The Background of Raj agraphy in Shi ism Analyzing Its Quality and Quantity

Muslims, especially Shi’ite, regarded raj’a (Second Coming) highly important from the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to now; Shi’a Muslims tried to prove it while on the other hand Sunni Muslims tried to reject it. The differences between Sunni and Shi’a writers in proving and rejecting raj’a represent the importance of reviewing this subject. Analyzing the background of raj’agraphy would be a vital step in resolving this issue which has been neglected so far. Therefore, the question is: How is background of raj’agraphy among Shi’ism helpful in resolving the current issue? (Question) Raj’agraphy has been always influenced by different situations of the time; consequently a documentary analysis of hadiths on raj’a (second coming) was mostly ignored. (Hypothesis) Analyzing raj’agraphy throughout different centuries was carried out in order to represent its upsides and downsides along with considering accurateness in writing. (Goal) Historical analysis through two approaches, qualitative and quantitative, was applied in answering the raised question. (Methodology) The necessity of reviewing documentation of hadiths on raj’a, in the light of avoiding generalization, would represent a better picture of raj’a. (Finding)