Al-Kafi · Hadith 6

The Book about people with Divine Authority · Knowing the Imam (a.s.) and Belief in His Divine Authority · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 7, Hadith 6

Original Arabic text

6ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ لا تَكُونُونَ صَالِحِينَ حَتَّى تَعْرِفُوا وَلا تَعْرِفُوا حَتَّى تُصَدِّقُوا وَلا تُصَدِّقُوا حَتَّى تُسَلِّمُوا أَبْوَاباً أَرْبَعَةً لا يَصْلُحُ أَوَّلُهَا إِلا بِ‏آخِرِهَا ضَلَّ أَصْحَابُ الثَّلاثَةِ وَتَاهُوا تَيْهاً بَعِيداً إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لا يَقْبَلُ إِلا الْعَمَلَ الصَّالِحَ وَلا يَقْبَلُ الله إِلا الْوَفَاءَ بِالشُّرُوطِ وَالْعُهُودِ فَمَنْ وَفَى لله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِشَرْطِهِ وَاسْتَعْمَلَ مَا وَصَفَ فِي عَهْدِهِ نَالَ مَا عِنْدَهُ وَاسْتَكْمَلَ مَا وَعَدَهُ إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَخْبَرَ الْعِبَادَ بِطُرُقِ الْهُدَى وَشَرَعَ لَهُمْ فِيهَا الْمَنَارَ وَأَخْبَرَهُمْ كَيْفَ يَسْلُكُونَ فَقَالَ وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِمَنْ تابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صالِحاً ثُمَّ اهْتَدى‏ وَقَالَ إِنَّما يَتَقَبَّلُ الله مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الله فِيمَا أَمَرَهُ لَقِيَ الله مُؤْمِناً بِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ مُحَمَّدٌ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ فَاتَ قَوْمٌ وَمَاتُوا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَهْتَدُوا وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَأَشْرَكُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّهُ مَنْ أَتَى الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ أَخَذَ فِي غَيْرِهَا سَلَكَ طَرِيقَ الرَّدَى وَصَلَ الله طَاعَةَ وَلِيِّ أَمْرِهِ بِطَاعَةِ رَسُولِهِ وَطَاعَةَ رَسُولِهِ بِطَاعَتِهِ فَمَنْ تَرَكَ طَاعَةَ وُلاةِ الامْرِ لَمْ يُطِعِ الله وَلا رَسُولَهُ وَهُوَ الاقْرَارُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ عِنْدِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَالْتَمِسُوا الْبُيُوتَ الَّتِي أَذِنَ الله أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ فَإِنَّهُ أَخْبَرَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ رِجَالٌ لا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ الله وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ يَخَافُونَ يَوْماً تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَالابْصَارُ إِنَّ الله قَدِ اسْتَخْلَصَ الرُّسُلَ لامْرِهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَخْلَصَهُمْ مُصَدِّقِينَ بِذَلِكَ فِي نُذُرِهِ فَقَالَ وَإِنْ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلا خَلا فِيها نَذِيرٌ تَاهَ مَنْ جَهِلَ وَاهْتَدَى مَنْ أَبْصَرَ وَعَقَلَ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ فَإِنَّها لا تَعْمَى الابْصارُ وَلكِنْ تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ وَكَيْفَ يَهْتَدِي مَنْ لَمْ يُبْصِرْ وَكَيْفَ يُبْصِرُ مَنْ لَمْ يَتَدَبَّرْ اتَّبِعُوا رَسُولَ الله وَأَهْلَ بَيْتِهِ وَأَقِرُّوا بِمَا نَزَلَ مِنْ عِنْدِ الله وَاتَّبِعُوا آثَارَ الْهُدَى فَإِنَّهُمْ عَلامَاتُ الامَانَةِ وَالتُّقَى وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَنْكَرَ رَجُلٌ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَأَقَرَّ بِمَنْ سِوَاهُ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ اقْتَصُّوا الطَّرِيقَ بِالْتِمَاسِ الْمَنَارِ وَالْتَمِسُوا مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحُجُبِ الاثَارَ تَسْتَكْمِلُوا أَمْرَ دِينِكُمْ وَتُؤْمِنُوا بِالله رَبِّكُمْ.

Published English translation

6. A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from those whom he mentioned from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu Layla from his father from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who said: “You will not be of the people of good deeds until you will know. You will not know until you acknowledge. You will not acknowledge until you safeguard the four doors and the first of these doors will not do any good without the last. The people of the three strayed far away from the (right) path. Allah, the Most Holy and Most High, accepts only the righteous deeds. Allah does not accept with one’s fulfilling the conditions of the covenant. Those who remain faithful to Allah, the Most Holy and Most High, about His condition and follow what is prescribed in the covenant, he will receive blessings from Him and He will keep His promise. Allah, the Most Holy and Most High, has informed the people of the path of guidance and has sanctioned for them the laws of Shari‘a as beacons. He has informed them how to follow the laws. He has said, “I am All-forgiving to the righteously striving believers who repent and follow the right guidance.” (20:82) and He said, “Allah only accepts the offerings of the pious ones.” (5:27) Those who are pious before Allah about His commandments, they meet Allah as believers in whatever Muhammad (sw) has brought. It is unfortunate that people died before finding guidance. They thought that they were believers but they became polytheist without realizing it. Those who enter houses through their doors, they are rightly guided. Those who go other ways they are on the path to destruction. Allah has connected the obedience to the people of His Divine authority with the obedience to His Messenger, and the obedience to His messenger with obedience to His Own-self. <br>Those who would disregard obedience to the people of Divine authority, they have not obeyed Allah and His Messenger. This obedience is the acknowledgment of what Allah, the Most Holy and Most High, has sent. (That you) be well dressed with means of beauty near every mosque; that you should enter the doors of the houses that Allah has given permission to be uplifted wherein His name be mentioned. Allah has certainly informed you that there are certain men whose attentions and mind do not deviate from speaking about Allah, establishing prayer and paying charity because of business and trade attractions. They only fear the Day in which the hearts and eyes turn upside down. Allah has appointed the messengers for His command. He then chose them to acknowledge that in His Warning and said, “No nation who lived before was left without a Warner . .” (35:25) Astray are those who are ignorant, and guided are those who think and understand. Allah, the Most Holy and Most High, has said, “It is their hearts in the center which are blind, not their sights.” (22:46) How can one find guidance without seeing, and how can one see without thinking? Follow the Messenger of Allah and his Ahlul Bayt (family) and acknowledge what Allah has sent and follow the traces of guidance, for they (Ahlul Bayt) are the signs of trust and piety. Know that if a person would deny Jesus, the son of Mary (a.s.) and acknowledge all the other messengers, such person will not be considered a believer. Follow the path by the help of the lighthouses and follow the signs from behind the barriers. Try to perfect the matters of your religion and have faith in Allah, your Lord.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (2/305)

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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