A Commentary on the “Sources of Questionsand Answers”. On Oral Reports

Our article introduces the third volume of monumental “Commentary on the ‘Sources of Questions and Answers’” (Šarḥ ‘Uyūn al-masāʼil wa al-ǧawābāt) by a Zaydī philosopher al-Ḥākim al-Ǧiššamī (d. 494/1101) in its first chapters. Al-Ǧiššamī discusses the nature of oral reports (aẖbār), their epistemic value and applicability in legal discourse. Publication of the commented Arabic text, extracted from Leiden University Libraryʼs manuscript (Or. 2584b), is prefaced by a brief note on the used copy of treatise and al-Ǧiššamīʼs views on the metaphysical foundations of speech.