Al-Kafi · Hadith 4

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Birth of abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad (a.s.) · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 123, Hadith 4

Original Arabic text

4ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الطَّاهِرِيِّ قَالَ مَرِضَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ مِنْ خُرَاجٍ خَرَجَ بِهِ وَأَشْرَفَ مِنْهُ عَلَى الْهَلاكِ فَلَمْ يَجْسُرْ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَمَسَّهُ بِحَدِيدَةٍ فَنَذَرَتْ أُمُّهُ إِنْ عُوفِيَ أَنْ تَحْمِلَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ مَالاً جَلِيلاً مِنْ مَالِهَا وَقَالَ لَهُ الْفَتْحُ بْنُ خَاقَانَ لَوْ بَعَثْتَ إِلَى هَذَا الرَّجُلِ فَسَأَلْتَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لا يَخْلُو أَنْ يَكُونَ عِنْدَهُ صِفَةٌ يُفَرِّجُ بِهَا عَنْكَ فَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ وَوَصَفَ لَهُ عِلَّتَهُ فَرَدَّ إِلَيْهِ الرَّسُولُ بِأَنْ يُؤْخَذَ كُسْبُ الشَّاةِ فَيُدَافَ بِمَاءِ وَرْدٍ فَيُوضَعَ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ الرَّسُولُ وَأَخْبَرَهُمْ أَقْبَلُوا يَهْزَءُونَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْفَتْحُ هُوَ وَالله أَعْلَمُ بِمَا قَالَ وَأَحْضَرَ الْكُسْبَ وَعَمِلَ كَمَا قَالَ وَوَضَعَ عَلَيْهِ فَغَلَبَهُ النَّوْمُ وَسَكَنَ ثُمَّ انْفَتَحَ وَخَرَجَ مِنْهُ مَا كَانَ فِيهِ وَبُشِّرَتْ أُمُّهُ بِعَافِيَتِهِ فَحَمَلَتْ إِلَيْهِ عَشَرَةَ آلافِ دِينَارٍ تَحْتَ خَاتَمِهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَقَلَّ مِنْ عِلَّتِهِ فَسَعَى إِلَيْهِ الْبَطْحَائِيُّ الْعَلَوِيُّ بِأَنَّ أَمْوَالاً تُحْمَلُ إِلَيْهِ وَسِلاحاً فَقَالَ لِسَعِيدٍ الْحَاجِبِ اهْجُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِاللَّيْلِ وَخُذْ مَا تَجِدُ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الامْوَالِ وَالسِّلاحِ وَاحْمِلْهُ إِلَيَّ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ فَقَالَ لِي سَعِيدٌ الْحَاجِبُ صِرْتُ إِلَى دَارِهِ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَعِي سُلَّمٌ فَصَعِدْتُ السَّطْحَ فَلَمَّا نَزَلْتُ عَلَى بَعْضِ الدَّرَجِ فِي الظُّلْمَةِ لَمْ أَدْرِ كَيْفَ أَصِلُ إِلَى الدَّارِ فَنَادَانِي يَا سَعِيدُ مَكَانَكَ حَتَّى يَأْتُوكَ بِشَمْعَةٍ فَلَمْ أَلْبَثْ أَنْ أَتَوْنِي بِشَمْعَةٍ فَنَزَلْتُ فَوَجَدْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ جُبَّةُ صُوفٍ وَقَلَنْسُوَةٌ مِنْهَا وَسَجَّادَةٌ عَلَى حَصِيرٍ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَلَمْ أَشُكَّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي فَقَالَ لِي دُونَكَ الْبُيُوتَ فَدَخَلْتُهَا وَفَتَّشْتُهَا فَلَمْ أَجِدْ فِيهَا شَيْئاً وَوَجَدْتُ الْبَدْرَةَ فِي بَيْتِهِ مَخْتُومَةً بِخَاتَمِ أُمِّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ وَكِيساً مَخْتُوماً وَقَالَ لِي دُونَكَ الْمُصَلَّى فَرَفَعْتُهُ فَوَجَدْتُ سَيْفاً فِي جَفْنٍ غَيْرِ مُلَبَّسٍ فَأَخَذْتُ ذَلِكَ وَصِرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ إِلَى خَاتَمِ أُمِّهِ عَلَى الْبَدْرَةِ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهَا فَخَرَجَتْ إِلَيْهِ فَأَخْبَرَنِي بَعْضُ خَدَمِ الْخَاصَّةِ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ لَهُ كُنْتُ قَدْ نَذَرْتُ فِي عِلَّتِكَ لَمَّا أَيِسْتُ مِنْكَ إِنْ عُوفِيتَ حَمَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مَالِي عَشَرَةَ آلافِ دِينَارٍ فَحَمَلْتُهَا إِلَيْهِ وَهَذَا خَاتَمِي عَلَى الْكِيسِ وَفَتَحَ الْكِيسَ الاخَرَ فَإِذَا فِيهِ أَرْبَعُمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ فَضَمَّ إِلَى الْبَدْرَةِ بَدْرَةً أُخْرَى وَأَمَرَنِي بِحَمْلِ ذَلِكَ إِلَيْهِ فَحَمَلْتُهُ وَرَدَدْتُ السَّيْفَ وَالْكِيسَيْنِ وَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَا سَيِّدِي عَزَّ عَلَيَّ فَقَالَ لِي سَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ.

Published English translation

4. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Tahiri who has said the following. “ Al-Mutawakkil became ill because of a boil so seriously that he was about to die and no one would have the courage to touch to operate him. His mother vowed to sent a large sum of money to abu al-Hassan (a.s.) from her own property if her son would recover. Fath ibn Khaqan had advised him to ask him (the Imam (a.s.) about it. He might know something that would help relieve you. He sent the message to him and explained his illness. The messenger returned with a message that said, “Warm up oil from sheep mixed with water and place it on the boil.” When the messenger explained it to them they laughed at his words. However, al-Fath said, “He, by Allah, knows best about what he has said.” They brought the oil and prepared it as explained and placed it on the boil. The patience soon after was fast asleep and his acting pain had calmed down. Afterwards it opened up and the substance in it was discharged and his mother was given the glad news of his recovery. She sent ten thousand Dinars to him (abu al-Hassan (a.s.) marked with her own seal. He had fully recovered from his illness, al-Batha’i al-‘Alawi acting as a spy said to him, “Large sums of money and weapons are delivered to him (abu al-Hassan (a.s.).” He (Al-Mutawakkil) ordered Sa‘id the police chief to search his house during the night and confiscate whatever money and weapons you would find therein and bring hem to him (Al-Mutawakkil).” Ibrahim ibn Muhammad has said, “Sa‘id, the chief of police told me that when I went to his house during the night and I had a ladder to climb over the wall and when I climbed on the roof and then climbed down few steps in the dark I did not know how to reach the house. He (abu al-Hassan (a.s.) called me, “O Sa‘id, hold on until they bring you candles. In a little while they brought me a candle and I climbed down and found him with woolen gown on him and woolen cap and before him there was prayer rug with a mat on it. I then had no doubt that he was praying. He said to me, “There are the rooms.” I then searched them and did not find anything there but I found the bag of money in his house that was sealed with the seal of the mother of Al-Mutawakkil on it and another sealed bag of money. He said to me, “There is the prayer rug.” I lifted it up and there was a sword underneath in a sheath. I took them to Al-Mutawakkil. When saw the seal of his mother on it he called her for inquiry and she came to him. Private servants informed me that she said to him, “When you were very ill, I had vowed out of frustration that if you would recover I will pay him ten thousand Dinars from my own properties. I paid him and this is my own seal. He opened the other bag and there was a four hundred Dinars in it. He added an other bag of money to it and asked me to deliver them to him (abu al-Hassan (a.s.) I returned the sword and the bags of money to him saying, “My master, (I wish you knew) how much this assignment has depressed me.” He said, “The unjust ones will find out very soon to what kind of destination they will end up.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مجهول

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (6/118)

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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