The Four Books

Not to be confused with the Four Books of Chinese Confucianism.

The Four Books (Arabic: ٱلْكُتُب ٱلْأَرْبَعَة, romanized: al-Kutub al-ʾArbaʿa) are the four canonical hadith collections of Shia Islam. The term is used mostly by Twelver Shias.

Name Collector No. of
hadith
Kitab al-Kafi  Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni al-Razi (329 AH) 16,199
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih Muhammad ibn Babawayh 9,044
Tahdhib al-Ahkam Shaykh Muhammad Tusi 13,590
Al-Istibsar Shaykh Muhammad Tusi 5,511
Total ahādith 44,344

Shia Muslims use different hadith books than those used by Sunni Muslims, who prize the six major hadith collections. Unlike Sunnis, Twelver Shi'i Muslims uphold the Twelve Imams as their absolute authority of religion after the prophet Muhammad, and thus much of their hadith is transmitted on the authority of the Imams. Shi'ites considers many hadith transmitters in Sunni tradition to be unreliable, particularly due to their indifferent or, at times, antagonistic stance towards Ahl al-Bayt (Household of Muhammad).


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