Abdullah Ibn Abi Yaʿfour an Unknown Imami Theologian

Abdullah ibn Abi Yaʿfour is among few thinkers who were always respected by Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq, his Kalām and intellectual dimensions were not explored as it should have. The extent of our knowledge of him nowadays is limited to his immense knowledge in recitation of holy Quran, fiqh and moral purification whereas his doctrinal efforts in explaining the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) are remarkable and reveals his Kalām dimension. By taking a glance at the history of Imamiyyah ideas and thoughts and presenting doctrinal activities of Abdullah Ibn Abi Yaʿfour, this article is to show that he is not only a great traditionist but a prominent theologian as well who applied himself to disseminate the thought of Imamiyyah in different fields such as Imamate, though in comparison with such theorizing theologians as Ibn Hisham a different judgment should be made.