Al-Kafi · Hadith 15

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Condemnation of Worldly Matters and Abstaining Thereby · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 61, Hadith 15

Original Arabic text

15ـ عَنْهُ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أَبَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا قَدِ ارْتَحَلَتْ مُدْبِرَةً وَإِنَّ الآخِرَةَ قَدِ ارْتَحَلَتْ مُقْبِلَةً وَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُمَا بَنُونَ فَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الآخِرَةِ وَلا تَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا أَلا وَكُونُوا مِنَ الزَّاهِدِينَ فِي الدُّنْيَا الرَّاغِبِينَ فِي الآخِرَةِ أَلا إِنَّ الزَّاهِدِينَ فِي الدُّنْيَا اتَّخَذُوا الأرْضَ بِسَاطاً وَالتُّرَابَ فِرَاشاً وَالْمَاءَ طِيباً وَقُرِّضُوا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا تَقْرِيضاً أَلا وَمَنِ اشْتَاقَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ سَلا عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَمَنْ أَشْفَقَ مِنَ النَّارِ رَجَعَ عَنِ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ وَمَنْ زَهِدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا هَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَصَائِبُ أَلا إِنَّ لله عِبَاداً كَمَنْ رَأَى أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مُخَلَّدِينَ وَكَمَنْ رَأَى أَهْلَ النَّارِ فِي النَّارِ مُعَذَّبِينَ شُرُورُهُمْ مَأْمُونَةٌ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ مَحْزُونَةٌ أَنْفُسُهُمْ عَفِيفَةٌ وَحَوَائِجُهُمْ خَفِيفَةٌ صَبَرُوا أَيَّاماً قَلِيلَةً فَصَارُوا بِعُقْبَى رَاحَةٍ طَوِيلَةٍ أَمَّا اللَّيْلَ فَصَافُّونَ أَقْدَامَهُمْ تَجْرِي دُمُوعُهُمْ عَلَى خُدُودِهِمْ وَهُمْ يَجْأَرُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَسْعَوْنَ فِي فَكَاكِ رِقَابِهِمْ وَأَمَّا النَّهَارَ فَحُلَمَاءُ عُلَمَاءُ بَرَرَةٌ أَتْقِيَاءُ كَأَنَّهُمْ الْقِدَاحُ قَدْ بَرَاهُمُ الْخَوْفُ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمُ النَّاظِرُ فَيَقُولُ مَرْضَى وَمَا بِالْقَوْمِ مِنْ مَرَضٍ أَمْ خُولِطُوا فَقَدْ خَالَطَ الْقَوْمَ أَمْرٌ عَظِيمٌ مِنْ ذِكْرِ النَّارِ وَمَا فِيهَا.

Published English translation

15. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali ibn al-Hakam from ‘Amr ibn Aban from abu Hamza from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) has said, ‘The world has begun to move backwards and the next world is moving forward. Each world has its sons. Therefore, you must be of the sons of the next world and not the sons of this world. You must be of those who have reduced their interest in worldly matters and of those seriously interested in the next life. You must know that those with reduced interest in worldly matters have taken the earth as their habitat, the soil as their bedding, water as their perfume and have cut themselves off this world in all seriousness.’ “Note that those who are interested in paradise have harnessed their worldly desires and those who are afraid of the fire have turned away from prohibited matters. Whoever reduces his interests in worldly matters, hardships become easy for him. “Note that there are the servants of Allah who are as if they, actually, see the people of paradise in paradise live forever and the people of fire in the fire in huge suffering. Instead of evil coming from them it is absolute peace, the hearts of these servants of Allah are sad, their soul chaste, and their needs are very light. They exercise patience for a few short days followed by a very long lasting comfort. At night they stand up straight with their feet side by side and tears come down their cheeks. They plead before their Lord and struggle to set their neck free (of sins). In the day they are forbearing scholars, very virtuous and pious. They are slim like an arrow without fins; it is caused by their fear (for possible suffering in the next life) during their worship. On looking to them one may think they suffer from illness. They, in fact, have no illness, or any confusion in their reasoning power, but they have plunged into a tremendously great issue; it is the issue of the fire and all that it involves.”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مجهول

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (8/286)

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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