Al-Kafi · Hadith 27

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Birth of abu Muhammad al-Hassan ibn Ali (a.s.) · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 124, Hadith 27

Original Arabic text

27ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ لانْظُرَ إِلَى خَطِّهِ فَأَعْرِفَهُ إِذَا وَرَدَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا أَحْمَدُ إِنَّ الْخَطَّ سَيَخْتَلِفُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ بَيْنِ الْقَلَمِ الْغَلِيظِ إِلَى الْقَلَمِ الدَّقِيقِ فَلا تَشُكَّنَّ ثُمَّ دَعَا بِالدَّوَاةِ فَكَتَبَ وَجَعَلَ يَسْتَمِدُّ إِلَى مَجْرَى الدَّوَاةِ فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي وَهُوَ يَكْتُبُ أَسْتَوْهِبُهُ الْقَلَمَ الَّذِي كَتَبَ بِهِ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنَ الْكِتَابَةِ أَقْبَلَ يُحَدِّثُنِي وَهُوَ يَمْسَحُ الْقَلَمَ بِمِنْدِيلِ الدَّوَاةِ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ هَاكَ يَا أَحْمَدُ فَنَاوَلَنِيهِ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي مُغْتَمٌّ لِشَيْ‏ءٍ يُصِيبُنِي فِي نَفْسِي وَقَدْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَ أَبَاكَ فَلَمْ يُقْضَ لِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ وَمَا هُوَ يَا أَحْمَدُ فَقُلْتُ يَا سَيِّدِي رُوِيَ لَنَا عَنْ آبَائِكَ أَنَّ نَوْمَ الانْبِيَاءِ عَلَى أَقْفِيَتِهِمْ وَنَوْمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَنَوْمَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ عَلَى شَمَائِلِهِمْ وَنَوْمَ الشَّيَاطِينِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ فَقَالَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) كَذَلِكَ هُوَ فَقُلْتُ يَا سَيِّدِي فَإِنِّي أَجْهَدُ أَنْ أَنَامَ عَلَى يَمِينِي فَمَا يُمْكِنُنِي وَلا يَأْخُذُنِي النَّوْمُ عَلَيْهَا فَسَكَتَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا أَحْمَدُ ادْنُ مِنِّي فَدَنَوْتُ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ أَدْخِلْ يَدَكَ تَحْتَ ثِيَابِكَ فَأَدْخَلْتُهَا فَأَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ مِنْ تَحْتِ ثِيَابِهِ وَأَدْخَلَهَا تَحْتَ ثِيَابِي فَمَسَحَ بِيَدِهِ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى جَانِبِي الايْسَرِ وَبِيَدِهِ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى جَانِبِي الايْمَنِ ثَلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ فَمَا أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أَنَامَ عَلَى يَسَارِي مُنْذُ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ بِي (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَمَا يَأْخُذُنِي نَوْمٌ عَلَيْهَا أَصْلاً.

Published English translation

27. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Ishaq who has said the following. “Once I went to see abu Muhammad (a.s.) and asked him to write for me few lines so that whenever I would see his hand writing I would recognize it. The Imam (a.s.) said, “Yes, and then said, “O Ahmad the writing with a fine pen and with thick pen will look different to you. Do not have doubts He then asked for a pen and ink pot and began writing. He would make the pen to have ink from the bottom of the ink pot. I thought to myself when he was writing, “I will request him to gift me the pen with which he is writing.” When he finished writing he turned to me and began speaking while he was wiping the pen with the handkerchief of the ink pot for a while and then said, “Here, O Ahmad it is for you.” He gave it to me. I then said, may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, I am sad about something that is in my soul. I wanted to ask your father about it but I did not have the chance. He asked, “What is it, O Ahmad?” I said, “My master, it is narrated to us from your holy ancestors that the prophet sleep on their backs, the true believers sleep on their right side, the hypocrites sleep on their left side and Satans sleep on their belly.” He (a.s.) said, “That is how it is.” I then said, “My master I struggle to sleep on my right side abut I can not do so and I do not go to sleep on my right side.” He remained quite for a while and then said, “O Ahmad, come close to me.” I went close to him and he said, “put your hand hand under your clothes.” I did so. He then took his hand from under his clothes and place under my clothes. He wiped with his right hand my left side and with his left hand my right side three times. Ahmad has said that ever since I have not been able to sleep on my left side and can not go to sleep on my left side.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: صحيح

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (6/169)

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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