“Jihad of Explanation” in the Lifestyle of Imam Riḍā (as)Case Study: The Book ʾUyun Akhbār al-Riḍā

"Jihad of explanation" has become one of the most frequent words in the works of analysts of the orders of the Supreme Leader, who in the Arbaʿīn of 1400, in a meeting with students, listed "jihad of explanation" as one of their duties. In this context, examining the religious foundations of this work is of great value; because it gives it a double religious effect. The Jihad of explanation is very important and necessary to remove objections and problems from the field of Islamic knowledge, especially Hadiths and to protect the religion from the enmity of opponents. With this approach, the present research seeks to answer the question of how Imam Riḍā (as) explained the "problem of hadith" of his ancestors and with the help of what approach and method? The following article, while expressing the religious basis of the keyword "Jihad of explanation", has examined the lifestyle of Imam Riḍā (as) within the scope of the book ʾUyun Akhbār al-Riḍā (as). According to the findings of the research, which is based on the documentary method; facing the problem of hadith, Imam Riḍā (as) tried to explain the hadith problem of his ancestors which had caused doubts and questions in the Islamic society with three approaches: "explanation", "denial" and "esoteric interpretation".  The main goal of this research is to show that the Jihad of explanation is a holy matter, that the main strivers of this Jihad are the purified infallible Imams (as); therefore, it is necessary for the Shia community, especially the educated scholars with following the example of the pure Imams (as), strive to explain Islamic teachings and truths, and even to explain the important social and political issues of the society.