Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Imams are the corner stone on earth · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 14, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ جَمِيعاً عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنِ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ علي (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) آخُذُ بِهِ وَمَا نَهَى عَنْهُ أَنْتَهِي عَنْهُ جَرَى لَهُ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ مِثْلُ مَا جَرَى لِمُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَلِمُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) الْفَضْلُ عَلَى جَمِيعِ مَنْ خَلَقَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمُتَعَقِّبُ عَلَيْهِ فِي شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْ أَحْكَامِهِ كَالْمُتَعَقِّبِ عَلَى الله وَعَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالرَّادُّ عَلَيْهِ فِي صَغِيرَةٍ أَوْ كَبِيرَةٍ عَلَى حَدِّ الشِّرْكِ بِالله كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بَابَ الله الَّذِي لا يُؤْتَى إِلا مِنْهُ وَسَبِيلَهُ الَّذِي مَنْ سَلَكَ بِغَيْرِهِ هَلَكَ وَكَذَلِكَ يَجْرِي الائِمَّةُ الْهُدَى وَاحِداً بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ جَعَلَهُمُ الله أَرْكَانَ الارْضِ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِأَهْلِهَا وَحُجَّتَهُ الْبَالِغَةَ عَلَى مَنْ فَوْقَ الارْضِ وَمَنْ تَحْتَ الثَّرَى وَكَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) كَثِيراً مَا يَقُولُ أَنَا قَسِيمُ الله بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ وَأَنَا الْفَارُوقُ الاكْبَرُ وَأَنَا صَاحِبُ الْعَصَا وَالْمِيسَمِ وَلَقَدْ أَقَرَّتْ لِي جَمِيعُ الْمَلائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحُ وَالرُّسُلُ بِمِثْلِ مَا أَقَرُّوا بِهِ لِمُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَلَقَدْ حُمِلْتُ عَلَى مِثْلِ حَمُولَتِهِ وَهِيَ حَمُولَةُ الرَّبِّ وَإِنَّ رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) يُدْعَى فَيُكْسَى وَأُدْعَى فَأُكْسَى وَيُسْتَنْطَقُ وَأُسْتَنْطَقُ فَأَنْطِقُ عَلَى حَدِّ مَنْطِقِهِ وَلَقَدْ أُعْطِيتُ خِصَالاً مَا سَبَقَنِي إِلَيْهَا أَحَدٌ قَبْلِي عُلِّمْتُ الْمَنَايَا وَالْبَلايَا وَالانْسَابَ وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ فَلَمْ يَفُتْنِي مَا سَبَقَنِي وَلَمْ يَعْزُبْ عَنِّي مَا غَابَ عَنِّي أُبَشِّرُ بِإِذْنِ الله وَأُؤَدِّي عَنْهُ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الله مَكَّنَنِي فِيهِ بِعِلْمِهِ. الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الاشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُمْهُورٍ الْعَمِّيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْمُفَضَّلُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ الاوَّلَ.

Published English translation

1. Ahmad ibn Mihran from Muhammad ibn Ali and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, all from Muhammad ibn Sinan from al-Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who said: “Whatever Ali (a.s.) has brought I follow them entirely and whatever he has forbidden I desist from them altogether. It flows for him from the merits like what flowed for Muhammad (sw), and for Muhammad (sw) is the merit upon the entirety of the creatures of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. The pursuer upon him (Imam Ali) regarding something from his decisions is like the pursuer upon Allah and upon His Messenger, and the rejecter upon him regarding a small or a big (matter), would be within the limits of Shirk (Association) with Allah. <br>Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) was the gate to Allah through which one could only go closer to Him, and he was the path that if one would ignore it he would have been destroyed. This is also true of all the Imams of guidance, one after the other. Allah has made them as the cornerstones of the earth so that its inhabitants would not be destroyed, and His possessors of doubtless Divine authority over the inhabitants of earth and those below the earth. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) would very often say, “I am Allah's distributor between Paradise and Hellfire, and I am the greatest criterion, and I am the possessor of the Staff and the (marking) seal Miysam. All the angels, the Spirit, and the messengers have acknowledged me, like what they acknowledged Muhammad (sw) with, and I am loaded upon like his load, and it is the load of the Lord. <br>The Messenger of Allah (sw) will be called upon and his call will be accepted. I will be called up on and my call will be accepted. He will be made to speak and I will be made to speak and I will speak just the way he would speak. I have been given certain distinctions which were not given to anyone before me. I was taught all about the deaths, the sufferings, the genealogy of people and the decisive sermons. I have not missed any of the knowledge that have passed me by and nothing of the future is unseen or unknown to me. I give good news by the permission of Allah and do my duty towards Allah. All of this is from Allah Who has made it possible for me through His knowledge.” <br>Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Ash‘ari has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Jumhur al-‘Ammi from Muhammad ibn Sinan who has said that al-Mufaddal narrated to us from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.). He then narrated the above Hadith.

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف بسنديه على المشهور

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (2/366)

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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