A Critical Analysis of Ibn Ghazairi’s Al-Zo’afa

One of the important tradition narration scholars is Ibn Ghazairi, who is known for his great and rapid discrediting of narrators. In his tradition book, "Al-Dho’afa” he has discredited many tradition narrators. His views have been rejected by many tradition narrators, with only a few heeding his ideas. A contemporary tradition narrator, Sheikh Mohammed Taqi Shooshtari, has defended him in the book “Ghamous al-Rijal” that relies heavily on his invalidation. Irrespective of the validity or invalidity of Ibn Ghazairi's views, the most fundamental argument is concerned with the validity of his Al-Dho’afa version of the book, which has been verified by tradition narrators the like of Shooshtari. This article, while critiquing this view, revisits the validity of Ibn Ghazairi's book and its attribution to him. First, a history of the debate is introduced, along with the ideas of other tradition narrators and scholars who have taken debated this issue, such as Khoei, Fani, Asef Mohseni, and Behboudi. Finally, while revisiting and evaluating Vejādeh in the views of scholars and experts in this field and presenting the Mokhtar’s theory, we explain the most valid way to obtain the ideas of Ibn Ghazairi, who has been credited as the narration of Najashi, as well as discrediting Al-Dho’afa and rejecting its attribution to the author.