This is a translation of the oldest Shi‘i text written on science and the contextual study of Hadith, by one of the great scholars and jurists of the tenth century. The study of the origins, development and criticism of Hadith literature, as we have it today is essential in determining the extensive source of information about the history of pre-Islamic Arabic, early Islam, the development of Arabic literature and Islamic law, as well as serving as a source of legislation for the Muslim world.