Other traditions indicate the need of their verification and...

Other traditions indicate the need of their verification and the need for precaution in matters of faith and also the need to acquire them, to adhere to them and to make deduction from sunnah ،X the sayings and doings of the Prophet and the Imams (from the progeny of the Holy Prophet - peace be upon him and his progeny). Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (p. b. u.

h.) used to say, "When I receive a young person from amongst my followers having no under-standing of religion I would like 'I deal with him very strictly till he acquires the knowledge of religion."26 KULAYN Kulayn was the name of a village under the jurisdiction of `Ray' ،X the well known city of Iran. This village is now in ruins which are still to be found 'near Tehran ،X the capital city of Iran even this day.

This village was the birth place of Muhammad ibn Ya،¥qub Kulayni, the compiler of this book al-Kafi.27 The fact of his belonging to this village Kulayn, can also be proved by his relationship with Ray.28 He was the Shaykh ،X the religious head of the Sh.،¦ah scholars of Ray in his time.29 Biography of al-Kulayni, the Compiler Muhammad ibn Ya،¥qub ibn Ishƒuaq al-Kulayni ar-Razi al-Baghdadi belonged to a noble family of Kulayn which has produced a group of outstanding scholars in Islamic Jurisprudence and hƒuadith.

Among them was his uncle al-،¥Allamah al-Kulayni himself was the Shaykh ،X head of the. Sh.،¦ahs and was the most prominent religious figure of his time in Ray (the most important ancient city of Iran). Afterwards he stayed at Baghdad (Iraq) at Bab K.fa (name of a locality in Baghdad) as the Chief of the Shi،¥ite Scholars in Islamic Jurisprudence during the reign of al-Muqtadir ،X the Abbasid Caliph.

The unique qualification of al-Kulayni, the compiler of al-Kafi, is that among all other compilers of /Judith, he alone was the cotemporary of all the four successive representatives and ambassadors of Imam al-Mahdi ،X the twelfth Imam. Hence he had all the facilities of collecting traditions from the requisite sources. Therefore, al-Kafi is rightly regarded as a unique collection and compilation during the life time of all the four successive ambassadors of Imam al-Mahdi.

al-Kulayni compiled this book on the request of the prominent Shiite scholars who wanted to have a comprehensive book containing all information of Islamic literature which would be sufficient for them.