Al-Kafi · Hadith 8

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The birth of abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 121, Hadith 8

Original Arabic text

8ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ يَاسِرٍ قَالَ لَمَّا خَرَجَ الْمَأْمُونُ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ يُرِيدُ بَغْدَادَ وَخَرَجَ الْفَضْلُ ذُو الرِّئَاسَتَيْنِ وَخَرَجْنَا مَعَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَرَدَ عَلَى الْفَضْلِ بْنِ سَهْلٍ ذِي الرِّئَاسَتَيْنِ كِتَابٌ مِنْ أَخِيهِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ سَهْلٍ وَنَحْنُ فِي بَعْضِ الْمَنَازِلِ إِنِّي نَظَرْتُ فِي تَحْوِيلِ السَّنَةِ فِي حِسَابِ النُّجُومِ فَوَجَدْتُ فِيهِ أَنَّكَ تَذُوقُ فِي شَهْرِ كَذَا وَكَذَا يَوْمَ الارْبِعَاءِ حَرَّ الْحَدِيدِ وَحَرَّ النَّارِ وَأَرَى أَنْ تَدْخُلَ أَنْتَ وَأَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالرِّضَا الْحَمَّامَ فِي هَذَا الْيَوْمِ وَتَحْتَجِمَ فِيهِ وَتَصُبَّ عَلَى يَدَيْكَ الدَّمَ لِيَزُولَ عَنْكَ نَحْسُهُ فَكَتَبَ ذُو الرِّئَاسَتَيْنِ إِلَى الْمَأْمُونِ بِذَلِكَ وَسَأَلَهُ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ذَلِكَ فَكَتَبَ الْمَأْمُونُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ يَسْأَلُهُ ذَلِكَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ لَسْتُ بِدَاخِلٍ الْحَمَّامَ غَداً وَلا أَرَى لَكَ وَلا لِلْفَضْلِ أَنْ تَدْخُلا الْحَمَّامَ غَداً فَأَعَادَ عَلَيْهِ الرُّقْعَةَ مَرَّتَيْنِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَسْتُ بِدَاخِلٍ غَداً الْحَمَّامَ فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فِي هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ فِي النَّوْمِ فَقَالَ لِي يَا عَلِيُّ لا تَدْخُلِ الْحَمَّامَ غَداً وَلا أَرَى لَكَ وَلا لِلْفَضْلِ أَنْ تَدْخُلا الْحَمَّامَ غَداً فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَأْمُونُ صَدَقْتَ يَا سَيِّدِي وَصَدَقَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) لَسْتُ بِدَاخِلٍ الْحَمَّامَ غَداً وَالْفَضْلُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ فَقَالَ يَاسِرٌ فَلَمَّا أَمْسَيْنَا وَغَابَتِ الشَّمْسُ قَالَ لَنَا الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قُولُوا نَعُوذُ بِالله مِنْ شَرِّ مَا يَنْزِلُ فِي هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ فَلَمْ نَزَلْ نَقُولُ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) الصُّبْحَ قَالَ لِيَ اصْعَدْ عَلَى السَّطْحِ فَاسْتَمِعْ هَلْ تَسْمَعُ شَيْئاً فَلَمَّا صَعِدْتُ سَمِعْتُ الضَّجَّةَ وَالْتَحَمَتْ وَكَثُرَتْ فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِالْمَأْمُونِ قَدْ دَخَلَ مِنَ الْبَابِ الَّذِي كَانَ إِلَى دَارِهِ مِنْ دَارِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ يَا سَيِّدِي يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ آجَرَكَ الله فِي الْفَضْلِ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ أَبَى وَكَانَ دَخَلَ الْحَمَّامَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ بِالسُّيُوفِ فَقَتَلُوهُ وَأُخِذَ مِمَّنْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ ثَلاثُ نَفَرٍ كَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ ابْنَ خَالِهِ الْفَضْلَ ابْنَ ذِي الْقَلَمَيْنِ قَالَ فَاجْتَمَعَ الْجُنْدُ وَالْقُوَّادُ وَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْ رِجَالِ الْفَضْلِ عَلَى بَابِ الْمَأْمُونِ فَقَالُوا هَذَا اغْتَالَهُ وَقَتَلَهُ يَعْنُونَ الْمَأْمُونَ وَلَنَطْلُبَنَّ بِدَمِهِ وَجَاءُوا بِالنِّيرَانِ لِيُحْرِقُوا الْبَابَ فَقَالَ الْمَأْمُونُ لابِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَا سَيِّدِي تَرَى أَنْ تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَتُفَرِّقَهُمْ قَالَ فَقَالَ يَاسِرٌ فَرَكِبَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ وَقَالَ لِيَ ارْكَبْ فَرَكِبْتُ فَلَمَّا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ بَابِ الدَّارِ نَظَرَ إِلَى النَّاسِ وَقَدْ تَزَاحَمُوا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ بِيَدِهِ تَفَرَّقُوا تَفَرَّقُوا قَالَ يَاسِرٌ فَأَقْبَلَ النَّاسُ وَالله يَقَعُ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَمَا أَشَارَ إِلَى أَحَدٍ إِلا رَكَضَ وَمَرَّ.

Published English translation

8. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Yasir al-Khadim who has said the following. “When al-Ma’mun left Khurasan for Baghdad along with him came Fadl, Dhu al-Al-Ri’asatayn and we came out with abu al-Hassan (a.s.) Fadl ibn Sahl had received a letter from his brother Hassan, while we were on our journey. Hassan had said in the letter, “I studied the Zodiac changes this year according to the astrological calculations. I found out in the month of so and so on a Wednesday you will feel the test of iron and fire. I urged you to go to a Turkish bath with al-Ma’mun and Imam Ridha (a.s) and perform phlebotomies and stain your hands with blood which, will help remove this misfortune from you. Fadl ibn Sahl wrote about it to al-Ma’mun requesting him to request His Holiness Imam Ali ibn Musar-Redha (a.s) to also join them on the appointed day. Al-Ma’mun informed the Holy Imam of the contents of that letter and demanded the consent of His Holiness. In reply to the caliph’s letter Imam al-Ridha (a.s) wrote, “I will not go to the Turkish bath tomorrow. You and Fadl also must not go there tomorrow.” He sent that letter to the Imam (a.s.) twice. Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) wrote to him, “O Amir al-Mu’minin, “I will not go to the Turkish bath. I have seen in a dream the Holy Prophet (a.s) enjoining me not to go to that Turkish bath. You and Fadl also must not go to the Turkish bath.” Al-Ma’mun replied the letter saying, “You have spoken the truth and so has the Messenger of Allah. I will not go to the Turkish bath tomorrow and Fadl knows best.” The narrator has said that Yasir said, “When the night fell al-Rida (a.s.) told us to say, “We seek refuge in Allah against the misfortune in this night. We continued saying the expression. When al-Rida (a.s.) prayed the Morning Prayer he asked me to climb at the roof and to listen if there is anything. When I climbed I heard a great deal of commotion and crying and it was increasing. We saw al-Ma’mun enter from the door that opened to his quarter from the quarter of abu al-Hassan (a.s.) and he said, “My master, abu al-Hassan, may Allah grant you good reward for the death of Fadl. He refused to cancel his decision for the bath and he went to the Turkish bath. A group of people attacked him with swords and killed him. Three of the attackers were arrested and one of them was the son of his maternal uncle, the son of Dhul al-Qalamayn. He then said that the police and the guides and the people of Fadl present at the door of al-Ma’mun said, “He has murdered him.” They killed him. They meant al-Ma’mun thereby.” “We revenge him.” They set the door on fire.” Al-Ma’mun said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), “My master, please come out to them to calm them down and ask them to disperse.” The narrator has said that Yasir said, “Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) rode and asked me to ride also. When we were out of the door of the house he looked at the people who were crowded. He made hand gestures to asked them to disperse.” Yasir has said, “People began to fall one on the other and to whoever, that he would make a hand gesture he would run and pass by.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: حسن

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (6/87)

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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