Prelude — Hadith 1

In the name of Allah (swt), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The honourable Shaykh Al Jaleel, and jurist, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, the author of this book—may Allah (swt) sanctify his soul—wrote: After praise to Allah (swt), it happened that fate drove me to the lands of exile, and destiny brought me to the land of Balkh, specifically the town of Ilaq. There arrived the noble Sharif al-Din Abu Abdullah, known as Ni‘mah—Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ishaq ibn [al-Hasan ibn] al-Husayn ibn Ishaq ibn Musa ibn Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon them all). With his companionship, my happiness was prolonged, my heart was comforted by his memory, and my honor was elevated by his affection, due to his noble character combined with virtues such as modesty, piety, calmness, dignity, religiosity, chastity, godliness, and humility. He mentioned to me a book authored by Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, the physician, titled Man La Yahduruhu al-Tabeeb (For Him Who Has No Access to a Doctor), which he found to be effective in its purpose. He requested that I compile for him a book on jurisprudence, covering lawful and unlawful matters, and the statutes and rulings, comprehensively surpassing all I had previously written on the subject, and title it Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih (For Him Who Has No Access to a Jurist). The intention was for it to serve as his reference, foundation, and guide—one through which he could achieve reward, along with those who read, copy, or act upon its contents. This was in addition to his copying most of what I carried with me from my works, listening to them, narrating them from me, and familiarizing himself with their e