Al-Kafi · Hadith 16

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Showing off · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 116, Hadith 16

Original Arabic text

16ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) أَنَّهُ قَالَ الإبْقَاءُ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ قَالَ وَمَا الإبْقَاءُ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ قَالَ يَصِلُ الرَّجُلُ بِصِلَةٍ وَيُنْفِقُ نَفَقَةً لله وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فَكُتِبَ لَهُ سِرّاً ثُمَّ يَذْكُرُهَا وَتُمْحَى فَتُكْتَبُ لَهُ عَلانِيَةً ثُمَّ يَذْكُرُهَا فَتُمْحَى وَتُكْتَبُ لَهُ رِيَاءً.

Published English translation

A number of our companions from Sahl ibn Ziyad reported from Ali ibn Asbat, from some of his companions that Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir) (as) said: "Maintaining the deed is more difficult than performing it." It was asked, "What is maintaining the deed?" He replied: "A man maintains a connection or spends an expenditure for the sake of Allah alone, with no partners. It is recorded for him in secret. Then he mentions it and it is erased; then it is recorded for him publicly. Then he mentions it again and it is erased, and it is recorded for him as showing off."

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 (0/114)

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 2, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
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