Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni

Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq al-Kulaynī ar-Rāzī (; ; c. 255 AH / 868 CE – 329 AH / 941 CE) was a Persian Shia Muslim scholar, hadith compiler, and the author of Kitāb al-Kāfī.

He was known for his extensive travels in search of hadith, particularly in Qom and Baghdad, and received his education under numerous teachers, many of whom were contemporaries of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams, Ali al-Hadi (835–868) and Hasan al-Askari (868–874). He was also a teacher of several prominent scholars, including Shaykh al-Saduq and Ibn Qulawayh.

Life Birth

Al-Kulayni was born in Kulayn, a village or small town situated near Rey, Iran, though sources do not specify the date of his birth. It's mentioned that his birth was around 255 AH (868), in the same time as that of Hujjat-Allah al-Mahdi, the last of the Twelve Imams who, according to Shia belief, is currently in major occultation (al-ghayba al-kubra) ever since 941, and will re-appear in the future. Others, like Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, believe he(al-Kulaynī) was born after the passing of Hasan al-Askari (c. 874 CE). His father was Ya'qub al-Kulayni, who lived during the era of the Minor Occultation (874–941). He is claimed to have greatly benefited from al-Mahdi's divine knowledge by interacting with him through the Imam's Four Deputies.

Education Kulayni received his early religious education in his native town and went to Rey for further education. According to Shia view he is among a special class of muhaddithin known as Rihalah-ye hadith (which means those who travelled in order to collect a hadith and met the persons considered to be the authority on hadith).

Work and contribution Although Shaykh al-Kulaynī is most famous for al-Kāfī, this opus was not his only accomplishment. The following is a list of his known works: Kitāb al Kāfī Rasāʾil al ʾaʾimmah Kitāb ar-rijāl Kitāb ar radd ʿalā al qarāmitah Kitāb mā qīla fī al ʾaʾimmah min ash-shiʿr Kitāb taʿbīr al-ruʾyā Of these only al-Kāfī has survived in its entirety.