Books of hadith and Nahj al-Balagha

Thank you for your question! As for the texts in which Sharif ar-Radi (ra) affirmed his Zaydism, in one of his poems, he said:

Thank you for your question!

Just for clarity, the sanad for the sermons and letters of Amir al-Mumineen (as) are not mentioned in some Zaydi works because there is no need. Many of these statements can be verified by the asaanid in extemporaneous sources. For example, Imam al-Qasim bin Muhammad (as) and others quote statements from Amir al-Mumineen (as) in Nahj al-Balaagha without stating the chain. This is because these statements are well-known. Its like if I were to state: "Allah's Messenger, salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, said: ((Pray the way you see me pray))." It's not necessary for me to state the sanad because it is well-known hadith and the asaanid have been mentioned elsewhere.

However, in some Zaydi works, such as Kitaab ash-Shaa'fi by Imam Abdullah bin Hamza (as), he relates the chain of narrators for many of the sermons in Nahj al-Balaagha. Also, even non-Zaydis have related the sermons of Nahj al-Balaagha with their chains from books of hadith, history, etc.

Remember, that the compiler of Nahj al-Balaaagha, Sharif ar-Razi, did not compile the book as a book of hadith; rather, he compiled it as a book of eloquence collecting only those sermons that he felt was most eloquent. So, it was therefore unnecessary for him to relate the chains. Other specialists in the field of literature, linguistics, eloquence and even history recognised these sermons as originating from Imam Ali (as) without investigating their chains.

And Allah knows best!

IRS