Al-Kafi · Hadith 19

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 19

Original Arabic text

19ـ وَبِهَذَا الاسْنَادِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ قَالَ كَتَبَ يَحْيَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ الْحَسَنِ إِلَى مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّي أُوصِي نَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى الله وَبِهَا أُوصِيكَ فَإِنَّهَا وَصِيَّةُ الله فِي الاوَّلِينَ وَوَصِيَّتُهُ فِي الاخِرِينَ خَبَّرَنِي مَنْ وَرَدَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ أَعْوَانِ الله عَلَى دِينِهِ وَنَشْرِ طَاعَتِهِ بِمَا كَانَ مِنْ تَحَنُّنِكَ مَعَ خِذْلانِكَ وَقَدْ شَاوَرْتُ فِي الدَّعْوَةِ لِلرِّضَا مِنْ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَقَدِ احْتَجَبْتَهَا وَاحْتَجَبَهَا أَبُوكَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَقَدِيماً ادَّعَيْتُمْ مَا لَيْسَ لَكُمْ وَبَسَطْتُمْ آمَالَكُمْ إِلَى مَا لَمْ يُعْطِكُمُ الله فَاسْتَهْوَيْتُمْ وَأَضْلَلْتُمْ وَأَنَا مُحَذِّرُكَ مَا حَذَّرَكَ الله مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مِنْ مُوسَى بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله جَعْفَرٍ وَعَلِيٍّ مُشْتَرِكَيْنِ فِي التَّذَلُّلِ لله وَطَاعَتِهِ إِلَى يَحْيَى بْنِ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ حَسَنٍ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّي أُحَذِّرُكَ الله وَنَفْسِي وَأُعْلِمُكَ أَلِيمَ عَذَابِهِ وَشَدِيدَ عِقَابِهِ وَتَكَامُلَ نَقِمَاتِهِ وَأُوصِيكَ وَنَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى الله فَإِنَّهَا زَيْنُ الْكَلامِ وَتَثْبِيتُ النِّعَمِ أَتَانِي كِتَابُكَ تَذْكُرُ فِيهِ أَنِّي مُدَّعٍ وَأَبِي مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمَا سَمِعْتَ ذَلِكَ مِنِّي وَسَتُكْتَبُ شَهَادَتُهُمْ وَيُسْأَلُونَ وَلَمْ يَدَعْ حِرْصُ الدُّنْيَا وَمَطَالِبُهَا لاهْلِهَا مَطْلَباً لآِخِرَتِهِمْ حَتَّى يُفْسِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَطْلَبَ آخِرَتِهِمْ فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ وَذَكَرْتَ أَنِّي ثَبَّطْتُ النَّاسَ عَنْكَ لِرَغْبَتِي فِيمَا فِي يَدَيْكَ وَمَا مَنَعَنِي مِنْ مَدْخَلِكَ الَّذِي أَنْتَ فِيهِ لَوْ كُنْتُ رَاغِباً ضَعْفٌ عَنْ سُنَّةٍ وَلا قِلَّةُ بَصِيرَةٍ بِحُجَّةٍ وَلَكِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى خَلَقَ النَّاسَ أَمْشَاجاً وَغَرَائِبَ وَغَرَائِزَ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ حَرْفَيْنِ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْهُمَا مَا الْعَتْرَفُ فِي بَدَنِكَ وَمَا الصَّهْلَجُ فِي الانْسَانِ ثُمَّ اكْتُبْ إِلَيَّ بِخَبَرِ ذَلِكَ وَأَنَا مُتَقَدِّمٌ إِلَيْكَ أُحَذِّرُكَ مَعْصِيَةَ الْخَلِيفَةِ وَأَحُثُّكَ عَلَى بِرِّهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ وَأَنْ تَطْلُبَ لِنَفْسِكَ أَمَاناً قَبْلَ أَنْ تَأْخُذَكَ الاظْفَارُ وَيَلْزَمَكَ الْخِنَاقُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَتَرَوَّحَ إِلَى النَّفَسِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَلا تَجِدُهُ حَتَّى يَمُنَّ الله عَلَيْكَ بِمَنِّهِ وَفَضْلِهِ وَرِقَّةِ الْخَلِيفَةِ أَبْقَاهُ الله فَيُؤْمِنَكَ وَيَرْحَمَكَ وَيَحْفَظَ فِيكَ أَرْحَامَ رَسُولِ الله وَالسَّلامُ عَلَى مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَى إِنَّا قَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْنَا أَنَّ الْعَذَابَ عَلَى مَنْ كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى قَالَ الْجَعْفَرِيُّ فَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ كِتَابَ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) وَقَعَ فِي يَدَيْ هَارُونَ فَلَمَّا قَرَأَهُ قَالَ النَّاسُ يَحْمِلُونِّي عَلَى مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ وَهُوَ بَرِي‏ءٌ مِمَّا يُرْمَى بِهِ.

Published English translation

19. And by this chain, from Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Ja'fari who said, ‘Yahya bin Abdullah bin Al-Hassan wrote to Musa bin Ja’far (AS), ‘Following on from that, I hereby bequeath myself to fear Allah, and by it I bequeath you, for it is a bequest of Allah among the former ones and His bequest among the later ones. They have informed me, the ones who came to me, from the supporters of Allah upon His religion and (those who) spread His obedience, with what has been from your sympathy and your abandonment (of us), and I had consulted regarding the claiming to the satisfaction from the family of Muhammad (sw), You have concealed it, and your father concealed it before you. In the past, you claimed what was not rightfully yours, and you extended your hopes to what Allah did not grant you. Consequently, you were seduced and led astray. I am warning you of what Allah has warned against from Himself.’. <br>So Abu Al-Hassan Musa bin Ja’far wrote to him: ‘(This letter is) from Musa bin Abu Abdullah Ja’far and Ali, both participants in the humbleness to Allah and His obedience, to Yahya Bin Abdullah Bin Hassan – Following on from that, I caution you of Allah and myself and let you know of the pain of His punishment and the intensity of His retribution, and completion of His curse, and I bequeath you and myself with the fear of Allah for it is the beautiful speech and the affirmation of the bounties. <br>Your letter came to me mentioning therein that I am claiming, and so did my father from before, and you have not heard that from me, and 'Their evidence shall be written down and they shall be questioned' (43;19), and the greed of the world and its seeking does not leave for its owners the seeking of the Hereafter until it spoils it upon them the seeking of their Hereafter in their world. And you mentioned that I am blocking the people from you for my desire regarding what is in your hands. And If I was desirous (as such), it would not be the weakness from the Sunnah, nor the scarcity of insight with proof what would prevent me from entering into that which you are in, but Allah, the Most Blessed and High, created the people with variations, of different instincts. So inform me about two words I am asking you about. What is Al-Atraf in your body and what is Al-Sahlaj in the human being? <br>Then write to me with the information of that and I shall proceed to you. I caution you from disobeying the caliph and urge you upon being good to him and obey him, and you should seek security for yourself before the claws seize you and the pressures choke you from every place, so you would look for rest for yourself from every place but will not find it until Allah favours upon you with a favour and His grace, the kindness of the caliph, may Allah cause him to remain, so he would grant you security and preserve regarding you the relationship of the Messenger of Allah. And the greetings be upon the one who follows guidance. It has been revealed unto us that punishment is to be upon the one who lies and turns away’. <br>Al-Ja’fari said, ‘(News) reached me that the letter of Musa bin Ja’far fell into the hands of Harun (Al-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph), so when he read it, said: ‘The people are carrying me to go against Musa bin Ja’far and he is away (innocent) from what he is being accused with’.

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 (4/158)

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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