Al-Kafi is not al-Bukhari

Sheikh M. al-Khatib's fifth claim (p.6) is that at-Twabarsy has produced an evidence to the effect that changes have been made to the Qur'an "according to what is contained on page 289 of the book of (al-Kaafi)…" and that to Shias this book "is what al-Bukhari is to Muslims"! As if Shias are not Muslims!!

In order to adequately respond to this claim, let us see what Shias themselves say on al-Kafi, and then compare that to what Sunnis say on al-Bukhari.

On pages 132 and 134 of his book, Diraasaatun Fil Hadith Walmuhaddithiyn, Sayyid Hashim Ma'ruf al-Hasani said that there was no consensus among the earlier scholars as to the reliability of all of al-Kafi's narrations in their generalities as well as in their details. He went on to say: "In the ahadith contained in al-Kafi, whose total is 16199, only 5072 are authentic (sahih), 44 are hasan, 1128 are muwath-thaq, 302 are qawiyy (strong) and 9553 are dhaif (weak)."

According to the above, therefore, it will be seen that more than 50% of the ahadith in al-Kafi are not sahih! This is what Shias say on their own book.

Let us now see how Sunnis regard theirs, al-Bukhari. Imam Dhahabi once said that "after the Book of Allah s.w.t. al-Bukhari is the best among all other Islamic books." And several prominent scholars of Hadith concur that Imam Bukhari said: "I have compiled (this book of mine) that it should be an argument/ evidence between Allah s.w.t. and me. I have not included in it except those ahadith which are sahih. And I have left out many more which are sahih so that the book may not become hefty (see page 379 of al-Hadith Wal Muhaddithuun, by Muhammad Abu Zahw).

Moreover, in February 1966, Majallatul Arabiy, a journal published in Kuwait had, in its issue No. 87, an article written by Abdul Warith Kabir titled, "Not Everything in Sahih Bukhari is authentic, But Therein are Also the Fabricated and the Munkar." This article angered many Sunni scholars, among them Sheikh Muhammad Abu Zahra and Sheikh Yusuf al-Qardhawi. In addition, about 31 lecturers at the Damascus University wrote a strong petition to the Emir of Kuwait opposing it, and also asked him to use his powers to stop publication of such articles. On the other hand, a Kuwaiti organization called Jumuiyyatul Islahil Ijtimaiy put together a number of articles in defence of Bukhari. These were subsequently published in a book called Kullu Maa Fil Bukhari Sahih (Everything contained in al-Bukhari is authentic). Therefore, up to the present century, Sunnis still believe that each and everything in al-Bukhari is authentic.

If, as we have so far seen, Shias believe that more than 50% of the ahadith in al-Kafi are not sahih; and if Sunnis believe that all the ahadith contained in al-Bukhari are sahih, how, then, could the two books be in the same league? On what grounds? Perhaps those who share the views of Sheikh M. al-Khatib would try to explain to us.

After this brief explanation, it will be clearly seen that the evidence which Sheikh M. al-Khatib said is on page 289 of al-Kafi would be about those ahadith which are not sahih. And that had already been said by Shia scholars of Hadith in their various books; for example, Rijaalun Najjaashi, Qaamusur Rijaal, Mu'jam Rijaal al-Hadith; Khulaasatur Rijaal; and Diraasaatun Fil Hadith Wal Muhaddithiyn.

The above, therefore, is our brief response on al-Kafi and its contents.