Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book about people with Divine Authority · Chapter Ninety Seven of the Holy Quran and its interpretation · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 41, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ وَعَنْ ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ لَقَدْ خَلَقَ الله جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ أَوَّلَ مَا خَلَقَ الدُّنْيَا وَلَقَدْ خَلَقَ فِيهَا أَوَّلَ نَبِيٍّ يَكُونُ وَأَوَّلَ وَصِيٍّ يَكُونُ وَلَقَدْ قَضَى أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ لَيْلَةٌ يَهْبِطُ فِيهَا بِتَفْسِيرِ الامُورِ إِلَى مِثْلِهَا مِنَ السَّنَةِ الْمُقْبِلَةِ مَنْ جَحَدَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ رَدَّ عَلَى الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِلْمَهُ لانَّهُ لا يَقُومُ الانْبِيَاءُ وَالرُّسُلُ وَالْمُحَدَّثُونَ إِلا أَنْ تَكُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ حُجَّةٌ بِمَا يَأْتِيهِمْ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ مَعَ الْحُجَّةِ الَّتِي يَأْتِيهِمْ بِهَا جَبْرَئِيلُ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قُلْتُ وَالْمُحَدَّثُونَ أَيْضاً يَأْتِيهِمْ جَبْرَئِيلُ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ مِنَ الْمَلائِكَةِ (عَلَيْهم السَّلام) قَالَ أَمَّا الانْبِيَاءُ وَالرُّسُلُ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِمْ فَلا شَكَّ وَلا بُدَّ لِمَنْ سِوَاهُمْ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ خُلِقَتْ فِيهِ الارْضُ إِلَى آخِرِ فَنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا أَنْ تَكُونَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الارْضِ حُجَّةٌ يَنْزِلُ ذَلِكَ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ إِلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَايْمُ الله لَقَدْ نَزَلَ الرُّوحُ وَالْمَلائِكَةُ بِالامْرِ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ عَلَى آدَمَ وَايْمُ الله مَا مَاتَ آدَمُ إِلا وَلَهُ وَصِيٌّ وَكُلُّ مَنْ بَعْدَ آدَمَ مِنَ الانْبِيَاءِ قَدْ أَتَاهُ الامْرُ فِيهَا وَوَضَعَ لِوَصِيِّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَايْمُ الله إِنْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ لَيُؤْمَرُ فِيمَا يَأْتِيهِ مِنَ الامْرِ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ مِنْ آدَمَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) أَنْ أَوْصِ إِلَى فُلانٍ وَلَقَدْ قَالَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي كِتَابِهِ لِوُلاةِ الامْرِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) خَاصَّةً وَعَدَ الله الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الارْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ فَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ يَقُولُ أَسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ لِعِلْمِي وَدِينِي وَعِبَادَتِي بَعْدَ نَبِيِّكُمْ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ وُصَاةَ آدَمَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ حَتَّى يَبْعَثَ النَّبِيَّ الَّذِي يَلِيهِ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئاً يَقُولُ يَعْبُدُونَنِي بِإِيمَانٍ لا نَبِيَّ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فَمَنْ قَالَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ فَقَدْ مَكَّنَ وُلاةَ الامْرِ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ بِالْعِلْمِ وَنَحْنُ هُمْ فَاسْأَلُونَا فَإِنْ صَدَقْنَاكُمْ فَأَقِرُّوا وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِفَاعِلِينَ أَمَّا عِلْمُنَا فَظَاهِرٌ وَأَمَّا إِبَّانُ أَجَلِنَا الَّذِي يَظْهَرُ فِيهِ الدِّينُ مِنَّا حَتَّى لا يَكُونَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ اخْتِلافٌ فَإِنَّ لَهُ أَجَلاً مِنْ مَمَرِّ اللَّيَالِي وَالايَّامِ إِذَا أَتَى ظَهَرَ وَكَانَ الامْرُ وَاحِداً وَايْمُ الله لَقَدْ قُضِيَ الامْرُ أَنْ لا يَكُونَ بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اخْتِلافٌ وَلِذَلِكَ جَعَلَهُمْ شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ لِيَشْهَدَ مُحَمَّدٌ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) عَلَيْنَا وَلِنَشْهَدَ عَلَى شِيعَتِنَا وَلِتَشْهَدَ شِيعَتُنَا عَلَى النَّاسِ أَبَى الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي حُكْمِهِ اخْتِلافٌ أَوْ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ عِلْمِهِ تَنَاقُضٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَضْلُ إِيمَانِ الْمُؤْمِنِ بِجُمْلَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ وَبِتَفْسِيرِهَا عَلَى مَنْ لَيْسَ مِثْلَهُ فِي الايمَانِ بِهَا كَفَضْلِ الانْسَانِ عَلَى الْبَهَائِمِ وَإِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَيَدْفَعُ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِهَا عَنِ الْجَاحِدِينَ لَهَا فِي الدُّنْيَا لِكَمَالِ عَذَابِ الاخِرَةِ لِمَنْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ لا يَتُوبُ مِنْهُمْ مَا يَدْفَعُ بِالْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَنِ الْقَاعِدِينَ وَلا أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ فِي هَذَا الزَّمَانِ جِهَاداً إِلا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ وَالْجِوَارَ.

Published English translation

7. Through the same chain of narrators it is narrated from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following. “Allah, Majestic is Whose mention, created the Night of Determination when He first created the world and created in it the first prophet that would come and the first executor of the will (of prophet) that would come. He decreed that in every year there must be one night in which the interpretation and the clarification of would be sent until another such night in the coming year. Whoever would deny it has certainly rejected the knowledge of Allah, Majestic is Whose mention. It is because the prophets, the Messengers and Muhadditun (spokesmen for Allah) without receiving Divine authority through what comes to them on that night along with the authority that Jibril brings for them (a.s.).” The narrator has said that he asked the Imams (a.s.), “Do the Muhaddithun also experience the coming of Jibril and other angels?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “The prophets and the Messenger (s.a.) certainly, experience it. For the others besides the prophets and the Messenger (s.a.) it is necessary that from the first day the eart h was created to the last of the perishing of world there must the Divine authority for the people of the earth that would come down on that night to the one who would be te most beloved among His servants. I swear by Allah, the spirit and the angels came with the command on the Night of Determination to Adam. I swear by Allah, that Adam did not die until he had the executor of his will. To every prophet after Adam the command came to them on that night and it was assigned to the executor of his will after him. I swear by Allah, if the prophet had to be commanded through that which that came to them on that night from Adam to Muhammad (s.a) to make a will in favor of so and so and that Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has said in His book to the people who possess Divine after Muhammad (s.a.). “God has promised the righteously striving believers to appoint them as His deputies on earth, as He had appointed those who lived before. He will make the religion that He has chosen for them to stand supreme. He will replace their fear with peace and security so that they will worship God alone and consider no one equal to Him. Whoever becomes an unbeliever after this will be a sinful person.” (24:55) He says that He has made you His deputies in the matter of His knowledge, religion and worship after His Prophet just as Adam made a will to appoint the executor of his will after him until the time Allah sent another prophet. He has said, “so that they will worship God alone and consider no one equal to Him” He has said that you must worship Him with faith in the fact that after Muhammad (s.a.) there is no other prophet. Those who would say otherwise are sinful persons. He has enabled the people who possess Divine authority with knowledge. We are such people. Ask us. If we will acknowledge you then be steadfast but you will not do so. Our knowledge is clear. The appearance of the appointed time for us in which religion will stand supreme through us so much so that there will remain no differences among people for such time there is A number of our people has narrated from appointed time that pass through the nights and days. When that time will come, the command of Allah will be only one. “I swear by Allah, it is already decreed that there will beno differences among the believers and for this reason they are made to witness the deeds of the people so that Muhammad (s.a) will be witness over us and we will be the witness over our followers and our followers will be witness over the people. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, disdained to let differences take place in His judgment or contradictions to take place among those who possess His knowledge.” Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) then said the following. “The excellence of the faith of a believer because of his accepting, “We have revealed it in the Night of Determination,” and its interpretation, over those who are not like him in the matters of faith in that Night is like the excellence of man over the animals. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, defends through those who believe in it from those who disbelieve it in this world-- it is to complete the punishment for it in the next life for those whom He knows would not repent from rejecting the same--, just as He defends through those who strive (Jihad) for His cause those who sit comfortably. I do not know if there is any Jihad striving for His cause, these days, other than Hajj, ‘Umra and to be good neighbors”

Narrator and transmission

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Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: السند مشترك

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (3/90)

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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