Al-Kafi · Hadith 2

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · About the Words of Allah, the Most High, Certain people worship Allah with deviance · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 178, Hadith 2

Original Arabic text

2ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بَكْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ الله عَلى‏ حَرْفٍ قَالَ هُمْ قَوْمٌ وَحَّدُوا الله وَخَلَعُوا عِبَادَةَ مَنْ يُعْبَدُ مِنْ دُونِ الله فَخَرَجُوا مِنَ الشِّرْكِ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفُوا أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) رَسُولُ الله فَهُمْ يَعْبُدُونَ الله عَلَى شَكٍّ فِي مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَمَا جَاءَ بِهِ فَأَتَوْا رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَقَالُوا نَنْظُرُ فَإِنْ كَثُرَتْ أَمْوَالُنَا وَعُوفِينَا فِي أَنْفُسِنَا وَأَوْلادِنَا عَلِمْنَا أَنَّهُ صَادِقٌ وَأَنَّهُ رَسُولُ الله وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ نَظَرْنَا قَالَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِنْ أَصابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ يَعْنِي عَافِيَةً فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنْ أَصابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ يَعْنِي بَلاءً فِي نَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ انْقَلَبَ عَلى‏ وَجْهِهِ انْقَلَبَ عَلَى شَكِّهِ إِلَى الشِّرْكِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةَ ذلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرانُ الْمُبِينُ يَدْعُوا مِنْ دُونِ الله ما لا يَضُرُّهُ وَما لا يَنْفَعُهُ قَالَ يَنْقَلِبُ مُشْرِكاً يَدْعُو غَيْرَ الله وَيَعْبُدُ غَيْرَهُ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَعْرِفُ وَيَدْخُلُ الإيمَانُ قَلْبَهُ فَيُؤْمِنُ وَيُصَدِّقُ وَيَزُولُ عَنْ مَنْزِلَتِهِ مِنَ الشَّكِّ إِلَى الإيمَانِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَثْبُتُ عَلَى شَكِّهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْقَلِبُ إِلَى الشِّرْكِ. عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ مِثْلَهُ.

Published English translation

2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Musa ibn Bakr from Zurara who has said the following: “Once I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.) about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘Certain people worship Allah for worldly gains.’ (22:11) The Imam said, ‘They were a people who accepted Allah only, gave up the worship of things worshipped besides Allah; thus they came out of paganism and did not know that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Therefore they worshipped Allah with doubts in Muhammad and what he had brought from Allah. They would come to the Messenger of Allah and say (to each other), ‘We will see if our properties increase, we and our children enjoy good health then we will believe that he is the Messenger of Allah; otherwise, we will think.’ “Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘When they receive good things they enjoy confidence in it, . . .’ [worldly well being], ‘ . . . when they suffer hardships . . .’ [misfortune in his life and property], ‘ ... he turns backwards,’ [in doubt to paganism, thus] ‘. . . they suffer loses in this world and in the next life, an obvious loss. They call for help from things other than Allah that do not harm or benefit them.’ (22:12) The Imam said, ‘He turns to paganism and calls for help from things other than Allah and worships things besides Allah. There are those of them who learn true knowledge and belief enters their heart. They become believers. They acknowledge the truth and move from their doubtful position to belief. There are those of them who remain in doubt and still others of them return to paganism.’” Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from a man from Zurara a similar Hadith.

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi: صحيح

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 1, pp. 126, 127

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
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
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original Source Url: https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/1/178/2
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