Al-Kafi · Hadith 29

The Book of Intelligence and Ignorance · The Book of Intelligence and Ignorance · Volume 1, book 1, chapter 0, Hadith 29

Original Arabic text

29ـ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا رَفَعَهُ عَنْ مُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ يَا مُفَضَّلُ لا يُفْلِحُ مَنْ لا يَعْقِلُ وَلا يَعْقِلُ مَنْ لا يَعْلَمُ وَسَوْفَ يَنْجُبُ مَنْ يَفْهَمُ وَيَظْفَرُ مَنْ يَحْلُمُ وَالْعِلْمُ جُنَّةٌ وَالصِّدْقُ عِزٌّ وَالْجَهْلُ ذُلٌّ وَالْفَهْمُ مَجْدٌ وَالْجُودُ نُجْحٌ وَحُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ مَجْلَبَةٌ لِلْمَوَدَّةِ وَالْعَالِمُ بِزَمَانِهِ لا تَهْجُمُ عَلَيْهِ اللَّوَابِسُ وَالْحَزْمُ مَسَاءَةُ الظَّنِّ وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ نِعْمَةُ الْعَالِمِ وَالْجَاهِلُ شَقِيٌّ بَيْنَهُمَا وَالله وَلِيُّ مَنْ عَرَفَهُ وَعَدُوُّ مَنْ تَكَلَّفَهُ وَالْعَاقِلُ غَفُورٌ وَالْجَاهِلُ خَتُورٌ وَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تُكْرَمَ فَلِنْ وَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تُهَانَ فَاخْشُنْ وَمَنْ كَرُمَ أَصْلُهُ لانَ قَلْبُهُ وَمَنْ خَشُنَ عُنْصُرُهُ غَلُظَ كَبِدُهُ وَمَنْ فَرَّطَ تَوَرَّطَ وَمَنْ خَافَ الْعَاقِبَةَ تَثَبَّتَ عَنِ التَّوَغُّلِ فِيمَا لا يَعْلَمُ وَمَنْ هَجَمَ عَلَى أَمْرٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ جَدَعَ أَنْفَ نَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ لَمْ يَفْهَمْ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَفْهَمْ لَمْ يَسْلَمْ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْلَمْ لَمْ يُكْرَمْ وَمَنْ لَمْ يُكْرَمْ يُهْضَمْ وَمَنْ يُهْضَمْ كَانَ أَلْوَمَ وَمَنْ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ كَانَ أَحْرَى أَنْ يَنْدَمَ.

Published English translation

29. Certain persons of our people has narrated in a marfu’ manner from Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s) who has said the following. “ O Mufaddal one can never gain success until he understands and one can never understand until he acquires knowledge. One who understands can very soon excel. One who exercises patience can very soon triumph. Knowledge serves one as a shield, truth is honor, ignorance is humility, sharp wittedness is glory, generosity is success and ethical excellence attracts friendship. One who possesses the know how of his time confusion does not frustrate him. Strong determination creates pessimism…. Allah is the guardian of those who know Him. He is the enemy of those who pretend to know Him. A person of intelligence is forgiving and an ignorant person is treacherous. If you like to be honored you must become kind hearted and if you like to be insulted become harsh. One whose origin is noble he is kind hearted. One whose element is rough his liver is thick. The extremist falls into crisis. One who is afraid of the consequences desists from involvement in what he has no knowledge of. One who engages in an affair without knowing anything about it he is headed to his own loss. One who does not know he does not understand and one who does not understand he does not agree and become peaceful. One who does not agree and submit he is not respected and one who is not respected is broke and one who is so broke is blamable and one who is in such a condition must become regretful for his own self.

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف على المشهور

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/85)

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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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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