Content Analysis of Mahdism Narrations in the Book of Baṣāʼir al-Darajāt

Kamyab, Moslem

doi:10.22034/hsr.2025.51729.1052

Content Analysis of Mahdism Narrations in the Book of Baṣāʼir al-Darajāt

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Moslem Kamyab

Assistant Professor, Department of Current Studies, Mahdism and Future Studies Research Center, Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy, Qom, Iran.

10.22034/hsr.2025.51729.1052

Abstract

The book "Baṣāʼir al-Darajāt" by Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan Ṣaffār, as one of the oldest surviving sources from the early period of the Lesser Occultation, can be explored with a Mahdism approach. In this source, 37 narrations, without repetition, address the issue of Mahdism. Since diverse Mahdavi topics are evident in these narrations, this research seeks, using the "Content Analysis" method, to first identify the main and sub-topics of the Mahdism narrations in Baṣāʼir al-Darajāt and then categorize and analyze the main categories. From examining the collection of narrations, 9 main topics were extracted in the form of 44 concepts; the conduct of Imam Mahdi (AS) in the era of reappearance, the Imam's inheritance, the purpose of the reappearance, the Imam's companions, and the blessings of the era of reappearance are among the most important topics in this collection of narrations. The central theme of the Baṣāʼir al-Darajāt narrations refers to the era of reappearance and beyond. This indicates the application of the element of selectivity by Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan Ṣaffār in compiling this work. The existence of some isolated narrations and their lack of transmission until the era of Allamah Majlisī indicates that these narrations were distant from the common discourse of Shia hadith scholars; although the essence of the themes can be traced in other hadith legacies.

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