Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Jinns Come to the Imam for Religious Instructions and for Dealing with their Affairs · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 98, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ أَبِي حَمَّادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أُورَمَةَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ النَّضْرِ عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ مُزَامِلاً لِجَابِرِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ الْجُعْفِيِّ فَلَمَّا أَنْ كُنَّا بِالْمَدِينَةِ دَخَلَ عَلَى ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَوَدَّعَهُ وَخَرَجَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ وَهُوَ مَسْرُورٌ حَتَّى وَرَدْنَا الاخَيْرِجَةَ أَوَّلَ مَنْزِلٍ نَعْدِلُ مِنْ فَيْدَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ فَصَلَّيْنَا الزَّوَالَ فَلَمَّا نَهَضَ بِنَا الْبَعِيرُ إِذَا أَنَا بِرَجُلٍ طُوَالٍ آدَمَ مَعَهُ كِتَابٌ فَنَاوَلَهُ جَابِراً فَتَنَاوَلَهُ فَقَبَّلَهُ وَوَضَعَهُ عَلَى عَيْنَيْهِ وَإِذَا هُوَ مِنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ إِلَى جَابِرِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ وَعَلَيْهِ طِينٌ أَسْوَدُ رَطْبٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَتَى عَهْدُكَ بِسَيِّدِي فَقَالَ السَّاعَةَ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَبْلَ الصَّلاةِ أَوْ بَعْدَ الصَّلاةِ فَقَالَ بَعْدَ الصَّلاةِ فَفَكَّ الْخَاتَمَ وَأَقْبَلَ يَقْرَؤُهُ وَيَقْبِضُ وَجْهَهُ حَتَّى أَتَى عَلَى آخِرِهِ ثُمَّ أَمْسَكَ الْكِتَابَ فَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ ضَاحِكاً وَلا مَسْرُوراً حَتَّى وَافَى الْكُوفَةَ فَلَمَّا وَافَيْنَا الْكُوفَةَ لَيْلاً بِتُّ لَيْلَتِي فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْتُ أَتَيْتُهُ إِعْظَاماً لَهُ فَوَجَدْتُهُ قَدْ خَرَجَ عَلَيَّ وَفِي عُنُقِهِ كِعَابٌ قَدْ عَلَّقَهَا وَقَدْ رَكِبَ قَصَبَةً وَهُوَ يَقُولُ أَجِدُ مَنْصُورَ بْنَ جُمْهُورٍ أَمِيراً غَيْرَ مَأْمُورٍ وَأَبْيَاتاً مِنْ نَحْوِ هَذَا فَنَظَرَ فِي وَجْهِي وَنَظَرْتُ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَلَمْ يَقُلْ لِي شَيْئاً وَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَهُ وَأَقْبَلْتُ أَبْكِي لِمَا رَأَيْتُهُ وَاجْتَمَعَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَيْهِ الصِّبْيَانُ وَالنَّاسُ وَجَاءَ حَتَّى دَخَلَ الرَّحَبَةَ وَأَقْبَلَ يَدُورُ مَعَ الصِّبْيَانِ وَالنَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ جُنَّ جَابِرُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ جُنَّ فَوَ الله مَا مَضَتِ الايَّامُ حَتَّى وَرَدَ كِتَابُ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ إِلَى وَالِيهِ أَنِ انْظُرْ رَجُلاً يُقَالُ لَهُ جَابِرُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْجُعْفِيُّ فَاضْرِبْ عُنُقَهُ وَابْعَثْ إِلَيَّ بِرَأْسِهِ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَى جُلَسَائِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ مَنْ جَابِرُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْجُعْفِيُّ قَالُوا أَصْلَحَكَ الله كَانَ رَجُلاً لَهُ عِلْمٌ وَفَضْلٌ وَحَدِيثٌ وَحَجَّ فَجُنَّ وَهُوَ ذَا فِي الرَّحَبَةِ مَعَ الصِّبْيَانِ عَلَى الْقَصَبِ يَلْعَبُ مَعَهُمْ قَالَ فَأَشْرَفَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِذَا هُوَ مَعَ الصِّبْيَانِ يَلْعَبُ عَلَى الْقَصَبِ فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لله الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِنْ قَتْلِهِ قَالَ وَلَمْ تَمْضِ الايَّامُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ مَنْصُورُ بْنُ جُمْهُورٍ الْكُوفَةَ وَصَنَعَ مَا كَانَ يَقُولُ جَابِرٌ.

Published English translation

7. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Salih ibn abu Hammad from Muhammad ibn ’Urma from Ahmad ibn al-Nadr from al-Ni‘man ibn Bashir who has said the following. “Once I was a companion of Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ja‘far‘fi on a journey. When reached he went to meet abu Ja‘far (a.s.). He said farewell to him and came out very happy until we arrived in al-’Ukhayraja, the first length of journey from Fayd to Madina. It was a Friday. We said our prayers at noon. When the camel rose to leave I saw a tall man brownish with a letter. He give it to Jabir who kissed it and placed over his eyes. It was from Muhammad ibn Ali to Jabir ibn Yazid. It had a black ink that was still wet. He asked him, “When were you in the presence of my master?” He said, “Just now.” He asked, “Were you in his presence before or after the prayer?” He said, “I was there after the prayer.” He then opened the seal and began to read the letter and his face began to look strained until he read it to the end. He held the letter and I did not see him laughing or happy until we arrived in Kufa. In Kufa I spent my night and in the morning I went to see him out of respect for him and I found him coming out to me with a large ring made of anklebones around his neck riding on a twig of reeds saying. “I see Mansur ibn Jumhur a ruler but no one obeys him” and such other rhymes. He looked at me and I looked at him and he did not say anything to me and did not say anything to him. I began to weep when I saw him. Children and people gathered around us. He came in al-Rahba and would go in circles with the children and people say, “Jabir has gone mad, Jabir has gone insane. By Allah, only a few days had passed that a letter from Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik came to the governor to look for a man called Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ja‘far‘fi. It said, “Kill him and send his head to me.” The governor turned to the people in his court and asked, “Who is this Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ja‘far‘fi?” they replied, “May Allah grand well being to the governor, he was a man of knowledge, excellence, hadith and Hajj but now he has become insane. He is there with the children riding on a twig of reeds plays with them.” He went to see him and found him playing with the children while riding a twig of reeds. He said, “Thanks to Allah for saving me from killing him.” The narrator has said that just within few days Mansur ibn Jumhur entered Kufa and did what Jabir was speaking of before.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف أو مجهول

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/296)

Assessment transcribed from the source's named scholar and reference. No new grading or consensus is asserted; differing entries remain separate.

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi: Catalogue non-inclusion note (not an authenticity grade)

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī

Source records non-inclusion in this scholar's selection; this is not itself a weak or authentic grade.

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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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