Al-Kafi · Hadith 4

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Evil Plans, Treachery and Deceit · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 138, Hadith 4

Original Arabic text

4ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَرْيَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَرْبِ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُمَا مَلِكٌ عَلَى حِدَةٍ اقْتَتَلُوا ثُمَّ اصْطَلَحُوا ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَحَدَ الْمَلِكَيْنِ غَدَرَ بِصَاحِبِهِ فَجَاءَ إِلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَصَالَحَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْ يَغْزُوَ مَعَهُمْ تِلْكَ الْمَدِينَةَ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) لا يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ أَنْ يَغْدِرُوا وَلا يَأْمُرُوا بِالْغَدْرِ وَلا يُقَاتِلُوا مَعَ الَّذِينَ غَدَرُوا وَلَكِنَّهُمْ يُقَاتِلُونَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدُوهُمْ وَلا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهِ الْكُفَّارُ.

Published English translation

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Yahya from Talhah ibn Zayd who has said the following: “Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘There are two towns of the people in the state of war against the Muslims. Each town has a king. They had a war and then made peace. Thereafter one king acted treacherously against the other king, came to the Muslims and made peace to help him against the other town.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) said, ‘It is not worthy of the Muslims to act treacherously or command people to act treacherously or fight along side the treacherous people. However, they fight the pagans wherever they find them. The covenant of the unbelievers is not effective.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف كالموثق

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (0/322)

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: صحيح

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 1, pp. 113, 114

Assessment transcribed from the source's named scholar and reference. No new grading or consensus is asserted; differing entries remain separate.

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
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