Imam Sadiq’s Role in Development, Evolution of Knowledge
This is according to Mohammad Sadeq Elmi, speaking to IQNA about Imam Sadiq’s (AS) role in development of knowledge. Following are excerpts from his remarks:
The first four Shia Imams (AS) faced restrictions and pressures, but these pressures and restrictions decreased during the time of Imam Baqir (AS) and Imam Sadiq (AS). So after the imamate of Imam Baqir (AS) a unique opportunity, from the political aspect, appeared for Shias and during this time, Imam Sadiq (AS) trained many students in different fields of knowledge.
He trained some 4,000 students in various fields. Among them were Hisham in theology and Zararah and Muhammad ibn Moslim in Hadith.
Before Imam Sadiq (AS), fields of knowledge were mixed and there was no classification of them. It was not clear who is a teacher of Hadith, Tafsir (Quran interpretation), theology, etc. Classification of sciences, which we call development of knowledge today, took place in the time of Imam Sadiq (AS) and the university of Islamic sciences was divided into different faculties such as Fiqh, theology, Hadith, Tafsir, etc.
Jabir ibn Hayyan was one of the students of Imam Sadiq (AS). He wrote more than 1,200 treatises and articles in the fields of physics, chemistry and other empirical sciences.
Ibn Nadim was another student of the Imam (AS) who classified sciences in his famous work Al-Fihrist. In this book, Ibn Nadim says whenever Jabir ibn Hayyan talked about scientific and scholarly issues he would say he heard it from Imam Sadiq (AS).
Abu Hanifah, who is known among the four Sunni schools of thought as “Imam Azam” was also a student of the sixth Shia Imam (AS). Abu Hanifah was also the teacher of the other imams of the Sunni schools and, thus, these imams were also indirectly the students of Imam Sadiq (AS).
Abu Hanfah would frequently say: “If it were not for those two years (of discipleship under Imam Sadiq), Nu’man (Abu Hanifa) would have perished.”
The training of so many students and inviting them to debates and the fact that Abu Hanifah and other great Sunni figures have narrated Hadiths from Imam Sadiq (AS) are all indications of the Imam’s (AS) good and friendly relations with Sunnis.
In general, there are many Hadiths from Imam Sadiq (AS) about close and cordial ties with Sunnis.
The book “The Mastermind of the Shia World”, written about Imam Sadiq (AS) by tens of Western non-Muslim scholars, includes articles discussing the scientific teachings of Imam Sadiq (AS) that were presented in a seminar in France.
I recommend reading this book, which has been endorsed by the great Shia figure Imam Musa Sadr.
