1003 - تَفسيرُ الفَتى
1003. The True Significance of the Word 'fata' 1
3202.الكافي عَن عليِّ بنِ إبراهيمَ رَفَعَهُ : قالَ أبو عَبدِاللَّه عليه السلام لرَجُلٍ : ما الفَتى عِندَكُم ؟ فقالَ لَهُ : الشابُّ ، فقالَ : لا ، الفَتى : المُؤمِنُ ، إنَّ أصحابَ الكَهفِ كانوا شُيُوخاً فَسَمّاهُمُ اللَّهُ عَزَّوجلَّ فِتيَةً بِإيمانِهِم .2
3202. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) once asked a man, 'Who do you consider a fata?' to which the man replied, 'A young man.' Imam said, 'No, a fata is a believer, for verily the Companions of the Cave were middle-aged men, yet Allah called them fitya [plural of fata] because of their belief.' 3
1.Translator's Note: fata: youth - The Arabic term fata refers to youth but has acquired a meaning related much more to the youth associated with the eternal spring of the life of the spirit than to physical young age. Such a person, possessing futuwwa or 'spiritual chivalry', would be adorned with chivalrous characteristics of courage and generosity, and would be regarded with awe, reverence and trust by other Muslims. (See Nasr, Seyyed Hossein, "Spiritual Chivalry" in Islamic Spirituality: Manifestations, ed. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, ۳۰۴-۳۱۵, London: SCM Press, ۱۹۹۱)
2.الكافي : ۸ / ۳۹۵ / ۵۹۵ .
3.al-Kafi, v. ۸, p. ۳۹۵, no. ۵۹۵
