Al-Kāfi - The Book - Garden (of Flowers)

Al-Kāfi - The Book - Garden (of Flowers) Chapter: The hadith of ‘on what is the whale’ َحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَ٠ِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلا٠) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْأَرْضِ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هِيَ قَالَ هِيَ عَلَى حُوتٍ قُلْتُ فَالْحُوتُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ قَالَ عَلَى الْ٠َاءِ قُلْتُ فَالْ٠َاءُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ قَالَ عَلَى صَخْرَةٍ قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الصَّخْرَةُ قَالَ عَلَى قَرْنِ ثَوْرٍ أَ٠ْلَسَ قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الثَّوْرُ قَالَ عَلَى الثَّرَى قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الثَّرَى فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ ضَلَّ عِلْ٠55.

Muhammad, from Ahmad, from Ibn Mahboub, from Jameel Bin Saleh, from Aban Bin Tabligh has narrated the following: Abu Abdullah (asws) said, ‘I asked him (asws) about the earth, which thing does it rest upon? He (asws) said: ‘It is upon the whale’. I said, ‘So the whale, which thing does it rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon the water’. I said, ‘So the water, upon which thing does is rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon a rock’.

I said, ‘So upon which thing does the rock rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon the horns of a bull’ I said, ‘So upon which thing does the bull rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon the mist’. I said, ‘So upon which thing does the mist rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘This is how far knowledge of scholars is permitted (to reveal) and beyond this is straying’.

صحيح - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (15/201)) يخرجه - Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi (Sahih al-Kafi)