These compilations have been entitled Nuskhah (Copy) or...

These compilations have been entitled Nuskhah (Copy) or Kitab (book) or Asl (Principle), or Risalah (Epistle)... etc.

Sayyid Radiy al-Din `Ali ibn Tawus, in his book of Muhaj al-Da`awat , has mentioned on the authority of Abu’l-Waddah Muhammad ibn `Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Nahshaliy on the authority of his father that a group of his disciples and adherents used to attend the sessions of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and used to carry with them ebony boards and pencils so that they would write down any word and any verdict about any situation said by the Imam as soon as they would hear.[^7] Likewise, Shaykh al-Baha'iy, in his book of Mashriq al-Shamsayn , has said the following: “We have been informed by our master scholars—may Allah sanctify them—that whenever they heard anybody reporting a Hadith from the Holy Imams, the writers of the Principles ( Ashab al-Usul ) would hurriedly write it down in their books of Usul so that they would not forget a part of it or that it would be totally forgotten by passage of days.”[^8] Al-Muhaqqiq al-Damad, in the twenty-ninth chapter of his famous book of al-Rawashih al-Samawiyyah , says the following: “It has been said that the Writers of the Principles used to write down, without delay, in their books any Hadith that they heard from a reporter.”[^9] Furthermore, Mr.

`Abd al-Halim al-Jundiy has written down the following: “The first of those who benefited by the early recordation of the religious knowledge was those who took shelter with the Imams of the so as to learn from them orally and in written form. The Hadith that has been reported by the Shi`ite Muslims and written down in their books is the Prophetic heritage in its very point. From this heritage, the Shi`ite Muslims have thus learnt prosperity.

On the other hand, the Sunnite Muslims began to compile the Prophetic heritage only one century and a half after the Shi`ite scholars had applied themselves eagerly to it and written it down in their foremost books. For other centuries, the Sunnite Muslims wandered about deserts and plains looking for that heritage.

To take into consideration the fact that some of the narrators reported ten thousand Hadiths from the Imam clearly manifests that the authenticated heritage that is kept by the Shi`ite Muslims is adequately sufficient for the Muslim community.