Al-Kafi · Hadith 3

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The case of the Arms of the Messenger of Allah is like the Ark among the Israelites · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 39, Hadith 3

Original Arabic text

3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ السِّلاحِ فِينَا مَثَلُ التَّابُوتِ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَيْثُمَا دَارَ التَّابُوتُ أُوتُوا النُّبُوَّةَ وَحَيْثُمَا دَارَ السِّلاحُ فِينَا فَثَمَّ الامْرُ قُلْتُ فَيَكُونُ السِّلاحُ مُزَائِلاً لِلْعِلْمِ قَالَ لا.

Published English translation

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Safwan from abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) who has said the following. “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) would say, ‘The case of the Armaments with us is as the Ark with the Israelites. Wherever the Ark would go prophet-hood would also follow. Wherever the Armaments among us would go the matter (leadership with Divine authority) would also settle there.” I then asked, “Would the Armaments ever depart knowledge?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “No, it would not do so.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: صحيح

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (3/53)

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
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