Theological Currents of Imāmi Shi’ism During Imām Ja’far Al-Sadiq Period

The Attempt to recognize intellectual currents and their beliefs is one the most important researches in the field of history of thoughts, and its importance is enhanced in religious studies, where it can resolve many ambiguities in the realm of ideas and justify the positions of leaders and prominent faces. Within the Imāmi Shia, records of dissension between some influenced companions of Imam and some details of their theological ideas and beliefs left no doubt about the existence of different theological currents in early Imāmi community, especially in the era of Imām Ja’far al-Sadiq (A.S) living. These currents were typically founded on the axis of a leading figure and had supporters and opponents in the Imāmi community. Steps which can be taken to identify these currents are as follows: Classification of traditions and identifying the Isnād of such traditions, the study of the traditions of praise or dispraise of the companions and, the heresiographic reports about the their opinions, the study of the title of their book and the remaining sections of them, and putting them all in the context of political and cultural conditions in the Muslim world. This study clears that such disputes arise from their methods of dealing with theological issues. Those who had thought any comment about theological issues must be put forward by the Imām, had made the “traditionalist” current. In contrast, there were some other companions who had allowed themselves to comment about such issues without searching the Imām’s opinion. In this context, where the reason was the basis of practice, the difference was inevitable, although some theologians tried not to consider the Imām’s statements as general principles. These groups, which can be called “traditional rationalists”, have made three currents: Zurāra b. A’yan, Hišām b. Sālim, and Hišām b. al-Hakam. Another group with clear social differentiation in Imāmiyya society was led by Mufaddal b. Omar al-Ju’fi and is “accused of extremism”.