Sharif ar-Radi was a prominent Shi’a scholar and poet born in Baghdad. Although he is most known for his literary expertise, he was also an expert in jurisprudence and exegesis of the Quran. His most famous work is Nahj al-Balagha, a collection of Imam Ali’s (a.s) sayings and letters.
In this write-up, we shall look at the biography of Al-Sharif al-Radi in terms of his birth, name, family, teachers, works and his death.
His Birth/Name
Al-Radi was born in 970 in the Abbasid capital, Baghdad, and died in 1015 in his hometown. Al-Sharif al-Radi’s name was Muhammad and his kunyah was Abu al Hasan. He was the second son of al-Husayn ibn Ahmad, known as al-Tahir al-Awhad and Dhu al-Manaqib.
Al-Radi’s title ‘al-Sharif’ was a common title used for those who were descendants of the Prophet (s.a.w.a) from both the maternal and paternal sides. The word which is now commonly used for al-Sharif is al-Sayyid in Persian and Urdu.
Family and Lineage
Al-Radi’s father was the most eminent among the Alawids of his time. He held all the important positions which a Shi’ah could attain under the ‘Abbasid regime during the fourth century H. Al-Thalibi (d. 429), in Yatimat al-dahr, a bibliography of poets and writers of Arabic, writes about the father of al-Radi: His forefathers were held in high respect by the people of Iraq.
His mother, Fatimah, was a descendant of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (a.s). She was a pious and noble lady who was held in high esteem. At her request, the great scholar al-Shaykh al-Mufid compiled the book Ahkam al-Nisa’, which contains the jurisprudential rules for women. She died in Baghdad in 385/995-6.
His elder brother, al-Sharif al-Murtada, was a great theologian and jurist. Because of his great position among Shi’a Theologians, al-Sharif al-Murtada was given the title, ʿAlam al-Huda (the sign of guidance).
His Teacher:
Al-Radi studied under great scholars such as al-Shaykh al-Mufid in various branches of Islamic sciences and Arabic literature. Ibn Abi l-Hadid in his book Sharh Nahj al-Balagha reports that al-Shaykh al-Mufid once dreamt that he was sitting in his mosque in Karkh area in Baghdad when Lady Fatima (a.s) came to him with her two little sons, Hasan (a.s) and Husayn (a.s), and said, “Teach these two boys.” The next day, when al-Mufid was at the mosque, he saw that Fatima the daughter of Nasir entered the mosque with her two sons, al-Sharif al-Radi and al-Sharif al-Murtada, and said to al-Mufid, “These are my sons; I have brought them to you so that you can teach them jurisprudence.” Al-Mufid wept and related his dream to her.
Al-Radi also benefited from other masters in various fields of study. He studied under al-Qadi ‘Abd al-Jabbar and Abu Sa’id al-Hasan b. ‘Abd Allah b. Marzban al-Sayrafi, an expert in Arabic language and literature. He also studied literary sciences with Abu Muhammad al-Asadi al-Akfani, Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali b. ‘Isa al-Rummani, Abu al-Fath ‘Uthman b. al-Jinni, and Ibn Nubata al-Khatib.
Al-Radi studied hadith under Muhammad b. ‘Imran al-Marzabani and Harun b. Musa b. Ahmad al-Talla’ukbari. His teacher in jurisprudence, besides al-Shaykh al-Mufid, was Muhammad b. al-‘Abbas al-Khwarizmi. Abu Hafs ‘Umar b. Ibrahim al-Kinani was his teacher in Qira’a and the holy Qur’an.
His Work
Shi’a biographers recognize several books for him. Some of his famous books are:
- Nahj al-Balagha; a collection of Imam ‘Ali’s sayings and letters; al-Radi’s most important work.
- Talkhis al-Bayan ‘an Majazat al-Qu’ran
- Haqa’iq al-Ta’wil fi Mutashabih al-Tanzil
- Al-Majazat al-Nabawiyya
- Khasa’is al-A’imma
- Diwan al-Sharif al-Radi
- Al-Hasan min Shi’r al-Husayn
His Death
Sharif al-Radi died on Muharram 6, 406/ June 26, 1015, at the age of 47. He was buried in his house in the Karkh area of Baghdad. According to some reports, after the destruction of his house, al-Sharif al-Murtada (his brother) moved al-Radi’s body to Kazimayn and buried him beside Imam al-Kazim (a.s).
According to other reports, his body was removed and later carried to Karbala where he was buried beside his father. Ibn Maytham’s statement confirms that the graves of al-Sharif al-Radi and al-Sharif al-Murtada are in Karbala.
