Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Birth of Abu Ja‘far, Muhammad ibn Ali, the Second (a.s.) · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 122, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ خَالِدٍ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَكَانَ زَيْدِيّاً قَالَ كُنْتُ بِالْعَسْكَرِ فَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ هُنَاكَ رَجُلٌ مَحْبُوسٌ أُتِيَ بِهِ مِنْ نَاحِيَةِ الشَّامِ مَكْبُولاً وَقَالُوا إِنَّهُ تَنَبَّأَ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ خَالِدٍ فَأَتَيْتُ الْبَابَ وَدَارَيْتُ الْبَوَّابِينَ وَالْحَجَبَةَ حَتَّى وَصَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَإِذَا رَجُلٌ لَهُ فَهْمٌ فَقُلْتُ يَا هَذَا مَا قِصَّتُكَ وَمَا أَمْرُكَ قَالَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ رَجُلاً بِالشَّامِ أَعْبُدُ الله فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي يُقَالُ لَهُ مَوْضِعُ رَأْسِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا فِي عِبَادَتِي إِذْ أَتَانِي شَخْصٌ فَقَالَ لِي قُمْ بِنَا فَقُمْتُ مَعَهُ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا أَنَا فِي مَسْجِدِ الْكُوفَةِ فَقَالَ لِي تَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْمَسْجِدَ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ هَذَا مَسْجِدُ الْكُوفَةِ قَالَ فَصَلَّى وَصَلَّيْتُ مَعَهُ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا أَنَا فِي مَسْجِدِ الرَّسُولِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَسَلَّمْتُ وَصَلَّى وَصَلَّيْتُ مَعَهُ وَصَلَّى عَلَى رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فَبَيْنَا أَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا أَنَا بِمَكَّةَ فَلَمْ أَزَلْ مَعَهُ حَتَّى قَضَى مَنَاسِكَهُ وَقَضَيْتُ مَنَاسِكِي مَعَهُ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا أَنَا فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي كُنْتُ أَعْبُدُ الله فِيهِ بِالشَّامِ وَمَضَى الرَّجُلُ فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْعَامُ الْقَابِلُ إِذَا أَنَا بِهِ فَعَلَ مِثْلَ فِعْلَتِهِ الاولَى فَلَمَّا فَرَغْنَا مِنْ مَنَاسِكِنَا وَرَدَّنِي إِلَى الشَّامِ وَهَمَّ بِمُفَارَقَتِي قُلْتُ لَهُ سَأَلْتُكَ بِالْحَقِّ الَّذِي أَقْدَرَكَ عَلَى مَا رَأَيْتُ إِلا أَخْبَرْتَنِي مَنْ أَنْتَ فَقَالَ أَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى قَالَ فَتَرَاقَى الْخَبَرُ حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ الزَّيَّاتِ فَبَعَثَ إِلَيَّ وَأَخَذَنِي وَكَبَّلَنِي فِي الْحَدِيدِ وَحَمَلَنِي إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَارْفَعِ الْقِصَّةَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ فَفَعَلَ وَذَكَرَ فِي قِصَّتِهِ مَا كَانَ فَوَقَّعَ فِي قِصَّتِهِ قُلْ لِلَّذِي أَخْرَجَكَ مِنَ الشَّامِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ وَمِنَ الْكُوفَةِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَمِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَرَدَّكَ مِنْ مَكَّةَ إِلَى الشَّامِ أَنْ يُخْرِجَكَ مِنْ حَبْسِكَ هَذَا قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ خَالِدٍ فَغَمَّنِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ وَرَقَقْتُ لَهُ وَأَمَرْتُهُ بِالْعَزَاءِ وَالصَّبْرِ قَالَ ثُمَّ بَكَّرْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَإِذَا الْجُنْدُ وَصَاحِبُ الْحَرَسِ وَصَاحِبُ السِّجْنِ وَخَلْقُ الله فَقُلْتُ مَا هَذَا فَقَالُوا الْمَحْمُولُ مِنَ الشَّامِ الَّذِي تَنَبَّأَ افْتُقِدَ الْبَارِحَةَ فَلا يُدْرَى أَ خَسَفَتْ بِهِ الارْضُ أَوِ اخْتَطَفَهُ الطَّيْرُ.

Published English translation

1. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn Hassa’n from ali ibn Khalid who has said the following. “Muhammad who belonged to Zaydi sect said to me this. “I was in the army camp and I was told that there was a prisoner brought from the area of al-Sham (Syria) tied up and that he has proclaimed himself a prophet.” Ali ibn Khalid has said, “I went to him and found my way through the guards until I reached him. I found him to be a man of understanding. I asked him, “O you, what is your story and your case?” He said, “I am a man from al-Sham, worshipping Allah at a place called the ‘place of the head of al-Husayn’. During my worshipping a man came to me and said, “Come with me.” I went with him and I found myself in theMosque of al-Kufa. He asked me, “Do you recognize this Mosque?” I replied, “Yes, I recognize it.” He said, “He prayed and I prayed with him. Then I found us in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah in Madina. He offered greeting of peace to the Messenger of Allah and I did the same. He prayed and I prayed with him. He offered the special prayer for the Messenger of Allah. I was with him and found us in Makka. I continued to find myself with him until we finished all the acts to be perform there. Then I found myself with him at the place that I would worship in al-Sham. The man left. The next year I was with him again and we did as in the year before. When we finished all of the forms of worship and returned me back to my place of worship in al-Sham and was about to leave I asked him this. “I swear you the one who has given all these capabilities, tell me who are you?” He said, “I am Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Musa (a.s.).” The news spread and it reached Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Malik al-Zayyat. He sent his people who arrested me and tied me up in chains and transferred me to Iraq.” The narrator has said, “I asked him to send a petition to Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Malik. He did so explaining the whole story but the answer to his petition bearing the signature of Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Malik said, “He should ask the one who took him from al-Sham to al-Kufa, then to al-Madina then to al-Makka then back to al-Sham to release him from prison also.” I felt very sad for him with a great deal of sympathy. I tried to cheer him up and asked him to exercise patience. Next early morning when went to see him I found people from the army, the chief of the security men and the prison guard and the crowd of people around and in the area. I asked, “What is thematter?” They said, “The prisoner from al-Sham who had proclaimed himself as a prophet has disappeared and no one knows if the earth has swallowed him or the birds have snatched him away.”

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 (6/96)

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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