Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Conditions of the Imams in the Matters of Age · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 91, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَقَدْ خَرَجَ عَلَيَّ فَأَخَذْتُ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْتُ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى رَأْسِهِ وَرِجْلَيْهِ لاصِفَ قَامَتَهُ لاصْحَابِنَا بِمِصْرَ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا كَذَلِكَ حَتَّى قَعَدَ فَقَالَ يَا عَلِيُّ إِنَّ الله احْتَجَّ فِي الامَامَةِ بِمِثْلِ مَا احْتَجَّ بِهِ فِي النُّبُوَّةِ فَقَالَ وَآتَيْناهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً فَقَدْ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُؤْتَى الْحِكْمَةَ وَهُوَ صَبِيٌّ وَيَجُوزُ أَنْ يُؤْتَاهَا وَهُوَ ابْنُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً.

Published English translation

7. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn Asbat who has said the following. “Once I saw abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who had come out to me and I began to look at him from head to his toes so I can describe him to our people in Egypt. I was looking until he sat down and said, “O Ali, Allah has supported His argument against the people in the case of Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority) just as He has done so in the case of the prophets. He has said, “We gave authority to him (John) over the people during his childhood (19:12).. When he attained maturity, God gave him strength, wisdom and knowledge. Thus, do We reward those who do good.” (12:22) “When he grew-up to manhood and became forty years old,. .” (46:15). It come to pass that wisdom comes to a prophet when he is just a child or it may come to a prophet when he is forty years old.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف على المشهور

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/249)

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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