Shi’a Research Institute is pleased to announce that this work is underway, on the translation and discussion of Shaykh al-Mufid’s invaluable work ‘al-Fusul al-Ashra fi al-Ghayba‘ – ‘The Ten Aspects Pertaining to the Occultation’.
This annotated translation hopes to contribute to the Shi’i understanding of the concept of Imamate and occultation, and shed further light upon the intellectual history surrounding the occultation of the Twelfth Imam as it developed in the 4th Islamic century (10th century CE).
This translation and annotation would be the first time this work has come to light in the English language. It would involve a complete translation of the work with extensive annotation and an introduction to rational works written on the subject with a comparison to the other works by Shaykh al-Mufid and Sayyid al-Murtada on the subject, such as al-Muqni’a fi al-ghayba and al-Mufid’s second Risala ( treatise) on the subject.
It will also compare this approach, to that of akhbar centric approach and why both played a pivotal role in cementing a clear understanding of the occultation and the questions surrounding it. This work will insh’allah be of service to both academic circles as well as for believers who seek deeper understanding regarding the occultation and the contribution of 4-5 th century A.H. Shi’i scholars in that regard.
The introduction and annotation will attempt to bring to light the extensive rational and dialectical process by which early Shi’i scholars produced scholarship pertaining to the occultation of the Twelfth Imam. Thus the annotations, references, and contextualization will be almost as important as the translation itself.
Expected completion: Late 2023