17. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from Sa‘id al-‘Usfuriy from ‘Amran ibn Thabit from abu al-Jarud from abu Ja‘far who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has said, ‘I and twelve persons from my descendants and you O Ali, are the securing anchor of the earth, that is, the pillars thereof and its ropes. Through us Allah has secured the earth from devouring the inhabitants. If all the twelve persons from my family will no longer be there, the earth will devour her inhabitants without delay.”