Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book about people with Divine Authority · All the Imams (a.s.) rise for and with authority of Allah, the Most High and guide to Him Allah · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 128, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ زَيْدٍ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ أَبِي نُعَيْمٍ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَهُوَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ عَلَيَّ نَذْرٌ بَيْنَ الرُّكْنِ وَالْمَقَامِ إِنْ أَنَا لَقِيتُكَ أَنْ لا أَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ حَتَّى أَعْلَمَ أَنَّكَ قَائِمُ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَمْ لا فَلَمْ يُجِبْنِي بِشَيْ‏ءٍ فَأَقَمْتُ ثَلاثِينَ يَوْماً ثُمَّ اسْتَقْبَلَنِي فِي طَرِيقٍ فَقَالَ يَا حَكَمُ وَإِنَّكَ لَهَاهُنَا بَعْدُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ إِنِّي أَخْبَرْتُكَ بِمَا جَعَلْتُ لله عَلَيَّ فَلَمْ تَأْمُرْنِي وَلَمْ تَنْهَنِي عَنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَلَمْ تُجِبْنِي بِشَيْ‏ءٍ فَقَالَ بَكِّرْ عَلَيَّ غُدْوَةً الْمَنْزِلَ فَغَدَوْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) سَلْ عَنْ حَاجَتِكَ فَقُلْتُ إِنِّي جَعَلْتُ لله عَلَيَّ نَذْراً وَصِيَاماً وَصَدَقَةً بَيْنَ الرُّكْنِ وَالْمَقَامِ إِنْ أَنَا لَقِيتُكَ أَنْ لا أَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ حَتَّى أَعْلَمَ أَنَّكَ قَائِمُ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَمْ لا فَإِنْ كُنْتَ أَنْتَ رَابَطْتُكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ أَنْتَ سِرْتُ فِي الارْضِ فَطَلَبْتُ الْمَعَاشَ فَقَالَ يَا حَكَمُ كُلُّنَا قَائِمٌ بِأَمْرِ الله قُلْتُ فَأَنْتَ الْمَهْدِيُّ قَالَ كُلُّنَا نَهْدِي إِلَى الله قُلْتُ فَأَنْتَ صَاحِبُ السَّيْفِ قَالَ كُلُّنَا صَاحِبُ السَّيْفِ وَوَارِثُ السَّيْفِ قُلْتُ فَأَنْتَ الَّذِي تَقْتُلُ أَعْدَاءَ الله وَيَعِزُّ بِكَ أَوْلِيَاءُ الله وَيَظْهَرُ بِكَ دِينُ الله فَقَالَ يَا حَكَمُ كَيْفَ أَكُونُ أَنَا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ خَمْساً وَأَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً وَإِنَّ صَاحِبَ هَذَا الامْرِ أَقْرَبُ عَهْداً بِاللَّبَنِ مِنِّي وَأَخَفُّ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الدَّابَّةِ.

Published English translation

1. A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Zayd ibn abu al-Hassan from al-Hakam ibn abu Nu‘aym’ who has said the following. “I went to see abu Ja‘far (a.s.) when he was in the city of al-Madina and I said to him, “I decided to make a vow and a covenant, while I was between the corner of the Ka‘ba and the place where Abraham had prayed, that when I would meet you I would not leave al-Madina until I would know with certainty that you are Al-Qa’im (the one who will rise with Divine Authority). The Imam (a.s.) did not say anything. I then stayed in the city of al-Madina for thirty days. One day he came face to face on a road. He said, “O al-Hakam, are you still here?” I said, “Yes, I am still here. I had explained to you about my vow and commitment and you did not command me anything or prohibited from anything nor did you answer me with anything.” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “Early tomorrow come to my house.” Next morning I went to see him and he said to me, “Ask what you need.” I said, “I have a commitment of vow, of fasting and paying charity. I had decided to fulfill it, while I was between the corner of the Ka‘ba and the station of Abraham. Its object was that when I would meet you I would not leave until I would know with certainty that you are Al-Qa’im (the one who will rise with Divine Authority) or not. If you would be him I would then maintain relations with you, otherwise, I would go in the land to find how to make a living.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “O Hakam, we all are Al-Qa’im (the one who will rise with Divine Authority) for the commands of Allah.” I then said, “Are you al-Mahdi?” He said, “We all guide to Allah.” I said, “Are you the owner of the sword?” He said, “We all are owners of the sword the heir of the sword.” I said, “Are the one who would do away with enemies of Allah, through whom honor will come to the friends of Allah and with whom the religion of Allah would stand supreme?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “O Hakam how could I be him. I have already become forty five years old while the master of this task would be much younger than me and much light for saddle of the horse.”

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 (6/239)

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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