The word · Hadith
الكُتُبُ الأَرْبَعَة
Al-Kutub al-Arba'ah
The four main hadith collections of Twelver Shia Islam, a separate corpus from the Sunni six books.
Also written · Kutub Arbaa · Kutub al-Arbaah · Kutub e Arba · The Four Books · Four books Shia · Al-Kafi · Usul al-Kafi · Shia hadith books · Kutub al-Arba'a
The meaning
What Al-Kutub al-Arba'ah means in Islam
They are al-Kafi by al-Kulayni, Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih by Ibn Babawayh, and al-Tahdhib and al-Istibsar by al-Tusi. They record reports from the Prophet and from the Imams, whose sayings carry authority in that tradition. The grading vocabulary overlaps with the Sunni one without matching it: a chain is judged partly by whether its narrators held the Imami creed, and the term muwaththaq marks a reliable narrator who did not.
Evidence · Editorial · Our own summary, drawn from the sources named
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- Kutub SittahThe six hadith collections that became the standard reference set in Sunni Islam.الكُتُبُ السِّتَّة
- IsnadThe chain of narrators who carried a hadith, listed name by name back to its source.الإِسْنَاد
- HukmThe verdict placed on a hadith, such as sahih, hasan, weak or fabricated.الحُكْم
More from Hadith
- AdalahThe uprightness of a narrator: sane, adult, Muslim, not openly sinful, not known for shameful habits.العَدَالَة
- HadithA report of what the Prophet Muhammad said, did, or quietly approved, passed down through named narrators.الحَدِيث
- Jarh wa Ta'dilThe discipline of criticising or vouching for narrators, so that a chain can be judged fairly.الجَرْحُ وَالتَّعْدِيل
- MawqufA report that stops at a Companion: his own statement or action, not attributed to the Prophet.المَوْقُوف
- MusnadEither a hadith with a connected chain reaching the Prophet, or a book arranged by narrating Companion.المُسْنَد
- SahihA hadith that meets all five conditions of authenticity, with nothing missing and no hidden flaw.الصَّحِيح