Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Sins Are of Three Kinds · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 195, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ صَعِدَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) بِالْكُوفَةِ الْمِنْبَرَ فَحَمِدَ الله وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ الذُّنُوبَ ثَلاثَةٌ ثُمَّ أَمْسَكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ حَبَّةُ الْعُرَنِيُّ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قُلْتَ الذُّنُوبُ ثَلاثَةٌ ثُمَّ أَمْسَكْتَ فَقَالَ مَا ذَكَرْتُهَا إِلا وَأَنَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُفَسِّرَهَا وَلَكِنْ عَرَضَ لِي بُهْرٌ حَالَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ الْكَلامِ نَعَمْ الذُّنُوبُ ثَلاثَةٌ فَذَنْبٌ مَغْفُورٌ وَذَنْبٌ غَيْرُ مَغْفُورٍ وَذَنْبٌ نَرْجُو لِصَاحِبِهِ وَنَخَافُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَبَيِّنْهَا لَنَا قَالَ نَعَمْ أَمَّا الذَّنْبُ الْمَغْفُورُ فَعَبْدٌ عَاقَبَهُ الله عَلَى ذَنْبِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَالله أَحْلَمُ وَأَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يُعَاقِبَ عَبْدَهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَأَمَّا الذَّنْبُ الَّذِي لا يُغْفَرُ فَمَظَالِمُ الْعِبَادِ بَعْضِهِمْ لِبَعْضٍ إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى إِذَا بَرَزَ لِخَلْقِهِ أَقْسَمَ قَسَماً عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلالِي لا يَجُوزُنِي ظُلْمُ ظَالِمٍ وَلَوْ كَفٌّ بِكَفٍّ وَلَوْ مَسْحَةٌ بِكَفٍّ وَلَوْ نَطْحَةٌ مَا بَيْنَ الْقَرْنَاءِ إِلَى الْجَمَّاءِ فَيَقْتَصُّ لِلْعِبَادِ بَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ حَتَّى لا تَبْقَى لأحَدٍ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مَظْلِمَةٌ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُهُمْ لِلْحِسَابِ وَأَمَّا الذَّنْبُ الثَّالِثُ فَذَنْبٌ سَتَرَهُ الله عَلَى خَلْقِهِ وَرَزَقَهُ التَّوْبَةَ مِنْهُ فَأَصْبَحَ خَائِفاً مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ رَاجِياً لِرَبِّهِ فَنَحْنُ لَهُ كَمَا هُوَ لِنَفْسِهِ نَرْجُو لَهُ الرَّحْمَةَ وَنَخَافُ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابَ.

Published English translation

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Hammad from certain individuals of his people in a marfu’ manner who has said the following: “Once Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) climbed the Minbar (pulpit) in al-Kufah, praised Allah and spoke of His glory and then said, ‘O people sins are of three kinds’ and he remained quiet. Habbah al-‘Arani, said, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin, you just said, “Sins are of three kinds, and then remained silent.’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, I mentioned them and wanted to explain and inteipret them but a breathing problem prevented me from speaking. Yes, sins are of three kinds: A sin that is forgiven, a sin that is not forgiven and a sin for whose owner we have hopes and fears.’ The man said, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin, explain them for us.’ “The Imam said, ‘Yes, the sin that is forgiven is one for which Allah has punished the sinner in this world and He is by far much Forbearing and Honorable to punish His servant twice. “The sin that is not forgiven is people’s injustice to each other (in the matters of property and so forth). When Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, will manifest himself to His creatures, He will swear by His Ownself saying, ‘By My Majesty and Glory that the injustice of the unjust cannot bypass Me, even though it is in the form of a slap for a slap, a nibbing for a slap, or blow by those having horns to those without horns.’ He will retaliate for His servants from the others until no one will be left without receiving justice and thereafter they will be sent for reckoning. “The third kind of sin is the sin that Allah has covered for His servants and has granted them repentance. He lives in fear because of his sin with hopes in his Lord. We toward him are just as he is to himself. We wish he will be granted mercy and fear for his suffering punishment.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرفوع

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (11/321)

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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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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