8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Safwan ibn Yahya from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following.

“I heard abu Ja’far saying, ‘Whoever would worship Allah in the expectation for reward and work hard but without having an Imam for himself his efforts would not be received acceptance. Such person is last and straying and Allah would dislike his deeds. The example of such person is like that of a lost sheep who would stray away from her herd. She would wonder around during the day and at nightfall she would see a different flock of sheep with a shepherd and she would glad and affectionately join it thinking it to be like her own flock. She would pass the night in their barn but in the morning when the shepherd let the flock out she could not recognize her flock and shepherd and begin to wonder in search for her own flock and shepherd and saw a flock and a shepherd. She then would rush to the flock with great interest but the shepherd shouted, ‘Go to your own flock and shepherd because you are lost and wondering.’ She then would run back and forth lost and wondering without a shepherd to show her the grazing areas and the barn. At such time a wolf would seize the opportunity and would kill her to eat. Just the same is the case, O Muhammad, those people of this ’Ummah (nation) who has no Imam from Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, who is in public and possessing the noble quality of justice. Such people are lost and straying. If such people would in such a condition their death would be like that of an unbeliever and hypocrite. O Muhammad, take notice that the unjust Imams and their followers are far away from the religion of Allah. They have lost the right path and have mislead the others. The deeds that they are like dust blown away by the winds in a stormy day. They would remain helpless and unable to benefit from their deeds. Such is straying far away from the right path.”