Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

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

Original Arabic text

1ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ لَوْ عَلِمَ النَّاسُ كَيْفَ ابْتِدَاءُ الْخَلْقِ مَا اخْتَلَفَ اثْنَانِ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ الْخَلْقَ قَالَ كُنْ مَاءً عَذْباً أَخْلُقْ مِنْكَ جَنَّتِي وَأَهْلَ طَاعَتِي وَكُنْ مِلْحاً أُجَاجاً أَخْلُقْ مِنْكَ نَارِي وَأَهْلَ مَعْصِيَتِي ثُمَّ أَمَرَهُمَا فَامْتَزَجَا فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ صَارَ يَلِدُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْكَافِرَ وَالْكَافِرُ الْمُؤْمِنَ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ طِيناً مِنْ أَدِيمِ الأرْضِ فَعَرَكَهُ عَرْكاً شَدِيداً فَإِذَا هُمْ كَالذَّرِّ يَدِبُّونَ فَقَالَ لأصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ بِسَلامٍ وَقَالَ لأصْحَابِ الشِّمَالِ إِلَى النَّارِ وَلا أُبَالِي ثُمَّ أَمَرَ نَاراً فَأُسْعِرَتْ فَقَالَ لأصْحَابِ الشِّمَالِ ادْخُلُوهَا فَهَابُوهَا فَقَالَ لأصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ ادْخُلُوهَا فَدَخَلُوهَا فَقَالَ كُونِي بَرْداً وَسَلاماً فَكَانَتْ بَرْداً وَسَلاماً فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُ الشِّمَالِ يَا رَبِّ أَقِلْنَا فَقَالَ قَدْ أَقَلْتُكُمْ فَادْخُلُوهَا فَذَهَبُوا فَهَابُوهَا فَثَمَّ ثَبَتَتِ الطَّاعَةُ وَالْمَعْصِيَةُ فَلا يَسْتَطِيعُ هَؤُلاءِ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنْ هَؤُلاءِ وَلا هَؤُلاءِ مِنْ هَؤُلاءِ.

Published English translation

1. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari and Muhammad ibn Yahya have narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isma’il from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from Zurara from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “Had people known how the beginning of the creation was, no one would have disagreed with another person. Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, before creating the creatures said, ‘Be a sweet water so I create from you My paradise and people who obey My commands. Be very salty water; from you I create My fire and those who disobey Me.’ He then commanded them to mix and from this the believers give birth to unbelievers and the unbelievers give birth to the believers. Then He took a clay from the surface of the earth and kneaded it very strongly whereby they (children of Adam) appeared as particles crawling about. He then said to the people of the right hand, ‘To paradise (you go) in peace.’ To the people of the left hand He said, ‘To the fire (you go) and I am not concerned.’ He then commanded a fire that began to blaze and He said to the people of the left hand, ‘Enter therein.’ They then were frightened thereby. He then said to the people of the right hand, ‘Enter the fire.’ They then entered therein and He said, ‘O fire be cool and peaceful.’ The fire became cool and peaceful. The people of the left hand then said, ‘O Lord forgive us and reduce our burden.’ The Lord said, ‘I have reduced it for you. Enter.’ They went but were afraid of it. It was there that obedience and disobedience came to take place. Thus, these will not be able to become of those and they will not be able to become of these.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: موثق كالصحيح

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (7/16)

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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source Url: https://thaqalayn.com/hadith/2/1/2/1
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edition: Al-Kafi, volume 2, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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attribution: Source: Thaqalayn (Stichting Thaqalayn). Compiler: Shaykh Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī. Translation: Muhammad Sarwar. Data transport: MohammedArab1/ThaqalaynAPI. No endorsement implied.
translator: Muhammad Sarwar
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
content Hash: b17a67e862e2ca2e8e8e2c1fedd2c0cc3dca4ec8ea95a9cdcef379a0eb120dee
source File Hash: d538c07d5f74e5fbc26b065897c076eab247d4d7c09e633fbb6184de9f37ee78
original Source Url: https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/1/2/1
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