Al-Kafi · Hadith 7

The Book on Dying People · Interrogations in the Grave - Who Is Interrogated and Who Is Not · Volume 3, book 3, chapter 88, Hadith 7

Original Arabic text

7ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ غَالِبِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ بَشِيرٍ الدَّهَّانِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ يَجِي‏ءُ الْمَلَكَانِ مُنْكَرٌ وَنَكِيرٌ إِلَى الْمَيِّتِ حِينَ يُدْفَنُ أَصْوَاتُهُمَا كَالرَّعْدِ الْقَاصِفِ وَأَبْصَارُهُمَا كَالْبَرْقِ الْخَاطِفِ يَخُطَّانِ الأرْضَ بِأَنْيَابِهِمَا وَيَطَئَانِ فِي شُعُورِهِمَا فَيَسْأَلاَنِ الْمَيِّتَ مَنْ رَبُّكَ وَ مَا دِينُكَ قَالَ فَإِذَا كَانَ مُؤْمِناً قَالَ الله رَبِّي وَدِينِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ فَيَقُولاَنِ لَهُ مَا تَقُولُ فِي هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي خَرَجَ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْكُمْ فَيَقُولُ أَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ الله (صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) تَسْأَلاَنِي فَيَقُولاَنِ لَهُ تَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ الله فَيَقُولُ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ الله فَيَقُولاَنِ لَهُ نَمْ نَوْمَةً لاَ حُلُمَ فِيهَا وَيُفْسَحُ لَهُ فِي قَبْرِهِ تِسْعَةَ أَذْرُعٍ وَيُفْتَحُ لَهُ بَابٌ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَيَرَى مَقْعَدَهُ فِيهَا وَإِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ كَافِراً دَخَلاَ عَلَيْهِ وَأُقِيمَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ عَيْنَاهُ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ فَيَقُولاَنِ لَهُ مَنْ رَبُّكَ وَمَا دِينُكَ وَمَا تَقُولُ فِي هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي قَدْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْكُمْ فَيَقُولُ لاَ أَدْرِي فَيُخَلِّيَانِ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الشَّيْطَانِ فَيُسَلِّطُ عَلَيْهِ فِي قَبْرِهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ تِنِّيناً لَوْ أَنَّ تِنِّيناً وَاحِداً مِنْهَا نَفَخَ فِي الأرْضِ مَا أَنْبَتَتْ شَجَراً أَبَداً وَيُفْتَحُ لَهُ بَابٌ إِلَى النَّارِ وَيَرَى مَقْعَدَهُ فِيهَا.

Published English translation

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Hassan ibn Ali from Ghalib ibn ‘Uthman from Bashir al-Dahhan who has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the two interrogating angels (Munkar and Nakir) will come to the person who is just buried. Their voice sounds like thunder, their eyes like swift lightening, tearing the earth with their incisors, they strike the earth with their hairs and ask the deceased, ’Who is your Lord and what your religion is?’ The Imam then said, ‘If the deceased is a believer he will say, “Allah is my Lord and Islam is my religion.” They will then ask the deceased, “What do you say about this man who appeared among you?” The deceased will ask, “Are you asking me about Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah?” They then ask, “Do you testify that he is the Messenger of Allah?” He will say, “Yes, I do testify that he is the Messenger of Allah.” They then will say, “Rest to sleep without dreams.” They will open his grave by nine yards and a door to paradise where he can observe his seat. If the deceased is an unbeliever, the two angels will come to him and present before him will also be Satan with his eyes made of brass. The angels will ask him, “Who is your Lord, what is your religion and what do you say about this man who appeared among you?” The deceased will say, “I do not know.” The angels then leave him with Satan who then will expose him to ninety-nine such serpents that even if one of them would blow in earth, no plant thereafter can grow therein. The angels open to him a door to hell wherein he can observe his seat.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مجهول

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/208)

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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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
source Revision: becbad600b693ce23735d7403c4126ce7c896d34
content Hash: 22ed5685f930541a8cd3af7c2b329e7751b126e2c4a3fb9ffb659e946c3e73d7
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