Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book of Belief and Disbelief · Belief Spreads In all Parts of the Body · Volume 2, book 1, chapter 18, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْعَبَّاسِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُيَسِّرٍ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو النَّصِيبِيِّ قَالَ سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ الْعَالِمَ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ أَيُّهَا الْعَالِمُ أَخْبِرْنِي أَيُّ الأعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ عِنْدَ الله قَالَ مَا لا يُقْبَلُ عَمَلٌ إِلا بِهِ فَقَالَ وَمَا ذَلِكَ قَالَ الإيمَانُ بِالله الَّذِي هُوَ أَعْلَى الأعْمَالِ دَرَجَةً وَأَسْنَاهَا حَظّاً وَأَشْرَفُهَا مَنْزِلَةً قُلْتُ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإيمَانِ أَ قَوْلٌ وَعَمَلٌ أَمْ قَوْلٌ بِلا عَمَلٍ قَالَ الإيمَانُ عَمَلٌ كُلُّهُ وَالْقَوْلُ بَعْضُ ذَلِكَ الْعَمَلِ بِفَرْضٍ مِنَ الله بَيَّنَهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَاضِحٍ نُورُهُ ثَابِتَةٍ حُجَّتُهُ يَشْهَدُ بِهِ الْكِتَابُ وَيَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ قُلْتُ صِفْ لِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى أَفْهَمَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الإيمَانَ حَالاتٌ وَدَرَجَاتٌ وَطَبَقَاتٌ وَمَنَازِلُ فَمِنْهُ التَّامُّ الْمُنْتَهَى تَمَامُهُ وَمِنْهُ النَّاقِصُ الْمُنْتَهَى نُقْصَانُهُ وَمِنْهُ الزَّائِدُ الرَّاجِحُ زِيَادَتُهُ قُلْتُ وَإِنَّ الإيمَانَ لَيَتِمُّ وَيَزِيدُ وَيَنْقُصُ قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فَرَضَ الإيمَانَ عَلَى جَوَارِحِ بَنِي آدَمَ وَقَسَّمَهُ عَلَيْهَا وَفَرَّقَهُ عَلَيْهَا فَلَيْسَ مِنْ جَوَارِحِهِمْ جَارِحَةٌ إِلا وَهِيَ مُوَكَّلَةٌ مِنَ الإيمَانِ بِغَيْرِ مَا وُكِّلَتْ بِهِ أُخْتُهَا فَمِنْهَا قَلْبُهُ الَّذِي بِهِ يَعْقِلُ وَيَفْقَهُ وَيَفْهَمُ وَهُوَ أَمِيرُ بَدَنِهِ الَّذِي لا تُورَدُ الْجَوَارِحُ وَلا تَصْدُرُ إِلا عَنْ رَأْيِهِ وَأَمْرِهِ وَمِنْهَا يَدَاهُ اللَّتَانِ يَبْطِشُ بِهِمَا وَرِجْلاهُ اللَّتَانِ يَمْشِي بِهِمَا وَفَرْجُهُ الَّذِي الْبَاهُ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ وَلِسَانُهُ الَّذِي يَنْطِقُ بِهِ الْكِتَابُ وَيَشْهَدُ بِهِ عَلَيْهَا وَعَيْنَاهُ اللَّتَانِ يُبْصِرُ بِهِمَا وَأُذُنَاهُ اللَّتَانِ يَسْمَعُ بِهِمَا وَفَرَضَ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ وَفَرَضَ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى الْعَيْنَيْنِ وَفَرَضَ عَلَى الْعَيْنَيْنِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَفَرَضَ عَلَى السَّمْعِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى الْيَدَيْنِ وَفَرَضَ عَلَى الْيَدَيْنِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى الرِّجْلَيْنِ وَفَرَضَ عَلَى الرِّجْلَيْنِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى الْفَرْجِ وَفَرَضَ عَلَى الْفَرْجِ غَيْرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى الْوَجْهِ فَأَمَّا مَا فَرَضَ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ مِنَ الإيمَانِ فَالإقْرَارُ وَالْمَعْرِفَةُ وَالتَّصْدِيقُ وَالتَّسْلِيمُ وَالْعَقْدُ وَالرِّضَا بِأَنْ لا إِلَهَ إِلا الله وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيكَ لَهُ أَحَداً صَمَداً لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ صَاحِبَةً وَلا وَلَداً وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.

Published English translation

7. Certain individuals of our people have narrated from Ali ibn ‘Abbas from Ali ibn Maysir from Hammad ibn al-Nusaybi who has said the following: “A man asked the scholar (a.s.) ‘O scholar, tell me which deed is more virtuous before Allah?’ He said, ‘It is the deed without which Allah does not accept any deed.’ He asked, ‘What is such thing?’ He said, ‘It is belief in Allah (besides Whom no one deserves to be worshipped). It (belief) is the highest in degree among the deeds, the most valuable among them (in virtue) and the topmost among them in reward.’ The man then said, ‘Please, tell me then about belief. Is it deeds or it is words without deeds?’ “The Imam said, ‘All of belief is deeds and parts of such deeds are words. Allah has made it obligatory as is explained in His book. Its light is clear, its evidence well established. The (Holy) book testifies to it for one, and calls one thereto.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘Explain it to me so I may understand.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Belief is of degrees, conditions, levels and stages. Of belief there is that which is perfect and complete in perfection. Of belief there is that which is defective and the defect is clear. Of belief there is that which is heavier on the perfection side.’ The man then asked, ‘Does belief become perfect, decrease and increase?’ He said, ‘Yes, it does.’ The man then asked, ‘How does it happen?’ He said, ‘It is because Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, has written belief for each part of the body of the children of Adam and has divided and distributed it among them. There is no part of the parts but that has a guard of belief that is different from such guard as is assigned to other parts. Of such part is one’s heart with which one understands and rationalizes to comprehend, and he is the commander of one’s body. It oversees the body and without its opinion no part moves to act. Of the parts of the body are one’s hands with which one works, one’s legs with which one walks, one’s sexual organs from which come carnal desires, one’s tongue with which one speaks of the book and testfies thereby, one’s eyes with which one sees and one’s ears with which one listens. ‘For each of these parts a different obligation is written. The obligation of the heart is different from the obligation of the tongue. What is made obligatory for the tongue is different from the obligation of the eyes and what is made obligatory for the eyes is different from what is made obligatory for the ears. What is made obligatory for the ears is different from what is made obligatory for the hands and what is made obligatory for the hands is different from what is made obligatory for the legs. The obligation of the legs is different from the obligations of the sexual organs. What is obligatory for the sexual organs is different from the obligation of the face. ‘What is made obligatory for the heart of belief is affirmation, recognition and formation of belief, consent and submission to the fact that no one deserves to be worshipped except Allah Who is One and has no partner. He is the One and only Who deserves to be worshipped. He has not taken any companion and children. Muhammad (a.s.) is His servant and messenger.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: ضعيف على المشهور

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (7/246)

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
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