The Role of Iranian Scholars - both Sunni and Shia - in Propagating the Teachings of Nahj al-Balagha (Especially Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ahmad)

Due to its unique characteristics, Nahj al-Balāgha has from the very beginning attracted the attention of many Muslims, both Shīʿa and Sunnī, from all Islamic countries. The entry of this book into Iran was also made prior to most other countries, in the early years after its publication. According to historical evidence, it can be safely asserted that the first people who paid special attention to Nahj al-Balāgha and wrote commentaries on it were the Shīʿa scholars of Iran, because the first eight commentaries on it in the known world were written by Iranian Shīʿa scholars and for nearly two centuries this honor was held by them alone. During this period, the role of the scholars of Khorāsān, and especially those from Nishāpūr, is very prominent due to its being a renowned center of learning in the 4th and 5th centuries A.H. From the available evidence, such as the very old manuscripts and the ‘permissions’ (ijāzāt) of the Nahj al-Balāgha, it is seen that
Abū Yusuf Yaʿqūb ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Qārī Nishāpūrī, a great scholar and litterateur of Nishāpūr, was the first to bring the Nahj al-Balāgha to Iran and establish teaching sessions wherein it was taught. In fact, its dissemination [by him] led many other scholars to be attracted to this invaluable book and this in turn led to its [numerous] translations and commentaries.