Al-Kafi · Hadith 4

The Book on Oneness of Allah (God) · Allah’s Authorities and Means of Justification of Accountability in People · Volume 1, book 3, chapter 34, Hadith 4

Original Arabic text

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبَانٍ الاحْمَرِ عَنْ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ الطَّيَّارِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ لِي اكْتُبْ فَأَمْلَى عَلَيَّ إِنَّ مِنْ قَوْلِنَا إِنَّ الله يَحْتَجُّ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ بِمَا آتَاهُمْ وَعَرَّفَهُمْ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولاً وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْكِتَابَ فَأَمَرَ فِيهِ وَنَهَى أَمَرَ فِيهِ بِالصَّلاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ فَنَامَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) عَنِ الصَّلاةِ فَقَالَ أَنَا أُنِيمُكَ وَأَنَا أُوقِظُكَ فَإِذَا قُمْتَ فَصَلِّ لِيَعْلَمُوا إِذَا أَصَابَهُمْ ذَلِكَ كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُونَ لَيْسَ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذَا نَامَ عَنْهَا هَلَكَ وَكَذَلِكَ الصِّيَامُ أَنَا أُمْرِضُكَ وَأَنَا أُصِحُّكَ فَإِذَا شَفَيْتُكَ فَاقْضِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا نَظَرْتَ فِي جَمِيعِ الاشْيَاءِ لَمْ تَجِدْ أَحَداً فِي ضِيقٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدْ أَحَداً إِلا وَلله عَلَيْهِ الْحُجَّةُ وَلله فِيهِ الْمَشِيئَةُ وَلا أَقُولُ إِنَّهُمْ مَا شَاءُوا صَنَعُوا ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ الله يَهْدِي وَيُضِلُّ وَقَالَ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلا بِدُونِ سَعَتِهِمْ وَكُلُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ أُمِرَ النَّاسُ بِهِ فَهُمْ يَسَعُونَ لَهُ وَكُلُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ لا يَسَعُونَ لَهُ فَهُوَ مَوْضُوعٌ عَنْهُمْ وَلَكِنَّ النَّاسَ لا خَيْرَ فِيهِمْ ثُمَّ تَلا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لَيْسَ عَلَى الضُّعَفاءِ وَلا عَلَى الْمَرْضى‏ وَلا عَلَى الَّذِينَ لا يَجِدُونَ ما يُنْفِقُونَ حَرَجٌ فَوُضِعَ عَنْهُمْ ما عَلَى الْمُحْسِنِينَ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ وَالله غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ وَلا عَلَى الَّذِينَ إِذا ما أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قَالَ فَوُضِعَ عَنْهُمْ لانَّهُمْ لا يَجِدُونَ.

Published English translation

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban al-Ahmar from Hamza ibn al-Tayyar who said the following: “Once Imam abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to me, ‘Write down.’ He dictated to me the following. ‘It is of our Hadith that Allah will, justifiably, hold people accountable for what He has given and made known to them. Allah then sent His messenger to them and sent down books upon them in which He has commanded and prohibited them. He has commanded them to perform prayers and fast. The messenger of Allah (a.s.), remained sleeping until the time for prayer expired and Allah said, ‘I make you sleep and wake you up. When you wake up then perform the prayer so that they can learn if such thing happened to them what they should do.’ “It is not the way that they say, ‘If one remains asleep (at the time of prayer) one is destroyed.’ In the same way is fasting. ‘I (Allah) cause you to become ill and when I give you good health then you will make up for the fast that you missed during your illness.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘So also is, if you look at all things you will find that Allah has caused no constrictions to anyone. You will not find anyone against whom Allah may not have enough justification to hold him accountable with His wish therein. I do not say that they can do whatever they wish. “The Imam then said, ‘Allah guides and misleads.’ He further said, ‘People are not ordered to do what they are not capable of. For everything that people are ordered to do they have the capability for it and anything of which they are not capable is removed and lifted up from them but there is not much good in people.’ He (the Imam) then recited from the Holy Quran: ‘People who are weak or sick and those who do not have the means to take part in the fighting are exempt from this duty . . .’ (conditions of people exempt are mentioned) ‘Righteous people shall not be blamed. Allah is All-forgiving and All-merciful.’ (9:91) So also relieved of the duty are ‘Those who come to you (Muhammad), asking to be taken to the battle . . .’ (9:92) they do not have the means.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: حسن موثق

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (2/236)

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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