Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book on Oneness of Allah (God) · Chapter On Prohibition on Considering Allah as having Body (JISM) and Form (SURAH) · Volume 1, book 3, chapter 11, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) سَمِعْتُ هِشَامَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ يَرْوِي عَنْكُمْ أَنَّ الله جِسْمٌ صَمَدِيٌّ نُورِيٌّ مَعْرِفَتُهُ ضَرُورَةٌ يَمُنُّ بِهَا عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ فَقَالَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) سُبْحَانَ مَنْ لا يَعْلَمُ أَحَدٌ كَيْفَ هُوَ إِلا هُوَ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ لا يُحَدُّ وَلا يُحَسُّ وَلا يُجَسُّ وَلا تُدْرِكُهُ الابْصَارُ وَلا الْحَوَاسُّ وَلا يُحِيطُ بِهِ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَلا جِسْمٌ وَلا صُورَةٌ وَلا تَخْطِيطٌ وَلا تَحْدِيدٌ.

Published English translation

1. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from Ali ibn abu Hamzah, who has said the following. “I stated before abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) that I have heard Hisham ibn al-Hakam quoting you that Allah is a body of Self-subsisting nature and is from light. He can very clearly be recognized and He bestows such knowledge to whoever among His creatures He wills.” The Imam said, “Glorious is He, Whom no one knows how He is except He Himself. There is no one similar to Him and He is All-hearing, All-seeing. He cannot be limited, nor can He be felt or touched or moved. Eyes cannot see Him nor any of the senses can comprehend Him. He cannot be contained in anything, nor has He any body or form or figure or confine.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: موثق

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/2)

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.

Source, rights, and attribution

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edition: Al-Kafi, volume 1, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
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source File Hash: 30bc491c96eb3860f3d3dfe97f46353a88858d7cb9e06d662ebdd04252ac5a3e
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