Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book of Social Manners · Those Whose Association and Friendship Is Undesirable · Volume 2, book 4, chapter 4, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ جَمِيعاً عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُذَافِرٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِمَا عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ وَأَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ أَبِيهِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ صَلَوَاتُ الله عَلَيْهِمَا يَا بُنَيَّ انْظُرْ خَمْسَةً فَلا تُصَاحِبْهُمْ وَلا تُحَادِثْهُمْ وَلا تُرَافِقْهُمْ فِي طَرِيقٍ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَتِ مَنْ هُمْ عَرِّفْنِيهِمْ قَالَ إِيَّاكَ وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الْكَذَّابِ فَإِنَّهُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ السَّرَابِ يُقَرِّبُ لَكَ الْبَعِيدَ وَيُبَعِّدُ لَكَ الْقَرِيبَ وَإِيَّاكَ وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الْفَاسِقِ فَإِنَّهُ بَائِعُكَ بِأُكْلَةٍ أَوْ أَقَلَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَإِيَّاكَ وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الْبَخِيلِ فَإِنَّهُ يَخْذُلُكَ فِي مَالِهِ أَحْوَجَ مَا تَكُونُ إِلَيْهِ وَإِيَّاكَ وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الأحْمَقِ فَإِنَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْفَعَكَ فَيَضُرُّكَ وَإِيَّاكَ وَمُصَاحَبَةَ الْقَاطِعِ لِرَحِمِهِ فَإِنِّي وَجَدْتُهُ مَلْعُوناً فِي كِتَابِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ثَلاثَةِ مَوَاضِعَ قَالَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الأرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحامَكُمْ أُولئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ الله فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمى‏ أَبْصارَهُمْ وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ الله مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ ما أَمَرَ الله بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الأرْضِ أُولئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ وَقَالَ فِي الْبَقَرَةِ الَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ الله مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ ما أَمَرَ الله بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الأرْضِ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْخاسِرُونَ.

Published English translation

7. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman from Muhammad ibn ‘Adhafir from certain individuals of their people from Muhammad ibn Muslim and abu Hamza from abu ‘Abd Allah and his father (a.s.) who has said the following: “My father, Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) once said to me, ‘My son, look for five kinds of people. Do not befriend them, speak to or accompany them on a road.’ 1 then asked, ‘O father, who are they? Define them for me.’ He said, ‘Never befriend a liar; he is like a mirage. He shows what is far very near and what is near, in fact, very far. Never befriend a sinful person; he may sell you for a meal or even less. Never befriend a stingy person; he betrays you in the matter of his property at a time when you need help urgently. Never befriend an idiotic person; he may intend to benefit you, instead he causes you injuries. Never befriend one who has failed to maintain good relations with relatives; I have found him condemned in the book of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, in three places. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said: “If you ignore the commands of Allah, would you then also spread evil in the land and sever the ties of kinship? (47:22) Allah has condemned these people and made them deaf, dumb, and blind.” (47:23) ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, “Those who disregard their covenant with Allah after He has taken such a pledge from them, who sever the proper relations that Allah has commanded them to establish, and those who spread evil in the land will have Allah’s condemnation instead of reward and will face the most terrible end.” (13:25) ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, “. . . who break their established covenant with Him and the relations He has commanded to be kept and who spread evil in the land. These are the ones who lose a great deal.”’” (2:27)

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرسل

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (2/535)

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
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
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