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Disappearance of the expected Imam
17 - حدثنا محمد بن يعقوب الكليني قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن حنان بن سدير، عن معروف بن خربوذ، عن أبي جعفر أنه قال: إنما نحن كنجوم السماء؛ كلّما غاب نجمٌ طلع نجم حتى إذا أشرتم بأصابعكم وملتُم بحواجبكم غيّب الله عنكم نجمَكم، فاستوت بنو عبد المطلب فلم يُعرف أيّ من أيّ، فإذا طلع نجمكم فاحمدوا ربكم.
(17) Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from Hannan bin Sadeer from Ma’roof bin Kharrabooth that Abu Ja’far al-Baqir had said: “We are like the stars of the sky. Whenever a star sets another shines until when you point with your fingers at a shining star and turn your eyebrows towards it, Allah takes your star away from you. Then the progeny of Abdul Muttalib become the same that no one is distinguished from the other. If your star reappears, then praise your God!”
18 - حدثنا علي بن الحسين قال: حدثنا محمد بن يحيى، قال: حدثنا محمد بن حسان الرازي، عن محمد بن علي الكوفي قال: حدثنا عيسى بن عبد الله بن محمد بن عمر بن علي بن أبي طالب، عن أبيه، عن جده، عن أبيه أمير المؤمنين أنه قال: صاحبُ هذا الأمر من ولدي هو الذي يقال: مات أو هلك، لا بل في أيّ وادٍ سلك.
(18) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi from Eessa bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Umar bin Ali bin Abu Talib from his father from his grandfather that his father Amirul Mo’mineen Ali bin Abu Talib (as) had said: “The master of this matter (deliverance) will be from my progeny. It is he, about whom it will be said: Has he died or perished? Or which valley has he followed?”
19 - وبه عن محمد بن علي الكوفي قال: حدثنا يونس بن يعقوب، عن المفضل بن عمر قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله: ما علامة القائم؟ قال: إذا استدار الفلكُ فقيل: مات أو هلك، في أيّ واد سلك؟ قلت: جعلت فداك ثم يكون ماذا؟ قال: لا يظهر إلاّ بالسيف.
(19) Muhammad bin Ali al-Kufi narrated from Younus bin Ya’qoob that al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar had said: “I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “What will the sign of al-Qa’im be?” He said: “When the orbit will turn and it will be said: Has he died, perished or which valley has he followed?” I said: “May I die for you! Then what will happen?” He said: “He will appear with the sword.”
20 - حدثنا محمد بن همام قال: حدثنا حميد بن زياد الكوفي، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن محمد بن سماعة، عن أحمد بن الحسن الميثمي، عن زائدة بن قدامة، عن عبد الكريم قال: ذُكر عند أبي عبد الله القائم، فقال: أنّى يكون ذلك ولَم يستدِر الفلكُ حتى يقال: ماتَ أو هلك، في أيّ وادٍ سلك؟ فقلت: وما استدارة الفلك؟ فقال: اختلافُ الشيعة بينهم.
(20) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Hameed bin Ziyad al-Kufi from al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Suma’a from Ahmad bin al-Hasan al-Maythami from Za’ida bin Qudama that Abdul Kareem had said: Once al-Qa’im was mentioned before Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said: “How will that be and yet the orbit has not turned nor has it been said: Has he died, perished or which valley has he followed?” I (Abdul Kareem) asked him: “What is the turning of the orbit?” He said: “It is the disagreement of the Shia among themselves.” These traditions refer to the conditions of the different groups that are ascribed to Shiism. They have deviated from the real Shia, who believe in the imamate of the twelfth imam Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Ali al-Mahdi (aj). The Sunni say when talking about the expected imam: Where is he? How can his disappearance and reappearance be? Until when will he disappear? How long will he live and eighty years have passed since he has disappeared till now? Some of them say that he is dead. Others deny his being born and deny his existence at all. They scorn those, who believe in him. Some think that the period is too long and that Allah is unable to make His guardian live so long in concealment and then reappear again! We have seen many people of our time outliving for more than a hundred years. They have been sane and healthy until the last moment of their lives. Then how do thy deny the ability of Allah to make His authority outlive for more than that and to make that as one of His great signs among His people? Have they not read the story of Moses (as) mentioned in the Qur’an? When Moses (as) was born, a great number of women and children were killed in order to prevent the will of Allah from being realized but in spite of all what the Pharaoh had done; Allah had carried out His will. The great sign of Allah was that the Pharaoh, who had killed the great number of women and children in order to perish the chance of bringing life to the expected prophet, himself had brought Moses up and in his own palace since being a baby until becoming a young man. “Such has been the course of Allah that has indeed run before, and you shall not find a change in Allah’s course.” O people of understanding, learn a lesson and you, the Shia, keep to what Allah has guided you to and praise Him for the great favor He has distinguished you with.
1 - أخبرنا أحمد بن محمد بن سعيد قال: حدثنا القاسم بن محمد بن الحسن بن حازم، قال: حدثنا عبيس بن هشام الناشري، عن عبد الله بن جبلة، عن فضيل الصائغ، عن محمد بن مسلم الثقفي، عن أبي عبد الله أنه قال: إذا فقد الناس الإمامَ مكثوا سنينَ لا يدرون أيّا من أيّ، ثم يُظهر الله لهم صاحبهم.
(1) Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed narrated from al-Qassim bin Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Hazim from Obayss bin Hisham an-Nashiri from Abdullah bin Jibilla from Fudhayl as-Sa’igh from Muhammad bin Muslim ath-Thaqafi that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) had said: “If people miss the imam, they will stay many years unknowing which one he is and then Allah will make him appear to them.”
2 - وبه، عن عبد الله بن جبلة، عن علي بن الحارث بن المغيرة، عن أبيه قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله: يكون فترةٌ لا يعرف المسلمون فيها إمامَهم؟ فقال: يقال ذلك. قلت: فكيف نصنع؟ قال: إذا كان ذلك فتمسكوا بالأمر الأول حتى يبين لكم الآخر.
(2) Abdullah bin Jibilla narrated from Ali bin al-Harith bin al-Mugheera that his father had said: I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Will there be a time, in which the Muslims will not know who their imam is?” He said: “It is said so.” I said: “what will we do then?” He said: “If that occurs, then keep to the previous one until the next one becomes clear to you.”
3 - وبه، عن عبد الله بن جبلة، عن محمد بن منصور الصيقل، عن أبيه منصور قال: قال أبو عبد الله: إذا أصبحتَ وأمسيت يوماً لا ترى فيه إماماً من آل محمد فأحْبِب مَن كنت تحب وأبغض من كنت تبغض ووالِ من كنتَ توالي وانتظر الفرجَ صباحاً ومساء.
(3) Abdullah bin Jibilla narrated from Muhammad bin Mansoor as-Sayqal from his father that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) had said: “If you spend a day and a night without finding an imam of Muhammad’s progeny, then still love whom you have loved before, hate whom you have hated before, follow whom you have followed and wait for the deliverance day and night.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from ibn Fadhdhal from al-Hasan bin Ali al-Attar from Ja’far bin Muhammad from Mansoor from someone from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as).
4 - حدثنا محمد بن همام قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري، عن محمد بن عيسى والحسن بن ظريف جميعاً، عن حماد بن عيسى، عن عبد الله بن سنان قال: دخلت أنا وأبي على أبي عبد الله فقال: كيف أنتم إذا صِرتم في حال لا ترَون فيها إمامَ هدى ولا علماً يُرى؟ فلا ينجو من تلك الحَيرة إلاّ مَن دعا بدعاء الغريق. فقال أبي: هذا واللهِ البلاءُ، فكيف نصنع، جُعلتُ فداك، حينئذ؟ قال: إذا كان ذلك - ولن تدركَه - فتمسّكوا بما في أيديكم حتى يتضحَ لكم الأمر.
(4) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Himyari from bin Eessa and al-Husayn bin Dhareef from Hammad bin Eessa that Abdullah bin Sinan had said: My father and I went to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said: “What will you do if you become in a time that you do not find an imam of guidance nor any banner and then no one will be saved from that confusion except one, who will pray Allah with the prayer of drowner?” My father said: “By Allah, this is a great calamity. May I die for you! What will we do then?” He said: “If that occurs-and you will not attain it-then keep to that you have had until the matter becomes clear.”
5 - وبه، عن محمد بن عيسى والحسن بن ظريف، عن الحارث بن المغيرة النصري، عن أبي عبد الله قال: قلت له: إنا نروي بأنّ صاحب هذا الأمر يُفقد زماناً، فكيف نصنع عند ذلك؟ قال: تمسكوا بالأمرِ الأول الذي أنتم عليه حتى يبين لكم.
(5) Muhammad bin Eessa and al-Hasan bin Ddhareef narrated that al-Harith bin al-Mugheera an-Nasri had said: I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “We have tradition saying that the imam will be missed in some period of time. What will we do then?” He said: “Keep to the previous one that you have kept to until the matter becomes clear.”
6 - محمد بن همام بإسناده يرفعه إلى أبان بن تغلب، عن أبي عبد الله أنه قال: يأتي على الناس زمانٌ يصيبهم فيها سبطة يأرز العلم فيها كما تأرز الحيّة في جحرها، فبينما هم كذلك إذ طلع عليهم نجم. قلت: فما السبطة؟ قال: الفترة. قلت: فكيف نصنع فيما بين ذلك؟ فقال: كونوا على ما أنتم عليه حتىّ يطلع الله لكم نجمَكم.
(6) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from some narrators that Abban bin Taghlub had said: Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “A time will come to people, in which knowledge will be bound as a snake bound in its hole. While they are in such a condition, a star will shine to them.” I said: “What do we do during that time?” He said: “Keep to what you have kept to until Allah makes your star shine to you.”
