Usul al-Kafi

The book Al-Kāfī (The Sufficient Book) is a Twelver Shīʿī ḥadīth collection compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya‘qūb al-Kulaynī. It is divided into three sections: Usūl al-Kāfī, which is concerned with epistemology, theology, history, ethics, supplication, and the Qurʾān, Furūʿ al-Kāfī, which is concerned with practical and legal issues, and Rawdat (or Rauda) al-Kāfī, which includes miscellaneous traditions, many of which are lengthy letters and speeches transmitted from the Imāms. In total, al-Kāfī comprises 16,199 narrations.

126396

Narrations . Usul al-Kafi . Ilm al-Rijal

If Kitab Al-Kafi narrates the sayings of the Prophet (s), why do all chains of narrations stop at an Imam and not state that the Imam heard it from his father who heard it from his father all the way to the Prophet (s)?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 3 weeks ago

It has been very clearly mentioned in many authentic narrations from our Infallible Imams e.g. Imam Ja'far Al-Sadiq (AS) that: My Hadeeth is the Hadeeth of my father, and it is the Hadeeth of my grand father, which is the Hadeeth of Imam Husain, which is the Hadeeth of Imam Hasan, which is the Hadeeth of Ameerul Mo'mineen, which is the Hadeeth of the Prophet (SAWA) which is the order of Allah.

(Kitab Al-Kaafi, V.1, P. 53.).

Wassalam.

Narrations . Usul al-Kafi . Ilm al-Rijal

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 3 weeks ago

In the Shi'i view, it is held that the knowledge of the Prophet (S) passed directly to the Imams. Therefore, when one of the Imams speaks, they are speaking accurately and correctly on behalf of the Prophet, whether or not it is word for word.

In some cases, the Imam may have a dialogue with someone present with them, refer to people in their time by name, or discuss current events and questions. In these cases, these are not word for word quotations from the Prophet (S) but accurately reflect or expound upon the Prophet's teachings as applied to those situations.

In other cases the Imams provide a direct quotation from one of their forebears.

Apart from that, it would be very lengthy to always give the full chain of narration back to the Prophet (S) through all the Imams. However, it is understood that this is intended to be the chain of transmission of knowledge.

This principle is mentioned in al-Kafi and is related from Imam al-Sadiq (A) as follows:

"My hadith is the hadith of my father. The hadith of my father is the hadith of my grandfather. The hadith of my grandfather is the hadith of al-Husayn. The hadith of al-Husayn is the hadith of al-Hasan. The hadith of al-Hasan is the hadith of the Commander of the Faithful. The hadith of the Commander of the Faithful is the hadtih of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The hadith of the Messenger of God is the word of God, the Mighty and Glorious."

علي بن محمد، عن سهل بن زياد، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن عمر بن عبد العزيز عن هشام بن سالم وحماد بن عثمان وغيره قالوا: سمعنا أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: حديثي حديث أبي، وحديث أبي حديث جدي، وحديث جدي حديث الحسين، وحديث الحسين حديث الحسن، وحديث الحسن حديث أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام وحديث أمير المؤمنين حديث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وحديث رسول الله قول الله عز وجل.

Here, of course, the "word of God" does not mean the same thing as the Qur'an being the "word of God" in the sense of the literal divine word, but rather is the correct teaching given from God to the Prophet (S).

So, from a Shi'i perspective, the Imam has full knowledge of the teachings of the Prophet (S) and full authority to speak about it. Therefore the Imam can speak authoritatively without giving a further chain of narration back or may provide a further chain of narration back.

Hope that helps!

121702

Hadith . Ilm al-Rijal . Usul al-Kafi

Where can I find background information and biographies on each of the Hadith narrators in al-Kafi? Are these books available online?

I don't think there is a full resource on this in English available presently (online or in print). However, you can purchase the Dirayat al-Noor software from Iran and it offers an easy to use database for hadith narrators in Arabic (not sure about Farsi). Another useful resource is Mu'jam Rijal al-Ahadith by Ayatollah al-Khoei, which is also available online in Arabic.

Sometimes, you can find information about some of the narrators in some other books in English. For instance, some of the biographies of the Imams by Baqir Sharif Qarashi have information on some of the companions of the Imams. There is a book called Tradition and Survival by Hossein Modarressi which also has some bibliographic information on some early Shi'i narrators.

So if there is someone specific you want to know more about, you may be able to find information in other sources. However in general I don't think there is a comprehensive source available in English. Perhaps someone will update this answer with one, or perhaps you will create one!

115311

Hadith . Usul al-Kafi . Bihar al-Anwar . Al-Istibsar

I can see only very few Shia Hadith books that are available online in English translation. Are books such as al-Kafi, al-Istibsar, Bihar al-Anwar not yet translated?

Many Shia books of Hadeeth are already translated including all-Kafi. Many books are under translation. You can check on www.shiasearch.org

Wassalam.

112406

Hadith . Narrations . Usul al-Kafi

Is Al-Kafi, the book of Hadith narrations, fully authentic?

There is no book of Hadeeth compiled by Shia or Sunni scholars which is 100% and fully authentic in each and every narration. Al-Kafi is the most authentic book of Hadeeth among Shia scholars. Bukhari is claimed to be fully authentic by many Sunnis but it contains narrations which go against Quran and allegation against the Prophets. The authentic Hadeeths in Al-Kufi are more in number than all the total authentic Hadeeths in all the six books of Sunni Hadeeth الصحاح الستة.
Number of unrepeated narrations in Saheeh al-Bukhari is 2602 and in Saheeh Muslim 4000, while the number of unrepeated narration mentioned in both Bukhari and Muslim is 2514 narrations.

Al-Kafi alone has 16199 narrations.

Wassalam.

102513

Hadith . Usul al-Kafi . Muhammad Baqir Majlisi

Is the grading by Allama Baqir al-Majlisi for the hadith narrations in Al-Kafi agreed upon by most Shia scholars?

Allama Mohammad Baqir al-Majlisi is a great scholar in the Hadeeth sciences and he compiled the well known collection of Hadeeth in his famous book Biharul Anwaar. He has written others books as well. His grading is according to his own research and Ejtihaad. Other scholars have their grading which can be like or different from his grading as all the Mujahid scholars are free in their research in the narrators and narrations.

Al-Kaafi book has the most authentic collection of narrations of Hadeeth but we don't say that every narration in al-Kaafi is equally authentic. The expert scholars have their right to study and verify every narration.

'Wassalam.

94049

Usul al-Kafi . Qur'anic Verse . Ghadir Khumm . Arafa

I understand that it is narrated in Al-Kafi that the Quranic verse 5:3 was revealed on the day of Arafah. This contradicts the view of it being revealed after the Ghadeer sermon. How can this narration be explained?

This narration is weak and not authentic because of its narrator (Jafar al-Khuza'ee) is unknown and never been authenticated by any of our Ulama. Al-Majlisi in Baharul Anwaar mentioned that this narration is weak.

Al-Kho'ee in Mo'jam Rijal al-Hadeeth stated that the narrator ( Jafar Al-Khzaa'ee is unknown.

'The authentic narrations in all Shia books and many Sunni books stated that this verse was revealed on the Day of Ghadeer. (Al-Kafi 1:289, and 1:198)

Many Sunni scholars narrated authentic Hadeeths that this verse was revealed on the Day of Ghadeer e.g.

1.Al-Tabari in his book Al-Wilayah,

2, Ibn Oqdah.

3. Ibn Asaakir.

4. Ibn Mardawayh.

5. Al-Hafidh Abu Na'eem in his book (Maha Nazala Min al-Quran Fi Ali).

6. Al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi in Tareekh Baghdad 8:290 .

7.al-Hafidh al-Sijistani in his book al-Wikayah.

8. Al-Khawarizmi in al-Manaaqib:page 80.

9. al-Hamaweeni al-Hanafi in Faraa'id al-Simtayn in chapter 12.

No scholar can turn his face away from many authentic narrations and take instead a single weak narration.

Wassalam

79571

Hadith . Usul al-Kafi . Marriage . Kurds

I have heard that there is a narration in al-Kafi regarding Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as) having said to not marry anyone from among the Kurds. Is that true, and if so, is the narration authentic?

Such narration is not authentic because all ethnic backgrounds are equal in Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and Infallible Imams have married women from deferent ethnic backgrounds.

Wassalam.

81756

Narrations . Usul al-Kafi . Bihar al-Anwar

Are there any false narrations in Shia books such as Biharul Anwar and Usul al-Kafi? If so, what is the reason their authors reported such narrations?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 1 year ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Different authors had different purposes and differing criteria when compiling their books. Sometimes, it is not the author's criteria, but the version of the book that has reached us that may be problematic, as Shii hadith history is a history of textual transmission.

Bihar al-anwar is a book that was written in the 17th Century which tried to preserve as much of the Shii tradition as possible. The author was therefore not concerned with sifting reports and left that to later hadith scholars, as hadith scholars also use different criteria when analyzing the reports in various books.

Usul al-Kafi on the other hand was an attempt to produce a book of reliable reports, but at the same time, not everybody agrees with what the author of al-Kafi (al-Kulayni) considered reliable. In short, hadith scholarship is a complex field where there are many aspects to weigh up and that is why it takes expertise. The natural outcome of that is that not everyone will agree with a specific scholar's assessment if they are trying to produce a reliable work.

May you always be successful

71837

Tahrif . Usul al-Kafi . Qur'an . Sunni-Shi'a

Are there any reliable narrations in al-Kafi that seem to support the idea that there is Tahrif in the Quran? If so, how do the Shia scholars explain them?

Our Shia faith in Quran is: Quran is absolutely intact and saved by Allah The Glorious from any change, distortion or alteration. Narrations which suggest change or distortion in Quran are mainly in Sunni books including narrations from Umar Ibn Al-Khattab who claimed that Sura Al-Ahzab used to be as long as Sura al-Baqara. (al-Soyooto, Al-Dorr al-Manthour 3:208) and Ayisha who claimed that a Sura was eaten by a pet (Sunan Ibn Maajah 1:625).

Few narrations in this regard came from Sunni books to some of our Shia books but our leading scholars were and are always very clear in rejecting any claim against the fact that Quran is intact. Some narrations in our books might mean that people distorted the meaning (Tafseer) of some verses away from the real meaning explained by the Prophet (SAWA) and his Ahlul Bayt (AS) which is a sad fact, but it never means that Quranic text was distorted by any way.

Leading Shia scholars al-Shaikh Al-Saqouq (381 H), al- Shaikh al-Mofeed (413 H), al-Sayyed al-Mortadha (436H), al-Shaikh al-Toosi (460 H), al-Shaikh al-Tabrasi (548H), al-Shaikh al-Bahaa'ee, al-Faydh al-Kashaani, al-Shaikh Kashif al-Ghitaa', al-Sayyed Sharaf al-Deen, Allamah Tabataba'ee, al-Sayyed al-Kho'ee, al-Sayed al-Khomaini, al-Sayyed al-Gulpaygani, al-Sayyed al-Borojordi, al-Shaykh al-Saafi, al-Sayyed al-Sistani, al-Sayyed al-Hakeem and all our leading scholars are very clear in confirming the fact that Quran is absolutely intact from any change or distortion.

Wassalam.

79096

Hadith . Usul al-Kafi . Polygamy . Divorce

I have heard that there is a narration in al-Kafi regarding Imam Hasan (as) having many wives and divorces. Is that true, and if so, is the narration authentic?

This narration is not authentic because some of the narrators like (Mohammad Ibn Ziyad Ibn Easa) is unknown, hence the narration is not authentic at all.

Wassalam.

77621

Usul al-Kafi

How can we be certain that books such as al-Kafi are really from the Imams and that we can trust what is contained in them?

Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 2 years ago

as salam alaikum

there is no certainity that single narrations (khabar al-wahid) from al-Kafi, with no external evidence to claim their origin (maqtu'iyyah al-sudur), are in fact from the Imams. Rather what Usuli scholars have said is that we can act according to its authentic narrations (al-sahih minhu), when proofs for it have been established.

There are several criterions to establish what has been said by the Imams but we consider no book of hadith 100% sound under all aspects and all narrations should be subject to rigid scrutiny.

With prayers for your success.