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The Book of "Al-Kafi" by Shaykh Kulayni - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief The Book of “Al-Kafi” by Shaykh Kulayni 2024-05-09 14400 Views Kitab Al-Kafi Al-Kāfī is one of hadith collections of Twelver Shi’a. It is the most important and authentic collection among the Four Books. It was compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya’qub al-Kulayni (d. 329/941) in the period of Minor Occultation. Al-Kafi consists of three parts: Usul (i.e. The fundamentals), Furu’ (i.e.

📌The articles of practice), and Rawda (i.e. The Miscellaneous). Contents In the Words of Great Scholars Purpose of Writing Writing Approach Distinguished Features Content Number of Hadiths Researches Carried Out on al-Kafi Some Commentaries Marginal Notes English Translation Notes References Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that the book “Al-Kafi” could have been entitled as such due to the author’s statement in the chapter on purification (Tahara), which reads: “This book is “Kafi” (i.e.

sufficient) for all religious sciences”[1]. It also could have been named Al-Kafi due to a report that stated that when the book was presented to Imam al-Mahdi (a.s), he said, “Al-Kafi is Kafi (i.e. sufficient) for our Shi’a”[2]. However, there is no such a report and it is just a mere claim.

In the Words of Great Scholars Al-Shaykh al-Mufid says, “This book is among the best Shi’a books and enjoys a lot of benefits.”[3] Al-Shahid al-Awwal introduces it as a book of hadith similar of which has not been written by any Shi’a scholar [4].

Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi writes, “Al-Kafi is the most accurate and most comprehensive of all primary hadith sources, and it is the greatest and best book ever written by the Imamiyyah.”[5] Agha Buzurg Tihrani says, “Al-Kafi is a book of hadiths reported from (a.s) to which no similar book has been authored.”[6] Al-Astarabadi quotes from his teachers that, “no book has ever been written similar or close to it in rank”.[7] Ayatollah Khoei mentions that his teacher, Muhammad Husayn Na’ini, would call doubting the sources of al-Kafi, “the business of the incompetent”.[8] Purpose of Writing According to the introduction to the book, the author stated that he has written the book in response to a request of person he referred to as “a brother in religion” : O brother!

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