Allame Seyyed Ja'far Morteza Ᾱmeli's Studying History and Historiography

Allameh Sayyid Ja'far Morteza Ᾱmali is a prominent Shiite scholar who started a new way in historical research by writing the book Al-Sahih men Sirat al-Nabi al-A'zam. Despite some criticisms about his theological approach, he has paved the way for the researchers by presenting a new research method. History, in the eyes of Allameh, is an independent science with its own research methods, the results and achievements of which can be used to consolidate beliefs and to dispel doubts and deficiencies in various religious doctrines, especially the history of the life of the Infallibles. He was realistic and objective in his historical studies, with neither an overly pessimistic view of history nor an optimistic one. He considered the Qur'an as the most important criterion that should be invoked in understanding the Sira (biography) of the Prophet and the Imams and the stories of the ancestors. He believed that his main purpose in dealing with history was to fulfill the duty of achieving the truths of the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Imams (AS), to uncover the ambiguity and complexity of their lives, and to discover many distortions and inaccuracies in the hadiths which were exposed to different dangers such as being forged by some simple-minded people. All in all, he views history in the service of humanity and the aspirations of a human society based on religious values and standards. The ijtihadi approach to historical research should be regarded as the most important characteristic of Allama. This approach requires extensive scrutiny, careful evaluation of historical narratives and statements, finding out about the conditions, the time, and place of events, and a broad and deep acquaintance with the historical sources. His other characteristic in his research is that he gathers and compiles the information in a categorical and typological way in order to reveal the forged historical reports and the deceitful writers who did that. Therefore, in order to get rid of such deviations, he states some rules and criteria which help us recognize the true accounts.