Al-Kafi · Hadith 5

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Assisting a Believer in his Needs · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 83, Hadith 5

Original Arabic text

5ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ الْجَهْمِ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ الصَّيْرَفِيِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ الْمُؤْمِنُ رَحْمَةٌ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِ قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ وَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ قَالَ أَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ أَتَى أَخَاهُ فِي حَاجَةٍ فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ رَحْمَةٌ مِنَ الله سَاقَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَسَبَّبَهَا لَهُ فَإِنْ قَضَى حَاجَتَهُ كَانَ قَدْ قَبِلَ الرَّحْمَةَ بِقَبُولِهَا وَإِنْ رَدَّهُ عَنْ حَاجَتِهِ وَهُوَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى قَضَائِهَا فَإِنَّمَا رَدَّ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ رَحْمَةً مِنَ الله جَلَّ وَعَزَّ سَاقَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَسَبَّبَهَا لَهُ وَذَخَرَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تِلْكَ الرَّحْمَةَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْمَرْدُودُ عَنْ حَاجَتِهِ هُوَ الْحَاكِمَ فِيهَا إِنْ شَاءَ صَرَفَهَا إِلَى نَفْسِهِ وَإِنْ شَاءَ صَرَفَهَا إِلَى غَيْرِهِ يَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ فَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُوَ الْحَاكِمُ فِي رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ الله قَدْ شُرِعَتْ لَهُ فَإِلَى مَنْ تَرَى يَصْرِفُهَا قُلْتُ لا أَظُنُّ يَصْرِفُهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ قَالَ لا تَظُنَّ وَلَكِنِ اسْتَيْقِنْ فَإِنَّهُ لَنْ يَرُدَّهَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ يَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ مَنْ أَتَاهُ أَخُوهُ فِي حَاجَةٍ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى قَضَائِهَا فَلَمْ يَقْضِهَا لَهُ سَلَّطَ الله عَلَيْهِ شُجَاعاً يَنْهَشُ إِبْهَامَهُ فِي قَبْرِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَغْفُوراً لَهُ أَوْ مُعَذَّباً.

Published English translation

5. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from Harun ibn al-Jahm from Isma’il ibn ‘Ammar al-Sayrafi who has said the following: “Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, is a believer a blessing for believers?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, he is.’ I then asked, ‘How is he as such?’ The Imam said, ‘A believer who may come to his brother (in belief) for help, in fact, is a blessing from Allah whom He has lead to him and has made him a means of blessings for him. If he makes his wish come true he accepts the blessing through his help and if he refuses to help while capable to help he, in fact, has repulsed from himself blessings that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, had lead to him and had made him (believer) a means for his receiving rewards. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, preserves that blessing to the Day of Judgment so that the needy believer who had faced refusal may decide about it. He may avail it for himself or someone else. O Isma’il, on the Day of Judgment when he will be the judge for the blessing from Allah that is appropriated to him to who do you think he will make it available?’ I said, ‘I do not think he will turn it away from himself.’ The Imam said, ‘Do you not think? Be certain that he will not turn it away from himself. O ’Isma’il, if a believer comes to his brother (in belief) for help and he refuses to help, despite being able to help, in his grave Allah will raise a snake to keep biting his thumb to the Day of Judgment wherein he may be forgiven or made to suffer torments.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: حسن

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (9/103)

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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