Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Leaving It to Allah to Be the Person in Charge of Affairs, and Having Trust in Him · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 32, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عُلْوَانَ قَالَ كُنَّا فِي مَجْلِسٍ نَطْلُبُ فِيهِ الْعِلْمَ وَقَدْ نَفِدَتْ نَفَقَتِي فِي بَعْضِ الأسْفَارِ فَقَالَ لِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا مَنْ تُؤَمِّلُ لِمَا قَدْ نَزَلَ بِكَ فَقُلْتُ فُلاناً فَقَالَ إِذاً وَالله لا تُسْعَفُ حَاجَتُكَ وَلا يَبْلُغُكَ أَمَلُكَ وَلا تُنْجَحُ طَلِبَتُكَ قُلْتُ وَمَا عَلَّمَكَ رَحِمَكَ الله قَالَ إِنَّ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) حَدَّثَنِي أَنَّهُ قَرَأَ فِي بَعْضِ الْكُتُبِ أَنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يَقُولُ وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلالِي وَمَجْدِي وَارْتِفَاعِي عَلَى عَرْشِي لأقْطَعَنَّ أَمَلَ كُلِّ مُؤَمِّلٍ [ مِنَ النَّاسِ ] غَيْرِي بِالْيَأْسِ وَلأكْسُوَنَّهُ ثَوْبَ الْمَذَلَّةِ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ وَلأنَحِّيَنَّهُ مِنْ قُرْبِي وَلأبَعِّدَنَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِي أَ يُؤَمِّلُ غَيْرِي فِي الشَّدَائِدِ وَالشَّدَائِدُ بِيَدِي وَيَرْجُو غَيْرِي وَيَقْرَعُ بِالْفِكْرِ بَابَ غَيْرِي وَبِيَدِي مَفَاتِيحُ الأبْوَابِ وَهِيَ مُغْلَقَةٌ وَبَابِي مَفْتُوحٌ لِمَنْ دَعَانِي فَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِي أَمَّلَنِي لِنَوَائِبِهِ فَقَطَعْتُهُ دُونَهَا وَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِي رَجَانِي لِعَظِيمَةٍ فَقَطَعْتُ رَجَاءَهُ مِنِّي جَعَلْتُ آمَالَ عِبَادِي عِنْدِي مَحْفُوظَةً فَلَمْ يَرْضَوْا بِحِفْظِي وَمَلأتُ سَمَاوَاتِي مِمَّنْ لا يَمَلُّ مِنْ تَسْبِيحِي وَأَمَرْتُهُمْ أَنْ لا يُغْلِقُوا الأبْوَابَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عِبَادِي فَلَمْ يَثِقُوا بِقَوْلِي أَ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ [ أَنَّ ] مَنْ طَرَقَتْهُ نَائِبَةٌ مِنْ نَوَائِبِي أَنَّهُ لا يَمْلِكُ كَشْفَهَا أَحَدٌ غَيْرِي إِلا مِنْ بَعْدِ إِذْنِي فَمَا لِي أَرَاهُ لاهِياً عَنِّي أَعْطَيْتُهُ بِجُودِي مَا لَمْ يَسْأَلْنِي ثُمَّ انْتَزَعْتُهُ عَنْهُ فَلَمْ يَسْأَلْنِي رَدَّهُ وَسَأَلَ غَيْرِي أَ فَيَرَانِي أَبْدَأُ بِالْعَطَاءِ قَبْلَ الْمَسْأَلَةِ ثُمَّ أُسْأَلُ فَلا أُجِيبُ سَائِلِي أَ بَخِيلٌ أَنَا فَيُبَخِّلُنِي عَبْدِي أَ وَلَيْسَ الْجُودُ وَالْكَرَمُ لِي أَ وَلَيْسَ الْعَفْوُ وَالرَّحْمَةُ بِيَدِي أَ وَلَيْسَ أَنَا مَحَلَّ الآمَالِ فَمَنْ يَقْطَعُهَا دُونِي أَ فَلا يَخْشَى الْمُؤَمِّلُونَ أَنْ يُؤَمِّلُوا غَيْرِي فَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ سَمَاوَاتِي وَأَهْلَ أَرْضِي أَمَّلُوا جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ أَعْطَيْتُ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ مِثْلَ مَا أَمَّلَ الْجَمِيعُ مَا انْتَقَصَ مِنْ مُلْكِي مِثْلَ عُضْوِ ذَرَّةٍ وَكَيْفَ يَنْقُصُ مُلْكٌ أَنَا قَيِّمُهُ فَيَا بُؤْساً لِلْقَانِطِينَ مِنْ رَحْمَتِي وَيَا بُؤْساً لِمَنْ عَصَانِي وَلَمْ يُرَاقِبْنِي.

Published English translation

7. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu’ alia ibn Muhammad from abu Ali from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from al-Husayn ibn Rashid from al-Husayn ibn Ulwan who has said the following: “We were in a gathering to seek knowledge and education. During one of the journeys I was left without any resources for my expenditures. A certain individual of my friends was concerned about who would look after my needs. I said, ‘So and so will look after my needs.’ He then said, ‘I swear by Allah, you will not get what you need and you will not achieve what you hope to achieve.’ I then asked, ‘How do you know, may Allah grant you favors?’ He said, ‘Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) told me that he has read in a certain book that Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, has said, “I swear by My Majesty, by My Glory, by My Greatness, by My Highness over My Throne, I will turn the hopes of all who hope in people other than Me into hopelessness, and I will dress him with the clothe of humiliation before the people, and move him away from nearness to Me. I will move him away from My additional favors. How dare he expects help from others in hardship? All hardships are under My control. He expects others to help him. He knocks on the door of the others and the key to all closed doors is in My hand and My door is open for those who pray to Me. Who is he that hopes to receive help from Me in his difficulties and I have left him in hardship? Is there anyone who had hopes in Me in a great hardship and I cutoff his hopes in Me? I have placed the hopes of My servants safe with Me. They did not agree with My safeguarding their interests. I have filled up My heavens with those who never tire from speaking of My Glory. I have commanded them not to close the doors between Me and My servants. They did not trust My words. Do they not know that if I afflict one with My hardships no one have the ability to remove them without My permission. “Why is it then that 1 see him mindless of Me? I granted him favor without his asking, then I removed the favor and he did not ask Me to return it but he asked others. Has he not seen Me grant favors even before asking. How would I refuse My favors when I am asked for a favor? Am I stingy and do My servants consider Me as such? Do generosity and benevolence not originate from Me? Are not forgiveness and kindness in My hand? Am I not the center of hopes? Who is he that cuts off his hopes from Me? Are those who cut off their hopes from Me not afraid of placing their hopes in others? If the inhabitants of My heavens and the inhabitants of My earth would all have hopes in Me and I then grant each one equal to that which all of them wished to have, no shortages would take place in my kingdom even to the size of an atom. How can there be any shortages in the kingdom that I Myself am the keeper of? How hopeless is the case of those who cut off their hopes from Me? How hopeless is the case of those who disobey Me and do not expect anything from Me?’””

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 (8/24)

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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