Al-Kafi · Hadith 3

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Mutual Rights between the Imam and his Followers · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 104, Hadith 3

Original Arabic text

3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْعَطَّارُ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لا تَخْتَانُوا وُلاتَكُمْ وَلا تَغُشُّوا هُدَاتَكُمْ وَلا تَجْهَلُوا أَئِمَّتَكُمْ وَلا تَصَدَّعُوا عَنْ حَبْلِكُمْ فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ وَعَلَى هَذَا فَلْيَكُنْ تَأْسِيسُ أُمُورِكُمْ وَالْزَمُوا هَذِهِ الطَّرِيقَةَ فَإِنَّكُمْ لَوْ عَايَنْتُمْ مَا عَايَنَ مَنْ قَدْ مَاتَ مِنْكُمْ مِمَّنْ خَالَفَ مَا قَدْ تُدْعَوْنَ إِلَيْهِ لَبَدَرْتُمْ وَخَرَجْتُمْ وَلَسَمِعْتُمْ وَلَكِنْ مَحْجُوبٌ عَنْكُمْ مَا قَدْ عَايَنُوا وَقَرِيباً مَا يُطْرَحُ الْحِجَابُ.

Published English translation

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya al-‘Attar from certain members of our people from Harun ibn Muslim from Mas‘ada ibn sadaqa from Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) who has said the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) has said, ‘Do not be deceitful to your leaders, do not confuse your guides, do not be ignorant of your Imams and do not cut off the rope of your unity, least you will fail and be disgraced. On such foundation your affairs must be based and you must strictly live within such system. Had you been able to observe what those who lived before had observed and who had disregarded what you want to be accepted you would have acted fast, came out and listened. However, you can not observe what they had observed but the curtain will soon be removed.’

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/335)

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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