Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi

Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi (1627–1699) was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a cleric and theologian whose major work, Bihar al-Anwar, compiled traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and the Imams.

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Twelver Shi'ism: The largest branch of Shi'a Islam, recognizing twelve divinely designated Imams, ending with Muhammad al-Mahdi. This was the religious tradition Majlesi defended and helped shape.
Bihar al-Anwar: A vast Arabic collection of reports, discussions, and materials concerning Shi'a beliefs, history, ethics, and law. This encyclopedic compilation is Majlesi’s best-known scholarly work.
Muhammad Taqi Majlesi: A Safavid-era Twelver Shi'a scholar and father of Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi. His scholarly standing and teaching helped form his son’s religious career.
Kutub al-Arba'a: The four canonical early collections of Twelver Shi'a hadith, compiled between the tenth and eleventh centuries. These foundational compilations were among the inherited sources behind Majlesi’s much larger work.
Shi'a hadith studies: The scholarly study, authentication, and interpretation of reports transmitted in Shi'a Islam. Bihar al-Anwar became a major reference point for later work in this field.
Hadith: Reports about the sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad and, in Shi'a traditions, the Imams. Hadith scholarship supplied the materials Majlesi collected and interpreted.
Ayn al-Hayat: A Persian work by Majlesi offering moral and devotional instruction through teachings attributed to the Prophet and Imams. It shows how Majlesi made religious teachings accessible beyond specialist Arabic scholarship.
Shaykh al-Baha'i: A Lebanese-born Safavid scholar, poet, and polymath who served at the court of Shah Abbas I. His career offers an earlier model of the scholar’s role in Safavid religious life.
Al-Kafi: A major Twelver Shi'a hadith collection compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni in the tenth century. Majlesi incorporated and discussed reports preserved in this foundational collection.
Shaykh al-Islam: A prestigious title for a leading Islamic scholar, with duties and authority varying across places and periods. Majlesi’s appointment to this office gave his scholarship a prominent state platform.