Al-Kāfi

1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ فِي حَدِيثِ بُرَيْهٍ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا جَاءَ مَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَلَقِيَ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) فَحَكَى لَهُ هِشَامٌ الْحِكَايَةَ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) لِبُرَيْهٍ يَا بُرَيْهُ كَيْفَ عِلْمُكَ بِكِتَابِكَ قَالَ أَنَا بِهِ عَالِمٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ كَيْفَ ثِقَتُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ قَالَ مَا أَوْثَقَنِي بِعِلْمِي فِيهِ قَالَ فَابْتَدَأَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقْرَأُ الانْجِيلَ فَقَالَ بُرَيْهٌ إِيَّاكَ كُنْتُ أَطْلُبُ مُنْذُ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً أَوْ مِثْلَكَ قَالَ فَ‏آمَنَ بُرَيْهٌ وَحَسُنَ إِيمَانُهُ وَآمَنَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ مَعَهُ فَدَخَلَ هِشَامٌ وَبُرَيْهٌ وَالْمَرْأَةُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَحَكَى لَهُ هِشَامٌ الْكَلامَ الَّذِي جَرَى بَيْنَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَبَيْنَ بُرَيْهٍ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُها مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَالله سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ فَقَالَ بُرَيْهٌ أَنَّى لَكُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ وَالانْجِيلُ وَكُتُبُ الانْبِيَاءِ قَالَ هِيَ عِنْدَنَا وِرَاثَةً مِنْ عِنْدِهِمْ نَقْرَؤُهَا كَمَا قَرَءُوهَا وَنَقُولُهَا كَمَا قَالُوا إِنَّ الله لا يَجْعَلُ حُجَّةً فِي أَرْضِهِ يُسْأَلُ عَنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ فَيَقُولُ لا أَدْرِي.

1. From ʿAlī ibn Ibrāhīm, from his father, from al-Ḥasan ibn Ibrāhīm, from Yūnus, from Hishām ibn al-Ḥakam, in the narration of Burayh: When he (Burayh) came with Hishām to Abū ʿAbdillāh (as), they encountered Abū al-Ḥasan Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar (as). Hishām narrated the story to him (Imam Mūsā). When he finished, Abū al-Ḥasan (as) said to Burayh: "O Burayh, how well do you know your Book?" He replied: "I am knowledgeable of it." Then the Imam asked: "And how confident are you in your interpretation of it?" He said: "I am very confident in my knowledge of it." So Abū al-Ḥasan (as) began to recite the Injīl (Gospel). Upon hearing this, Burayh exclaimed: "It is you—or someone like you—I have been seeking for fifty years!" Burayh then believed (in Islam), and his faith was good and sincere. The woman who was with him also believed. Then Hishām, Burayh, and the woman entered upon Abū ʿAbd Allāh (as), and Hishām relayed the conversation that had taken place between Abū al-Ḥasan Mūsā (as) and Burayh. Abū ʿAbdillāh (as) said: "A progeny, some of them from others; and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing." (3:34) Then Burayh asked: "How do you have the Torah, the Gospel, and the books of the prophets?" He (Imam al-Ṣādiq) replied: "They are with us, inherited from them. We recite them as they recited them, and we speak them as they spoke them. Indeed, God does not place a proof (ḥujjah) upon His earth who, when asked about something, says, 'I do not know.'"

2ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ بَكْرِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ مُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ أَتَيْنَا بَابَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَنَحْنُ نُرِيدُ الاذْنَ عَلَيْهِ فَسَمِعْنَاهُ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلامٍ لَيْسَ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ فَتَوَهَّمْنَا أَنَّهُ بِالسُّرْيَانِيَّةِ ثُمَّ بَكَى فَبَكَيْنَا لِبُكَائِهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا الْغُلامُ فَأَذِنَ لَنَا فَدَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ الله أَتَيْنَاكَ نُرِيدُ الاذْنَ عَلَيْكَ فَسَمِعْنَاكَ تَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلامٍ لَيْسَ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ فَتَوَهَّمْنَا أَنَّهُ بِالسُّرْيَانِيَّةِ ثُمَّ بَكَيْتَ فَبَكَيْنَا لِبُكَاءِكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ ذَكَرْتُ إِلْيَاسَ النَّبِيَّ وَكَانَ مِنْ عُبَّادِ أَنْبِيَاءِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقُلْتُ كَمَا كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِهِ ثُمَّ انْدَفَعَ فِيهِ بِالسُّرْيَانِيَّةِ فَلا وَالله مَا رَأَيْنَا قَسّاً وَلا جَاثَلِيقاً أَفْصَحَ لَهْجَةً مِنْهُ بِهِ ثُمَّ فَسَّرَهُ لَنَا بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ فَقَالَ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِهِ أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدْ أَظْمَأْتُ لَكَ هَوَاجِرِي أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدْ عَفَّرْتُ لَكَ فِي التُّرَابِ وَجْهِي أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدِ اجْتَنَبْتُ لَكَ الْمَعَاصِيَ أَ تُرَاكَ مُعَذِّبِي وَقَدْ أَسْهَرْتُ لَكَ لَيْلِي قَالَ فَأَوْحَى الله إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ فَإِنِّي غَيْرُ مُعَذِّبِكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنْ قُلْتَ لا أُعَذِّبُكَ ثُمَّ عَذَّبْتَنِي مَا ذَا أَ لَسْتُ عَبْدَكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبِّي قَالَ فَأَوْحَى الله إِلَيْهِ أَنِ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ فَإِنِّي غَيْرُ مُعَذِّبِكَ إِنِّي إِذَا وَعَدْتُ وَعْداً وَفَيْتُ بِهِ.

2. Ali ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn al-Hassan have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Bakr ibn Salih from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar who said the following: “We went to Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) and wanting to seek his permission. We heard him speaking in a language that was not Arabic, we imagined it was Syriac, then he cried and we cried because of his crying. Then the boy (his servant) came out and allowed us to enter. So we entered and I said, “May Allah keep you well, we came to ask permission for a meeting and we heard you speak in a non-Arabic language and we thought it was the Syriac language. Then we heard you weeping and because of that we also wept.” The Imams (a.s.) said, “Yes, I remembered Prophet Ilyas, one of the Israelite prophets devoted in worship. I then said what he used to say in his prostration. He then went into it in the Syriac language, by Allah, we had not seen any monk or minister as eloquent in it as he is. He then explained it to us in Arabic, “Ilyas would say in his prostration, ‘O Lord, will I find you punishing me although you know of thirst in the heat of the midday? Will I find you punishing me although you know that I rub my face on earth to worship you? Will I find you to punish me although you know that I give up sins for you? Will I find you punishing me although you know that I stay awake all night just for you?” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “Allah then told him through inspiration, “Rise your head from the earth. I will not punish you.” The Imam (a.s.) then said that he said to Allah, “If you say you will not punish me, and then you do, what then? Am I not your servant and you are my Lord?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Allah then spoke to him through inspiration, “Rise your head. I will not punish you because when I make a promise, I fulfill it”