Al-Kāfi 2, narration 65

Translation

4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from abu al- Sabah al-Kinani who has said the following: “I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘Which is better, belief or Islam? Certain people say Islam is better than belief.’ The Imam said, ‘Belief is higher than Islam.’ I then said, ‘Help me understand it.’ He said, ‘What do you say if one commits, purposely, an act of heresy in Masjid al-Haram (Sacred Mosque)?’ I said, ‘He should be made to suffer severe pains.’ The Imam responded, ‘You said the right thing. What if one commits such a thing, purposely, inside the Ka’ba?’ I said, ‘He must be put to death.’ The Imam responded, ‘You said the right thing again. Do you note that Ka’ba is better than the Sacred Mosque? The Ka’ba is inclusive of the Mosque (in excellence) but the Mosque is not inclusive of the Ka’ba in this respect. In the same way belief is inclusive of Islam but Islam is not inclusive of belief.’”

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