Al-Kafi · Hadith 1

The Book of Prayer · The Time of Morning Salah (Prayer) · Volume 3, book 4, chapter 7, Hadith 1

Original Arabic text

1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ قَالَ كَتَبَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ الْحُصَيْنِ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الثَّانِي (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) مَعِي جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَدِ اخْتَلَفَتْ مُوَالُوكَ فِي صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُصَلِّي إِذَا طَلَعَ الْفَجْرُ الأوَّلُ الْمُسْتَطِيلُ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُصَلِّي إِذَا اعْتَرَضَ فِي أَسْفَلِ الأفُقِ وَاسْتَبَانَ وَلَسْتُ أَعْرِفُ أَفْضَلَ الْوَقْتَيْنِ فَأُصَلِّيَ فِيهِ فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ أَنْ تُعَلِّمَنِي أَفْضَلَ الْوَقْتَيْنِ وَتَحُدَّهُ لِي وَكَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ مَعَ الْقَمَرِ وَالْفَجْرُ لاَ يَتَبَيَّنُ مَعَهُ حَتَّى يَحْمَرَّ وَيُصْبِحَ وَكَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ مَعَ الْغَيْمِ وَمَا حَدُّ ذَلِكَ فِي السَّفَرِ وَالْحَضَرِ فَعَلْتُ إِنْ شَاءَ الله فَكَتَبَ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) بِخَطِّهِ وَقَرَأْتُهُ الْفَجْرُ يَرْحَمُكَ الله هُوَ الْخَيْطُ الأبْيَضُ الْمُعْتَرِضُ لَيْسَ هُوَ الأبْيَضَ صُعَدَاءَ فَلاَ تُصَلِّ فِي سَفَرٍ وَلاَ حَضَرٍ حَتَّى تَتَبَيَّنَهُ فَإِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَمْ يَجْعَلْ خَلْقَهُ فِي شُبْهَةٍ مِنْ هَذَا فَقَالَ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ فَالْخَيْطُ الأبْيَضُ هُوَ الْمُعْتَرِضُ الَّذِي يَحْرُمُ بِهِ الأكْلُ وَالشُّرْبُ فِي الصَّوْمِ وَكَذَلِكَ هُوَ الَّذِي تُوجَبُ بِهِ الصَّلاَةُ.

Published English translation

1. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Mahziyar from who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan ibn al-Husayn once wrote to Abu Ja‘far, al-Thaniy (a.s.), ‘With me, I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, people of your followers disagree on timing of dawn Salah (prayer). Certain ones of them perform when it is the first dawn in which a rectangular line appears in the sky, and others among them perform the morning Salah (prayer) when it (brightness) is at the bottom of the horizon and it has just appeared. I do not know which one is better, so I perform my Salah (prayer) in that time. If you consider it proper, instruct me about the time, which is better. Define it for me and how I should deal with the moon and the dawn with which it is not distinguishable, until it becomes red and it is dawn; and how should I deal with clouds and what are the limits for it during a journey or when one is at home. I will follow your instructions. 5 He (the Imam) wrote back with his own handwriting and I read it: “Dawn, Allah has granted you kindness, is when the white line appears sideways; and it is not vertical, during which time you do not perform Salah (prayer) on a journey or when at home until it is obvious. Allah, most Blessed, most High, does not leave His creatures in confusion in this matter so He has said, ‘Eat and drink until a white line appears from a darkness line at dawn. 5 (2:187) The white line is that which is sideways and after the appearance of which eating and drinking become unlawful because of fasting, and so also Salah (prayer) becomes obligatory at such time.’”

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 (5/43)

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 3, Thaqalayn digital edition / Muhammad Sarwar translation
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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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