Theological thoughts of Mohammad Ibn Hasan Saffār Qomi

Mohammad Ibn Hasan Saffār, one of the companions of Imam Hasan Askari (Peace be Upon Him), is among the prominent scholars of Qom^,s third-century (A.H) school of Hadith and jurisprudence. He is considered by the experts on the history of Hadith as a multi-skilled Faqih (jurisprudent) and a scientifically reliable Mohaddith (researcher of Hadith) from whom several Hadithes have repeatedly been quoted by some outstanding authors such as Mohammad Ibn Yahya Al-Attar, Mohammad Ibn Ali Al-Hossein Ibn Bābeveyh (Sheikh Sadoogh^, s father) and Mohammad Ibn Al-Hassan Ibn Ahmad Al-valeed. In addition to Basāer-ud-Darajāt, the only work still available of his many, up to 36 more ones were listed by Najāshi. These books, written on various subjects especially jurisprudence, eulogy of the household of the prophet (Peace be upon them), supplications, ethics and doctrine of Islam, reflects the comprehensiveness of his knowledge. Amongst the most important of his theological theories are; the instinctiveness of theism, theology through the names and attributes of God, polytheistic aspects of any form of comparison of God to the creatures, the confinement of God^, s names and attributes, etc. He also issued some theories on prophetology and Imamology such as the necessity of cognition of the prophets, necessity of obedience to them, delegation of the authority of religion to Prophet Mohammad among all prophets due to his scientific superiority, considering the Imamate as a principle of religious teachings, necessity of the presence of Imam, the appointment of Imams by God, scientific superiority of Imams, extent range of Imams^, knowledge, innocence of Imams and their authority of interference in the creation. A variety of hypotheses, most of which proved to be inaccurate according to resources on the history of hadith, have been issued to explain why Saffār has brought such a low number of Hadithes about the Absence Period of Imam Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance) in his Basāer-ud-Darajāt. As a matter of fact, Saffār has gathered this group of hadithes in some other books, a claim that is proved by the large number of such hadithes quoted from him in the later resources.