The act that makes us boast of the life of the Ima`m is that...

The act that makes us boast of the life of the Ima`m is that he took care of these jurists. He praised them, strengthened their position, and summoned the community to resort to their religious opinions. He, peace be on him, said to Aba`n b. Taghlub: “Sit down in the mosque. Give religious opinions to the people. Indeed, I am glad to see among my followers the likes of you.”[^1] Indeed, he paid their expenses and what they needed during their life.

He did that to make them dedicate themselves to gaining of knowledge, to achieve its rules exactly, and to write it down. Then, he asked his son, Ima`m al-Sa`diq, peace be on him, to take care of the jurists. He asked him to spend on them to help them carry out their religious duties. Thus, they played a constructive role in writing the traditions which they heard from him. Besides they taught the religious deputations what they narrated from him. Indeed, his student, Ja`bir b.

Yazïd al-Ju‘fi, reported seventy thousand traditions from him.[^2] Aba`n b. Taghlub also reported a large group (of traditions) from him. The jurisprudential encyclopedias are full of their narrations from him. All the chapters of jurisprudence - such as the acts of worship, contracts, punishments, and the like - are confirmed with narrations from him. Therefore, he founded and published the jurisprudence of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them.

Worth mentioning, the jurisprudence of the members of the House is the best Islamic jurisprudence. The lectures and researches of the Ima`m were not confined to jurisprudence. Rather they included all kinds of sciences such as philosophy, theology, and medicine. As for the explanation of the Koran, it engaged his care wholly. Indeed, he appointed time for it.

Most commentators (of the Koran) have written what the Ima`m adopted and what he narrated from his grandfathers concerning the explanation of the holy verses. He (the Ima`m) wrote a book about the explanation (of the Koran). Zyya`d b. al-Mundher, the spiritual leader of the Jarudi group, reported the book from him.[^3] This book denotes that and gives some examples of his explanations to some verses.

Worth mentioning, the Ima`m, peace be on him, talked about the conditions of the prophets and the persecutions from which they suffered because of the oppressive rulers of their time. He also talked about their judgments and their morals. From him most researchers learned the situations of the prophets.