Al-Kafi · Hadith 4

The Book about people with Divine Authority · Chapter Ninety Seven of the Holy Quran and its interpretation · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 41, Hadith 4

Original Arabic text

4ـ وَبِهَذَا الاسْنَادِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ صَلَوَاتُ الله عَلَيْهِ يَقُولُ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْناهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ صَدَقَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْزَلَ الله الْقُرْآنَ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ وَما أَدْراكَ ما لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) لا أَدْرِي قَالَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ قَالَ لِرَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَهَلْ تَدْرِي لِمَ هِيَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ قَالَ لا قَالَ لانَّهَا تَنَزَّلُ فِيهَا الْمَلائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ وَإِذَا أَذِنَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِشَيْ‏ءٍ فَقَدْ رَضِيَهُ سَلامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ يَقُولُ تُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ مَلائِكَتِي وَرُوحِي بِسَلامِي مِنْ أَوَّلِ مَا يَهْبِطُونَ إِلَى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي بَعْضِ كِتَابِهِ وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً فِي إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ وَقَالَ فِي بَعْضِ كِتَابِهِ وَما مُحَمَّدٌ إِلا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَ فَإِنْ ماتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلى‏ أَعْقابِكُمْ وَمَنْ يَنْقَلِبْ عَلى‏ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَنْ يَضُرَّ الله شَيْئاً وَسَيَجْزِي الله الشَّاكِرِينَ يَقُولُ فِي الايَةِ الاولَى إِنَّ مُحَمَّداً حِينَ يَمُوتُ يَقُولُ أَهْلُ الْخِلافِ لامْرِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَضَتْ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ مَعَ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فَهَذِهِ فِتْنَةٌ أَصَابَتْهُمْ خَاصَّةً وَبِهَا ارْتَدُّوا عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ لانَّهُمْ إِنْ قَالُوا لَمْ تَذْهَبْ فَلا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا أَمْرٌ وَإِذَا أَقَرُّوا بِالامْرِ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مِنْ صَاحِبٍ بُدٌّ.

Published English translation

4. Through the same chain of narrators it is narrated from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) would say, “We revealed the Quran on the Night of Destiny ((97:1) Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has certainly said the truth has reveal the Holy Quran on the Night of Determination. “Would that you knew what the Night of Destiny is! (97:2)” the Messenger of Allah said, “I do not know.” Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, said, “(Worship) on the Night of Destiny is better than (worship) for a thousand months (that are other than the Night of Determinatio).” (97:3) He asked the Messenger of Allah, “Do you know why it is better than a thousand nights?” the Messenger of Allah said, “No, I do not know.” He said, “It is because on that Night the angels and the Spirit come down by the permission of their Lord for all matters. When Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, would grant permission for a matter it means that He has agreed.” “This Night is all peace until the break of dawn.” (97:5) He says, “O Muhammad, My angels salute you and My spirit with peaceful greetings from beginning of the time they come down until dawn of that night. Then He has said in another part of His book, “Guard yourselves against discord among yourselves so that it will not mislead anyone of you, especially the unjust, and know that God’s retribution is most severe.” (8:25) It is about the Night of Determination. He has also said in His book, “Muhammad is only a Messenger. There lived other Messengers before him. Should (Muhammad) die or be slain, would you then turn back to your pre-Islamic behavior? Whoever does so can cause no harm to God. God will reward those who give thanks.” (3:144) In the verse He has said that when Muhammad will die the opposition to the command of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, will say , “The Night of Determination has gone along with the Messenger of Allah.” This is the first clamity that has befallen them exclusively. With this they returned back to their old ways. Had they not said so, it would have been necessary to believe that Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has His commands on that Night. Once they would affirm and acknowledge the command (delegation of Divine authority) it would have become necessary to believe in the existence of the man who possesses Divine authority.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

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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