The Place of Mukhtar in the Examinations of the Scholars of the Science of Rijal

Mukhtar Thaqafi is one of the individuals who were examined by the experts of the science of Rijal – regardless of whether they were Shia or Sunni. This examination is interesting since he is not one of the individuals who actually narrated any hadiths. Nevertheless, the experts of the science of Rijal have always examined his life. In this regards, the Shia Rijali scholars have often expressed contradicting opinions regarding him. Some of them have said that he is trustworthy while others have denied this fact. A third group has refrained from expressing any definite opinion regarding him. This is while all of the Sunni scholars have said that he is unreliable. In this paper an attempt has been made to examine and analyze the manner in which this person has been portrayed in the Shia and Sunni Rijali works. In the first section, an examination of the views of the Shia Rijali scholars regarding Mukhtar has been made. In the second section, the distinctions of this person – based upon the science of Rijal – has been presented. In the third section, an answer to those who label him as being unreliable has been given In the final section, a critique has been made of the views of the Sunni scholars regarding this person.