The College of Islamic Sciences at the University of Karbala recently held a viva for a master’s thesis entitled:
“The Status of Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) in the Book ‘Shawahid al-Tanzil li Qawaʿid al-Tafdil’ by al-Hakim al-Haskani – A Study and Analysis,”
submitted by graduate student Hamed Jabir Mujalli in the field of Qur’anic Sciences and Hadith.

The study focused on analyzing the content of “Shawahid al-Tanzil,” a significant work by the eminent Hanafi scholar and hadith transmitter, al-Hakim al-Haskani. The researcher examined the Qur’anic verses revealed concerning the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace Be Upon Them), affirming that this book is one of the foundational sources that documents their revered status and promotes their love and veneration.

Al-Haskani’s compilation includes 350 Qur’anic verses related to Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) and the Ahl al-Bayt, supported by 1,172 authenticated, traceable, and rigorously sourced hadiths. The researcher noted that al-Haskani’s methodology reflects a balance between the perspective of the Imamiyyah and that of mainstream hadith scholars, characterized by scholarly objectivity and moderation.

The thesis also highlighted key manuscript versions of the book, including the Kermani and Yemeni editions edited by Sheikh Muhammad Baqir al-Mahmoudi, as well as a third manuscript housed in the Waqf Library of Sulaymaniyah, which has not yet been critically edited due to historical and political challenges in Iraq.

The discussion concluded by emphasizing the significance of this work in countering claims made against the Ahl al-Bayt by deviant sects, and underlining al-Haskani’s scholarly efforts in documenting and substantiating the virtues of Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) through a rigorous and credible hadith framework.