ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Principle of Ijtihad in Islam The Struggle With Akhbarism In brief, Akhbarism was a movement in opposition to `aql. An amazing ossification and inflexibility ruled in their doctrine. Fortunately, some discerning individuals like Wahid Bihbihani [^25], famous as "Aqa", whose descendants are even now known as "Al­i Aqa (Family of Aqa)", and his pupils, and afterwards the late Shaykh Murtada al­Ansari [^26], took a stand and fought against this doctrine.

Wahid Bihbihani lived in Karbala.[^27] At that time, the author of the "Hada'iq"[^28] an erudite Akhbari, was also in Karbala, and both of them had a following of students. Wahid was a follower of the doctrine of ijtihad, and the author of the "Hada'iq" of the Akhbari doctrine, and occasionally there were bitter disputes.

In the end, Wahid Bihbihani defeated the author of the "Hada'iq", and it is said that the outstanding pupils of Aqa Wahid, such as Kashif al­Ghita', Bahr al­`Ulum and the Sayyid Mahdi Shahrastani [^29], had first of all been pupils of the author of the "Hada'iq" and had afterwards left him and joined the lessons of Wahid Bihbihani.

Of course, the author of the ''Hada'iq'' was a moderate Akhbari; he claimed that his doctrine was identical with that of Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi [^30], half way between Akhbari and Usuli. Moreover, he was a pious and godfearing man of faith, and although Wahid Bihbihani fought against him vociferously and forbade congregational prayers behind him, he, quite the contrary, said that congregational prayers behind Aqa Wahid were valid.

It is said that at the time of his death he left in his will that Wahid Bihbihani should recite his funerary prayer. The struggle of the Shaykh al­Ansari was such that he managed to build a solid foundation for the science of usul al­fiqh; and it is said that he maintained that if Amin al­Astarabadi had been alive he would have accepted his usul. Naturally, the Akhbari school was defeated as a result of this opposition, and now it has no following except here and there.

However, not all the ideas of Akhbarism, which penetrated people's minds so quickly and securely after the appearance of Mulla Amin, and which held sway for more or less two hundred years, have disappeared. Even now we see many who do not recognize the permissibility of an exegesis of the Qur'an unless a hadith is quoted.