Al-Kāfi - Volume 8 > Hadith
Hadith #188

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ السِّنْدِيِّ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ عَنْ صَبَّاحٍ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ قَالَ زَامَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ فَقَالَ لِيَ اقْرَأْ قَالَ فَافْتَتَحْتُ سُورَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَقَرَأْتُهَا فَرَقَّ وَ بَكَى ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا أَبَا أُسَامَةَ ارْعَوْا قُلُوبَكُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ احْذَرُوا النَّكْتَ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي عَلَى الْقَلْبِ تَارَاتٌ أَوْ سَاعَاتٌ الشَّكُّ مِنْ صَبَّاحٍ لَيْسَ فِيهِ إِيمَانٌ وَ لَا كُفْرٌ شِبْهَ الْخِرْقَةِ الْبَالِيَةِ أَوِ الْعَظْمِ النَّخِرِ يَا أَبَا أُسَامَةَ أَ لَيْسَ رُبَّمَا تَفَقَّدْتَ قَلْبَكَ فَلَا تَذْكُرُ بِهِ خَيْراً وَ لَا شَرّاً وَ لَا تَدْرِي أَيْنَ هُوَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ بَلَى إِنَّهُ لَيُصِيبُنِي وَ أَرَاهُ يُصِيبُ النَّاسَ قَالَ أَجَلْ لَيْسَ يَعْرَى مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ قَالَ فَإِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ احْذَرُوا النَّكْتَ فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْراً نَكَتَ إِيمَاناً وَ إِذَا أَرَادَ بِهِ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ نَكَتَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ قُلْتُ مَا غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ [مَا هُوَ] قَالَ إِذَا أَرَادَ كُفْراً نَكَتَ كُفْراً.

188. Ali Bin Ibrahim, from Saleh Bin Al-Sindy, from Ja’far Bin Basheer, from Sabbaah Al-Haza’, from Abu Asama who said: ‘I accompanied Abu Abdullah (asws). He (asws) said to me: ‘Read’. So I opened a Chapter from the Quran and recited it. He (asws) became soft-hearted and wept, then said: ‘O Abu Asama! Nurture your hearts by the Mention of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic, ‘وَ احْذَرُوا النَّكْتَ’ and be cautious of the instigation, for it comes upon the heart once or for many hours of doubt in the morning when there is neither belief nor disbelief in the heart, like a worn out piece of cloth or the decayed bone. O Abu Asama! Is it not that sometimes you inspect your heart, so you neither remember neither any good nor any evil by it, and nor do you know where it is?’ I said to him (asws), ‘Yes, it has happened to me, and I have seen it happen to the people’. He (asws) said: ‘Yes, everyone is exposed to it. So if it is like that remember Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic, ‘وَ احْذَرُوا النَّكْتَ’ and be cautious of the instigation, for if He (azwj) Intends good for a servant, Instigates belief, and if He (azwj) Intends by it other than that, Instigates other than that’. I said, ‘What is other than that, may I be sacrificed for you (asws), what is it?’ He (asws) said: ‘If He (azwj) Intends infidelity, infidelity is instigated’.