Al-Kāfi - Volume 8


Book 1, Chapter 55

The hadith of ‘on what is the whale’
1 Ḥadīth

مُحَمَّدٌ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْأَرْضِ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هِيَ قَالَ هِيَ عَلَى حُوتٍ قُلْتُ فَالْحُوتُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ قَالَ عَلَى الْمَاءِ قُلْتُ فَالْمَاءُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ قَالَ عَلَى صَخْرَةٍ قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الصَّخْرَةُ قَالَ عَلَى قَرْنِ ثَوْرٍ أَمْلَسَ قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الثَّوْرُ قَالَ عَلَى الثَّرَى قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الثَّرَى فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ ضَلَّ عِلْمُ الْعُلَمَاءِ .


55. Muhammad, from Ahmad, from Ibn Mahboub, from Jameel Bin Saleh, from Aban Bin Tabligh has narrated the following: Abu Abdullah (a.s) said, ‘I asked him (a.s) about the earth, which thing does it rest upon? He (a.s) said: ‘It is upon the whale’. I said, ‘So the whale, which thing does it rest upon?’ He (a.s) said: ‘Upon the water’. I said, ‘So the water, upon which thing does is rest upon?’ He (a.s) said: ‘Upon a rock’. I said, ‘So upon which thing does the rock rest upon?’ He (a.s) said: ‘Upon the horns of a bull’ I said, ‘So upon which thing does the bull rest upon?’ He (a.s) said: ‘Upon the mist’. I said, ‘So upon which thing does the mist rest upon?’ He (a.s) said: ‘This is how far knowledge of scholars is permitted (to reveal) and beyond this is straying’.