Akhbari

The foundational belief of Akhbarism is that only the aḥadīth of the Infallibles serve as authoritative evidence in Islam. Akhbaris consider themselves bound by the Hadith of the two weighty things (Hadith ath-Thaqalayn), in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad instructed his followers to adhere to two sources of divine guidance after his death: the Quran and his progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt, whom Twelvers identify as the Twelve Imams. Accordingly, even during the Major Occultation, Akhbaris maintain that Muslims must continue to follow the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt. They cite the statement attributed to Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi: “As for the new events that will occur (during my occultation), turn to the narrators of our traditions, because they are my proof to you, while I am the proof of Allah to them.” Akhbaris therefore reject fatāwa based on ijtihad and deny the permissibility of producing Qur'anic exegesis without quoting narrations from the infallible Ahlul-Bayt. They argue—citing the Hadith ath-Thaqalayn and reports from the Twelve Imams—that exegesis must rely exclusively on these authoritative traditions. Akhbaris also reject the generalization of Hadith, maintaining that individual Hadiths are either sound or unsound; moreover, they consider the hadith contained in The Four Books of the Shia tradition to be reliable. It is reported that Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi acknowledged the reliability of Kitab al-Kafi (one of The Four Books of Shias) and stated that “al-Kafi is sufficient for our Shia.” (By contrast, Usulis question the credibility of this statement, noting that it is not found within al-Kafi itself.) During this period, Shī‘a scholars distinguished themselves from the Sunni tradition, which employed methods such as qiyas (analogical reasoning), while Shī‘a law was developed directly from the traditions of the Imams. However, it soon became clear that suspending these functions created significant practical difficulties for the Twelver community, leaving it without leadership, organization, or a stable financial structure. Akhbaris seek religious rulings within Islamic jurisprudence exclusively from a living or deceased Muhaddith who transmits the rulings and hadith of The Fourteen Infallibles without interpretation. They further maintain that The Fourteen Infallibles (including the Shia Imāms) never permitted Ijtihad. ==History==

Akhbaris argue that throughout the history of Twelver Shi'ism since the Occultation, Usuli ulama have gradually assumed functions that originally belonged to the Hidden Imam. They maintain that this process occurred in five distinct stages, each representing a further transgression or expansion of authority. First transgression As early as the 5th century AH / 11th century CE—more than 150 years after the Occultation of the 12th Imām—Shaykhu t-Ta'ifa reinterpreted the doctrine to allow the delegation of the Imām's judicial authority to scholars trained in fiqh. In his writings, however, he stresses that this responsibility should be assumed by the ʿulamāʾ only when no other qualified individual is available. Shaykhu t-Ta'ifa also considered the ʿulamāʾ to be the most suitable figures to distribute religious taxes, given their knowledge of the rightful recipients. Nevertheless, he maintained that individuals were still permitted to distribute such taxes on their own if they wished. He likewise permitted fuqahāʾ to organize the Friday prayer in the absence of the Imām or his specific representative. Prominent Shīʿa scholars who rejected this interpretation include: • ʿAlam al-Huda (a member of Shaykhu t-Ta'ifa's scholarly circle) • Ibn Idris • Allamah al-Hilli This development effectively exceeded the limits set by Shaykhu t-Ta'ifa two centuries earlier, marking what Akhbaris consider the first major transgression. Third transgression Muhaqqiq al-Karkhi—writing roughly 300 years after the second transgression—was the first to argue, based on the hadith of ‘Umar ibn Hanzala, that the ulama served as the ''Nā'ib al-'Amm'' (general representatives) of the Hidden Imām. However, he limited the practical application of this idea to one specific area: assuming the responsibility of leading the Friday prayer. By assuming leadership of the Karbala scholarly community as one of the foremost thinkers of his time, al-Bahrani expanded this Bahrain-centered debate across the wider Shī‘a world. Ayatollah Behbahani Under al-Bahrani, Usuli scholarship was regarded as impure, although al-Bahrani himself did not possess significant political influence. It was Muhammad Baqir ibn Muhammad Akmal al-Wahid Behbahani who decisively challenged the Akhbaris and eventually emerged as the most politically influential cleric in Karbala by 1772. Behbahani’s theology was strongly opposed by the Akhbaris, and what began as a minor doctrinal disagreement escalated into a fierce and hostile dispute, culminating in Behbahani declaring the Akhbaris to be infidels (kuffār). This followed the pattern of other transgressions by overthrowing the limits of its prior (fourth) transgression. Iranian Revolution Following the Iranian Revolution, the Usuli school gained increasing popularity within communities that had previously adhered to Akhbarism. The consolidation of Usuli clerical authority reached its fullest expression in the doctrine of Vilayat al-Faqih, through which the Supreme Leader exercises overarching religious and political authority. == Rejection of the Mujtahids ==

Akhbaris reject the authority of mujtahids. Their position is based in part on the final letter that Imām al-Mahdi is said to have sent to ‘Alī ibn Muhammad, the fourth trusted representative during the Lesser Occultation. In this letter, the Imām stated: Akhbaris also maintain that only the Imāms may be described as āyat Allah (Ayatollahs, “signs of God”), basing this view on the Hadith-e-Tariq. According to this narration: Akhbaris therefore argue that no one other than the Imāms has the right to use this divinely conferred title. Historically, it was only in the early 19th century that ordinary mujtahids began referring to themselves as “Ayatollahs.” ==Notable Akhbari scholars==

• Muhammad ibn Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī • al-Shaykh al-Saduq • ʿAbdullāh ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Samāhījī • Muḥammad Baqer Majlesi Akhbari • Al-Hurr al-Amilī Akhbārī • Mirza Ḥusayn Nūrī Tabarsi • Mirza Muhammad al-Akhbari • Mirza Muhammad Kamil Dehlavi • Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi • Qazi Nurullah Shushtarī • Salih Al-Karzakani • Yusuf al-Bahrani • Mohsen Aal-Asfour • Hasan Allahyari • Waheed Uddin Haider Jafri ==See also==