Al-Kāfi - Volume 4


Book 3, Chapter 184

For How Many People One Camel or Cow Is an Enough Offering
5 Aḥadīth

1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ الله (صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) يَذْبَحُ يَوْمَ الأَضْحَى كَبْشَيْنِ أَحَدَهُمَا عَنْ نَفْسِهِ وَالآخَرَ عَمَّنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ وَكَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) يَذْبَحُ كَبْشَيْنِ أَحَدَهُمَا عَنْ رَسُولِ الله (صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَالآخَرَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ.


1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘ Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, slaughtered two sheep on the day of al-Adha’, one for himself and one for those of his followers who could not afford them. ’Amir al-Mu’minin slaughtered two sheep, one for the Messenger of Allah and one for himself.”

2ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) عَنْ قَوْمٍ غَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الأَضَاحِيُّ وَهُمْ مُتَمَتِّعُونَ وَهُمْ مُتَرَافِقُونَ وَلَيْسُوا بِأَهْلِ بَيْتٍ وَاحِدٍ وَقَدِ اجْتَمَعُوا فِي مَسِيرِهِمْ وَمَضْرَبُهُمْ وَاحِدٌ أَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً فَقَالَ لا أُحِبُّ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ مِنْ ضَرُورَةٍ.


2. Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ibrahim (a.s), about the case of a people for whom offering animals become very expensive, who are for al-Tamattu‘ (advantageous), in one company but not of the same family. They have come together; their way and camp is one, if they can slaughter one cow. He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not like it unless it is urgency.’”

3ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ رَجُلٍ يُسَمَّى سَوَادَةَ قَالَ كُنَّا جَمَاعَةً بِمِنًى فَعَزَّتِ الأَضَاحِيُّ فَنَظَرْنَا فَإِذَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) وَاقِفٌ عَلَى قَطِيعٍ يُسَاوِمُ بِغَنَمٍ وَيُمَاكِسُهُمْ مِكَاساً شَدِيداً فَوَقَفْنَا نَنْتَظِرُ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا فَقَالَ أَظُنُّكُمْ قَدْ تَعَجَّبْتُمْ مِنْ مِكَاسِي فَقُلْنَا نَعَمْ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمَغْبُونَ لا مَحْمُودٌ وَلا مَأْجُورٌ أَ لَكُمْ حَاجَةٌ فَقُلْنَا نَعَمْ أَصْلَحَكَ الله إِنَّ الأَضَاحِيَّ قَدْ عَزَّتْ عَلَيْنَا قَالَ فَاجْتَمِعُوا فَاشْتَرُوا جَزُوراً فِيمَا بَيْنَكُمْ قُلْنَا وَلا تَبْلُغُ نَفَقَتُنَا قَالَ فَاجْتَمِعُوا وَاشْتَرُوا بَقَرَةً فِيمَا بَيْنَكُمْ فَاذْبَحُوهَا قُلْنَا وَلا تَبْلُغُ نَفَقَتُنَا قَالَ فَاجْتَمِعُوا فَاشْتَرُوا فِيمَا بَيْنَكُمْ شَاةً فَاذْبَحُوهَا فِيمَا بَيْنَكُمْ قُلْنَا تُجْزِئُ عَنْ سَبْعَةٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَعَنْ سَبْعِينَ.


3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Al-Hasan ibn Ali from man called Sawadah who has said the following: “Once we were in Mina’ and offering became very expensive. We saw abu ’Abdillah (a.s), standing near a bunch of cattle, bargaining stringently. We stopped and looked. When he (a.s) completed his task, he came to us and said, ‘I think you found my stringent bargaining strange.’ We replied, ‘Yes, it was so.’ He (a.s) said, ‘One who suffers a loss is not praised and does not receive any reward. Can I help you in something?’ We said, ‘Yes, the offering animals have become very expensive for us. He (a.s) said, ‘Come together and all of you buy one Jazur.’ We said, ‘Our budget is not sufficient. He (a.s) then said, ‘All of you buy one cow and slaughter it.’ We said that our budget is not sufficient. He (a.s) said, ‘All of you buy one sheep and slaughter it.’ We asked if it is sufficient for seven. He (a.s) said, ‘Yes, it is sufficient [even] for seventy.’”

4ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ حُمْرَانَ قَالَ عَزَّتِ الْبُدْنُ سَنَةً بِمِنًى حَتَّى بَلَغَتِ الْبَدَنَةُ مِائَةَ دِينَارٍ فَسُئِلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ اشْتَرِكُوا فِيهَا قَالَ قُلْتُ كَمْ قَالَ مَا خَفَّ هُوَ أَفْضَلُ قُلْتُ عَنْ كَمْ تُجْزِئُ قَالَ عَنْ سَبْعِينَ.


4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Umar ‘ibn ‘Udhaynah from Humran who has said the following: “One year badanah became very expensive in Mina’, so much so that one badanah sold for one hundred dinar. Abu Ja‘far (a.s), was asked about it and he (the Imam) said to share it. I asked, ‘For how many people it is sufficient?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘The lighter the better.’ I asked, ‘For how many?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘For seventy.’”

5ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ قَرْعَةَ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ جَهْمٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) مُتَمَتِّعٌ لَمْ يَجِدْ هَدْياً فَقَالَ أَ مَا كَانَ مَعَهُ دِرْهَمٌ يَأْتِي بِهِ قَوْمَهُ فَيَقُولَ أَشْرِكُونِي بِهَذَا الدِّرْهَمِ.


5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hafs ibn Qar‘ah from Zayd ibn Jahm who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s), about a man who is for al-Tamattu‘ (advantageous) and cannot find an offering. He (the Imam) said, ‘Does he not have any dirham to ask his people to allow him to share with them?”’ (Fatwa best explains Hadith 2-5 of this Chapter)