Zaydi hadith methodology, their omission of isnads, and reliance on Sunni hadith sources
Questions and Contentions:
Did the Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ah precede you (the Zaydis) in the science of hadith and narrators (ʿilm al-ḥadīth wa al-rijāl), and if so, why?
And to what extent do you depend on the hadiths, authentic collections, and musnads of the Ahl al-Sunnah?
First, the Sunni school is distinguished by its focus on al-jarḥ wa al-taʿdīl (criticism and validation of narrators) and the classification of hadith according to their strength and weakness, both in chain and text.
Does this same methodology exist among the Zaydis?
Because I have noticed that the Imami (Twelver) Shia, over the long centuries, did not commit themselves to compiling a collection that gathers only authentic Sunnah — despite the fact that authentic Sunnah is the second source of legislation.
And I see no reason for that except that they avoid being bound by what is found in al-Kāfī and other problematic hadiths that they consider authentic, yet they cannot justify what those hadiths contain of issues that contradict reason and transmission (revelation).
Furthermore, despite the existence of some problematic hadiths in the Sunni Ṣiḥāḥ collections, the reader can sense the neutrality of Sunni hadith scholars such as Muslim and al-Nasā’ī, for example — since they did not hesitate to narrate hadiths that go against their own school of thought, such as the ḥadīth of al-Thaqalayn (“the Two Weighty Things”) and the ḥadīth “Whoever I am his master, Ali is his master.”
And that was despite the hostility of the Umayyads toward Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) at that time. This gives credibility to those books, since their authors collected what they deemed authentic — even when it contradicted their beliefs, or even if it cost them the enmity of rulers. Indeed, many hadith scholars and jurists among Ahl al-Sunnah were persecuted and tortured because of their love for Ali and Ahl al-Bayt (Peace Be Upon them All).
By contrast, one hardly finds in the hadith books of the Shi‘a — whether authentic or even weak reports, as far as I know — anything that reflects the neutrality of their hadith compilers.
You rarely find a narration mentioning the virtue of Abu Bakr, or ʿUthmān, or Ṭalḥah, or al-Zubayr, despite their precedence in Islam, in migration, in supporting the Prophet, and in being related to him by marriage (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
This gives the reader the impression that Shi‘i hadith scholars are selective — narrating only what agrees with their beliefs.
Whereas one feels compelled to believe the narrations of Ahl al-Sunnah because of their fairness even toward their opponents.
Furthermore, Shi‘a rarely transmit hadiths through the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, while they frequently narrate through the “companions” of Ahl al-Bayt.
But isn’t companionship with the Messenger of Allah a higher status than companionship with Ahl al-Bayt, as stated explicitly in the Qur’an?
And why do the Shi‘a not take care to gather the Prophetic Sunnah from all available sources — from the Companions and the Prophet’s wives without exception — in addition to Ahl al-Bayt, as the Ahl al-Sunnah do?
Are ʿĀ’ishah, Ḥafṣah, Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, al-Zubayr, Ṭalḥah, and Anas among those deemed discredited, whose narrations are not accepted?
I have noticed that it is rare for Zaydi books to mention the chain of transmission (isnād) of hadiths — unlike the books of Ahl al-Sunnah. The same happens in the lectures of Zaydi scholars, where the listener or reader cannot tell the authentic from the weak.
Response:
We will address this according to how the question was presented, as it is divided into two main sections:
The first concerns the Zaydi methodology in dealing with hadith, in which we will discuss the frequency or scarcity of hadith transmission and the points raised by the questioner.
The second concerns the observation that Zaydi books often omit chains of transmission, as do the lectures of their scholars.
Section One: On the Zaydi Methodology in Dealing with Hadith
It is necessary to observe an important matter regarding al-jarḥ wa al-taʿdīl (criticism and validation of narrators) during the early centuries, which were the foundation of hadith transmission. Both the Umayyad and Abbasid states served the Sunni intellectual current immensely — especially the Umayyad state.
This is because the Shiite hadith scholars, their learned men, and the imams from among the noble descendants of al-Hasan and al-Husayn were excluded from the circles of hadith transmission. Hardly was anything narrated from their Imams except under kunyas (nicknames), and some were even accused of “Rafḍ” (rejection) or Shi‘ism merely for sitting with the Prophet’s Household (ʿitrah).
The result was that the early Shi‘a — and in particular, the Zaydis — were marginalized and not taken from for two main reasons:
- Their theological and doctrinal opposition to the ruling sect.
- Their revolutionary stance against tyrannical rulers (A’immah al-jawr).
During much of that period, they lived persecuted and dispersed alongside the Imams of the ʿitrah, enjoining right and forbidding wrong, fulfilling the Qur’anic mission. Meanwhile, the narrators and hadith scholars of that time (favored by the state) were able to advance their sciences of transmission and criticism precisely because their environment supported them.
This coincided with the times when the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt were rising against oppression — such as Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī, crucified at al-Kūnah; his son Yaḥyā, crucified at Jawzjān; the Pure Soul (al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah), martyred at Aḥjār al-Zayt; his brother Ibrāhīm (al-Nafs al-Raḍiyyah), martyred at Bākhamrah; Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd Allāh, leader in Daylam; and Idrīs ibn ʿAbd Allāh, founder of the Moroccan state — as well as the other Imams of the ʿitrah and their followers who lived as fugitives and martyrs.
As the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“We, the Household of the Prophet, have been chosen by Allah for the Hereafter over this world. After me, my family will face persecution and dispersion across the lands.”
(al-Mustadrak ʿala al-Ṣaḥīḥayn)
Despite this, the Zaydi forefathers — their Imams and their followers — preserved that Qur’anic mission of enjoining good and forbidding evil, which no one else in their time upheld so openly.
At the same time, they did not neglect the other aspect: transmitting the Prophetic Sunnah, explaining the Qur’an, its ambiguities, and its rulings to the Muslims.
Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī (peace be upon him), even while surrounded by the atmosphere of jihad and the sounds of war drums, would secretly move from house to house in Kūfa. His students and the Shiite scholars would gather around him, and he would narrate to them from his forefathers — from the Companions — from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). He taught them the principles and branches of their religion.
From him, we have inherited his Musnad of Hadith, his Tafsīr of the Strange Words of the Qur’an, his books and epistles on theology, and the epistle of his father, the Master of the Devout (ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn) — known as the Ṣaḥīfah al-Sajjādiyyah.
Then in Medina, there was Imam al-Bāqir, the “Opener of the Knowledge of the Prophets,” narrating from his forefathers; likewise Imam al-Ṣādiq, “the school of the world,” and their cousin ʿAbd Allāh al-Maḥḍ ibn al-Ḥasan, as well as Imam Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā, Imam al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm al-Rassī, and al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Zayd.
These are the Zaydi forefathers — prolific transmitters in the early centuries. Every one of them was either a leader of enjoining good and forbidding evil or a supporter of those who did so.
As for Imam al-Bāqir and Imam al-Ṣādiq, they followed the Zaydi methodology of standing up to tyrants — we do not accept what the Imāmī (Twelver) Shia claim about them. It is established that Imam al-Bāqir (peace be upon him) encouraged people to pledge allegiance to his brother Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī, and that Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) disavowed any claim that he was an Imam over his uncle.
Thus, those Hasani and Husayni efforts, through that network of Shiite scholarship, preserved for us the Prophetic hadiths through Zaydi chains and transmissions.
Therefore, the Zaydis did not concern themselves solely with the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil, neglecting the Sunnah. It is true that any researcher comparing the quantity of transmitted hadiths between the Zaydis and the Sunni hadith scholars will find a difference in volume. But that is not a valid standard — for the hadiths sufficient for the sound foundational and jurisprudential principles of the faith are indeed present within the hadith and legal compilations of Ahl al-Bayt.
For instance, Sharḥ al-Tajrīd by Imam al-Mu’ayyad Billāh Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Hārūnī is rich in jurisprudential narrations with full chains. Likewise, Iʿlām al-Aʿlām bi-Adillat al-Aḥkām by the great ḥāfiẓ ʿAlī ibn Bilāl is replete with isnāds covering both principles and branches of law.
And Uṣūl al-Aḥkām by Imam al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān contains numerous transmitted reports and extractions from their original sources.
As for the practice among Sunni hadith compilers of repeating narrations and collecting contradictory reports, this is rare among the Zaydis — for they did not strive to amass contradictions, since only reports built upon a single, sound methodology are valid.
If one were to say: “Isn’t that impartiality — that Sunni hadith scholars narrate both what agrees and disagrees with their views — while the Zaydis lack that diversity?”, we reply:
The essence of narration and transmission is to convey what is authentic, not to mix the sound with the corrupt. The Book of Allah itself contains only one version of the truth — it does not include the distorted or false accounts found in Jewish and Christian scriptures.
The Qur’an follows one consistent methodology; likewise, the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) proceeds from one consistent tongue — it cannot be filled with contradictions and excess material, as is found in some hadith compilations.
Thus, the Zaydis selected the most authentic and sound reports, regulated by their own conditions for acceptance. The Imams of the ʿitrah possessed an intellect and insight confirmed by the Sharīʿah, always aligning with the Qur’an and consensus. That spared them the need for the massive collections of contradictory narrations found elsewhere.
They sufficed with the few but beneficial reports that formed the basis of their consensus — which was in harmony with the Qur’an and did not contradict it. Therefore, abundance of reports filled with contradictions is not a virtue unless the Prophetic Sunnah itself had multiple, contradictory versions — which it does not.
The Zaydis adhered to a single, unified Sunnah — selecting the most authentic path of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family).
If the Sunnah is one, then what is required is diligence in accurately preserving that one truth — nothing more.
Moreover, many hadith scholars suppressed numerous hadiths about the virtues of the Commander of the Faithful (ʿAlī) and the ʿitrah in their canonical collections and musnads — except for a few whom Allah had mercy upon. Yet, despite that, narrations about the virtues of the Prophet’s Household still appeared.
The existence of some of these reports does not negate that many others were censored or omitted, or that the transmission chains were minimized — which weakened the methodological foundation among later scholars who inherited only fragments of that legacy.
Still, we do not deny that there are authentic hadiths about the virtues of Ahl al-Bayt in the collections of the hadith scholars. We only say that many sound narrations were pruned away, though those that remain — such as the hadiths of Ghadīr, al-Manzilah, al-Thaqalayn, and al-Safīnah — are sufficient proof for the morally responsible believers, being a divine grace.
Thus, the Zaydis did not collect hadiths merely for the sake of collecting. Rather, they compiled what was purposeful — pointing to a doctrinal or legal foundation — and that suffices upon investigation.
Excessive accumulation of contradictory reports only worsens confusion. If the principles of transmission were properly established, such abundance would have yielded clarity instead of dispute.
In summary: if a researcher compares the volume of narrations between Sunni hadith scholars and the Zaydis and takes that numerical abundance as proof of superiority or correctness, then that researcher has failed to grasp the true criterion.
The point is not quantity, but purity and authenticity. The Zaydi hadith, theological, and legal works contain the authentic and transmitted Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), both musnad (with chain) and mursal (without chain) — sufficient for the establishment of the Sharia and its rulings.
As it is narrated from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him):
“Knowledge is not by the abundance of narrations, but by the abundance of reverence (fear of Allah).”
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr)
And from Mālik ibn Anas:
“Knowledge is not by the abundance of transmission, but it is a light that Allah places in the heart.”
(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr)
And Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn said that Ibn Shubruma told him:
“Reduce your narration — you will become more understanding.”
Al-Rāmahurmuzī also narrates that Dāwūd ibn Khālid ibn Dīnār said:
He and a man named Abū Yūsuf ibn Tamīm passed by Rabīʿah ibn Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, and Abū Yūsuf said to him: “We find with others narrations that we do not find with you.”
He replied: “Indeed, I have many hadiths, but this is Rabīʿah ibn al-Hudayr, who used to accompany Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allāh, and he said that he never heard Ṭalḥah narrate from the Prophet (peace be upon him) except one hadith.”
(al-Muḥaddith al-Fāṣil bayn al-Rāwī wa al-Wāʿī)
He also narrates that Dhikr ibn Sulaymān al-Wāsiṭī said:
I heard ʿAffān say, when people boasted “We copied the books of so-and-so and so-and-so,” he replied:
“This kind of people will not succeed. We used to go to this scholar and that one, hearing from each what the other did not have. We went to Kūfa and stayed four months — had we wished, we could have written one hundred thousand hadiths, but we only wrote fifty thousand. We accepted dictation only from Sharīk, for he refused us otherwise. And in Kūfa, we never saw grammatical correctness tolerated.”
(al-Muḥaddith al-Fāṣil)
He also narrates that Hāniʾ ibn Sikkīn al-ʿAbsī said:
I heard Sufyān al-Thawrī, when the abundance of hadith transmitters was mentioned before him, say:
“Is it not said: ‘When the sailors are too many, the ship sinks’?”
(al-Muḥaddith al-Fāṣil)
Sufyān spoke the truth.
Thus, the Sunnah transmitted from the Imams of the ʿitrah, which they relied upon and used as proof — though few in number — is of great and abundant good, God willing.
Indeed, I have quoted these statements from the early hadith masters to make clear to any researcher that the sheer volume of narrations among non-Zaydis does not indicate truth or superiority.
Nor does it justify accusing the Zaydis of neglecting the pure Sunnah — for they indeed took care to collect the Sunnah with its chains and transmissions, sufficient for religious obligation, grounded in the Book of Allah and the law of our master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
Understand this well. I have presented to you the history of narration among the ʿitrah, how it was affected by political persecution through the early dynasties, and their steadfast efforts despite these trials — while their opponents, safe from the rulers, freely pursued hadith criticism and compilation.
You have now seen how the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt and their followers strove to transmit the Sunnah — even if their quantity was smaller — and how the true measure is not in the amount of narration but in the purity and soundness of what reached us, whether transmitted with a chain or mursal.
I shall now address the conditions of the Zaydis in dealing with hadith according to the methodology of the Prophet’s Household (al-ʿitrah), and I will quote these from the words of the distinguished scholar and researcher Sayyid ʿAbd Allāh Ḥamūd Darham al-ʿIzzī — may Allah preserve him.
He has written an elegant book on the principles of hadith among the Zaydis and the hadith scholars, a book which — whoever possesses it — finds it sufficient and fulfilling of his aim.
He, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
1. Presentation (of hadith) before the Book of Allah
The principle of al-ʿarḍ ʿalā Kitāb Allāh (testing a hadith by the Qur’an) is considered one of the most fundamental rules among the Zaydis, because Allah says:
“Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from the All-Wise, the Praiseworthy.”
— [Fuṣṣilat 41:42]
Yet the hadith scholars (muḥaddithūn) have neglected this vital scholarly rule — even though, if we return to their own conditions for a ṣaḥīḥ (authentic) hadith, we find five criteria, one of which is that the hadith must not be shādh (anomalous) or muʿallal (defective).
The hadith critics define a shādh report as:
“A narration in which a trustworthy narrator contradicts others who are more trustworthy.”
According to their own principle, if a trustworthy narrator reports something that contradicts what is established from other trustworthy narrators, his hadith is deemed defective.
So what, then, if a trustworthy narrator reports something that contradicts the Qur’an, whose truth is certain and definitive?
Would such a hadith not be even more defective?
Indeed — without doubt! It cannot be accepted at all; it must be rejected outright, without hesitation or fear. Whatever contradicts the Qur’an is to be rejected — no matter what it is or from whom it comes.
Hence, we find the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) insisting upon the necessity that no hadith should contradict the Qur’an — and that if it does, it must be discarded completely.
This is a magnificent principle and a powerful rule, which must be followed — and all the Ṣaḥīḥ collections must be judged by it.
This rule did not arise from speculation or invention. Rather, the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) himself established it, saying:
“Lies will be attributed to me just as lies were attributed to the prophets before me.
So whatever comes to you from me, present it to the Book of Allah:
Whatever agrees with it is from me and I have said it, and whatever contradicts it is not from me and I did not say it.”
Thus the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) relied on this principle and implemented it in practice.
Even ʿĀ’ishah herself understood it. When she heard ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and his son ʿAbd Allāh narrate the hadith:
“The deceased is punished because of the crying of his family over him,”
she rejected it, swore that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) never said it, and explained her rejection by saying:
“Where are you, then, from the saying of Allah Most High:
‘And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.’”
— [al-Anʿām 6:164]
Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ghazālī commented on ʿĀ’ishah’s rejection of that hadith, saying:
“She rejected what contradicted the Qur’an — with courage and confidence.
Yet this hadith, which ʿĀ’ishah rejected, is still recorded in the Ṣaḥīḥ collections!
Indeed, Ibn Saʿd in his Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā repeated it under several chains of transmission!
To me, the method followed by the Mother of the Believers (ʿĀ’ishah) is the very foundation for judging the canonical hadith collections by the texts of the Noble Qur’an, which falsehood can neither approach from before nor from behind.”
Yes, by Allah — that is the firm foundation, the just balance, the truthful measure, and the decisive criterion in which there is no contradiction, no disparity, no twisting, and no confusion.
Imam al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad (peace be upon him) said, in the course of discussing the verification of the truthfulness of a hadith:
“Suffice it that the Book of Allah — exalted be He — is the decisive reference.
Is it acceptable that it be replaced by the principles of al-Khaṭīb or al-Dhahabī,
or by the judgment of some Shaykh who ruled a hadith authentic or inauthentic —
when it is known that such a Shaykh is not infallible in his judgment,
and that what he ruled may be incorrect in reality?
They require the rejection of what contradicts their own principles or what conflicts with their Shaykh’s verdict.
Is that not misguidance?”
2. The Multiplicity (Tawātur) of a Hadith
Among the principles of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) is the principle of tawātur — that a hadith is only certain in authenticity when it has been transmitted by numerous independent chains such that it is impossible for all transmitters to have agreed upon a lie.
A mutawātir hadith is known to be authentic without dispute among all Islamic schools.
Imam al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad (peace be upon him) said:
“People have differed regarding what should be taken from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
According to al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm, al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq, and their forefathers (peace be upon them) — those who did not meet the Messenger of Allah nor hear from him directly — no hadith is accepted except that which is mutawātir, or unanimously agreed upon as authentic, or whose narrators are trustworthy, or that which has a foundation and corroboration in the Book of Allah.”
3. Acceptance of a Hadith by the Ummah (Talaqqī bi’l-Qabūl)
If a hadith is not mutawātir, yet the Ummah has received it with acceptance, then it is accepted.
Imam al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad (peace be upon him) said:
“We know the truth of a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) only if it has come to us through tawātur, or if the Ummah has received it with acceptance, or if it agrees with the Book of Allah.
Anything other than that — we cannot be sure that it is not a fabrication against the Messenger of Allah, whether intentional or mistaken.”
And the same rule applies to whatever the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) themselves have received with acceptance.
4. Giving Precedence to What is Reported from Ahl al-Bayt
Preference is given to narrations transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) — based on their elevated rank, their scrupulousness and honesty in narration, and the Qur’anic verses revealed about them, such as:
- The Verse of Purification (Āyat al-Taṭhīr)
- The Verse of Affection (Āyat al-Mawadda)
- The Verse of Mutual Invocation (Āyat al-Mubāhalah)
and others.
5. Considering What is Authentically Reported from Imam ʿAlī as Authoritative Evidence
Reports authentically attributed to Imam ʿAlī (peace be upon him) are considered proof and binding evidence — due to his knowledge, his status, and the Qur’anic and Prophetic texts regarding him, such as the hadiths of al-Ghadīr, al-Manzilah (the Rank), al-Rāyah (the Banner), and al-Madīnah (the City).
6. The Consensus of Ahl al-Bayt as a Binding Proof
The consensus of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) must be followed.
If they agree upon a matter in a given era, their consensus takes precedence over whatever contradicts it — for in their collective agreement are found Qur’anic verses and Prophetic hadiths affirming their authority, such as:
- The Hadith of al-Thaqalayn (“The Two Weighty Things”),
- The Hadith of al-Safīnah (“The Ark”),
- and the Hadith of al-Amān (“The Source of Safety”).
Their consensus, therefore, constitutes the truest form of consensus (ijmāʿ).
7. Acceptance of the Mursal Reports of the Imams (Peace be upon Them)
The mursal (unattributed) hadiths of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are accepted.
This is because the Zaydis hold that imamate is conferred only upon one who is filled with faith, knowledge, asceticism, piety, honesty, purity, virtue, and justice, along with the other noble qualities.
Hence, when an Imam transmits a hadith without naming its intermediary, it is understood that he has already scrutinized his narrators and purified the chain; his act of omitting the intermediary (irsāl) is equivalent to judging the hadith as authentic.
The evidences for accepting single reports (āḥād) apply to such cases as well.
Imam al-Manṣūr bi’llāh al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad (peace be upon him) said:
“Some have said:
The mursal (unattributed) narration of a just transmitter is stronger than a musnad (fully attributed) one — because the transmitter knows and has already verified his narrators.
Thus, irsāl (omission) is like declaring it sound, whereas isnād (attribution) merely transfers the responsibility of scrutiny to others.”
8. Soundness of the Chain (Isnād) and the Text (Matn)
If a hadith is transmitted with a chain (musnad), then its chain must be free from flaws or criticisms, and its text must likewise be free from ambiguities, inconsistencies, and hidden defects.
Here, we find a close connection between the chain and the text — for they are like two supporting pillars of a single structure.
Imam ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamzah (peace be upon him) said:
“The report must be sound in chain — free from defects — and sound in text — free from problematic implications.”
9. Integrity and Accuracy of the Narrator
The Zaydis do not accept a hadith from any narrator unless he is both upright (ʿadl) and precise (ḍābiṭ).
Just as they rigorously examine a narrator’s trustworthiness in transmission, they likewise scrutinize his uprightness in religious conduct — and this is the view held by most of them as the more correct position.
10. Narration from Opponents — for the Purpose of Argumentation
When the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) narrate a hadith from someone whom they consider deficient in religion or unreliable, they do so only for the purpose of argumentation against those who regard such a narrator as trustworthy — and this is the sound view.
Imam al-Hādī (peace be upon him) said:
“We have gathered in this section reports transmitted through the trustworthy men among the public (the non-Shi‘a) so that they may have no argument left to use against us.
We cut off their arguments by citing their own reliable transmitters.”
And he said:
“If a hadith appears in their books that contradicts what is authentic with us, that does not mean we accept it.”
— End of the quotation from the distinguished scholar, Sayyid ʿAbd Allāh Ḥamūd al-ʿIzzī.
Yes!
Now we proceed to highlight the efforts of the Zaydis — their Imams and hadith masters among the Prophet’s Household and the Shi‘a — in transmitting, compiling, and preserving the Prophetic Sunnah.
We will mention their books and narrated works with chains of transmission, quoting also from Sayyid ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿIzzī, may Allah preserve him:
“Among the most important hadith books of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) up to the end of the fifth Islamic century are the following:
1. The Collection of Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī (peace be upon him)
Known as Majmūʿ al-Imām Zayd ibn ʿAlī, by Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī (d. 122 AH).
It is regarded as the earliest hadith compilation arranged by legal subjects.
It is divided into two parts — one devoted to hadith, and another to jurisprudence — and has been published under the title:
“Musnad al-Imām Zayd ibn ʿAlī (peace be upon him).”
2. The Musnad of Imam ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā (peace be upon him)
Compiled by Imam ʿAlī ibn Mūsā al-Riḍā (d. 203 AH).
3. The Works of the Great Hadith Scholar and Ḥāfiẓ: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-Kūfī,
better known as Ibn ʿUqda (d. 232 AH).
Sayyid al-ʿAllāmah Ṣārim al-Dīn al-Wazīr said about him:
“He was an imām, a meticulous ḥāfiẓ, an ocean of knowledge.
His books amounted to six hundred loads (of volumes), and he could respond (from memory) concerning three hundred thousand hadiths, most of them from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
He had memorized one hundred thousand hadiths with their chains.”
Al-Dhahabī said about him:
“It may be said that no one has ever existed more memorizing than he — up to this day and until the Day of Judgment.”
Imam al-Manṣūr bi’llāh ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamzah (peace be upon him) also said:
“He authored a book about the Hadith of al-Ghadīr, citing over one hundred transmission routes for it — and it is among his most important works.
He also compiled works on:
- The chains of transmission for the Hadith of al-Rāyah (the Banner),
- The Hadith of al-Shūrā (the Consultation),
- The Hadith of al-Ṭayr (the Bird),
- The Hadith of Kūfah,
- The Virtues of Imam ʿAlī (peace be upon him),
- and books on Sunan (legal traditions).”
4. The Dictations (Amālī) of Imam Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā
By Imam Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā ibn Zayd (peace be upon him), who passed away in the year 247 AH.
5. The Narrations of Imam al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him)
(d. 246 AH) — found in his works:
- Kitāb al-Farāʾiḍ wa al-Sunan (The Book of Inheritances and Sunnahs),
- Kitāb al-Manāsik (The Book of Pilgrimage Rites),
- Kitāb Ṣalāt al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (The Book of Daily and Nightly Prayers),
- Kitāb Masāʾil Jahshiyār,
- Kitāb Masāʾil al-Kalārī,
- Kitāb Masāʾil al-Nayrūsī,
and in his Majmūʿ al-Sharīf on the foundations of religion (Uṣūl al-Dīn).
These works contain narrations interwoven with jurisprudential and theological discussions.
6. The Dictations and Tafsīr of the Traditionist al-Ḥubayrī (may Allah have mercy on him)
He passed away in the year 286 AH.
7. Kitāb al-Dhikr
By the ḥadīth scholar Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Murādī (may Allah have mercy on him), who died in 290 AH.
8. The Works of Imam al-Hādī (peace be upon him)
(d. 298 AH) — such as al-Aḥkām, al-Mukhtār, al-Funūn, and al-Majmūʿah al-Fākhirah.
These contain narrations combined with legal and doctrinal issues.
9. The Dictations (Amālī) of Imam al-Nāṣir al-Uṭrūsh (peace be upon him)
(d. 304 AH) — most of which deal with the virtues of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), as well as narrations found in his Kitāb al-Bisāṭ.
10. Kitāb Manāqib Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (peace be upon him)
By the scholar and hadith master Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Kūfī, who died in 322 AH.
11. Sharḥ al-Aḥkām
By Imam Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥasanī (peace be upon him), who passed away in 353 AH.
12. The Dictations (Amālī) of Imam al-Muʾayyad bi’llāh
By Imam al-Muʾayyad bi’llāh Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Hārūnī (peace be upon him), who passed away in 411 AH.
13. Sharḥ al-Tajrīd
Also authored by Imam al-Muʾayyad bi’llāh (peace be upon him).
14. al-Iʿtibār wa Sulwat al-ʿĀrifīn
By Imam al-Muwaffaq bi’llāh al-Ḥusayn ibn Ismāʿīl al-Jurjānī (peace be upon him), who died in 420 AH.
15. The Dictations (Amālī) of Imam Abū Ṭālib
By Imam Abū Ṭālib Yaḥyā al-Ḥusayn al-Hārūnī (peace be upon him), who died in 424 AH.
He also authored Sharḥ al-Taḥrīr.
16. Amālī al-Sammān
By the great ḥadīth master Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAlī, known as al-Sammān, who passed away in 440 AH.
17. Kitāb al-Adhān bi-Ḥayya ʿalā Khayr al-ʿAmal
By the ḥadīth scholar Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-ʿAlawī, who died in 445 AH.
18. al-Jāmiʿ al-Kāfī
Also by Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-ʿAlawī.
This is considered one of the most important books of the Zaydi school, consisting of six manuscript volumes.
Its compiler relied upon the sayings of the great Imams of Ahl al-Bayt and their noble Shiʿa, such as:
- Imam al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm,
- Imam Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā,
- Imam al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Zayd ibn ʿAlī,
- and al-Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Murādī.
He stated that he compiled it from over thirty works by Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Murādī.
He shortened the chains of transmission in the hadiths and discussed the evidences supporting or opposing each view.
19. The Dictations (Amālī) of Imam al-Murshid bi’llāh
By Imam al-Murshid bi’llāh Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Jurjānī (peace be upon him), who passed away in 479 AH.
His Amālī are divided into two types:
- The Thursday Dictations (al-Amālī al-Khamīsiyyah), which he dictated every Thursday, and
- The Monday Dictations (al-Amālī al-Ithnaynīyyah), which he dictated every Monday.
20. Sharḥ al-Aḥkām
By the hadith scholar ʿAlī ibn Bilāl, who passed away around the mid-fifth century AH.
— End of the quotation from the words of the distinguished scholar, Sayyid ʿAbd Allāh Ḥamūd al-ʿIzzī (may Allah preserve him).
So this concludes the first part of the question — concerning the Zaydi methodology in dealing with hadith.
We may add that the Zaydis do not reject hadiths found in the books of opposing sects (i.e., non-Zaydi sources) so long as they do not contradict the Zaydi principles of transmission and acceptance of reports.
However, when a disagreement arises, the Zaydis give precedence to what has come through the transmission of the Prophet’s Household (al-ʿitrah).
I should also mention that the Zaydis possess works on the biographies of hadith transmitters, such as the multi-volume “Ṭabaqāt al-Zaydiyyah al-Kubrā”, which contains extensive biographical entries by the learned sayyid ʿAllāmah Ibrāhīm ibn al-Qāsim ibn al-Imām al-Muʾayyad bi’llāh Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim, and the book “al-Jawādil” by ʿAllāmah ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Imām al-Hādī al-Qāsimī.
Likewise, in the science of hadith terminology, there is the work “al-Falak al-Dawwār fī ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth wa al-Fiqh wa al-Āthār” by Imam Ṣārim al-Dīn al-Wazīr (peace be upon him), and the book “Lawāmiʿ al-Anwār”, which contains within it the principles of hadith study sufficient to guide the researcher and direct him to later discussions in the same work.
There is also the book “Qawāʿid al-Ḥadīth ʿinda al-Zaydiyyah wa al-Muḥaddithīn”.
We note, moreover, that although the early Imams did not compose separate works devoted solely to hadith terminology, they discussed the subject within their works on legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh), particularly when addressing the second source of legislation — the Sunnah.
Their writings on this topic are extensive.
Now, as to whether the Zaydis possess a single “Ṣaḥīḥ” book, and whether the absence of such a book is due to avoiding commitment to one binding collection —
Indeed, the Zaydis do not have a single comprehensive “Ṣaḥīḥ” work comparable in scope to that of al-Bukhārī, for example.
However, sound reasoning does not require that they must have such a compilation, as long as the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) are preserved according to the criteria and conditions of the ʿitrah (the Prophet’s Household).
Therefore, to demand such a collection from a researcher’s perspective is mere obstinacy.
In fact, some of the early Sunni scholars themselves criticized al-Bukhārī and Muslim for entitling their books “al-Ṣaḥīḥ.”
Indeed, it should be noted that the Zaydis hold the entire Musnad of Imam Zayd ibn ʿAlī (peace be upon him) to be authentic, due to the soundness of all its chains of transmission.
They are bound by it — except when the reports therein are outweighed by stronger evidence, such as consensus or other authoritative proofs.
And it is well-known that some hadiths may possess sound chains yet contain textual defects, which does not impugn the reliability of their transmitters.
Now, as for whether the Zaydis transmit hadiths from the Companions (ṣaḥābah) just as they do from the companions of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt —
Indeed, the Zaydis transmit numerous hadiths from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
Whoever studies their compilations will find this clearly evident.
Let one examine, for example, the Amālī collections — such as al-Amālī al-Ithnaynīyah , al-Amālī al-Khamīsīyah , and Amālī Abī Ṭālib — for in them there is ample evidence.
The Zaydis do not exclude narrations from any of the Companions, except those whose heedlessness in transmitting reports became evident, such as Abū Hurayrah.
Even then, they examine his narrations for supporting evidence through other transmission routes, and what he narrated alone and without corroboration they do not rely upon.
Likewise, they set aside narrations from those known for transmitting Israelite tales (Isrā’īliyyāt), such as Kaʿb al-Aḥbār and ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ.
And praise be to Allah.
Section Two: Observation that Zaydi books often omit chains of transmission
Regarding what the questioner observed — that the books of the Zaydis do not mention chains of transmission (isnāds), and likewise in the lectures of their scholars:
If the questioner means by this that Zaydis neglect or disregard isnāds, as though they are indifferent to them, then such an accusation is invalid and cannot rightly be attributed to the Imams of the Prophet’s Household (ʿitrah) or to the scholars of the Shiʿa.
That is not part of their methodology.
And if what is meant is that isnāds do not exist in Zaydi works — that too is incorrect, for they do exist.
We should note that Zaydi writings and compilations are not of a single kind.
Some deal with theological and foundational subjects (uṣūl), where the argument is primarily rational in nature, aiming to establish foundational truths by reason.
In such cases, textual proofs from the Qur’an are cited to stimulate and confirm the intellect by showing harmony between revelation and reason.
Then, Prophetic reports (hadith) are brought as supporting evidence or corroboration.
In some cases, the author may omit the full chain of transmission, having already examined and verified the sources, and thus transmits the hadith in mursal form (without a chain).
This practice of irsāl (omission) is the way of the people of knowledge; and it is not a flaw when the one transmitting believes in the validity of mursal reports and follows the principles of the ʿitrah, who permit irsāl when the report is known to be sound and its transmitter or author is reliable.
In that case, the responsibility lies with the one transmitting it.
Likewise, if the book in question is a jurisprudential (furūʿ) work, the author may not include isnāds because he relies upon well-known sources of transmission — sources which scholars already recognize as established with isnāds.
A diligent researcher who seeks them out will find those chains in the original compilations.
This is often done for the sake of brevity and conciseness.
Thus, such omission cannot be considered a deficiency unless accompanied by a belief that isnād itself is unimportant — which is not the case.
This is even more apparent in lectures and sermons — such as those the questioner heard from Zaydi scholars — for the omission there is due to the need for brevity or reliance on the familiarity of the audience with the hadiths being cited.
Indeed, we ourselves have heard our teachers refer to the sources of hadith during their sermons.
Whether a reference is given depends on the context, the type of hadith, and its degree of authority.
During public preaching — especially on spiritual and moral topics — citing full chains of transmission is less critical.
But in foundational theological issues or major points of doctrinal dispute, meticulous citation and attribution are more necessary and expected.
Thus, the answer to both parts of the question is now complete.
All praise be to Allah.
May Allah grant you success.
Answered by: Ustādh al-Kāẓim al-Zaydī, may Allah grant him success.
O Allah, send blessings upon Muḥammad and upon the family of Muḥammad