Al-Kafi preserves a report from Musafir in which Imam Ali al-Rida first asked whether there were fish in a nearby water channel. After Musafir confirmed that there were, the Imam said that he had seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream the previous night. In the dream, the Prophet addressed him with the words: «يا علي، ما عندنا خير لك» — “O Ali, what is with us is better for you.” Later Imami writers understood the message as an indication that the Imam’s departure from this world was drawing near. A later report quoted from al-Khara'ij adds that he died a few days afterward.
Al-Kafi preserves a short but memorable dream report from Musafir about Imam Ali al-Rida. The account begins before the dream is mentioned. The Imam asked Musafir whether there were fish in a nearby water channel. Musafir looked and confirmed that fish were present there. After receiving that answer, the Imam told him about what he had seen during the previous night.
Imam Ali al-Rida said that he had seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream. The Prophet addressed him directly and said: «يا علي، ما عندنا خير لك». In meaning: “O Ali, what is with us is better for you.” The report gives no long description of the place, no extended dialogue, and no additional scene. Its central moment is this brief encounter and the message spoken to the Imam.
The placement of the report in al-Kafi connects the dream with the closing period of the Imam’s life. Later Imami commentators therefore read the Prophet’s words as a sign that the Imam’s departure from this world was approaching and that what awaited him with the Prophet was better for him. This interpretation follows the direction already suggested by the setting of the report without adding new words to the dream itself.
The opening question about the fish also received later explanation. Al-Majlisi records more than one possible understanding of why the Imam asked about them before mentioning the dream. One explanation connects the question with certainty about what was about to happen; another treats the fish as a sign related to the nearness of death. These explanations belong to later commentary and are kept separate from the actual words spoken in the dream.
A later version quoted from al-Khara'ij preserves the same dream message and then adds that Imam Ali al-Rida died a few days afterward. That later report makes the connection between the dream and the Imam’s approaching death more explicit. It is useful as an after-effect of the story, while the wording of the original dream remains the concise form preserved in al-Kafi.
The public story therefore remains simple and focused: Imam Ali al-Rida asked Musafir about the fish, then told him that he had seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream, where he heard the words «يا علي، ما عندنا خير لك». The later tradition understood this as a final message of nearness to the Prophet, and another report says that the Imam’s death followed after only a few days.
Imam Ali al-Rida said that he had seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream. The Prophet addressed him directly and said: «يا علي، ما عندنا خير لك». In meaning: “O Ali, what is with us is better for you.” The report gives no long description of the place, no extended dialogue, and no additional scene. Its central moment is this brief encounter and the message spoken to the Imam.
The placement of the report in al-Kafi connects the dream with the closing period of the Imam’s life. Later Imami commentators therefore read the Prophet’s words as a sign that the Imam’s departure from this world was approaching and that what awaited him with the Prophet was better for him. This interpretation follows the direction already suggested by the setting of the report without adding new words to the dream itself.
The opening question about the fish also received later explanation. Al-Majlisi records more than one possible understanding of why the Imam asked about them before mentioning the dream. One explanation connects the question with certainty about what was about to happen; another treats the fish as a sign related to the nearness of death. These explanations belong to later commentary and are kept separate from the actual words spoken in the dream.
A later version quoted from al-Khara'ij preserves the same dream message and then adds that Imam Ali al-Rida died a few days afterward. That later report makes the connection between the dream and the Imam’s approaching death more explicit. It is useful as an after-effect of the story, while the wording of the original dream remains the concise form preserved in al-Kafi.
The public story therefore remains simple and focused: Imam Ali al-Rida asked Musafir about the fish, then told him that he had seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream, where he heard the words «يا علي، ما عندنا خير لك». The later tradition understood this as a final message of nearness to the Prophet, and another report says that the Imam’s death followed after only a few days.
Conclusion
The remembered event is Imam Ali al-Rida’s dream of the Prophet ﷺ and the brief message «يا علي، ما عندنا خير لك», later understood as pointing toward his approaching departure from this world.
Sources
Al-Kafi 1/4/47/6 reports Musafir from Imam Ali al-Rida, who says he saw the Messenger of Allah in a dream and heard a statement indicating that what was with them was better for him.
Displayed grading for the same al-Kafi hadith: حسن.
Mir'at al-'Uqul, commentary on al-Kafi 1/260 hadith 6: al-Majlisi grades the report hasan and records multiple explanations for the question about fish in the canal, including certainty by analogy and a sign of approaching death.
Bihar al-Anwar 49:54, quoting al-Khara'ij: Musafir reports the dream statement 'O Ali, what is with us is better for you,' followed by 'then he died after some days.'
Qurb al-Isnad, p.348, hadith 1258: after a report about seeing his father in a dream, Imam al-Rida is attributed the statement 'O Hasan, our sleep/dream and our wakefulness are one.'