Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Evaluation of Deeds · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 203, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ جَمِيعاً عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ (عَلَيهِما السَّلام) قَالَ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا الدَّهْرُ ثَلاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ أَنْتَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُنَّ مَضَى أَمْسِ بِمَا فِيهِ فَلا يَرْجِعُ أَبَداً فَإِنْ كُنْتَ عَمِلْتَ فِيهِ خَيْراً لَمْ تَحْزَنْ لِذَهَابِهِ وَفَرِحْتَ بِمَا اسْتَقْبَلْتَهُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ قَدْ فَرَّطْتَ فِيهِ فَحَسْرَتُكَ شَدِيدَةٌ لِذَهَابِهِ وَتَفْرِيطِكَ فِيهِ وَأَنْتَ فِي يَوْمِكَ الَّذِي أَصْبَحْتَ فِيهِ مِنْ غَدٍ فِي غِرَّةٍ وَلا تَدْرِي لَعَلَّكَ لا تَبْلُغُهُ وَإِنْ بَلَغْتَهُ لَعَلَّ حَظَّكَ فِيهِ فِي التَّفْرِيطِ مِثْلُ حَظِّكَ فِي الأمْسِ الْمَاضِي عَنْكَ فَيَوْمٌ مِنَ الثَّلاثَةِ قَدْ مَضَى أَنْتَ فِيهِ مُفَرِّطٌ وَيَوْمٌ تَنْتَظِرُهُ لَسْتَ أَنْتَ مِنْهُ عَلَى يَقِينٍ مِنْ تَرْكِ التَّفْرِيطِ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ يَوْمُكَ الَّذِي أَصْبَحْتَ فِيهِ وَقَدْ يَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ عَقَلْتَ وَفَكَّرْتَ فِيمَا فَرَّطْتَ فِي الأمْسِ الْمَاضِي مِمَّا فَاتَكَ فِيهِ مِنْ حَسَنَاتٍ أَلا تَكُونَ اكْتَسَبْتَهَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتٍ أَلا تَكُونَ أَقْصَرْتَ عَنْهَا وَأَنْتَ مَعَ هَذَا مَعَ اسْتِقْبَالِ غَدٍ عَلَى غَيْرِ ثِقَةٍ مِنْ أَنْ تَبْلُغَهُ وَعَلَى غَيْرِ يَقِينٍ مِنِ اكْتِسَابِ حَسَنَةٍ أَوْ مُرْتَدَعٍ عَنْ سَيِّئَةٍ مُحْبِطَةٍ فَأَنْتَ مِنْ يَوْمِكَ الَّذِي تَسْتَقْبِلُ عَلَى مِثْلِ يَوْمِكَ الَّذِي اسْتَدْبَرْتَ فَاعْمَلْ عَمَلَ رَجُلٍ لَيْسَ يَأْمُلُ مِنَ الأيَّامِ إِلا يَوْمَهُ الَّذِي أَصْبَحَ فِيهِ وَلَيْلَتَهُ فَاعْمَلْ أَوْ دَعْ وَالله الْمُعِينُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.

Published English translation

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and a number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad all from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Ali ibn Ri’ab from abu Hamza from Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) who has said the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) would say, ‘Time consists of three days in the middle of which you live. Yesterday that has passed in history with all that was in it and it will never return. If you had done good deeds in it you do not feel sad about it’s passing into history and you feel happy about everything that you experienced in it. If you had acted extremely (bad) in it your regret is severe, for it’s passing into history, due to your acting extremely (bad). While you are in the day that you live, about tomorrow you are unaware, you do not know if you will ever reach it. Perhaps your share of acting extremely (bad) in it will be just as yesterday that has passed into history.’ “One of the three days has passed and in it you had acted extremely (bad). There is the day that you are waiting for and you are not sure if you will avoid acting extremely (bad) in it. What is left is the day in which you live and it is very proper for you to use your power of reason and think about your acting extremely (bad) yesterday that passed and of the good deeds that you missed to perform when you should have performed them and the evil deeds that you should have avoided. Despite this, about tomorrow you are not certain of reaching it and whether you will perform any good deeds in it or avoid committing evil deeds that deletes the good deeds. Thus, your position toward tomorrow is like your position toward yesterday. Therefore, you must act like one who has no hope in any of the days except the day and night in which he lives. Do good deeds and save and Allah is the supporter for such task.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: حسن كالصحيح

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/355)

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.

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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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