The Ja'fari Madhhab: Imam al-Sadiq (as) taught the laws of Islam — how to pray, fast, give zakat, perform hajj, marry, trade and judge fairly. Because of his great teaching, the Shia school of Islamic law is called the Ja'fari Madhhab, after his name Ja'far.
Collected in Al-Kafi: His students wrote down thousands of his sayings. Later scholars collected them into the great books of Shia Hadith, above all Al-Kafi by Shaykh al-Kulayni. In Al-Kafi, the sayings of Imam al-Sadiq (as) are more than those of any other Imam.
Checking Hadith against the Quran: He taught that Hadith must be checked carefully against the Quran. If a report goes against the Quran, he said, it cannot be from the Prophet (saww) or his family.
Example
Check, don't just repeat: When you hear a saying attributed to the Prophet (saww) or an Imam (as), ask: does it agree with the Quran? Imam al-Sadiq (as) taught his students to check, not just to repeat.
Key Terms
- Ja'fari Madhhab (مذہب جعفری) — the Shia school of Islamic law, named after Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)
- Al-Kafi (الکافی) — the great Shia Hadith collection by Shaykh al-Kulayni
- Fiqh (فقہ) — Islamic law
- Checking Hadith against the Quran — the Imam's rule for testing reports
- The Shia school of law is called the Ja'fari Madhhab after Imam al-Sadiq (as).
- His sayings fill many books, above all Al-Kafi.
- He taught that every Hadith must be checked against the Quran.