A study of the narration of "Safwat hazal ketaab" (Selected of this book) in the interpretation of Thalabi and Shiite sources

Imam Ali (AS) is the foremost commentator and is a leader in interpreting the verses of the Qur'an compared to other companions. We have received many narrations from him in the interpretation of the Qur'an. One of these narrations is a hadith that has been quoted in explaining the intentions of the syllables, and it is known as the hadith "Safwat hazal ketaab" "Selected of this book of alphabetical letters"[1] . Thalabi, a prominent Sunni commentator, quotes this hadith in his commentary and bases his point of view on it. Most Shiite commentators and narrators have also quoted this hadith from Imam Ali (as). The purpose of the present study is to make a comparative study of this hadith in the interpretation of Thalabi with Shiite sources and also to find the differences and the main source of the narration. The present article, in a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach, examines the narration of "Safwat hazal ketaab"  “selected of this book of alphabetical letters" in "Al-Kashf Wal-Bayan" and compares it with Shiite sources. Findings and results of the research show that this hadith has not been quoted in any of the Shiite sources with a Shiite document and all the narrations reach the narrations of the "Sunnis" in different ways. Some commentators have quoted it directly from Sunni narrators and some have quoted it from other Shiite commentators or narrators from the Sunnites. Tabarsi, Howeizi, Feyz Kashani and some others have mentioned the hadith directly and often with the phrase “Sunnites, narrated". Amoli, Boroujerdi, Isfahani, etc. have narrated the hadith through Tabarsi or others.