Al-Kafi · Hadith 4

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Hadith (statements) of Ahl al-Bayt (members of the family of Prophet Muhammad) is Difficult and becomes Difficult · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 102, Hadith 4

Original Arabic text

4ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى وَغَيْرُهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا قَالَ كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ صَاحِبِ الْعَسْكَرِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ الصَّادِقِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) حَدِيثُنَا لا يَحْتَمِلُهُ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ وَلا نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ وَلا مُؤْمِنٌ امْتَحَنَ الله قَلْبَهُ لِلايمَانِ فَجَاءَ الْجَوَابُ إِنَّمَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ الصَّادِقِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَيْ لا يَحْتَمِلُهُ مَلَكٌ وَلا نَبِيٌّ وَلا مُؤْمِنٌ إِنَّ الْمَلَكَ لا يَحْتَمِلُهُ حَتَّى يُخْرِجَهُ إِلَى مَلَكٍ غَيْرِهِ وَالنَّبِيُّ لا يَحْتَمِلُهُ حَتَّى يُخْرِجَهُ إِلَى نَبِيٍّ غَيْرِهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُ لا يَحْتَمِلُهُ حَتَّى يُخْرِجَهُ إِلَى مُؤْمِنٍ غَيْرِهِ فَهَذَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ جَدِّي (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام )

Published English translation

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya and others have narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from one of our people the following. “I wrote to Imam al-Hassan al_’Askari (a.s.) saying, May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, what is the meaning of the following Hadith of Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (a.s.)? “Our Hadith (statements) are difficult and they become difficult. No one is capable to bear them not even an angel or a prophet who is also a messenger or a believer whose heart Allah has tested for faith.?” The answer came as herein below. “The meaning of the words the truthful one ‘that angels, prophets and believers are not capable to accept them’ is that of the truthful one is that the angel does bear it until he deliver it to other angels. The prophet does noor bear it until he delivers it to another prophet and the believer does not bear it until he delivers to another believer. This is the meaning of the words of my grandfather.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرسل

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/318)

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.

Source, rights, and attribution

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edition: Al-Kafi, volume 1, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
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