Al-Kāfi - Volume 6


Book 1, Chapter 37

Intelligence of a Boy and Signs of his Nobility
3 Aḥadīth

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ خَلِيلِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْيَشْكُرِيِّ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ إِذَا كَانَ الْغُلَامُ مُلْتَاثَ الْأُدْرَةِ صَغِيرَ الذّ��كَرِ سَاكِنَ النَّظَرِ فَهُوَ مِمَّنْ يُرْجَى خَيْرُهُ وَ يُؤْمَنُ شَرُّهُقَالَ وَ إِذَا كَانَ الْغُلَامُ شَدِيدَ الْأُدْرَةِ كَبِيرَ الذَّكَرِ حَادَّ النَّظَرِ فَهُوَ مِمَّنْ لَا يُرْجَى خَيْرُهُ وَ يُؤْمَنُ شَرُّهُ .


1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from all from ibn Mahbub from Khalil ibn ‘Amr al-Yashkuriy from Jamil ibn Darraj who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ’If a boy’s scrotum is relaxed, his penis is small, his eyes are relaxed; then there is hope for goodness to come from him, as well as hope in safety from his evil. On the other hand if a boy whose scrotum is hard, his penis is large and has piercing eyes, he then is one in whose goodness there is no hope nor safety from his evil.’”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ بُنْدَارَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْهَمَذَانِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الشَّامِيِّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي صَالِحُ بْنُ عُقْبَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْعَبْدَ الصَّالِحَ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ تُسْتَحَبُّ عَرَامَةُ الصَّبِيِّ فِي صِغَرِهِ لِيَكُونَ حَلِيماً فِي كِبَرِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ إِلَّا هَكَذَا .


2. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar from his father from Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hamadaniy from abu Sa‘d al-Shamiy who has said that Salih ibn ‘Uqbah narrated to me saying the following: “I heard the virtuous servant of Allah saying, ‘It is preferable to involve a child in difficult tasks when he is small, so he can be forbearing when he grows up.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘It is not proper to be other than as such.’”

وَ رُوِيَ أَنَّ أَكْيَسَ الصِّبْيَانِ أَشَدُّهُمْ بُغْضاً لِلْكُتَّابِ .


3. It is narrated that:"the most intelligent child is the one who hates al-Kuttab (the writers) school the most.’”