Al-Kāfi 2, narration 2

Translation

2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from al- Nadr ibn Shu’ayb from ‘Abd al-Ghaffar al-Jaziyy from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, created the believers from the clay of paradise. He created the unbelievers from the clay of fire. He then said, ‘When Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, decides to grant good to one of His servants. He purifies his spirit and body. Whenever he hears any good thing he recognizes it. Whenever he hears any bad things he dislikes them.’ I (the narrator) then heard him saying, ‘The clays are of three kinds: (a) one is the clay of the prophets from which the believers are also created, except that the prophets are made of the superior kind of clay. The prophets are the roots and the believers are the branches and for this reason they are more excellent than the believers. The believers are created from a stickier kind of clay. Thus Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious will not keep them apart from their followers.’ The Imam than said, ‘The clay of those who insult (‘ A’immah ) are from a black clay that smells foul. The weak ones are made from soil. The believers do not change their faith nor do evil doers (those who insult ‘ A’immah , recipients of divine supreme covenant) do so and Allah has a definite goal behind it.’”

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