Bihar al-Anwar

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Most famous

Sunni six major collections
(Al-Sihah al-Sittah):

  1. Sahih al-Bukhari
  2. Sahih Muslim
  3. al-Sunan al-Sughra
  4. Sunan Abi Dawood
  5. Sunan al-Tirmidhi
  6. Sunan Ibn Maja/Al-Muwatta

Shi'a Twelver collections:

  1. Kitab al-Kafi of Kulainy
  2. Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih of Shaikh Saduq
  3. Tahdhib al-Ahkam by Shaikh Tusi
  4. al-Istibsar by Shaykh Tusi

Ibadi collections:

  • al-Jami' as-Sahih by al-Rabi' ibn Habib
  • Tartib al-Musnad by al-Warijlani
Sunni collections
Shi'a Twelver collections
Mu'tazili collections

Oceans of Lights (Arabic: Bihar al-Anwar بحار الأنوار) is a comprehensive collection of traditions (ahadith) compiled by the Shi'i scholar Mulla Muhammad Baqir, known as 'Allama Majlisi (d. 1110/1698). It is a hadith collection, the second source of inspiration in Islam.

Completed sometime around 1106/1694, it is an encyclopedia of ahadith, historical subjects and commentaries on many Qur'anic verses.

Bihar al-Anwar has 110 volumes. Majlisi wrote it to gather all the wisdom he could find, in order to preserve that knowledge for following generations. The collection is the most comprehensive (as a single collection) among all Islamic hadith collections. The author collected narrations related from the Prophet Muhammad, along with statements by Fatima (the daughter of Muhammad) and the Shi'i Imams, using both Shi'i and Sunni sources. The collection also includes his well-researched commentary on these narrations.


Other transliterations: Bihar-ul-Anwar, Biharu-l-Anwar, Biharu al Anwar, Biharu al-Anwar

[edit] See also

Bihar al-Anwar By Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad baqir al Majlisi(d.1110/1698) It has been recently published by the Open School,Chicago and prefaced by Mohammad hussain Jalai in 1421/2000CE