Shaykh Tusi facts for kids

Shaykh Tusi (Persian: شیخ طوسی), whose full name was Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hassan Tusi (Arabic: ابو جعفر محمد بن حسن طوسی), was a very important Persian scholar. He belonged to the Twelver school of Shia Islam. People often called him Shaykh al-Taʾifah (Arabic: شيخ الطائفة), which means "sheikh of the sect."

Shaykh Tusi wrote two of the four main hadith books for Shia Muslims: Tahdhib al-Ahkam and al-Istibsar. He is also thought to have started the hawza, which is a type of religious school. He is seen as the founder of Shia jurisprudence, which means the study of Islamic law.

Life of Shaykh Tusi

Shaykh Tusi was born in 995 AD in a city called Tus in Iran. By 1018 AD, he was living under the rule of the Buyid dynasty, a powerful family at that time.

He began his education in Tus. There, he became very good at many Islamic subjects. Later, he moved to Baghdad to continue his studies. Baghdad was a major center of learning.

In Baghdad, he joined the study groups of famous teachers like Shaykh Al-Mufid. He started writing some of his first books when he was in his twenties. He also learned from another great scholar, Shaykh Murtaza.

Later, Baghdad faced difficult times. In 1055 AD, the city was taken over by Tughril-bek. Many Muslim scholars were killed, and Shaykh Tusi's house was burned down. He lost his books and the writings he had created in Baghdad.

After this event, he moved to al-Najaf. This city is in Iraq. He passed away there on December 2, 1067, when he was 72 years old.

Shaykh Tusi's Influence

Shaykh Tusi played a huge role in shaping and bringing back Shia law. His life happened during a time when many books and libraries were destroyed. Some people even say he helped bring back the study of hadith and Islamic law.

He believed in using legal reasoning to understand religious laws. One of his biggest achievements was making his way of arguing and finding answers very clear. He gave Shaykh Mufid a clear way to understand Ijtihad, which is the process of making independent legal judgments.

For a long time, Shaykh Tusi's ideas were very powerful. Almost all Islamic law was affected by what he thought.

Usuli School of Thought

There were two main ways of thinking in Islam: the Akhbari school and the Usuli school. Shaykh Tusi supported the Usuli school. He said that the Akhbari school was too focused on the exact words of texts, like "literalists."

Shaykh Tusi looked at the ideas of different Islamic law schools. He showed that there were not many big differences between them. Like his teachers, he did not agree with using "legal analogy" (called Qiyyas Fiqhi) in his book on Usul Fiqh, which is about the principles of Islamic law.

Importance of Reason

Shaykh Tusi strongly believed that reason was very important in religion. He said that ideas like "commanding good" and "forbidding evil" are necessary based on what makes sense.

He also used logical arguments to show that "consensus" (called ijma) was valid. He linked this to the idea of lutf. According to lutf, God must give people the right conditions to follow religious rules.

Shaykh Tusi's Pioneering Work

Shaykh Tusi was a leading thinker who created important works. These included biographies of religious figures (ilm-rijal) and collections of knowledge (Fihrist).

He also started new ways for Shia religious leaders, called clerics, to take on roles that only imams used to have. These roles included collecting and giving out religious taxes. They also involved organizing Friday prayers for the community.

Najaf Seminary

Many scholars believe that Shaykh Tusi started the Hawzeh of Najaf. This famous religious school was founded after he moved from Baghdad to Najaf.

Shaykh Tusi's Works

Shaykh Tusi wrote more than fifty books. These books covered many different areas of Islamic knowledge. Some of these areas include philosophy, hadith, theology, history, and how to understand the Quran.

Two of his books are considered very important for Shia Muslims. These are Tahdhib al-Ahkam and Al-Istibsar. Both of these books are about hadiths related to Islamic law.

Other important books he wrote include:

• Al-Nihayah
• Al-Tibyan Fi Tafsir al-Quran
• Al-Istibsar (in 4 volumes)
• Tahdhib Al-osul (in two volumes)
• Oddat Al-osul
• Al-fatawa
• Al-Mabsut
• Al-Iqtisad Al Hadi Ila Tariq Al Rashad
• Kitab al-Ghayba
• Ekhtiyar Ma'refat Al- Rijal

See also

In Spanish: Sheikh Tusi para niños

• Shia Islam
• Ja'fari jurisprudence
• The Four Books
• Holiest sites in Islam
• Sayyid Murtadhā
• Shaykh al-Mufīd
• Shaykh al-Sadūq
• Muhammad al-Kulaynī
• Allāmah Majlisī
• Shaykh al-Hur al-Āmilī
• Shaykh Nasīr ad-Dīn Tūsi