Al-Kafi · Hadith 23

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Condemnation of Worldly Matters and Abstaining Thereby · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 61, Hadith 23

Original Arabic text

23ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ أَبِي جَمِيلَةَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) كَتَبَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) إِلَى بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ يَعِظُهُ أُوصِيكَ وَنَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى مَنْ لا تَحِلُّ مَعْصِيَتُهُ وَلا يُرْجَى غَيْرُهُ وَلا الْغِنَى إِلا بِهِ فَإِنَّ مَنِ اتَّقَى الله جَلَّ وَعَزَّ وَقَوِيَ وَشَبِعَ وَرَوِيَ وَرُفِعَ عَقْلُهُ عَنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا فَبَدَنُهُ مَعَ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَقَلْبُهُ وَعَقْلُهُ مُعَايِنُ الآخِرَةِ فَأَطْفَأَ بِضَوْءِ قَلْبِهِ مَا أَبْصَرَتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنْ حُبِّ الدُّنْيَا فَقَذَّرَ حَرَامَهَا وَجَانَبَ شُبُهَاتِهَا وَأَضَرَّ وَالله بِالْحَلالِ الصَّافِي إِلا مَا لا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْ كِسْرَةٍ مِنْهُ يَشُدُّ بِهَا صُلْبَهُ وَثَوْبٍ يُوَارِي بِهِ عَوْرَتَهُ مِنْ أَغْلَظِ مَا يَجِدُ وَأَخْشَنِهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ فِيمَا لا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْهُ ثِقَةٌ وَلا رَجَاءٌ فَوَقَعَتْ ثِقَتُهُ وَرَجَاؤُهُ عَلَى خَالِقِ الأشْيَاءِ فَجَدَّ وَاجْتَهَدَ وَأَتْعَبَ بَدَنَهُ حَتَّى بَدَتِ الأضْلاعُ وَغَارَتِ الْعَيْنَانِ فَأَبْدَلَ الله لَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قُوَّةً فِي بَدَنِهِ وَشِدَّةً فِي عَقْلِهِ وَمَا ذُخِرَ لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ أَكْثَرُ فَارْفُضِ الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّ حُبَّ الدُّنْيَا يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ وَيُبْكِمُ وَيُذِلُّ الرِّقَابَ فَتَدَارَكْ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ عُمُرِكَ وَلا تَقُلْ غَداً أَوْ بَعْدَ غَدٍ فَإِنَّمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكَ بِإِقَامَتِهِمْ عَلَى الأمَانِيِّ وَالتَّسْوِيفِ حَتَّى أَتَاهُمْ أَمْرُ الله بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ غَافِلُونَ فَنُقِلُوا عَلَى أَعْوَادِهِمْ إِلَى قُبُورِهِمُ الْمُظْلِمَةِ الضَّيِّقَةِ وَقَدْ أَسْلَمَهُمُ الأوْلادُ وَالأهْلُونَ فَانْقَطِعْ إِلَى الله بِقَلْبٍ مُنِيبٍ مِنْ رَفْضِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَزْمٍ لَيْسَ فِيهِ انْكِسَارٌ وَلا انْخِزَالٌ أَعَانَنَا الله وَإِيَّاكَ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ وَوَفَّقَنَا الله وَإِيَّاكَ لِمَرْضَاتِهِ.

Published English translation

23. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from abu Jamilah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin (Ali ibn abu Talib) (a.s.) wrote to one of his companions to advise him. “I recommend that you and I be pious before the One whose disobedience is not lawful. Besides Him, in no one else is placing any hope worthwhile. Sufficiency is not achieveable without Him. Whoever is pious before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is strong and satisfied with food and drink, his reason soars above the people of the world. His body is with the people of the world, but his heart and power of reason examine the next life. The light of his heart extinguishes what his eyes see of the love of the world. He considers unlawful things in it filthy and stays away from its doubtful things. He, I swear by Allah, suffers losses in even clean lawful matters except small pieces for the bare necessities that keep him standing to survive and clothes, to cover his privacy, of the roughest and thickest quality that he can find. He did not find anything in which to place his trust and hope in the needed circumstances, so he placed his trust and hope in the Creator of all things. He worked hard and struggled intensely, and suffered fatigue until his ribs appeared and his eyes sunk. Allah, then, in exchange for this, strengthened his body and intensified his power of reason. What He has stored for him in the next life is much greater. Reject the world. Love of the world makes one blind, deaf and dumb and it bends the necks in humiliation. Compensate for what is left of your life and do not leave your task for tomorrow or after tomorrow. Those who were before were destroyed because of their dependence on false hope and temptation, until the command of Allah came suddenly when they were neglectful. They were transferred on (pieces of) wood to their dark and narrow graves. Their children and family abandoned them there. He was then left to Allah with a submissive heart. Those who reject the world with firmness will face no defeat or betrayal. May Allah help us and you in obeying Him, and may Allah give us and you the opportunity to do what He likes.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (8/310)

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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