Al-Kafi · Hadith 2

The Book about people with Divine Authority · The Commands of the Holy Prophet to Wish Well for the Imams of Muslims, Remain Close with their Group and as to Who They are. · Volume 1, book 4, chapter 103, Hadith 2

Original Arabic text

2ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ مِسْكِينٍ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ قَالَ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ اذْهَبْ بِنَا إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ فَذَهَبْتُ مَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ فَوَجَدْنَاهُ قَدْ رَكِبَ دَابَّتَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ سُفْيَانُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الله حَدِّثْنَا بِحَدِيثِ خُطْبَةِ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فِي مَسْجِدِ الْخَيْفِ قَالَ دَعْنِي حَتَّى أَذْهَبَ فِي حَاجَتِي فَإِنِّي قَدْ رَكِبْتُ فَإِذَا جِئْتُ حَدَّثْتُكَ فَقَالَ أَسْأَلُكَ بِقَرَابَتِكَ مِنْ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) لَمَّا حَدَّثْتَنِي قَالَ فَنَزَلَ فَقَالَ لَهُ سُفْيَانُ مُرْ لِي بِدَوَاةٍ وَقِرْطَاسٍ حَتَّى أُثْبِتَهُ فَدَعَا بِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ اكْتُبْ بِسْمِ الله الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ خُطْبَةُ رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) فِي مَسْجِدِ الْخَيْفِ نَضَّرَ الله عَبْداً سَمِعَ مَقَالَتِي فَوَعَاهَا وَبَلَّغَهَا مَنْ لَمْ تَبْلُغْهُ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ لِيُبَلِّغِ الشَّاهِدُ الْغَائِبَ فَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ لَيْسَ بِفَقِيهٍ وَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَفْقَهُ مِنْهُ ثَلاثٌ لا يُغِلُّ عَلَيْهِنَّ قَلْبُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ إِخْلاصُ الْعَمَلِ لله وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لائِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَاللُّزُومُ لِجَمَاعَتِهِمْ فَإِنَّ دَعْوَتَهُمْ مُحِيطَةٌ مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ تَتَكَافَأُ دِمَاؤُهُمْ وَهُمْ يَدٌ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ يَسْعَى بِذِمَّتِهِمْ أَدْنَاهُمْ فَكَتَبَهُ سُفْيَانُ ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَرَكِبَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَجِئْتُ أَنَا وَسُفْيَانُ فَلَمَّا كُنَّا فِي بَعْضِ الطَّرِيقِ قَالَ لِي كَمَا أَنْتَ حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ قَدْ وَالله أَلْزَمَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله رَقَبَتَكَ شَيْئاً لا يَذْهَبُ مِنْ رَقَبَتِكَ أَبَداً فَقَالَ وَأَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ ثَلاثٌ لا يُغِلُّ عَلَيْهِنَّ قَلْبُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ إِخْلاصُ الْعَمَلِ لله قَدْ عَرَفْنَاهُ وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لائِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مَنْ هَؤُلاءِ الائِمَّةُ الَّذِينَ يَجِبُ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيحَتُهُمْ مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ وَيَزِيدُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَمَرْوَانُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ وَكُلُّ مَنْ لا تَجُوزُ شَهَادَتُهُ عِنْدَنَا وَلا تَجُوزُ الصَّلاةُ خَلْفَهُمْ وَقَوْلُهُ وَاللُّزُومُ لِجَمَاعَتِهِمْ فَأَيُّ الْجَمَاعَةِ مُرْجِىٌ يَقُولُ مَنْ لَمْ يُصَلِّ وَلَمْ يَصُمْ وَلَمْ يَغْتَسِلْ مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ وَهَدَمَ الْكَعْبَةَ وَنَكَحَ أُمَّهُ فَهُوَ عَلَى إِيمَانِ جَبْرَئِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ أَوْ قَدَرِيٌّ يَقُولُ لا يَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ إِبْلِيسُ أَوْ حَرُورِيٌّ يَتَبَرَّأُ مِنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَشَهِدَ عَلَيْهِ بِالْكُفْرِ أَوْ جَهْمِيٌّ يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا هِيَ مَعْرِفَةُ الله وَحْدَهُ لَيْسَ الايمَانُ شَيْ‏ءٌ غَيْرُهَا قَالَ وَيْحَكَ وَأَيَّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَقُولُونَ فَقُلْتُ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَالله الامَامُ الَّذِي يَجِبُ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيحَتُهُ وَلُزُومُ جَمَاعَتِهِمْ أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ قَالَ فَأَخَذَ الْكِتَابَ فَخَرَقَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لا تُخْبِرْ بِهَا أَحَداً.

Published English translation

Muhammad b. al-Hasan narrated from some of our companions, from Ali b. al-Hakam, from al-Hakam b. Miskin, from a man of Quraysh from the people of Mecca, who said: Sufyan al-Thawri said to me, "Take us to Ja'far b. Muhammad." So I went with him to him, and we found him mounted on his riding animal. Sufyan said to him, "O Abu Abdillah, narrate to us the sermon of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in Masjid al-Khayf." He (Ja'far) replied, "Let me go about my errand, for I have mounted. When I return, I will narrate it to you." Sufyan insisted, "I ask you by your kinship to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) to narrate it to me now." So he dismounted and called for an inkwell and parchment. Then he said, "Write: In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The sermon of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in Masjid al-Khayf: 'May God brighten the face of a servant who hears my words, retains them, and conveys them to those who did not hear them. O people, let the one who is present convey to the one who is absent. Perhaps a bearer of knowledge is not understanding, and perhaps he conveys it to one who understands better than he does. Three things the heart of a Muslim will never harbor ill against: sincerity in action for God, sincere counsel to the leaders of the Muslims, and adherence to their congregation, for their supplication encompasses those behind them. Believers are brothers, their blood is equal, and they are united against others. The protection given by the lowest among them is binding on all.'" Sufyan wrote it down and read it back to Ja'far, then he mounted again. As we walked along the road, Sufyan stopped and said, "Wait, let me review this hadith." I said to him, "By God, Abu Abdillah has bound something to your neck that will never leave you." He asked, "And what is that?" I said, "Three things: 1. **Sincerity in action for God**—we understand that. 2. **Sincere counsel to the leaders of the Muslims**—who are these leaders that we must advise? Is it Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan, Yazid b. Mu'awiya, Marwan b. al-Hakam, and all those whose testimony we do not accept and behind whom we do not pray? 3. **Adherence to their congregation**—which congregation? Is it the Murji'ah, who claim that even if one does not pray, fast, purify himself from impurity, demolishes the Kaaba, and commits incest with his mother, he still has the faith of Jibril and Mikail? Or is it the Qadariyya, who say that God's will does not prevail but that of Iblis does? Or is it the Haruriyya, who dissociate from Ali b. Abi Talib and accuse him of disbelief? Or the Jahmiyya, who claim that faith is merely the knowledge of God and nothing more?" Sufyan exclaimed, "Woe to you! Then who do they say the true leader is?" I replied, "They say, by God, that Ali b. Abi Talib is the Imam whose counsel is obligatory upon us, and that adherence to the congregation means his household." At that, Sufyan took the paper, tore it up, and said, "Do not tell anyone about this!"

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرسل

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/327)

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.

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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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