The Four Books

Al - Kutub al - Arba'a, (Arabic الكتب الأربعة, DMG al - ʾ arba ʿ kutub al - a, the four books ') are the four canonical hadith collections of Twelver Shi'ites. Next to the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad They also include those of the Shiite Imams, with most traditions refer to the fifth and the sixth Imam. Another important difference to the Sunni Hadith is that of the Shiites of course not all the Companions are accepted.

The four collections are the following works:

• Al - Kafi ( الكافي, al - Kafi, the sufficient ')

By Muhammad ibn Yaqub al - Kulaini ( Muḥammad b. qūb Ya ʾ al - Kulaini, died 940/41 )

• It la yahduruhu l - faqih ( من لا يحضره الفقيه, Man lā yaḥḍuruhu 'l- Faqih, who has no experts on hand ')

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al - Babuya Qummi as- Saduq ( Muḥammad b. ʿ Alī b. Babuya al - Qummi aṣ - Saduq, also known as Ibn Bābawaih, died 991 )

• Al - Istibsar fi -ma chtulifa Fihi min al - achbar ( الاستبصار فيما اختلف فيه من الأخبار ) ( al - Istibṣār FIMA ḫtulifa Fihi min al - Ahbar, the consideration of the controversial traditions ')
• Tahdhib al - ahkam ( تهذيب الأحكام, Tahdib al - ʾ Ahkam, revision of decisions ')

Both of Muhammad ibn al -Hasan at- Tusi ( Muḥammad b. al - Ḥasan aṭ - Tusi, died 1067)