Al-Kafi · Hadith 9

The Book about people with Divine Authority · Chapter Ninety Seven of the Holy Quran and its interpretation · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 41, Hadith 9

Original Arabic text

9ـ وَقَالَ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لَمَا تَرَوْنَ مَنْ بَعَثَهُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلشَّقَاءِ عَلَى أَهْلِ الضَّلالَةِ مِنْ أَجْنَادِ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَكْثَرُ مِمَّا تَرَوْنَ خَلِيفَةَ الله الَّذِي بَعَثَهُ لِلْعَدْلِ وَالصَّوَابِ مِنَ الْمَلائِكَةِ قِيلَ يَا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ وَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ شَيْ‏ءٌ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ الْمَلائِكَةِ قَالَ كَمَا شَاءَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ السَّائِلُ يَا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ إِنِّي لَوْ حَدَّثْتُ بَعْضَ الشِّيعَةِ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ لانْكَرُوهُ قَالَ كَيْفَ يُنْكِرُونَهُ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ الْمَلائِكَةَ (عَلَيْهم السَّلام) أَكْثَرُ مِنَ الشَّيَاطِينِ قَالَ صَدَقْتَ افْهَمْ عَنِّي مَا أَقُولُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ يَوْمٍ وَلا لَيْلَةٍ إِلا وَجَمِيعُ الْجِنِّ وَالشَّيَاطِينِ تَزُورُ أَئِمَّةَ الضَّلالَةِ وَيَزُورُ إِمَامَ الْهُدَى عَدَدُهُمْ مِنَ الْمَلائِكَةِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَتْ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ فَيَهْبِطُ فِيهَا مِنَ الْمَلائِكَةِ إِلَى وَلِيِّ الامْرِ خَلَقَ الله أَوْ قَالَ قَيَّضَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الشَّيَاطِينِ بِعَدَدِهِمْ ثُمَّ زَارُوا وَلِيَّ الضَّلالَةِ فَأَتَوْهُ بِالافْكِ وَالْكَذِبِ حَتَّى لَعَلَّهُ يُصْبِحُ فَيَقُولُ رَأَيْتُ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَلَوْ سَأَلَ وَلِيَّ الامْرِ عَنْ ذَلِكَ لَقَالَ رَأَيْتَ شَيْطَاناً أَخْبَرَكَ بِكَذَا وَكَذَا حَتَّى يُفَسِّرَ لَهُ تَفْسِيراً وَيُعْلِمَهُ الضَّلالَةَ الَّتِي هُوَ عَلَيْهَا وَايْمُ الله إِنَّ مَنْ صَدَّقَ بِلَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ لَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّهَا لَنَا خَاصَّةً لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) لِعلي (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) حِينَ دَنَا مَوْتُهُ هَذَا وَلِيُّكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِي فَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُ رَشَدْتُمْ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ لا يُؤْمِنُ بِمَا فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ مُنْكِرٌ وَمَنْ آمَنَ بِلَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ مِمَّنْ عَلَى غَيْرِ رَأْيِنَا فَإِنَّهُ لا يَسَعُهُ فِي الصِّدْقِ إِلا أَنْ يَقُولَ إِنَّهَا لَنَا وَمَنْ لَمْ يَقُلْ فَإِنَّهُ كَاذِبٌ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ الامْرَ مَعَ الرُّوحِ وَالْمَلائِكَةِ إِلَى كَافِرٍ فَاسِقٍ فَإِنْ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يُنَزِّلُ إِلَى الْخَلِيفَةِ الَّذِي هُوَ عَلَيْهَا فَلَيْسَ قَوْلُهُمْ ذَلِكَ بِشَيْ‏ءٍ وَإِنْ قَالُوا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ يُنَزِّلُ إِلَى أَحَدٍ فَلا يَكُونُ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ شَيْ‏ءٌ إِلَى غَيْرِ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَإِنْ قَالُوا وَسَيَقُولُونَ لَيْسَ هَذَا بِشَيْ‏ءٍ فَقَدْ ضَلُّوا ضَلالاً بَعِيداً.

Published English translation

9. The narrator has said that abu Ja‘far (a.s.) said the following. “You, certainly, find those whom Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has sent to induce misfortune into the heretics and misleading people of the army (followers) of Satan and their companions in greater numbers than those sent to the deputy of Allah, sent for justice and truth from among the angels.” (In other words, the devils sent to induce bad luck into the heretics are in greater number than the angels sent with guidance to the people of Divine authority). It was said to him, “O abu Ja‘far (a.s.), “How can there be anything in greater number than the angels?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “It is just as Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has wished.” The man asked, “O abu Ja‘far (a.s.), “If I will narrate this Hadith to a few of your followers they will reject it.” The Imam (a.s.) asked, “Why they will do so?” The man said, “They will say that the angels are of greater number than the Devils.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “What say is true. However, try to understand what I will say.” There is no day or night in which all the Devils and all Satans would not visit the heretic and misleading leaders and of the same number the angels visit the Imam of true guidance (leaders who possess Divine authority) until it is the ‘Night of Determination’. On that night of the angels descend to those who possess Divine authority in a number equal to the number of the Devils and Satan that Allah has created- or he said, has determined. The Devils and Satans will come to the corrupt misleading authorities with fabrications and lies until the perhaps dawn and say, “I saw, this night, such and suCh” However, if he would ask about it the one who possesses Divine authority, he would say, “You have seen a Satan who has informed of you such and suCh (It is the Devil’s thing) until he provides him with one or the other interpretation and teach him the ways how to mislead people. The misleading conditions in which he lives. I swear by Allah, those who acknowledge the ‘Night of Determination’ they will certainly know that it (the ‘Night of Determination’ is exclusively for us. It is because of th words of the Messenger of Allah to Ali (a.s.) when the time of his death was about to approach, “This is you guardian who possess Divine authority after me. If you will obey him, you will enjoy a well guided way of life. However, those who would not acknowledge what is in the ‘Night of Determination’ they would be unbelievers in it. Those who would have faith in the ‘Night of Determination’ but do not hold the opinion that we do, for them to verify it, there is no other way but to say that it the ‘Night of Determination’ is for us and those would not acknowledge it they would be only liars. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, is by far exalted than to send the angles with the Spirit to a sinful unbeliever. If such people would say that they (angels with the Spirit) come to the Khalifa in whom believes, this would be of no ground. If they would say, “No one descends at that night to anyone.” The fact is that something does come to nothing. If they say or will say, “This is nothing.” They have, certainly, strayed far away from the truth.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: بالسند السابق

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (3/100)

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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