Rijal Al Kashi Report 176 !!better!! ●

At first glance, Report 176 seems like a minor biographical squabble. However, for usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence), it raises a terrifying question:

Early critics like Ibn al-Ghadha’iri (d. 450 AH) used Report 176 as evidence to declare Yunus ibn Abd al-Rahman “weak” ( da’if ). According to this camp, if a narrator consistently cites unreliable sources, his own reliability is compromised. They argued that ignoring Report 176 would be to ignore the explicit jarh (criticism) from a contemporary.

The narration typically involves a chain leading to individuals such as Jibril bin Ahmad, Hamdawayh, and Ibrahim bin Nuseir, through to Fudhayl, the servant of Muhammad bin Rashid, who claims to have heard it from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as). The Matn (Content): Rijal Al Kashi Report 176

This report is a prime example of al-Kashshi's methodology and the scholarly scrutiny his work receives. It is related on the authority of from 'Ali ibn 'Attiya . It states:

Report #176 is a warning bell. It reminds us that in the transmission of religious knowledge, trustworthiness is the currency, not volume. A single honest narrator is worth more than a thousand who "narrate contrary to the truth." At first glance, Report 176 seems like a

The report is recorded through a specific chain of transmission ( isnad ):

(also transliterated as Rijal Al Kashi ) is one of the most intensely analyzed textual records in Shi'ite biographical evaluation ( ilm al-rijal ). Found within the foundational text Ikhtiyar Ma'rifat al-Rijal (the abridged version of al-Kashshi’s original work edited by Sheikh al-Tusi), this specific report serves as a critical case study for understanding how early Islamic scholars verified the reliability of historical narrators. According to this camp, if a narrator consistently

However, the report remains invaluable as a historical artifact. It teaches us that ‘Ilm al-Rijal is not a brute science of “good” or “bad” narrators. It is a human science—fraught with bias, politics, and the fallibility of memory.

Scholars debate the nomenclature. Some say it refers to the year 176 AH (792 CE)—a pivotal year of political transition between the Umayyad and Abbasid shadow wars. Others claim it is simply the shelf number: Row 1, Shelf 7, Volume 6.