Scrutiny of History by Imam Jafar Sadiq (as)

1
Scrutiny of History by Imam Jafar Sadiq (as)

• Imam Jafar Sadiq (as)
• Reference The Great Muslim Scientist and
  Philosopher,
• Jafar As-Sadiq

2
History should be studied critically

• Imam Sadiq (as) also used to scrutinize
  historical events.
• His methods of scrutiny are being followed today
  by the modern historians.
• Imam Sadiq said that history should be studied
  critically.
• He said we should not accept anything by face
  value without scrutiny and consideration.

3
History has to be consistent with logic

• Imam Sadiq (as) taught to his students that we
  should write only those facts in history which
  are acceptable to logic and reason.
• Imam Sadiq was thus the founder of the logic
  test of history.
• One of his students was Muhammad Ibn Jarir
  al-Tabiri.
• Tabiri is today known as one of the most
  prominent historians. However most people do not
  know that his teacher was none other than the
  great Imam Sadiq.

4
Facts mixed with fiction are of no use

• Before the teachings of Imam Sadiq historians
  used to mix facts with fiction. This was often
  done by the order of kings.
• Imam Sadiq rebuked this practice and the Imam
  said that he did not consider a history book of
  any value if it was mixed with fiction.
• Imam said that such fairy tale books are of no
  use to society.

5
Imams advice

• Imam (as) said that the knowledge of history was
  useful only when the coming generation could
  learn from the mistakes made by the people in the
  past.
• He thus laid the foundation of critical study of
  historical events and created the science of
  history.

6
The first scholar to use the word tarikh for
history

• According to Ibn Hadid, Imam Sadiq was the first
  Muslim scholar to use the word Tarikh for
  history.
• Before Imam Sadiq used the word tarikh, books
  of history were just known as books of tradition.
• It is accepted today, as the Imam said, that the
  greatest use of history is that mankind may learn
  a lesson from past events which had caused
  misfortune to the people of the past.
• Freud, the Austrian psychotherapist, also
  accepted that history is important since we can
  learn lessons from the past. However, the ego
  of the man does allow him to acknowledge his
  mistakes. Man feels that the misfortune that
  happened to the people in the past will not
  happen to them as they are more intelligent and
  stronger than past generations.
• The world would be a much better place if people
  today follow the advice of our Imam and learn
  lessons from historical events.