Al-Kāfī
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: Usūl (i.e. The fundamentals), Furū’ (i.e. The articles of practice), and Rawḍa (i.e. The Miscellaneous). 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.
Compiled by Muhammad ibn Ya’qub al-Kulayni
Translated by Muhammad Sarwar
