Al-Kafi · Hadith 5

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · The Clay from Which the Believers and Unbelievers Are Made · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 1, Hadith 5

Original Arabic text

5ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَغَيْرِ وَاحِدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ جَمِيعاً عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أُورَمَةَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ يُوسُفَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ الله بْنُ كَيْسَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَنَا مَوْلاكَ عَبْدُ الله بْنُ كَيْسَانَ قَالَ أَمَّا النَّسَبُ فَأَعْرِفُهُ وَأَمَّا أَنْتَ فَلَسْتُ أَعْرِفُكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنِّي وُلِدْتُ بِالْجَبَلِ وَنَشَأْتُ فِي أَرْضِ فَارِسَ وَإِنَّنِي أُخَالِطُ النَّاسَ فِي التِّجَارَاتِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ فَأُخَالِطُ الرَّجُلَ فَأَرَى لَهُ حُسْنَ السَّمْتِ وَحُسْنَ الْخُلُقِ وَكَثْرَةَ أَمَانَةٍ ثُمَّ أُفَتِّشُهُ فَأَتَبَيَّنُهُ عَنْ عَدَاوَتِكُمْ وَأُخَالِطُ الرَّجُلَ فَأَرَى مِنْهُ سُوءَ الْخُلُقِ وَقِلَّةَ أَمَانَةٍ وَزَعَارَّةً ثُمَّ أُفَتِّشُهُ فَأَتَبَيَّنُهُ عَنْ وَلايَتِكُمْ فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لِي أَ مَا عَلِمْتَ يَا ابْنَ كَيْسَانَ أَنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَخَذَ طِينَةً مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَطِينَةً مِنَ النَّارِ فَخَلَطَهُمَا جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ نَزَعَ هَذِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ وَهَذِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ فَمَا رَأَيْتَ مِنْ أُولَئِكَ مِنَ الأمَانَةِ وَحُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ وَحُسْنِ السَّمْتِ فَمِمَّا مَسَّتْهُمْ مِنْ طِينَةِ الْجَنَّةِ وَهُمْ يَعُودُونَ إِلَى مَا خُلِقُوا مِنْهُ وَمَا رَأَيْتَ مِنْ هَؤُلاءِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الأمَانَةِ وَسُوءِ الْخُلُقِ وَالزَّعَارَّةِ فَمِمَّا مَسَّتْهُمْ مِنْ طِينَةِ النَّارِ وَهُمْ يَعُودُونَ إِلَى مَا خُلِقُوا مِنْهُ.

Published English translation

5. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad, who has narrated from more than one person from al-Husayn ibn al-Hassan. All of the above have narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Uwarma from Muhammad ibn Ali from ‘Isma’il ibn Yasar from ‘Uthman ibn Yusuf who has said that, reported to him ‘Abd Allah ibn Kaysan, from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once I said to the Imam, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, I am your servant, abu ‘Abd Allah ibn Kaysan.’ The Imam said, ‘I know your genealogy. However, I do not know you (so well).’ I said, ‘I was born in the mountains and grew up in the land of Persia. I associate with people in business and other occasions. I, thus, associate with a man and find his appearance very good, to be of good manners and more trustworthy. When I investigate, I find him to be one of your enemies. I also associate with another man who has bad manners, is less trustworthy and hot tempered. I then investigate and find him to be of your supporters and followers. Why is it so?’ “He (the Imam) said, ‘O ibn Kaysan, Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, took a clay from paradise and also from fire and then mixed them together. Then He separated this from that and that from this. The good appearances, good manners and trustworthiness that you find in them (our enemies) is because of the touch of the clay from paradise but they will return to that from which they are made. The deceitfulness, bad manners and hot-temperament that you find in them (our supporters and followers) is because of the touch of the clay from fire, however, they will return to that from which they were made.’”

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 (9/7)

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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edition: Al-Kafi, volume 2, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
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source File Hash: d538c07d5f74e5fbc26b065897c076eab247d4d7c09e633fbb6184de9f37ee78
original Source Url: https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/1/1/5
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