Al-Kāfi

1ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي خَلَفٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ لِبَعْضِ وُلْدِهِ يَا بُنَيَّ عَلَيْكَ بِالْجِدِّ لا تُخْرِجَنَّ نَفْسَكَ مِنَ حَدِّ التَّقْصِيرِ فِي عِبَادَةِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَطَاعَتِهِ فَإِنَّ الله لا يُعْبَدُ حَقَّ عِبَادَتِهِ.

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Sa’D ibn abu Khalaf from abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.) who to one of his sons has said the following: “My son, you must work hard and do not allow your soul to lead you out of a feeling of always falling short in worshipping Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and in obedience to Him; Allah is not worshipped as truly as He should be worshipped.”

2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ بَعْضِ الْعِرَاقِيِّينَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُثَنَّى الْحَضْرَمِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) يَا جَابِرُ لا أَخْرَجَكَ الله مِنَ النَّقْصِ وَ[ لا ] التَّقْصِيرِ.

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from certain people (scholars of Kufa) of Iraq from Muhammad al-Muthanna al- Hadrami from his father from ‘Uthman ibn Zayd from Jabir who has said the following: “Once abu Ja’far (a.s.) said to me, ‘O Jabir, (I wish) Allah grants you a chance to think of yourself as falling short in your worship and having deficiencies.’”

3ـ عَنْهُ عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ الْجَهْمِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَجُلاً فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَبَدَ الله أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً ثُمَّ قَرَّبَ قُرْبَاناً فَلَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا أُتِيتُ إِلا مِنْكِ وَمَا الذَّنْبُ إِلا لَكِ قَالَ فَأَوْحَى الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ ذَمُّكَ لِنَفْسِكَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَتِكَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً.

3. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Faddal from al- Hassan al-Jahm who has said the following: “I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.) saying, ‘A man of banu Israel worshipped Allah for forty years. He then offered an offering that was not accepted. He said to his soul, “Whatever I face is only because of you and there is no sin but that you are responsible therefor.’” The Imam said, ‘Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, then revealed to him, “Your blaming your soul is better than your forty years of worship.’”

4ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ يُونُسَ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ أَكْثِرْ مِنْ أَنْ تَقُولَ اللهمَّ لا تَجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُعَارِينَ وَلا تُخْرِجْنِي مِنَ التَّقْصِيرِ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَمَّا الْمُعَارُونَ فَقَدْ عَرَفْتُ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُعَارُ الدِّينَ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا مَعْنَى لا تُخْرِجْنِي مِنَ التَّقْصِيرِ فَقَالَ كُلُّ عَمَلٍ تُرِيدُ بِهِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَكُنْ فِيهِ مُقَصِّراً عِنْدَ نَفْسِكَ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ كُلَّهُمْ فِي أَعْمَالِهِمْ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الله مُقَصِّرُونَ إِلا مَنْ عَصَمَهُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

4. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from ‘Isa ibn Ayyub from Ali ibn Mahziyar from al-Fadl ibn Yunus from abu al-Hassan (a.s.) who has said the following: “You should say very often, ‘O Lord, do not include me among those whose beliefs are temporary and do not make me feel free of shortcomings.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I know the meaning of people whose beliefs are temporary. They come into a religion and then abandon it. What is the meaning of, “Do not make me feel free of shortcomings?”’ The Imam said, ‘It is when after all the worship of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, that you may do, you still think that you are falling far short of doing true worship. All people fall far short in their worshipping Allah truly except those to whom Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has granted protection.’”