Wasa'il al-Shia is one of the most notable and comprehensive collection of shia jurisprudential hadith, rigorously covering every area of religious law. It comprises of approximately 36,000 hadith organized into 30 volumes. The hadiths were collected and compiled by Shaykh Hurr Amili (d. 1693).
In his introduction to the book, Shaykh Hurr Amili emphasizes the supreme importance of the knowledge of hadith and explains his motivation for compiling this collection, describing how he challenged himself to compose a comprehensive book that would serve as a reliable reference for both knowledge and practice in Shia jurisprudence.
Shaykh Hurr Amili gathered hadiths exclusively from reliable and mutawatir (mass transmitted) Shia sources, organizing them systematically by topic. While acknowledging the prominence of the four canonical books of hadith (kutub-e-araba), he expanded his sources to include other reliable compilations by trusted scholars.
This work by Shaykh Hurr Amili is a significant contribution to the preservation and dissemination of Shia hadiths. Above all, Wasa'il al-Shia is the best source and the greatest gift to those of the Shia who wish to base their deen (religion) firmly on the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).