Chapter on The Issue that Guidance is from Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High

A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Isa from Muhammad ibn Isma'il from Isma'il al-Sarraj from ibn Maskan from Thabit in Sa'id who has said the following.

"Abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) said, 'O Thabit, why would you bother about people. Leave them alone and do not call anyone to accept your faith. I swear by Allah that even if all the people in the heavens and earth would come together to guide a person whom Allah wants not to guide they will never be able to guide him.

If all the people in the heavens and earth would come together to misguide a person whom Allah wants to guide, they will never be able to misguide him. Leave the people alone. Let no one say, 'O my uncle, my brother, the son of my uncle and my neighbor.' When Allah wants good for a person He cleanses his spirit. He then would not hear any lawful thing but that he knows it and no unlawful thing but that he dislikes it.
Then Allah places a word in his heart with which He organizes all his affairs."

H 409, Ch. 34, h 2

Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim has narrated from his father from ibn abu 'Umayr from Muhammad ibn Humran from Sulayman ibn Khalid from abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.

"When Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, wants good for a person He places a point of light in his heart and opens the ears of his heart and assigns an angel to support him. When He wants bad fortune for a person He places a dark black spot in his heart, closes the ears of his heart and assigns a Satan to mislead him.

The Imam (a.s.) then recited the following verse of the Holy Quran. "Allah (God) will open the hearts of whomever He wants to guide to Islam, but He will constrict the chest of one whom He has led astray, as though he was climbing high up into the sky. . . ." (6:125)

H 410, Ch. 34, h 3

A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from Ali ibn 'Uqba from his father who has said the following.

"I heard abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) saying, 'Leave your affairs to Allah and do not leave them to the people. Whatever would be for Allah it will be for Him. Whatever would be for people it will not rise up to Allah. Do not quarrel people about your faith because quarrelling sickens the heart.

Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, said to His Prophet (s.a.) "(Muhammad), you cannot guide whomever you love, but Allah (God) guides whomever He wants and knows best those who seek guidance (28:56). (Muhammad), do you force people to have faith?" (10:99).

Leave the people alone because people learn from people and you have learned from the Holy Prophet (s.a.). I heard my father (a.s.) saying, "When Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, writes for a person to enter in this faith he will do so faster than the flight of a bird to its nest."

H 411, Ch. 34, h 4

Abu Ali al-Ash'ari has narrated from Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from Muhammad ibn Marwan from Fudayl ibn Yasar the following.

"I asked abu 'Abdallah (a.s.), 'Can we invite people to this faith?'" The Imam Said, "No, do not invite them, O Fudayl. When Allah wants good for a servant of His, He orders an angel, to grab him by his neck and then enters him in this faith compelled or willing."

The end of the books on Intelligence, Knowledge and Oneness of Allah of the book, al-Kafi, followed by the book, al-Hujja in the second volume of the book, al-Kafi by al-Shaykh abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (May Allah grant him blessings).