AlKafi

Al-Kafi is a foundational collection of hadith in Twelver Shia Islam, compiled by Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kulayni al-Baghdadi, who died in 329 AH (c. 940 CE). It is regarded as one of the four major Shia hadith compendia, collectively known as the Kutub al-Arba’a, and is widely studied in Shia scholarship.

The work was compiled in Baghdad in the 9th–10th centuries and aggregates reports attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and the Twelve Imams, transmitted through a broad network of narrators. It is organized into three principal sections: Usul al-Kafi (foundations of religion, theology, and basic jurisprudence), Furu' al-Kafi (practical legal rulings on worship, transactions, and daily life), and Rawdat al-Kafi (a miscellaneous section covering various topics such as ethics, history, and less formal narratives). The collection contains thousands of hadiths and is valued for its breadth across creed, law, and moral guidance.

Reception and influence: Al-Kafi has had a profound impact on Twelver jurisprudence and religious thought, serving as a key reference for belief and practice. However, scholars caution that not all narrations are equally reliable, and later Shia scholars developed stricter methodologies for authentication. Works such as Tahdhib al-Akhkam and Al-Istibsar by al-Tusi and others feature more explicit evaluation of chains of transmission.

Editions and translations: Al-Kafi has been printed in numerous editions and has been translated into several languages. It remains a central text in Shia religious education and a primary source for studying Imami beliefs and practices.