Al-Kafi · Hadith 14

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 14

Original Arabic text

14ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَعَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْقَاسَانِيِّ جَمِيعاً عَنْ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ الصَّيْرَفِيِّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ يُحَدِّثُ الْحَسَنَ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَقَالَ وَالله لَقَدْ نَصَرَ الله أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ لَهُ الْحَسَنُ إِي وَالله جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لَقَدْ بَغَى عَلَيْهِ إِخْوَتُهُ فَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ إِي وَالله وَنَحْنُ عُمُومَتُهُ بَغَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْحَسَنُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ كَيْفَ صَنَعْتُمْ فَإِنِّي لَمْ أَحْضُرْكُمْ قَالَ قَالَ لَهُ إِخْوَتُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَيْضاً مَا كَانَ فِينَا إِمَامٌ قَطُّ حَائِلَ اللَّوْنِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) هُوَ ابْنِي قَالُوا فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) قَدْ قَضَى بِالْقَافَةِ فَبَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ الْقَافَةُ قَالَ ابْعَثُوا أَنْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَأَمَّا أَنَا فَلا وَلا تُعْلِمُوهُمْ لِمَا دَعَوْتُمُوهُمْ وَلْتَكُونُوا فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ فَلَمَّا جَاءُوا أَقْعَدُونَا فِي الْبُسْتَانِ وَاصْطَفَّ عُمُومَتُهُ وَإِخْوَتُهُ وَأَخَوَاتُهُ وَأَخَذُوا الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَأَلْبَسُوهُ جُبَّةَ صُوفٍ وَقَلَنْسُوَةً مِنْهَا وَوَضَعُوا عَلَى عُنُقِهِ مِسْحَاةً وَقَالُوا لَهُ ادْخُلِ الْبُسْتَانَ كَأَنَّكَ تَعْمَلُ فِيهِ ثُمَّ جَاءُوا بِابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقَالُوا أَلْحِقُوا هَذَا الْغُلامَ بِأَبِيهِ فَقَالُوا لَيْسَ لَهُ هَاهُنَا أَبٌ وَلَكِنَّ هَذَا عَمُّ أَبِيهِ وَهَذَا عَمُّ أَبِيهِ وَهَذَا عَمُّهُ وَهَذِهِ عَمَّتُهُ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ لَهُ هَاهُنَا أَبٌ فَهُوَ صَاحِبُ الْبُسْتَانِ فَإِنَّ قَدَمَيْهِ وَقَدَمَيْهِ وَاحِدَةٌ فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالُوا هَذَا أَبُوهُ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ فَقُمْتُ فَمَصَصْتُ رِيقَ ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) ثُمَّ قُلْتُ لَهُ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ إِمَامِي عِنْدَ الله فَبَكَى الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا عَمِّ أَ لَمْ تَسْمَعْ أَبِي وَهُوَ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) بِأَبِي ابْنُ خِيَرَةِ الامَاءِ ابْنُ النُّوبِيَّةِ الطَّيِّبَةِ الْفَمِ الْمُنْتَجَبَةِ الرَّحِمِ وَيْلَهُمْ لَعَنَ الله الاعَيْبِسَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ صَاحِبَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَيَقْتُلُهُمْ سِنِينَ وَشُهُوراً وَأَيَّاماً يَسُومُهُمْ خَسْفاً وَيَسْقِيهِمْ كَأْساً مُصْبِرَةً وَهُوَ الطَّرِيدُ الشَّرِيدُ الْمَوْتُورُ بِأَبِيهِ وَجَدِّهِ صَاحِبُ الْغَيْبَةِ يُقَالُ مَاتَ أَوْ هَلَكَ أَيَّ وَادٍ سَلَكَ أَ فَيَكُونُ هَذَا يَا عَمِّ إِلا مِنِّي فَقُلْتُ صَدَقْتَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ.

Published English translation

14. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qasani from Zakariyya ibn Yahya ibn al-Nu‘man al-Sayrafi who has said the following. “I heard Ali ibn Ja‘far speaking to al-Hassan ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn as, “By Allah, Allah has supported abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.).” Al-Hassan then said, “Yes, by Allah, may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, his brothers have rebelled against him.” Ali ibn Ja‘far then said, “Yes, by Allah, and we, his uncles, rebelled against him.” Al-Hassan said to him, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, how did you dealt it, I was not present with you.” He said, “His brothers said to him and so did we, “There has never been a blackish Imam from us” The Imam (a.s.) al-Rida said to them, “He is my son.” They said,” Messenger of Allah did judge on the basis of physiognomy, thus, we can also have a judgment on the basis of physiognomy .” The Imam (a.s.) said, “You may call one who has said the following knows physiognomy but I will not do so. You should not give information as to for what reason you have called them. You must stay home. When they will come, we should, all of us, be in the garden. His uncles, brothers and sisters should all line up. They dressed al-Rida (a.s.) in a gown made of wool with a hat of wool on his head and a shovel in his hand. The Imam should be asked to act as the gardener in the garden. Then Abu Ja‘far should be brought in and they should be asked to find his father in the people present. They said, “His father is not present among these people, but this is his uncle, this is the uncle of his father, this is his uncle and this is his aunt. If his father is here he is the gardener because his footprint and his footprint match” When Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) returned, they said, “This is his father.” Ali ibn Ja‘far has said, “I stood up and kissed Abu Ja‘far and his saliva came in my mouth. Then I said, “I testify that you are my Imam before Allah. Al-Rida (a.s.) wept and said, “O uncle, did not hear my father say, “The Messenger of Allah has said, “May Allah take my soul and the souls of my father in service for the cause of the son of the best slave girl, the son of al-Nawbiya (a town in Sudan) lady with a fresh smelling mouth, the lady of who will give birth to a purified one. May Allah condemn the ’U‘aybiss (the ‘Abbassides) and their descendants, the mischief makers who murder them (the Imams) for years, months, and days, causing them huge sufferings and causing them to endure bitter frustrations. He (Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) live exiled, away from home, and suffering the pain of the murder of his father and grandfather. One who is has disappeared (from the eyes of his loved ones). About whom it will be said, “His is dead or perished. No one will in which valleys he will travel. Can such a person, O uncle, be anyone other than my own son?” I then said, “You have spoken the truth, may Allah take my souls in service for your cause.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مجهول

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (3/378)

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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