Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book about people with Divine Authority · Tacit and Explicit Testimony as proof of abu Ja‘far al-Thani’s (the second) (a.s.) Divine Authority over the people after abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 73, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ أَحْمَدُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ ابْنِ قِيَامَا الْوَاسِطِيِّ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَ يَكُونُ إِمَامَانِ قَالَ لا إِلا وَأَحَدُهُمَا صَامِتٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ هُوَ ذَا أَنْتَ لَيْسَ لَكَ صَامِتٌ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ وُلِدَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بَعْدُ فَقَالَ لِي وَالله لَيَجْعَلَنَّ الله مِنِّي مَا يُثْبِتُ بِهِ الْحَقَّ وَأَهْلَهُ وَيَمْحَقُ بِهِ الْبَاطِلَ وَأَهْلَهُ فَوُلِدَ لَهُ بَعْدَ سَنَةٍ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَكَانَ ابْنُ قِيَامَا وَاقِفِيّاً.

Published English translation

7. Ahmad has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ali from ibn Qiyama al-Wasiti who has said the following. “Once I went to see Ali ibn Musa (a.s.). (During the meeting) I asked him, “Can there be two Imams?” He replied, “No, but that one of them must remain silent.” I then said to him, “This applies to you. You are the Imam and there is no silent Imam with you.” At that time his son abu Ja‘far was not yet born. He said to me, “By Allah, Allah will make an Imam from me to establish the truth and the people of truth and banish falsehood and the people of falsehood. One year thereafter abu Ja‘far (a.s.) was born. Ibn Qiyama belonged to the Waqifi sect.”

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 (3/375)

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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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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