An investigation of the parable " khāmat al-zar`" in the Shi'a traditions and its contents

With regard to description of the believer there exist different traditions in various types one of which is likening a believer to khāmat al-zar` (sprouting plants). This research aims at investigating these texts applying hadith comprehension (fiqh al-hadith). The research method is libraryoriented and of the type of content analysis. The findings of this research show that this simile has eleven reports in the Shi'a sources that have been issued in three different subjects (faith, facing calamities and misfortunes, and capabilities of a believer). Except for the third subject, the reliability of the traditions dealing with the first and second subjects above is acceptable. By this simile the flexibility of a believer is meant, however, this simile on the subjects of faith and capabilities, denotes weak-mindedness which is a negative quality, and with regard to calamities or misfortunes denotes an intelligent acceptance and submission which is a positive quality. The result of the research in the field of fiqh al-hadīth is that a single simile in two different applications may have contradictory meanings. In the practical field its result is that the characteristics of flexibility and rigidness in humans should be managed.