Al-Kafi · Hadith 15

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Evaluation of Deeds · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 203, Hadith 15

Original Arabic text

15ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَعَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْقَاسَانِيِّ جَمِيعاً عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ الْمِنْقَرِيِّ عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ غِيَاثٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله يَقُولُ إِنْ قَدَرْتَ أَنْ لا تُعْرَفَ فَافْعَلْ وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلا يُثْنِيَ عَلَيْكَ النَّاسُ وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مَذْمُوماً عِنْدَ النَّاسِ إِذَا كُنْتَ مَحْمُوداً عِنْدَ الله ثُمَّ قَالَ قَالَ أَبِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) لا خَيْرَ فِي الْعَيْشِ إِلا لِرَجُلَيْنِ رَجُلٍ يَزْدَادُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَيْراً وَرَجُلٍ يَتَدَارَكُ مَنِيَّتَهُ بِالتَّوْبَةِ وَأَنَّى لَهُ بِالتَّوْبَةِ وَالله لَوْ سَجَدَ حَتَّى يَنْقَطِعَ عُنُقُهُ مَا قَبِلَ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مِنْهُ إِلا بِوَلايَتِنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ أَلا وَمَنْ عَرَفَ حَقَّنَا وَرَجَا الثَّوَابَ فِينَا وَرَضِيَ بِقُوتِهِ نِصْفِ مُدٍّ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَمَا سَتَرَ عَوْرَتَهُ وَمَا أَكَنَّ رَأْسَهُ وَهُمْ وَالله فِي ذَلِكَ خَائِفُونَ وَجِلُونَ وَدُّوا أَنَّهُ حَظُّهُمْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَكَذَلِكَ وَصَفَهُمُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَالَ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ ما آتَوْا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلى‏ رَبِّهِمْ راجِعُونَ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا الَّذِي آتَوْا آتَوْا وَالله مَعَ الطَّاعَةِ الْمَحَبَّةَ وَالْوَلايَةَ وَهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ خَائِفُونَ لَيْسَ خَوْفُهُمْ خَوْفَ شَكٍّ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ خَافُوا أَنْ يَكُونُوا مُقَصِّرِينَ فِي مَحَبَّتِنَا وَطَاعَتِنَا.

Published English translation

15. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qasani have all narrated from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Sulayman al-Minqari from Hafs ibn Ghiyath who has said the following: “Once I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘If you can remain unknown, then do so. There will be nothing wrong if people will not praise you. There is nothing wrong for you if people censure you if you are praiseworthy before Allah.’ The Imam said, ‘My father Amir al- Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, “There is nothing good in life except for two kinds of people: a man who every day increases his good deeds and a man who every day remedies a destructive deed with repentance. How can repentance be of any benefit for him? By Allah, if he would perform a Sajdah prostration for such a length of time that his neck severs off of his body still, Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, will not accept his repentance without his acknowledgement of the Wilayah (Divine Authority) of our Ahl al-Bayt (family of Holy Prophet). You must know that whoever recognizes our rights can have hope for rewards because of us. He agrees, for his survival, to half of a one time meal every day, and with that which provides him covering for his privacy, his or her head, and with it, by Allah, they live in fear and apprehension and love to agree with this much as their share from the world and this is how Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, has described them, ‘. . . who bring what is brought to them and whose hearts are afraid of their return to their Lord.’ (23:60) What do they bring? They, by Allah, will bring along with obedience, love and (acknowledgement of) the guardianship (of Allah and Ahl al-Bayt (family of Holy Prophet) and they still will be afraid. Such fear is not due to doubts, but it is due to their fear of falling short in our love and obedience.’””

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

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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