Al-Kafi · Hadith 12

The Book on Oneness of Allah (God) · Chapter On The Invalidity of the Belief to see God (Ru’yah of Allah) · Volume 1, book 3, chapter 9, Hadith 12

Original Arabic text

12ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ قَالَ الاشْيَاءُ كُلُّهَا لا تُدْرَكُ إِلا بِأَمْرَيْنِ بِالْحَوَاسِّ وَالْقَلْبِ وَالْحَوَاسُّ إِدْرَاكُهَا عَلَى ثَلاثَةِ مَعَانٍ إِدْرَاكاً بِالْمُدَاخَلَةِ وَإِدْرَاكاً بِالْمُمَاسَّةِ وَإِدْرَاكاً بِلا مُدَاخَلَةٍ وَلا؛ّّ مُمَاسَّةٍ فَأَمَّا الادْرَاكُ الَّذِي بِالْمُدَاخَلَةِ فَالاصْوَاتُ وَالْمَشَامُّ وَالطُّعُومُ وَأَمَّا الادْرَاكُ بِالْمُمَاسَّةِ فَمَعْرِفَةُ الاشْكَالِ مِنَ التَّرْبِيعِ وَالتَّثْلِيثِ وَمَعْرِفَةُ اللَّيِّنِ وَالْخَشِنِ وَالْحَرِّ وَالْبَرْدِ وَأَمَّا الادْرَاكُ بِلا مُمَاسَّةٍ وَلا مُدَاخَلَةٍ فَالْبَصَرُ فَإِنَّهُ يُدْرِكُ الاشْيَاءَ بِلا مُمَاسَّةٍ وَلا مُدَاخَلَةٍ فِي حَيِّزِ غَيْرِهِ وَلا فِي حَيِّزِهِ وَإِدْرَاكُ الْبَصَرِ لَهُ سَبِيلٌ وَسَبَبٌ فَسَبِيلُهُ الْهَوَاءُ وَسَبَبُهُ الضِّيَاءُ فَإِذَا كَانَ السَّبِيلُ مُتَّصِلاً بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْئِيِّ وَالسَّبَبُ قَائِمٌ أَدْرَكَ مَا يُلاقِي مِنَ الالْوَانِ وَالاشْخَاصِ فَإِذَا حُمِلَ الْبَصَرُ عَلَى مَا لا سَبِيلَ لَهُ فِيهِ رَجَعَ رَاجِعاً فَحَكَى مَا وَرَاءَهُ كَالنَّاظِرِ فِي الْمِرْآةِ لا يَنْفُذُ بَصَرُهُ فِي الْمِرْآةِ فَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ سَبِيلٌ رَجَعَ رَاجِعاً يَحْكِي مَا وَرَاءَهُ وَكَذَلِكَ النَّاظِرُ فِي الْمَاءِ الصَّافِي يَرْجِعُ رَاجِعاً فَيَحْكِي مَا وَرَاءَهُ إِذْ لا سَبِيلَ لَهُ فِي إِنْفَاذِ بَصَرِهِ فَأَمَّا الْقَلْبُ فَإِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الْهَوَاءِ فَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ جَمِيعَ مَا فِي الْهَوَاءِ وَيَتَوَهَّمُهُ فَإِذَا حُمِلَ الْقَلْبُ عَلَى مَا لَيْسَ فِي الْهَوَاءِ مَوْجُوداً رَجَعَ رَاجِعاً فَحَكَى مَا فِي الْهَوَاءِ فَلا يَنْبَغِي لِلْعَاقِلِ أَنْ يَحْمِلَ قَلْبَهُ عَلَى مَا لَيْسَ مَوْجُوداً فِي الْهَوَاءِ مِنْ أَمْرِ التَّوْحِيدِ جَلَّ الله وَعَزَّ فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَتَوَهَّمْ إِلا مَا فِي الْهَوَاءِ مَوْجُودٌ كَمَا قُلْنَا فِي أَمْرِ الْبَصَرِ تَعَالَى الله أَنْ يُشْبِهَهُ خَلْقُهُ.

Published English translation

12. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from some of his people from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has said the following. “Things can be perceived by two means: (1) By the senses and (2) by the heart, intellect. Perceptions of the senses are of three kinds: (1) Perception in the form of penetration, (2) Perception in the form of touching, and (3) Perception without penetration or touCh Perception by means of sounds, smells and tastes are formed through penetration. Perception through touching comes from the knowledge of shapes, such as rectangular or triangular etc., and also softness, hardness, heat and cold. Perception without touch or penetration is that of sight which is capable of perceiving things without touching or penetration, directly or indirectly. Perception through sight needs a path and medium. Its path is air and its medium is the light. If the path is continuous between the viewer and the object and the medium then seeing takes place such as colors and persons. If light falls on something without a path, it will return reflecting what is behind (the observed), like an observer looking into a mirror. Light does not penetrate into the mirror, because it finds no path. So it returns reflecting what lies behind the observed. It is similar to looking into the clear water returns light that reflects what is at the rear. This happens because there is no path for the penetration of light. Intellect dominates the air. It perceives all that is in the air and forms his Wahm (intuitive form of perception). If the heart will not find any thing in the air it comes back and reflects what is in the air. A person of reason should not force his heart against what is not in the air of the issue of the Oneness of Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, otherwise, it will form his Wahm of what is there in the air as mentioned about the eye-witnessing. Allah, the Most High is far and above similarities with the creatures.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرسل موقو ف

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/141)

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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