478 REMARKS UPON THE 



curacy, in the observation of the learned, and in gene- 

 ral accurate, translator of the Korhiy. that " the Son- 

 mtes receive the Sonna, or book of traditions of their 

 prophet, as of canonical authority ; whereas the 

 Shiiles reject it as apocryphal, and unworthy of 

 credit*." ' From this remark it might be inferred, 

 that the Shiyd reject the traditions -altogether ; whereas 

 they admit many which are not deemed authentic, and 

 are consequently rejected, by the Sbonees. They have 

 also their collections of Ahddees, and Soonun^ which 

 they deem genuine and authoritative f. The difference 

 between them, and the jihUi-Soonnm, or othodox tra- 

 -ditionists, who, as remarked by Mr. Hamilton, ap- 

 pear to have assumed this title of distinction, '' in op- 

 position to the innovations of the sectaries :|;," lies, as 

 far as respects the traditions, in the different autho- 



* Sale's I'ieliiriiiary Discourse, Section VIlI. 



t MouLAVEE SiKAj ooDEEN Alee (onc of the kw officcrs of 

 the couris o^ ^'^^^r JDeezuarici^ znd JSizamut Adalut, as Vv^ell as of the 

 Supreme Court, and employed by the late Sir W. Jones, to compile 

 the 5/z^<'fl.^ part of aDigest ofMosulman Law, upon contracts and 

 inheritance) s-tates the A'oi^icff^-i iirba, or four books of traditions, 

 held aiitiieniic by the S/iha, to be the following: 



l.Tahzeeb. 2.1subst2r. Both compiled by Aboo Jafur Mo- 

 HUMMun, of Tcos in Khoraiaii. 



3. Jama-i Kujee. By Mohummud bin-i Yakooe. Of i?// in 

 Persian Irak, 



4. Midi la Yahzoorh col-fukeeh. By Mohummud-bin Alee, of 

 Kotnm, also in Irak-i Ajum. 



The third of these collections, which quotes the compiler of the 

 two first, is said to have been presented lo Imam Mahdee, who was 

 born A. H. 255. The author of the fourth compilation is stated 

 in the Mujalis ool'Monnmcf n , to have been contemporary with, and 

 protected by, the Persian King Rokn-oo'doula«, who died, A. H. 

 306. 



X Preliminary Discourse to his translation of the H/Wfl/ya/t, page 

 22. His observation, at length, is '^ the Mussulmans, who assume 

 to themselves the distinction of orthodox, are such as maintain the 

 inostob\ious interpretation of the Koran, and the obligatory force 

 of the traditions, in opposition to the innovation of the sectaries j 

 whence they are termed Soonis, or traditionists." This, however, 

 is partly open to the same objection, as has been stated to the re- 

 mark of Mr. Sale. 



