The Reconstruction of Al-Hajj, Muawiyah Ibn Ammar's Book, and the Evaluation of Its Chains of Narration with Emphasis on Pilgrimage Hadiths

The book, al-Hajj, which is written by Muawiyah Ibn Ammar, one of the trusted companions of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), is one of the principal sources used in the books written by early Shiite scholars on the subject of Hajj. The issues like pilgrimage practices of the Prophet’s grave (pbuh) and the practices of other holy places of Medina exist in this book too. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Hadiths of this book on pilgrimage, existing in the early Shiite scholars’ books (especially al-Kafi, al-Faqih, Kamil al-Ziyarat, and Tahdhib). This task is done through examining the existing evidence of Hadiths and comparing them with the Chains of Narration of the missing sources in the listed books. The quotation of these Hadiths by Muawiyah Ibn Ammar, with regard to his authority and the prestige of his Chains of Narration, and contrary to some claims, is the indication of the genuineness of the pilgrimage of the grave of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), praying beside his grave, blessing the grave, resorting to him, and the legitimacy of these practices from the viewpoint of Imam Sadiq (a.s.).