The 'ma'refat al- hadith' book and the claim for weakness of Fazl ibn Shazan 's narrations from Imam Reza(pbuh)

Sheikh Sadugh (d 381 AH) in his books particularly in his 'Man la-yahzarohol- faghih', 'ElIal ol-Sharaye' 'and' 'Eyun Akhbar al-Reza' has many traditions from Imam Reza(pbuh) narrated on the authority of Fazl ibn Shazan Neyshaburi'(d260). In the past centuries all the scholars in Islamic studies, specifically the jurisprudences have used these narrations in their documentations of laws or referred to them in their many juridical issues .in 'Wasa'el al-Shia' encyclopedia .onc of the basic references for juridical inference. the narrations of Fazl ibn Shazan from Imam is as many as 350 cases. The contemporary hadith scholar 'Muharnmad Bagher Behbudi' based on Rijal Kashshi and that of Tusi declares the birth time for Fazl as late as after the martyrdom of Imam Reza(pbuh) and therefore invalidates all these hadiths according to their chain of narration. According to his view these narrations by Fazl from Imam Rezaipbuh) are in authority of' 'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Quataybeh' who is considered a' great liar' and 'fraud'. In this article, based on the two mentioned Rejaly books and various historical evidents and considering the teachers and students of 'Ibn Shazan' we have reached a controversial conclusion i.e. he was born near the year 180 and therefore was capable of narrating from His Exellency.