Book 4, Chapter #73


Tacit and Explicit Testimony as proof of abu Ja‘far al-Thani’s (the second) (a.s) Divine Authority over the people after abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s)

Ḥadīth #7

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7ـ أَحْمَدُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ ابْنِ قِيَامَا الْوَاسِطِيِّ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى (a.s) فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَ يَكُونُ إِمَامَانِ قَالَ لا إِلا وَأَحَدُهُمَا صَامِتٌ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ هُوَ ذَا أَنْتَ لَيْسَ لَكَ صَامِتٌ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ وُلِدَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (a.s) بَعْدُ فَقَالَ لِي وَالله لَيَجْعَلَنَّ الله مِنِّي مَا يُثْبِتُ بِهِ الْحَقَّ وَأَهْلَهُ وَيَمْحَقُ بِهِ الْبَاطِلَ وَأَهْلَهُ فَوُلِدَ لَهُ بَعْدَ سَنَةٍ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (a.s) وَكَانَ ابْنُ قِيَامَا وَاقِفِيّاً.

7. Ahmad has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ali from ibn Qiyama al-Wasiti who has said the following. “Once I went to see Ali ibn Musa (a.s). (During the meeting) I asked him, “Can there be two Imams?” He replied, “No, but that one of them must remain silent.” I then said to him, “This applies to you. You are the Imam and there is no silent Imam with you.” At that time his son abu Ja‘far was not yet born. He said to me, “By Allah, Allah will make an Imam from me to establish the truth and the people of truth and banish falsehood and the people of falsehood. One year thereafter abu Ja‘far (a.s) was born. Ibn Qiyama belonged to the Waqifi sect.”