Al-Kafi · Hadith 3

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Imams are the corner stone on earth · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 14, Hadith 3

Original Arabic text

3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ جَمِيعاً عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَبْدِ الله الرِّيَاحِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي الصَّامِتِ الْحُلْوَانِيِّ عَنْ ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ فَضْلُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مَا جَاءَ بِهِ آخُذُ بِهِ وَمَا نَهَى عَنْهُ أَنْتَهِي عَنْهُ جَرَى لَهُ مِنَ الطَّاعَةِ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) مَا لِرَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَالْفَضْلُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) الْمُتَقَدِّمُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ كَالْمُتَقَدِّمِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الله وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْمُتَفَضِّلُ عَلَيْهِ كَالْمُتَفَضِّلِ عَلَى رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَالرَّادُّ عَلَيْهِ فِي صَغِيرَةٍ أَوْ كَبِيرَةٍ عَلَى حَدِّ الشِّرْكِ بِالله فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) بَابُ الله الَّذِي لا يُؤْتَى إِلا مِنْهُ وَسَبِيلُهُ الَّذِي مَنْ سَلَكَهُ وَصَلَ إِلَى الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَجَرَى لِلائِمَّةِ (عَلَيْهم السَّلام) وَاحِداً بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ جَعَلَهُمُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرْكَانَ الارْضِ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِأَهْلِهَا وَعُمُدَ الاسْلامِ وَرَابِطَةً عَلَى سَبِيلِ هُدَاهُ لا يَهْتَدِي هَادٍ إِلا بِهُدَاهُمْ وَلا يَضِلُّ خَارِجٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى إِلا بِتَقْصِيرٍ عَنْ حَقِّهِمْ أُمَنَاءُ الله عَلَى مَا أَهْبَطَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ أَوْ عُذُرٍ أَوْ نُذُرٍ وَالْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ عَلَى مَنْ فِي الارْضِ يَجْرِي لآِخِرِهِمْ مِنَ الله مِثْلُ الَّذِي جَرَى لاوَّلِهِمْ وَلا يَصِلُ أَحَدٌ إِلَى ذَلِكَ إِلا بِعَوْنِ الله وَقَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَنَا قَسِيمُ الله بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ لا يَدْخُلُهَا دَاخِلٌ إِلا عَلَى حَدِّ قَسْمِي وَأَنَا الْفَارُوقُ الاكْبَرُ وَأَنَا الامَامُ لِمَنْ بَعْدِي وَالْمُؤَدِّي عَمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلِي لا يَتَقَدَّمُنِي أَحَدٌ إِلا أَحْمَدُ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَإِنِّي وَإِيَّاهُ لَعَلَى سَبِيلٍ وَاحِدٍ إِلا أَنَّهُ هُوَ الْمَدْعُوُّ بِاسْمِهِ وَلَقَدْ أُعْطِيتُ السِّتَّ عِلْمَ الْمَنَايَا وَالْبَلايَا وَالْوَصَايَا وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ وَإِنِّي لَصَاحِبُ الْكَرَّاتِ وَدَوْلَةِ الدُّوَلِ وَإِنِّي لَصَاحِبُ الْعَصَا وَالْمِيسَمِ وَالدَّابَّةُ الَّتِي تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ.

Published English translation

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya and Ahmad ibn Muhammad both have narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from Ali ibn Hassaan who has said that abu ‘Abdallah al-Riyahi narrated to him from abu al-Samit al-Hulwani from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who said: “A merit of Amir al-Mu'mineen (a.s.) is that whatever he has brought, I follow it entirely, and whatever he has forbidden, I desist from it altogether. It flows for him from the obedience after the Messenger of Allah (sw), what flowed for the Messenger of Allah (sw), and the merit is for Muhammad (sw). The one who tries to be ahead of him would be considered as trying to be ahead of Allah and his Messenger. And the one who tries to show himself as more virtuous than him would be considered as trying to show himself as more virtuous than the Messenger of Allah (sw). And the rejector upon him regarding a small or big (matter) would be within the limits of shirk to Allah. <br>The Messenger of Allah (sw) is a Door of Allah which one cannot come to Him except from it, and His Way which the one who travels it arrives to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. The same was true of Ami al-Mu'mineen (a.s.) after him (Muhammad), and it flowed for the Imams (peace be upon them), one after one. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has made them the cornerstone of the earth so that its inhabitants would not be destroyed, and they were the pillars of Islam and the connection in the path of guidance. No guide can be a guide except their guidance, nor would one stray outside from the guidance except by being deficient in their rights. <br>They are the trustees of Allah over whatever knowledge, warning, and excuses that have been revealed to them. They possess the doubtless Divine authority over those on earth. It flows for the last of them from Allah similar to which flowed for their first one, and no one would arrive to that except by the Assistance of Allah. And Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) has said, “I am the distributor for Allah between Paradise and Hell. None can enter it except upon a limit of my distribution, and I am the greatest criterion, and the Imam for those after me, and the communicator on behalf of those before me. No one precedes me except Ahmad (sw). I and he are on one path, except that he is the one called by his name. <br>And I have been given six things: the knowledge of deaths, that of the tribulations, that of the wills, and decisive sermons, and I am the owner of the spheres and a state of the states, and I am the owner of the Staff and the Branding iron, and the Beast (27:82) who would be speaking to the people."

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 (2/373)

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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edition: Al-Kafi, volume 1, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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