al-Kafi relative to other hadith books Kulayni himself stated in his preface that he only collected hadiths he thought were important and sufficient for Muslims to know (at a time when many Muslims were illiterate and ignorant of the true beliefs of Islam, and Ṣūfi and gnostic sects were gaining popularity), and he left the verification of these hadiths up to later scholars. Kulayni also states, in reference to hadiths: "whatever (hadith) agrees with the Book of God (the Qur'an), accept it. And whatever contradicts it, reject it". The author of al-Kāfi never intended for it to be politicized as "infallible", he only compiled it to give sincere advice based on authentic Islamic law (regardless of the soundess of any one particular hadith), and to preserve rare hadiths and religious knowledge in an easily accessible collection for future generations to study. Al-Kāfi is the most comprehensive collection of traditions from the formative period of Islamic scholarship. It has been held in the highest esteem by generation after generation of Muslim scholars. Shaykh al-Mufīd (d.1022 CE) extolled it as "one of the greatest and most beneficial of Shia books." Al-Shahīd al-ʾAwwāl (d.1385 CE) and al-Muḥaqqiq al-Karāki (d.1533 CE) have said, "No book has served the Shia as it has." The father of ʿAllāmah al Majlisī said, "Nothing like it has been written for Islam." See also List of Shi'a books Sharh Usul al-Kafi, a commentary on the Uṣul al-Kāfi Mir'at al-Uqul‎ /Mirror of the Mind, a commentary on al-Kāfi by Mohammad Baqir Majlisi References External links Al-Kafi English Translation (Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), compiled by Muḥammad Ya'qūb al-Kulayni, translated by Hub-e-Ali organization, publicly available for free. 'Usul al-Kafi English Translation, E-Book Volumes 1-8', compiled by Muḥammad Ya'qūb al-Kulayni, translated by Muḥammad Sarwar, published by the Islamic Seminary INC NY, available for purchase. 'Al-Kafi with translation and commentary by Islamic Texts Institute' Selections from Usul al-Kafi 'Kiṫâbu-l-Kâfî', compiled by Muḥammad Ya`qûb Kulaynî, published by the Islamic Seminary INC NY, translated by Muḥammad Sarwar. Shia hadith collections Ja'fari jurisprudence Books of Shia Rijal