فهذا أبو عبد الله الصادق ع يحلف بالله أنه لا ينقطع هذا الأمر حتى ينقطع الليل و النهار و الفترات بين الرسل ع كانت جائزة لأن الرسل مبعوثة بشرائع الملة و تجديدها و نسخ بعضها بعضا و ليس الأنبياء و الأئمة ع كذلك و لا لهم ذلك لأنه لا ينسخ بهم شريعة و لا يجدد بهم ملة و قد علمنا أنه كان بين نوح و إبراهيم و بين إبراهيم و موسى و بين موسى و عيسى و بين عيسى و محمد ع أنبياء و أوصياء كثيرون و إنما كانوا مذكرين لأمر الله مستحفظين مستودعين لما جعل الله تعالى عندهم من الوصايا و الكتب و العلوم و ما جاءت به الرسل عن الله عز و جل إلى أممهم و كان لكل نبي منهم مذكر عنه و وصي يؤدي ما استحفظه من علومه و وصاياه فلما ختم الله عز و جل الرسل بمحمد ص لم يجز أن يخلو الأرض من وصي هاد مذكر يقوم بأمره و يؤدي عنه ما استودعه حافظا لما ائتمنه عليه من دين الله عز و جل فجعل الله عز و جل ذلك سببا لإمامة منسوقة منظومة متصلة ما اتصل أمر الله عز و جل لأنه لا يجوز أن تندرس آثار الأنبياء و الرسل و أعلام محمد ص و ملته و شرائعه و فرائضه و سننه و أحكامه أو تنسخ أو تعفى عليها آثار رسول آخر و شرائعه إذ لا رسول بعده ص و لا نبي. و الإمام ليس برسول و لا نبي و لا داع إلى شريعة و لا ملة غير شريعة محمد ص و ملته فلا يجوز أن يكون بين الإمام و الإمام الذي بعده فترة فالفترات جائزة بين الرسل ع و في الإمامة غير جائزة فلذلك وجب أنه لا بد من إمام محجوج به. و لا بد أيضا أن يكون بين الرسول و الرسول و إن كان بينهما فترة إمام وصي يلزم الخلق حجته و يؤدي عن الرسل ما جاءوا به عن الله تعالى و ينبه عباده على ما أغفلوا و يبين لهم ما جهلوا ليعلموا أن الله عز و جل لم يتركهم سدى و لم يضرب عنهم الذكر صفحا و لم يدعهم من دينهم في شبهة و لا من فرائضه التي وظفها عليهم في حيرة و النبوة و الرسالة سنة من الله جل جلاله و الإمامة فريضة و السنن تنقطع و يجوز تركها في حالات و الفرائض لا تزول و لا تنقطع بعد محمد ص و أجل الفرائض و أعظمها خطرا الإمامة التي تؤدى بها الفرائض و السنن و بها كمل الدين و تمت النعمة فالأئمة من آل محمد ص لأنه لا نبي بعده ليحملوا العباد على محجة دينهم و يلزموهم سبيل نجاتهم و يجنبوهم موارد هلكتهم و يبينوا لهم من فرائض الله عز و جل ما شذ عن أفهامهم و يهدوهم بكتاب الله عز و جل إلى مراشد أمورهم فيكون الدين بهم محفوظا لا تعترض فيه الشبهة و فرائض الله عز و جل بهم مؤداة لا يدخلها باطل و أحكام الله ماضية لا يلحقها تبديل و لا يزيلها تغيير. فالرسالة و النبوة سنن و الإمامة فرض و فرائض الله عز و جل الجارية علينا بمحمد لازمة لنا ثابتة لا تنقطع و لا تتغير إلى يوم القيامة مع أنا لا ندفع الأخبار التي رويت أنه كان بين عيسى و محمد ص فترة لم يكن فيها نبي و لا وصي و لا ننكرها و نقول إنها أخبار صحيحة و لكن تأويلها غير ما ذهب إليه مخالفونا من انقطاع الأنبياء و الأئمة و الرسل ع. و إنما معنى الفترة أنه لم يكن بينهما رسول و لا نبي و لا وصي ظاهر مشهور كمن كان قبله و على ذلك دل الكتاب المنزل أن الله جل و عز بعث محمدا ص على حين فَتْرَةٍ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ لا من الأنبياء و الأوصياء و لكن قد كان بينه و بين عيسى ع أنبياء و أئمة مستورون خائفون مِنْهُمْ خَالِدُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ الْعَبْسِيُّ نَبِيٌّ لَا يَدْفَعُهُ دَافِعٌ وَ لَا يُنْكِرُهُ مُنْكِرٌ لِتَوَاطُئِ الْأَخْبَارِ بِذَلِكَ عِن الْخَاصِّ وَ الْعَامِّ وَ شُهْرَتِهِ عِنْدَهُمْ- وَ أَنَّ ابْنَتَهُ أَدْرَكَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص وَ دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ هَذِهِ ابْنَةُ نَبِيٍّ ضَيَّعَهُ قَوْمُهُ خَالِدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ الْعَبْسِيِّ. وَ كَانَ بَيْنَ مَبْعَثِهِ وَ مَبْعَثِ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ ص خَمْسُونَ سَنَةً و هو خالِد بن سنان بن بعيث بن مريطة بن مخزوم بن مالك بن غالب بن قطيعة بن عبس حدثني بذلك جماعة من أهل الفقه و العلم
In this narration Imam Ja’far Sadiq عليه السلام has stated under oath that the matter of Imamate cannot end till the days and nights continue to follow each other. Hence, the period of Fatara is allowed between messengers because among the duties of the messengers is that they bring a new Shariat, they renew the past Shariat and through some commands they abrogate some laws. But the period of Fatara is not allowed between prophets and Imams because they neither bring a new Shariat nor is it their responsibility to abrogate or renew. And we know that during the periods between Prophet Nuh and Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام, between Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Musa عليه السلام, between Prophet Musa and Prophet Isa عليه السلام and between Prophet Isa and Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم a large number of prophets and successors were sent and their duty was to remind the people about the divine commands and to protect the bequests, books and sciences that have reached them through the messengers. And all the messengers from them had propagated the matters that reached them from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime and the successors of those prophets guarded those sciences and wills. When the Almighty Allah ended the prophethood with Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم it was necessary that there should be a guide and a successor who would protect the religion of truth and propagate the faith because the earth cannot remain without Divine Proof. That is why the Almighty Allah started the institution of Imamate after him; which is systematic and continuous because it cannot be allowed that the heritage of the prophets and messengers, the sciences of Muhammad, his Shariat, duties, practices and commands should be destroyed or be abrogated while no messenger was to follow the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم. The Imam is not like a prophet or a messenger, and neither do they call for the Shariat of anyone except Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم; that is why it is not allowed that there be a period of Fatara between two Imams. Fatara is allowed only between two messengers and not between two Imams. Hence it is obligatory that there should be an Imam who is presented along with proof. In the same way it is necessary that if there is a period of Fatara between two messengers during that period it is necessary that there should be an Imam and successor who is the proof on the people so that he may call the people to the teachings of that messenger that has come from the Almighty Allah and that he may awaken the people from the slumber of ignorance and mentioned those things that they do not know so that they may know that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has not left them in vain and that he has not erased their remembrance from the surface of the earth and He has not left them in any doubt with regard to their religion and He has also not left them in perplexity with regard to the duties that He has made obligatory on them. Prophethood and messengership is the Divine practice (sunnat) while Imamate is an obligation on the Almighty Allah. Thus a sunnat can be stopped in some circumstances but the obligation cannot be over after the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم. Thus Imamate is that great duty through which recommended and obligatory duties may be established. The religion can be perfected and the bounty can be completed. Because after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم the series of prophethood came to an end, therefore now the Holy Imams عليه السلام are those personalities who can guide the people to the right religion. And they make the way of salvation compulsory and save them from destruction. They teach them the divine laws that they may have forgotten. They guide the people through the book of Allah to achieve guidance. It is through them that religion is protected and kept above doubts. And falsehood does not enter the fulfillment of the obligations specified by Allah, the Mighty and Sublime and the laws of Allah shall endure forever, there shall no change in them. Prophethood and messengership is the Divine practice (sunnat) while Imamate is an obligation on the Almighty Allah. And the divine obligations became known to us through the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and they are incumbent on us and there would be no change in them till the Judgment Day. Yes, we also do not deny the tradition that during the period of Fatara between Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and Prophet Isa عليه السلام there was no prophet or successor. We do not deny it and we say: This report is correct but we do not agree to the interpretation our opponents present regarding the discontinuity of prophets and messengers. Fatara means a time when no messenger, prophet or successor is apparent and well known as it was before that time. It is also proved by Quran that the Almighty Allah sent Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم at a time when no messenger had come for a long time and not at the time when there was no prophet or successor. Between Prophet Isa عليه السلام and Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم many prophets and Imams came who remained in hiding due to the fear of the people. Among them was also the prophet, Khalid bin Sinan Absasi who none can deny because traditions about him are found in the Shia as well as Sunni collections. His daughter was alive till the time of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, and she came to meet him. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: She is the daughter of the prophet whom his community had weakened and that was Khalid bin Sinan.’ There was a period of fifty years between him and the appointment of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم. His full name was Khalid bin Sinan Baeeth bin Mureet bin Makhzoom bin Malik bin Ghaib bin Qatiya bin Abas. A group of scholars and jurisprudents has mentioned this fact to me.”
