Description of Hypocrisy and Hypocrites
Al-Kāfi|Volume 2|Book 1|Chapter 168
5ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْكُوفِيِّ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) مَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ مَثَلُ جِذْعِ النَّخْلِ أَرَادَ صَاحِبُهُ أَنْ يَنْتَفِعَ بِهِ فِي بَعْضِ بِنَائِهِ فَلَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ لَهُ فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي أَرَادَ فَحَوَّلَهُ فِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ فَلَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ لَهُ فَكَانَ آخِرُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ أَحْرَقَهُ بِالنَّارِ.
5. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Kufi from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Sa’id ibn Yasar from Abu ‘Abdillah عليه السلام who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The case of a hypocrite is like the trunk of a palm tree. His owner wants to use it in a construction but it does not fit where he wants it to fit. He then tries it in another place and it still does not fit. At last he burns it in the fire.’”
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (11/172)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 121