Submission of Intellect and its Excellence

Sign of Perfection of Intellect

Merit of Knowledge and the Scholar and the Obligation of Knowledge

Reward of the Scholar and the Seeker of Knowledge

Attributes of the Scholar

Asking the Scholar and Discussing with Him

Prohibition on Speaking without Knowledge and Ruling based on Opinion

Accountability of the Scholar and its Severity

Miscellaneous from the Book of Intellect and Knowledge‎

Transmitting the Narration Non-Verbatim

Prohibition of Blind Following

Regarding Innovation and Analogical Reasoning

Ruling of Everything is in the Book and the Sunna

Prohibition on Debate and Argumentation

Some of the Reasons for Differences in the Narrations

Fitting Response Appropriate to the Understanding of the Questioner and the Addressee

No Excuse for the Ignorant One who Falls Short

Narration that Contradicts the Qur’an

Prohibition of Giving Fatwa without Knowledge and Evidence

Everything has a Ruling in the Book and the Sunna

Permanence of the Halal and the Haram unto the Day of Judgment

What Can be Used to Infer some General Principles

Authoritativeness of the Book and the Sunna

Principle of Precaution

Authoritativeness of the Solitary Report of a Truthful Narrator

Principle of “Whomsoever it reaches …”

Necessity of Comparing the Hadith with the Qur’an

Judging Conflict between Narrations

Reasons for Differences between Narrations

Invalidation of Analogical Reasoning

Primary Doubts

Principle of Continuity

Legal Injunctions are Predicated on Pubescence

Principle of ’No Harm’

Ijtihad

Lapsing of both Injunctive and Declaratory Rulings in Cases of Necessity

Some Rulings which are Time-Bound

Precedence is Given to what has been Established by the Qur’an over the Sunna

One of the Reasons for Differences between Narrations

Principle of Impartiality

What has been Lifted from the Umma

Aban b. Taghlib

Ibrahim b. Abi Mahmud

Ibrahim b. Abda

Ahmad b. Hammad al-Marwazi and his son Muhammad

Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr al-Bazanti

Usama b. Zayd

Ishaq b. Ammar

Ismail b. Ja`far and Abdallah b. Sharik

Bazi`, al-Sarri, Bashshar and Bayan

Bukayr

al-Hakam, Salama, Kathir, Salim and Abu al-Miqdam

Abu Sasan, Ammar, Shatira and Abu Amra

Jabir b. Abdallah al-Ansari and Jabir b. Yazid al-Ju`fi

al-Ash`ath, Jarir and Simak

Ja`far b. Isa, Salih and Abu al-Asad

al-Harith b. al-Mughira

Hariz and Hudhayfa

Hasan al-Muthalath

Abu Ali b. Rashid and Ali b. al-Husayn b. Abd Rabbi

al-Hasan and al-Husayn the two sons of Zurara

al-Husayn b. Qayama

al-Husayn b. Mihran

al-Hakam b. Utayba

Hammad b. Isa

Humran b. A`yan

Hamza b. Bazi`

Hayyan al-Sarraj

Khuzayma b. Thabit

Khayran al-Khadim

Dawud b. Farqad and Harun b. Sa`d

Dharih b. Muhammad al-Muharibi

al-Rayyan b. al-Salt

Zurara b. A`yan

Zakariyya b. Sabur

Ziyad b. Marwan al-Qandi

Ziyad b. al-Mundhir Abu al-Jarud

Zayd b. Ali

Salim b. Mukram

Sukayn al-Nakhai

Simak b. Kharasha

Sahl b. Hunayf

Salih b. Muhammad b. Sahl

Sa`sa`a b. Suhan

Safwan b. Mihran al-Jammal

Safwan b. Yahya

Dhurays b. Abd al-Malik

A`sim b. Umar al-Bajali and Ka`b al-Ahbar

`Amir b. Wathila

`Abbad al-Basri

Abd al-Hamid b. Salim and Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi`

Abd al-Khaliq b. Abd Rabbi

Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur

Abdallah b. al-Imam al-Sadiq

Abdallah b. Jundab

Abdallah b. al-Hasan b. al-Hasan al-Mujtaba

Abdallah b. Saba

Abdallah b. Shubruma

Abdallah b. Ajlan and Muyassir b. Abd al-Aziz

Abdallah b. Umayr al-Laythi

[1/1] اصول الكافي: عن عدة من أصحابنا منهم محمد بن يحيى العطار، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن العلاء بن رزين، عن محمد بن مسلم، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: لما خلق الله العقل استنطقه ثم قال له: أقبل فأقبل ثم قال له: أدبر فأدبر ثم قال: وعزتي وجلالي ما خلقت خلقا هو أحب إلي منك ولا أكملتك إلا فيمن احب، أما إني إياك آمر، وإياك أنهى وإياك اعاقب، وإياك اثيب

1. [1/1] Usul al-Kafi: From a number of our companions among them Muhammad b. Yahya al-Attar from Ahmad b. Muhammad from al-Hasan b. Mahbub from al-Ala b. Razin from Muhammad b. Muslim from Abi Ja’far عليه السلام who said: When Allāh created the intellect He gave it the power to speak, then He said to it: draw near, so it drew near, then He said to it: turn back, so it turned back, then He said: by my Power and Majesty I have not created a creature more beloved to me than you, and I have not perfected you except in the one I love, as for me you do I command, and you do I prohibit, and you do I punish and you do I reward.

[2/2] اصول الكافي: محمد بن يحيى، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن ابن فضال، عن الحسن بن الجهم قال: سمعت الرضا عليه السلام يقول: صديق كل امرء عقله، وعدوه جهله

2. [2/2] Usul al-Kafi: Muhammad b. Yahya from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa from Ibn Fadhal from al-Hasan b. Jahm who said: I heard al-Ridha عليه السلام saying: the friend of every man is his intellect, and his enemy is his ignorance.

[3/3] اصول الكافي: وعنه، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن ابن فضال، عن الحسن بن الجهم قال: قلت لابي الحسن عليه السلام: إن عندنا قوما لهم محبة، وليست لهم تلك العزيمة يقولون بهذا القول؟ فقال: ليس اولئك ممن عاتب الله إنما قال الله: فاعتبروا يا أولي الابصار

3. [3/3] Usul al-Kafi: From him (Muhammad b. Yahya) from Ahmad b. Muhammad from Ibn Fadhal from al-Hasan b. Jahm who said: I said to Abi al-Hasan عليه السلام: we have a group who have love (towards you) but they are not firm in resolve though they profess this belief (Tashayyu), so he عليه السلام said: these are not those who were admonished by Allāh, when Allāh said: <>(59:2).

[4/4] رجال الكشي: عن حمدويه بن نصيرعن أيوب بن نوح، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن داود بن فرقد، قال : سمعت أبا عبد الله (عليه السلام) يقول إن أصحابي أولو النهى و التقى فمن لم يكن من أهل النهى و التقى فليس من أصحابي

4. [4/4] Rijal al-Kashshi: Hamduwayh b. Nusayr who said: narrated to us Ayyub b. Nuh from Safwan b. Yahya from Dawud b. Farqad who said: I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: my companions are the people of discernment and god-consciousness, whoever is not from the people of discernment and god-consciousness then he is not from my companions.

[5/5] اصول الكافي: علي، عن أبيه، عن أبي هاشم الجعفري قال: كنا عند الرضا عليه السلام فتذاكرنا العقل والادب فقال: يا أبا هاشم العقل حباء من الله والادب كلفة، فمن تكلف الادب قدر عليه، ومن تكلف العقل لم يزدد بذلك إلا جهلا

5. [5/5] Usul al-Kafi: Ali from his father (Ibrahim b. Hashim) from Abi Hashim al-Ja’fari who said: We were with al-Ridha عليه السلام when we began discussing about the intellect and moral virtue, so he said: O Abu Hashim, intellect is a free gift from Allāh while virtue is an effortful acquisition, whoever strives to acquire virtue is able to possess it but whoever strives to acquire intellect he achieves naught by that except further ignorance.

[6/6] اصول الكافي: أبوعبدالله العاصمي، عن علي بن الحسن، عن علي بن أسباط، عن الحسن ابن الجهم، عن أبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام قال: ذكر عنده أصحابنا وذكر العقل قال: فقال عليه السلام: لا يعبأ بأهل الدين ممن لا عقل له، قلت: جعلت فداك إن ممن يصف هذا الامر قوما لا بأس بهم عندنا وليست لهم تلك العقول فقال: ليس هؤلاء ممن خاطب الله إن الله خلق العقل فقال له: اقبل فاقبل وقال له: أدبر فأدبر، فقال: وعزتي وجلالي ما خلقت شيئا أحسن منك أو احب إلي منك، بك آخذ وبك اعطي

6. [6/6] Usul al-Kafi: Abu Abdillah al-Asimi from Ali b. al-Hasan from Ali b. Asbat from al-Hasan b. al-Jahm from Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام. He (al-Asimi) said: Our companions (the Shias) and intellect were mentioned in his presence, so he عليه السلام said: consideration is not given to a man of religion who has no intellect. I said: may I be made your ransom, from those who claim this affair (Wilaya) there are some who do mean well but do not have that level of intellect, so he said: such people are not the ones addressed by Allāh, verily Allāh created the intellect and said to it: draw near, so it drew near, and said to it: turn back, so it turned back, then He said: by my power and majesty I have not created a thing better than you or more beloved to me than you, by you do I take and by you do I give.

Muʿjam al-Aḥādīth al-Muʿtabara

Book 1, Chapter 1