Al-Kafi · Hadith 2

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Lies and Forgery · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 139, Hadith 2

Original Arabic text

2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَمَّنْ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) يَقُولُ لِوُلْدِهِ اتَّقُوا الْكَذِبَ الصَّغِيرَ مِنْهُ وَالْكَبِيرَ فِي كُلِّ جِدٍّ وَهَزْلٍ فَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ إِذَا كَذَبَ فِي الصَّغِيرِ اجْتَرَى عَلَى الْكَبِيرِ أَ مَا عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) قَالَ مَا يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ يَصْدُقُ حَتَّى يَكْتُبَهُ الله صِدِّيقاً وَمَا يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ يَكْذِبُ حَتَّى يَكْتُبَهُ الله كَذَّاباً.

Published English translation

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Isma’il ibn Mehran from Sayf ibn ‘ Amirah from those whom has mentioned (in his book) from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) would say to his children, ‘Be on your guard against lies, the small lies and the bigger lies in all the serious and trivial matters. If a man lies in a small matter, he grows bold to lie in a bigger one. Have you not noted that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘As long as a servant (of Allah) speaks the truth Allah writes him down as the truthful one and, if one continues speaking lies Allah writes him down as a liar?

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرسل

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (10/327)

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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