الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 1, page 239

1. A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ‘Abdallah ibn al-Hajjal from Ahmad ibn ‘Umar al-Halabi from abu Basir who has said the following. “I went to abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) and said, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, I like to ask you a question. Is there anyone else in this house who may hear my words?” The Imams (a.s.) then folded the curtain between his room and the other room next to it and looked into it. Then the Imams (a.s.) said, “O abu Muhammad, ask whatever you wish.” I said, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, your followers say that the Messenger of Allah taught Ali (a.s.) a thousand chapter of knowledge and from each chapter there opens a thousand chapter. I then said, ‘This, I swear by Allah, is knowledge.’” He would mark the ground with his staff (a sign of thinking in normal people) for a while and said, “That is knowledge but it is not that.” The narrators has said that The Imam (a.s.) then said, “O abu Muhammad, with us there is al-Jami‘a. What do they know what al-Jami‘ is?” I then asked, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, what is al-Jami‘a? The Imam (a.s.) said, it is a parchment seventy yards by the yards of the Messenger of Allah long that contains his dictations that is in graved in to with the right hand writing of Ali (a.s.). It contains all the lawful and unlawful and all matters that people need, even the law to of compensation for A number of our people has narrated from scratch caused to a person. He then stretched his hand to me and asked, ‘May I, O abu Muhammad?’ I then replied, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, I am all at your disposal.” He pinched me with his hand and said, “Even there is the law of compensation for this.” He seemed angry. The narrator has said, “I then said, “This, I swear by Allah is knowledge.” The Imams (a.s.) said, “It certainly is knowledge but not that one.” The Imams (a.s.) remained silent for a while and then said, “With us there is al-Jafr (the parchment). What do they know what al-Jafr is? I then asked, “What is al-Jafr (the parchment or a container) ?” The Imams (a.s.) said, “It is a container made of skin that contains the knowledge of the prophets and the executors of their wills and the knowledge of the scholars in the past from the Israelites.” The narrator has said that he then said, “This certainly, is the knowledge.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “It certainly is knowledge but not that knowledge.” The Imams (a.s.) remained silent for a while and then said, “With us there is the book (Mushaf) of Fatima, (a.s.). What do they know what Mushaf of Fatima is? The Imam (a.s.) said, “Mushaf of Fatima is three times bigger than your Quran. There is not even a single letter therein from your Quran.” The narrator has said, “I then said, “This, I swear by Allah, is the knowledge.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “This certainly is knowledge, but it is not that.” The Imam (a.s.) remained silent for a while and then said, “With us there is the knowledge of whatever has been and the knowledge of whatever will come into being to the Day of Judgment.” The narrator has said that he then said, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, this, I swear by Allah is, certainly, knowledge.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “It certainly is knowledge but not that.” The narrator has said that he then asked, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, What then is knowledge?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Whatever takes place during the night and during the day, one matter after the other matter and one thing after the other thing to the Day of Judgment.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.