However...

However, the most important work that was written as a refutation of the seventh chapter of the Tuhfah concerning the Shi’i doctrine of Imamate was ‘Abaqat al-Anwar, which was destined to take its place not only as the greatest work on Imamate ever written but also perhaps as one of the greatest masterpieces of scholarship ever compiled on a doctrinal issue anywhere in the history of religion.

In the seventh chapter of the Tuhfah, where Shah ‘Abd al-Aziz attacks the Shi’i doctrine of Imamate, he claims that the Shi’i claim is based on only six verses of the Qur'an and twelve traditions of the Prophet (S). Accordingly, Sayyid Hamid Husayn wrote his book in two sections, the first concerning the Qur'anic basis of Imamate and the second concerning its basis in the Prophet's hadith. The first section has not been published.

The second section consists of 12 parts, each of which deals with the sanad (chains of transmission) and the meaning (dalalah) of one of the twelve traditions of the Prophet (S) concerning ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (A) or the Ahlul Bayt (A) rejected by Shah ‘Abd al-Aziz as supporting the doctrine of Imamate. The first part studies the isnad and dalalah of what is called Hadith al-­Ghadir.

[^3] It is contained in three volumes, of which the first was published in 1293/1876, in 1251 pages and the remaining two, of 609 and 399 pages, in 1294/1877. The second part deals with Hadith al-­Manzilah. [^4]It appeared in 1295/1878 in 977 pages. The third part deals with Hadith al-­Wilayah. [^5] It was published in 1303/1885 in 585 pages. The fourth part deals with Hadith al-­Tayr. [^6] It was published in 1306/1888 in two volumes of 512 and 224 pages from Matba’ah­ye Bustan, Lucknow.

The fifth part deals with Hadith Madinat al-­‘ilm. [^7] It consists of two volumes, of which the first, in 745 pages, appeared in 1317/1899 and the second, in 600 pages, in 1327/1909. The sixth part deals with Hadith al-­Tashbih. [^8] It was published in 1301/1883 in two volumes of 456 and 248 pages. The seventh part, which deals with Hadith al-­Munasabah [^9] and was completed by Sayyid Muhammad Sa’id ibn Sayyid Nasir Husayn ibn Sayyid Hamid Husayn, has not been published yet.

The eighth part, dealing with Hadith al-­Nur, [^10]was published in 1303/1885 in 786 pages by Matba’ah­ye Mashriq al-Anwar, Lucknow. The ninth part, dealing with Hadith al-­Rayah, [^11] has also remained unpublished. The tenth part dealing with the hadith...