Al-Kāfi - Volume 8


Book 1, Chapter 129

Allah has made hierarchy of power
1 Ḥadīth

وَ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ (صلى الله عليه وآله) مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ خَلْقاً إِلَّا وَ قَدْ أَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِ آخَرَ يَغْلِبُهُ فِيهِ وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا خَلَقَ الْبِحَارَ السُّفْلَى فَخَرَتْ وَ زَخَرَتْ وَ قَالَتْ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فَسَطَحَهَا عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا فَذَلَّتْ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ فَخَرَتْ وَ قَالَتْ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ الْجِبَالَ فَأَثْبَتَهَا عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا أَوْتَاداً مِنْ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِمَا عَلَيْهَا فَذَلَّتِ الْأَرْضُ وَ اسْتَقَرَّتْ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْجِبَالَ فَخَرَتْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ فَشَمَخَتْ وَ اسْتَطَالَتْ وَ قَالَتْ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ الْحَدِيدَ فَقَطَعَهَا فَقَرَّتِ الْجِبَالُ وَ ذَلَّتْ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْحَدِيدَ فَخَرَتْ عَلَى الْجِبَالِ وَ قَالَ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ النَّارَ فَأَذَابَتِ الْحَدِيدَ فَذَلَّ الْحَدِيدُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ النَّارَ زَفَرَتْ وَ شَهَقَتْ وَ فَخَرَتْ وَ قَالَتْ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ الْمَاءَ فَأَطْفَأَهَا فَذَلَّتْ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْمَاءَ فَخَرَ وَ زَخَرَ وَ قَالَ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ الرِّيحَ فَحَرَّكَتْ أَمْوَاجَهُ وَ أَثَارَتْ مَا فِي قَعْرِهِ وَ حَبَسَتْهُ عَنْ مَجَارِيهِ فَذَلَّ الْمَاءُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الرِّيحَ فَخَرَتْ وَ عَصَفَتْ وَ أَرْخَتْ أَذْيَالَهَا وَ قَالَتْ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَغْلِبُنِي فَخَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ فَبَنَى وَ احْتَالَ وَ اتَّخَذَ مَا يَسْتَتِرُ بِهِ مِنَ الرِّيحِ وَ غَيْرِهَا فَذَلَّتِ الرِّيحُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ طَغَى وَ قَالَ مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنِّي قُوَّةً فَخَلَقَ اللَّهُ لَهُ الْمَوْتَ فَقَهَرَهُ فَذَلَّ الْإِنْسَانُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ فَخَرَ فِي نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَا تَفْخَرْ فَإِنِّي ذَابِحُكَ بَيْنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ ثُمَّ لَا أُحْيِيكَ أَبَداً فَتُرْجَى أَوْ تُخَافَ وَ قَالَ أَيْضاً وَ الْحِلْمُ يَغْلِبُ الْغَضَبَ وَ الرَّحْمَةُ تَغْلِبُ السُّخْطَ وَ الصَّدَقَةُ تَغْلِبُ الْخَطِيئَةَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) مَا أَشْبَهَ هَذَا مِمَّا قَدْ يَغْلِبُ غَيْرَهُ.


129. And by this chain: He (a.s) said: ‘The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic did not Create a creature except that He (azwj) Commanded another one to overcome it, and that Allah (azwj) Blessed and High, when He (azwj) Created the deeper ocean, it prided itself and moved its waves and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the earth, so it (ocean) surfaced upon its back, and so it became submissive. Then he (a.s) said; ‘The earth prided itself and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the mountains and Established them as pegs upon its back, so stop it from swaying due to what is upon her. So the earth became submissive and stabilised. Then the mountain prided itself over the earth, so it became bigger and taller, and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the iron which cut it, and so the mountain calmed down and became submissive. Then the iron prided itself over the mountain and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the Fire which melted it, and so the iron became submissive. Then the fire exhaled and gasped (blazed), and prided itself and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the water which extinguished it, and so it became submissive. Then the water prided itself and overflowed and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the wind which moved its waves and raised what was in its bottom, and restrained it from its direction, and so the water became submissive. Then the wind prided itself, raged and loosened its tails and said, ‘Which thing can overcome me?’ So He (azwj) Created the human being who built shelters and tricked the wind by veiling himself from it and other, so the wind became humble. Then the human being rebelled and said, ‘Who is stronger than me?’ So He (azwj) Created the death for him, which defeated him, and so he became submissive. Then the death prided itself so Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic Said: “Do not be proud, for I (azwj) will Slaughter you in between the two sects – the people of the Paradise and the people of the Fire, then I (azwj) will not Revive you ever, whether you return (repent) or you fear”. And he (a.s) also said: ‘And the forbearance overcomes the anger, and the mercy overcomes the harshness, and the charity overcomes the sins’. Then Abu Abdullah (a.s) said: ‘There is more like this where one thing overcomes the other’.