The Background of Raj’agraphy in Shi’ism Analyzing Its Quality and Quantity

Author

PhD of Quranic sciences and Hadith in Al-Mustafa International University.

Abstract

Muslims, especially Shi’ite, regarded raj’a (Second Coming) highly
important from the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to now; Shi’a
Muslims tried to prove it while on the other hand Sunni Muslims tried to
reject it. The differences between Sunni and Shi’a writers in proving and
rejecting raj’a represent the importance of reviewing this subject. Analyzing
the background of raj’agraphy would be a vital step in resolving this issue
which has been neglected so far. Therefore, the question is: How is
background of raj’agraphy among Shi’ism helpful in resolving the current
issue? (Question) Raj’agraphy has been always influenced by different
situations of the time; consequently a documentary analysis of hadiths on
raj’a (second coming) was mostly ignored. (Hypothesis) Analyzing
raj’agraphy throughout different centuries was carried out in order to
represent its upsides and downsides along with considering accurateness in
writing. (Goal) Historical analysis through two approaches, qualitative and
quantitative, was applied in answering the raised question. (Methodology)
The necessity of reviewing documentation of hadiths on raj’a, in the light of
avoiding generalization, would represent a better picture of raj’a. (Finding)

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