Al-Kafi · Hadith 11

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Criterion to Discern the Truthful and False Claims of Entitlement to Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority) · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 81, Hadith 11

Original Arabic text

11ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ ابْنِ قِيَامَا الْوَاسِطِيِّ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْوَاقِفَةِ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَكُونُ إِمَامَانِ قَالَ لا إِلا وَأَحَدُهُمَا صَامِتٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ هُوَ ذَا أَنْتَ لَيْسَ لَكَ صَامِتٌ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ وُلِدَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ بَعْدُ فَقَالَ لِي وَالله لَيَجْعَلَنَّ الله مِنِّي مَا يُثْبِتُ بِهِ الْحَقَّ وَأَهْلَهُ وَيَمْحَقُ بِهِ الْبَاطِلَ وَأَهْلَهُ فَوُلِدَ لَهُ بَعْدَ سَنَةٍ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقِيلَ لابْنِ قِيَامَا أَ لا تُقْنِعُكَ هَذِهِ الايَةُ فَقَالَ أَمَا وَالله إِنَّهَا لآَيَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ وَلَكِنْ كَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ بِمَا قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فِي ابْنِهِ.

Published English translation

11. Ahmad ibn Mihran has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ali from ibn Qiyama al-Wasiti who was a member of the waqifa, sect has said the following. “Once I went to see Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (a.s.) and I said to him, “Can there be two Imams (at the same time)?” He said, “No, except if one of them would be silent.” I then said, “What about your self? There is no silent Imam with you.” His son, abu Ja’far (a.s.) was not yet born. He said, “By Allah, Allah will create from me someone to establish the truth and the people of truth and banish falsehood and the people of falsehood.” After a year therefrom abu Ja’far (a.s.) was born. It was said to ibn Qiyama, “Does this sign not convince you?” He then said, “By Allah, the sign is great but what would I say about the words of abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about his son.”

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 (4/101)

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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