Al-Kafi · Hadith 3

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The case of those who would accept the religion of Allah but without accepting the Imam, Leader with Divine Authority · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 86, Hadith 3

Original Arabic text

3ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَبْدِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي أُخَالِطُ النَّاسَ فَيَكْثُرُ عَجَبِي مِنْ أَقْوَامٍ لا يَتَوَلَّوْنَكُمْ وَيَتَوَلَّوْنَ فُلاناً وَفُلاناً لَهُمْ أَمَانَةٌ وَصِدْقٌ وَوَفَاءٌ وَأَقْوَامٌ يَتَوَلَّوْنَكُمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ تِلْكَ الامَانَةُ وَلا الْوَفَاءُ وَالصِّدْقُ قَالَ فَاسْتَوَى أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) جَالِساً فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ كَالْغَضْبَانِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لا دِينَ لِمَنْ دَانَ الله بِوَلايَةِ إِمَامٍ جَائِرٍ لَيْسَ مِنَ الله وَلا عَتْبَ عَلَى مَنْ دَانَ بِوَلايَةِ إِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنَ الله قُلْتُ لا دِينَ لاولَئِكَ وَلا عَتْبَ عَلَى هَؤُلاءِ قَالَ نَعَمْ لا دِينَ لاولَئِكَ وَلا عَتْبَ عَلَى هَؤُلاءِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَ لا تَسْمَعُ لِقَوْلِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الله وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُماتِ إِلَى النُّورِ يَعْنِي مِنْ ظُلُمَاتِ الذُّنُوبِ إِلَى نُورِ التَّوْبَةِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ لِوَلايَتِهِمْ كُلَّ إِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنَ الله وَقَالَ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِياؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُمْ مِنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُماتِ إِنَّمَا عَنَى بِهَذَا أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى نُورِ الاسْلامِ فَلَمَّا أَنْ تَوَلَّوْا كُلَّ إِمَامٍ جَائِرٍ لَيْسَ مِنَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَرَجُوا بِوَلايَتِهِمْ إِيَّاهُ مِنْ نُورِ الاسْلامِ إِلَى ظُلُمَاتِ الْكُفْرِ فَأَوْجَبَ الله لَهُمُ النَّارَ مَعَ الْكُفَّارِ فَ أُولئِكَ أَصْحابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيها خالِدُونَ.

Published English translation

3. A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abd ‘Aziz al-‘Abdi from ‘Abdallah ibn abu Ya‘fur who has said the following. “I said to abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.). ’I meet people and it increases my wonders when I find people who do not consider you as their guardians and Imams but they consider so and so as their Imam. However, they are trustworthy, truthful and loyal. I also find people who consider you as their guardian and Imam but are not that trustworthy, loyal and truthful.” The narrator has said that abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) then sat in an upright position and turned to me as if with anger and then said, “One follows the religion of Allah under the guardianship of an unjust Imam who possesses no Divine authority, he has no religion. There is no blame for the one who follows the religion of Allah under the guardianship of an Imam who is just in his dealings (possesses Divine authority).” I then said, “Yes, these have no religion and these will face no blame.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “That is correct “these have no religion and these will face no blame.” Then the Imam (a.s.) said, “Have you not heard the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, “God is the Guardian of the believers and it is He who takes them out of darkness into light. .” (2:257) It means that He takes them out of the darkness of sins to the light of repentance and forgiveness because of their love for and their being under the guardianship of the just Imams who possess Divine authority. He has also said, “The Devil is the guardian of those who deny the Truth and he leads them from light to darkness.. .” (2:257) It means that they were in the light of Islam but when they accepted the guardianship and the leadership of every unjust Imam who possessed no authority from Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, their guardianship took them out of the light of Islam to the darkness of disbelief. Allah then made it necessary for them to suffer in fire along with the unbelievers. “These are the dwellers of hell wherein they will live forever.” (2:257)

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 (4/215)

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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edition: Al-Kafi, volume 1, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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