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  • Kitāb al-Tawḥīd: The Book of Divine Unity, with select commentary by Ḥāshim al-Ḥusaynī al-Ṭihrānī by Shaykh al- Ṣadūq, trans. Ali Adam, ed. by Michal Mumisa and Mahmood Dhalla
  • Amina Inloes
Kitāb al-Tawḥīd: The Book of Divine Unity, with select commentary by Ḥāshim al-Ḥusaynī al-Ṭihrānī by Shaykh al- Ṣadūq, trans. Ali Adam, ed. Michal Mumisa and Mahmood Dhalla, 2013. Birmingham: AMI Press. 560 pp., £23.80. ISBN: 978-1-902-91110-6.

Kitāb al-Tawḥīd: The Book of Divine Unity is a new translation of a primary source of hadith by one of the most prominent Shi‘a hadith scholars, Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 991 AD), also known as Ibn Babawayh. Shaykh al-Saduq compiled a number of hadith works, including one of the ‘canonical’ Four Books of Shi‘a hadith, and therefore this translation serves as a valuable reference for scholars interested in Shi‘a hadith on theology, as well as the development of classical Shi‘a theology. One distinguishing characteristic of Shi‘a hadith, as compared to Sunni hadith, is the inclusion of discussions on issues which began to be popularly debated in the centuries after the Prophetic era, such as the nature of the attributes of Allah, whether the Qur’an was created, and predestination – all of which are mentioned in this collection. Thus, these hadith are valuable not only in presenting the Imami Shi‘a position but also as useful historical record of the diversity of beliefs at that time. Other topics discussed include divine justice, including questions of human interest such as divine justice with respect to infants; divine omnipotence; and exegesis of theological verses of the Qur’an. The translation itself appears to have been carefully crafted, with attention given to proper use of diacritics, and the inclusion of scholarly commentary also adds value to the work. The introduction provides a brief biographical sketch of Shaykh al-Saduq, featuring quotations from classical historical and biographical works, and concludes with an index of Qur’anic verses cited.

Amina Inloes
The Islamic College, London, UK [End Page 509]

Amina Inloes
The Islamic College, London, UK
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