is helpful.

Therefore, I studied the narrations and hadiths of the Infallibles (a). (1) He also tried to collect those references which were about to be lost and thus referred to those books which were abandoned due to excessive attention to the Four Books, the corrupt intentions, lack of attention of the ignorant and the enemies of the (a).

(2) He also said that, “No book like this has ever been written and no one has superseded me in this and I hope this book will be the reference of scholars and seekers of knowledge for all those who seek the knowledge of Imams (a) until the rise of the Upriser (a) of the (a).”(3) Manner of Writing The author decided to write this book after 1070/1660, after he wrote Fihris Musannafat al-Ashab and the first date mentioned in Bihar al-anwar is 1072/1662.

(4) He finished its draft in 1104/1693 or 1106/1695; however, the clean draft was still being worked on by his students after al-Majlisi passed away. (5) To write this book, al-Majlisi sent many of his students to different cities and countries to find available hadith books and manuscripts. (6) For example, he reported that even to acquire Ibn Babawayh’s Madinat al-‘ilm which people thought existed in Yemen, he sent a group with many gifts to the ruler of Yemen to get that book.

(7) During the writing of Bihar al-anwar, some students of al-Majlisi including Mirza ‘Abd Allah Afandi, Mir Muhammad Salih Khatunabadi, Mulla ‘Abd Allah b.