Al-Kāfi 1, record 240 of the digital edition

Shaykh Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī · Chapter On Being and Space (al-Kawn WA al-Makan)

Shia · narrations

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2

Arabic text

5ـ وَبِهَذَا الاسْنَادِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْمَوْصِلِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ جَاءَ حِبْرٌ مِنَ الاحْبَارِ إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَتَى كَانَ رَبُّكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ ثَكِلَتْكَ أُمُّكَ وَمَتَى لَمْ يَكُنْ حَتَّى يُقَالَ مَتَى كَانَ كَانَ رَبِّي قَبْلَ الْقَبْلِ بِلا قَبْلٍ وَبَعْدَ الْبَعْدِ بِلا بَعْدٍ وَلا غَايَةَ وَلا مُنْتَهَى لِغَايَتِهِ انْقَطَعَتِ الْغَايَاتُ عِنْدَهُ فَهُوَ مُنْتَهَى كُلِّ غَايَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَ فَنَبِيٌّ أَنْتَ فَقَالَ وَيْلَكَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا عَبْدٌ مِنْ عَبِيدِ مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَيْنَ كَانَ رَبُّنَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ سَمَاءً وَأَرْضاً فَقَالَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَيْنَ سُؤَالٌ عَنْ مَكَانٍ وَكَانَ الله وَلا مَكَانَ.

Translation

5. It is narrated, through the same chain of narrators and source, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Nasr from abu al-Hassan al-Muwsali from Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), who has said the following. “One of the Jewish rabbis (hibr) came to Imam Ali (a.s.), and asked, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin, when did your Lord come into existence?’” Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, “Bereft of you be your mother! When has Allah not been (in existence), so that it could be said when did He come into existence. My Lord existed before any before without being before. He is after every after, without being after. There is no finale destination or end for Him. All ends fall short before Him. He is the final destination of all goals.” He further asked, “O Amir al-Mu’minin, are you a prophet?” Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, “Hold it there. I am one of the slaves of Muhammad,(s.a.) the Messenger of Allah.” It has also been narrated that someone asked Imam Ali (a.s.) this. “Where was our Lord before the creation of the heavens and the earth?” Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, “Where is a question about space. Allah has been there before there was space.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.

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Chain of narration (isnād)

  1. 5. It is narrated, through the same chain of narrators and source
  2. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid
  3. his father
  4. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Nasr
  5. abu al-Hassan al-Muwsali
  6. Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), who has said the following.

Narrator names are reproduced from the edition. Biographical profiles (Rijal al-Najashi, Rijal al-Tusi, Muʿjam Rijal al-Hadith) are not yet ingested, so SacredTwo does not link a narrator to a profile it cannot show.

Published assessments

  • Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi

    مجهول وآخره مرسل

    Published in Arabic as the scholar wrote it. No reviewed English rendering exists yet.

    Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/314)

  • Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi

    لم يخرجه

    Published in Arabic as the scholar wrote it. No reviewed English rendering exists yet.

    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī

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What is and is not verified on this page

  • Source text: reproduced verbatim from the named digital edition. It has not been collated against a printed copy.
  • Attribution and chain: recorded as the edition publishes them. SacredTwo does not reconstruct or complete a chain.
  • Authenticity: reported only where a named scholar's published grading exists. SacredTwo never assigns a grade. — Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi; Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
  • Interpretation: explanations on SacredTwo are labelled as explanation, not as scholarly review, consensus or ruling.

Persian rendering (AI)

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AI explanation

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