Al-Kāfi

1ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) لا تَدَعْ بِسْمِ الله الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَإِنْ كَانَ بَعْدَهُ شِعْرٌ.

1. Allah Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz from Jamil ibn Darraj who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Do not ignore the expression, “(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” even if it is followed by a poem.’”

2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ عَبْدِ السَّلامِ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ هَارُونَ مَوْلَى آلِ جَعْدَةَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) اكْتُبْ بِسْمِ الله الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ مِنْ أَجْوَدِ كِتَابِكَ وَلا تَمُدَّ الْبَاءَ حَتَّى تَرْفَعَ السِّينَ.

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn Ali from al-Hassan ibn Ali from Yusuf ibn ‘Abd al-Salam from Sayf ibn Harun Mawla Ale (family) Ju’dah who has said the following:“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Write “(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” with the best of your handwriting. Do not extend the letter ‘B’ more than the letter ‘S’.’” [Note: this may apply to kufi handwriting only].

3ـ عَنْهُ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ السَّرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ لا تَكْتُبْ بِسْمِ الله الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ لِفُلانٍ وَلا بَأْسَ أَنْ تَكْتُبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الْكِتَابِ لِفُلانٍ.

3. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali ibn al-Hakam from al-Hassan ibn al-Sari from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Do not write, ‘(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,’ ‘for so and so’ (in a letter), but it is not an offense to write at the back of the letter, ‘for so and so’.’”

4ـ عَنْهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ السَّرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ لا تَكْتُبْ دَاخِلَ الْكِتَابِ لأبِي فُلانٍ وَاكْتُبْ إِلَى أَبِي فُلانٍ وَاكْتُبْ عَلَى الْعُنْوَانِ لأبِي فُلانٍ.

4. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Muhammad ibn Ali from al-Nadr ibn Shu’ayb from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from al-Hassan ibn al-Sari from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Do not write in the letter: ‘For abu so and so’ but write ‘To abu so and so’. In the address area one should write, ‘For abu so and so’.”

5ـ عَنْهُ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَبْدَأُ بِالرَّجُلِ فِي الْكِتَابِ قَالَ لا بَأْسَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ يَبْدَأُ الرَّجُلُ بِأَخِيهِ يُكْرِمُهُ.

5. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Sama’a who has said the following: “Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about a man who initiates writing to another man. The Imam said, ‘It is not an offense. It is an excellent act when a man initiates honoring his brother (in belief).”’

6ـ عَنْهُ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ الأحْمَرِ عَنْ حَدِيدِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ لا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَبْدَأَ الرَّجُلُ بِاسْمِ صَاحِبِهِ فِي الصَّحِيفَةِ قَبْلَ اسْمِهِ.

6. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ibn al-Ahmar from Hadid ibn Hakim from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “It is not an offense for a man to begin with the name of his friend in a letter instead of his own name.”

7ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ مُرَازِمِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ قَالَ أَمَرَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) بِكِتَابٍ فِي حَاجَةٍ فَكُتِبَ ثُمَّ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ رَجَوْتُمْ أَنْ يَتِمَّ هَذَا وَلَيْسَ فِيهِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ انْظُرُوا كُلَّ مَوْضِعٍ لا يَكُونُ فِيهِ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ فَاسْتَثْنُوا فِيهِ.

7. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Murazim ibn Hakim who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) ordered to write a letter about an issue. The letter was written and was shown to him and there was no exception in it. The Imam said, ‘How can you expect that this may be completed without exception (that is, if Allah so wills)? Look into it and write down exceptions whenever needed.”’

8ـ عَنْهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُتَرِّبُ الْكِتَابَ وَقَالَ لا بَأْسَ بِهِ.

8. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) would dry up the ink on a newlywritten letter by means of placing soil on it and would say that doing so is not an offense.”

9ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ أَنَّهُ رَأَى كُتُباً لأبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) مُتَرَّبَةً.

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Ali ibn ‘Atiyyah who has said the following: “He had seen a soiled letter of abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.).”