Muhammad Ibn Ya'qub Al-Kulayni - Life

Life

Al-Kulayni is the foremost Shia compiler of hadith following into the footsteps and the traditions of Imams of Ahl al-Bayt. He is the author of Kitab al-Kafi - source book of Shia ahadith (pl: of hadith-tradition/s). His full name was Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Ya'qub b. Ishaq al-Kulayni al-Razi. Kulayni or also Kulini was born in a village named Kulayn or Kulin in Iran. His father Mulla Yaqub al-Kulayni’s grave is known to exist at Rey, Iran. Kulayn was a small town or village situated near Rey, present day Tehran (Ray is now a suburb of Tehran). He belonged to the era of al-ghaibat al-sughra or period of lesser or minor occultation of Muhammad al-Mahdi (last Shia Imam who according Shia belief is in occultation and will appear near the Day of Judgment, along with Jesus) and is said to have greatly benefited from the living source of divine knowledge, by interacting through living Imams deputies and emissaries. For this reason he has highly exalted status among the scholars of successive generations.

Kulayni belonged to a family of muhaddithun (plural of muhaddith-traditionist) and fuqahā' (Islamic jurists). He spent the major part of his life in the 3rd century Hijri and hence he is known as Mujaddid (reviver) of the 3rd century. Kulayni received his early religious education in his native town and went to Rey for further education, where he attended the lectures of famous contemporary scholrs. There he received all his formal education and mastered Islamic sciences. Within a short time he acquired fame as an eminent scholar and received students from far and near.

He is counted among a muhaddithun of a special class known as Rihalah ye hadith. Rihlah in Arabic means journey or travel and those who traveled in order to collect ahadith and meet the persons considered to be the authority on hadith. He also traveled to Baghdad for this reason and lived there for twenty years till he died in 329 hijri/941 CE. There he was engaged in teaching and pursuing academic work.