Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book of Prayer · The Time of Noon and Afternoon Salah (Prayer) · Volume 3, book 4, chapter 5, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ بَعْضِ رِجَالِهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَمَّا جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ أَنْ صَلِّ الظُّهْرَ إِذَا كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ قَامَةً وَقَامَتَيْنِ وَذِرَاعاً وَذِرَاعَيْنِ وَقَدَماً وَقَدَمَيْنِ مِنْ هَذَا وَمِنْ هَذَا فَمَتَى هَذَا وَكَيْفَ هَذَا وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الظِّلُّ فِي بَعْضِ الأوْقَاتِ نِصْفَ قَدَمٍ قَالَ إِنَّمَا قَالَ ظِلُّ الْقَامَةِ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ قَامَةُ الظِّلِّ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ ظِلَّ الْقَامَةِ يَخْتَلِفُ مَرَّةً يَكْثُرُ وَمَرَّةً يَقِلُّ وَالْقَامَةُ قَامَةٌ أَبَداً لاَ يَخْتَلِفُ ثُمَّ قَالَ ذِرَاعٌ وَذِرَاعَانِ وَقَدَمٌ وَقَدَمَانِ فَصَارَ ذِرَاعٌ وَذِرَاعَانِ تَفْسِيرَ الْقَامَةِ وَالْقَامَتَيْنِ فِي الزَّمَانِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ فِيهِ ظِلُّ الْقَامَةِ ذِرَاعاً وَظِلُّ الْقَامَتَيْنِ ذِرَاعَيْنِ فَيَكُونُ ظِلُّ الْقَامَةِ وَالْقَامَتَيْنِ وَالذِّرَاعِ وَالذِّرَاعَيْنِ مُتَّفِقَيْنِ فِي كُلِّ زَمَانٍ مَعْرُوفَيْنِ مُفَسَّراً أَحَدُهُمَا بِالآخَرِ مُسَدَّداً بِهِ فَإِذَا كَانَ الزَّمَانُ يَكُونُ فِيهِ ظِلُّ الْقَامَةِ ذِرَاعاً كَانَ الْوَقْتُ ذِرَاعاً مِنْ ظِلِّ الْقَامَةِ وَكَانَتِ الْقَامَةُ ذِرَاعاً مِنَ الظِّلِّ فَإِذَا كَانَ ظِلُّ الْقَامَةِ أَقَلَّ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ كَانَ الْوَقْتُ مَحْصُوراً بِالذِّرَاعِ وَالذِّرَاعَيْنِ فَهَذَا تَفْسِيرُ الْقَامَةِ وَالْقَامَتَيْنِ وَالذِّرَاعِ وَالذِّرَاعَيْنِ.

Published English translation

7. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Salih ibn Sa‘id from Yunus from certain persons of his people who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abdullah (a.s.), about the meaning of Hadith that says, ’Perform al- Dhuhr Salah (prayer) when the sun is equal to one length or two, one yard or two or one step or two steps from this and from there. When is it and how is it? At certain times is half of one step.’ He (the Imam) said that in the Hadith is it said, ‘ An object’s shadow’ and not the shadow of an object’ is because the shadow of an object may appear in different sizes, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, but an object is an object all the time and it does not change. Hadith has said that it is one yard or two yards, one step or two steps.” Thus one yard or two yards have become explanation of one length or two lengths during the time when an object’s shadow is of the size of one yard and two object’s shadows of the size of two yards. Therefore one object’s or two objects’ shadows and one yard or two yards are in agreement with each other in times as understood one, explaining the other and supported thereby. At a given time, for example at one O’clock, when an object’s shadow is of the size of one yard the time (for Salah (prayer)) is one yard of an object’s shadow and the object is a yard of the shadow. When an object’s shadow is less or more, the time is measured in yards or two yards. This is the explanation of one length and a yard or two yards.’” (The theme of Hadith is obvious; it only may need a little thinking to grasp it fully.)

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مجهول مرسل

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (5/34)

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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