Al-Kāfi - Volume 8


Book 1, Chapter 35

Religion is no other thing than love
1 Ḥadīth

عَنْهُمْ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ وَ ثَعْلَبَةَ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ وَ غَالِبِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ وَ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ بُرَيْدِ بْنِ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) فِي فُسْطَاطٍ لَهُ بِمِنًى فَنَظَرَ إِلَى زِيَادٍ الْأَسْوَدِ مُنْقَلِعَ الرِّجْلِ فَرَثَى لَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَا لِرِجْلَيْكَ هَكَذَا قَالَ جِئْتُ عَلَى بَكْرٍ لِي نِضْوٍ فَكُنْتُ أَمْشِي عَنْهُ عَامَّةَ الطَّرِيقِ فَرَثَى لَهُ وَ قَالَ لَهُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ زِيَادٌ إِنِّي أُلِمُّ بِالذُّنُوبِ حَتَّى إِذَا ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّي قَدْ هَلَكْتُ ذَكَرْتُ حُبَّكُمْ فَرَجَوْتُ النَّجَاةَ وَ تَجَلَّى عَنِّي فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) وَ هَلِ الدِّينُ إِلَّا الْحُبُّ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمانَ وَ زَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَ قَالَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَ قَالَ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ رَجُلًا أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أُحِبُّ الْمُصَلِّينَ وَ لَا أُصَلِّي وَ أُحِبُّ الصَّوَّامِينَ وَ لَا أَصُومُ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَ لَكَ مَا اكْتَسَبْتَ وَ قَالَ مَا تَبْغُونَ وَ مَا تُرِيدُونَ أَمَا إِنَّهَا لَوْ كَانَ فَزْعَةٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَزِعَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ إِلَى مَأْمَنِهِمْ وَ فَزِعْنَا إِلَى نَبِيِّنَا وَ فَزِعْتُمْ إِلَيْنَا .


35. From him, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Al-Hassan Bin Ali Bin Fazzal, from Ali Bin Uqba and Tha’alba Bin Maymoun and Ghalib Bin Usman and Haroun Bin Muslim, from Bureyd Bin Muawiya who said: ‘I was in the presence of Abu Ja’far (a.s) in his (a.s) tent at Mina. He (a.s) looked at the feet of Ziyad which had turned black, so he felt pity for him and said: ‘What is the matter with your feet that they are like this?’ He said, ‘I came upon a week's ride and I had to walk most of the way’. He (a.s) lamented to him and Ziyad said to him (a.s) during that, ‘I was in (so much) pain due to my sins to the extent that I thought that I would be destroyed. I remembered my love for you (a.s) which gave me hope for salvation and it brightened my situation’. So Abu Ja’far (a.s) said: ‘And is the Religion anything except for the love? Allah (azwj) the High has Said: “[49:7] But Allah has endeared the Faith to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts”, and Said: “[3:31] Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you”, and Said: “[59:9] love those who have fled to them”. A man came up to the Prophet ﷺ so he said, ‘O Messenger ﷺ of Allah (azwj), I love the Praying ones but I do not Pray myself, and I love the Fasting ones but I do not Fast myself’. The Messenger ﷺ of Allah (azwj) said: ‘You are with the one whom you love, but to you belongs what you have acquired’. And he (a.s) said: ‘What you are seeking and what you want, but it is if there is a scare from the sky, every people would seek protection in its safe place, and we (a.s) will seek safety with our Prophet ﷺ, and you will be seeking safety with us (a.s)’.