H 246 - It is narrated through the same chains of narrators from Abul Husain Muhammad bin Ja’far Asadi from Saad bin Abdullah Ashari that he said: Narrated to us Shaykh Saduq from Ahmad bin Ishaq bin Saad Ashari that an associate of his came and said that Ja’far bin Ali has sent him a letter introducing himself and claiming that he is the Qaim after his father and that he is in possession of all the sciences that people need. Ahmad bin Ishaq says that when I read Ja’far bin Ali’s letter, I wrote a letter to the Imam of the Time عليه السلام and also enclosed Ja’far’s letter. The following reply came from the Imam: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. May Allah keep you safe and in health. I received your communication and also the letter that you had enclosed. I went through it; there are many contradictions and mistakes in it. If you had read carefully, you would also have realized this. Praise be to the Lord of the worlds in which no one else has any share that He favored and blessed us. Allah, the Mighty and Sublime does not want anything, except to complete the truth and to destroy falsehood and He will witness what I am saying. The day in which there is no doubt, He will ask us about that in which we differ. The Almighty Allah has not appointed the writer of this letter as an Imam on anyone of us nor made it obligatory to obey him. Let me explain in detail, so that it is sufficient for you. Ahmad bin Ishaq, may Allah have mercy on you. Almighty Allah did not create anyone in vain and neither did He leave it free after creation. On the contrary, He created them from His power, gave them ears, eyes, hearts and brains. Then He sent prophets to them as givers of glad tidings and warners, so that they may command them to the obedience of Allah and restrain them from His disobedience; that they inform them about their creator of which they are ignorant; and He sent scriptures and angels to them to maintain a difference between them and common people and that their excellence over them is proved. Then He gave miracles and a number of signs to them. Thus He cooled the fire for some of them and made them as His confidante (Khalil). To some He spoke and made his staff a serpent. Some of them enlivened the dead and cured the lepers through Allah’s permission. To some He gave the knowledge of the language of birds. He gave something from everything to them. Then He sent Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم as the mercy for the worlds and completed His favors on him and concluded His prophethood on him and made him the Prophet for the whole universe. Thus the truths expressed by him are clear to all and all are aware of the miracles shown by him. After that the Almighty Allah captured the soul of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and transferred this matter to his cousin, brother, successor and legatee, Ali Ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام. Then the matter of guidance went to his successors one after another, so that through them they may keep His religion alive and complete His light and He kept a clear difference between them and their brothers and cousins, so that the Divine Proof and Imam can be differentiated from common people by keeping the Imams pure from all sins and pure of every defect and appointed them as trustees of His treasure and bearers of His secrets and helped them through miracles and proofs. And if this had not been there, all the people would have been equal and all would have claimed Imamate. No difference would have remained between right and wrong and the ignorant and the knowledgeable. That false claimant has made a false claim on the Almighty Allah and I don’t know how he can prove the veracity of his claim. Can he prove it through the knowledge and jurisprudence of the religion of Allah? By Allah, he does not even know what is lawful and what is unlawful, what is right and what is wrong; what is clear and what is ambiguous. He does not even know the limits and times of prayers. Can he prove his Imamate through piety? The Almighty Allah is a witness that he left obligatory prayers for forty days in order to learn black magic. You should know that he has wine cups and other tools of sinful activities. Can he prove his claim from some miracles? If it is so, let him bring some miracle or any other evidence of Imamate. The Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Ha Mim. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise. We did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between the two save with truth and (for) an appointed term; and those who disbelieve turn aside from what they are warned of. Say: Have you considered what you call upon besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth, or have they a share in the heavens? Bring me a book before this or traces of knowledge, if you are truthful. And who is in greater error than he who calls besides Allah upon those that will not answer him till the day of resurrection and they are heedless of their call? And when men are gathered together they shall be their enemies, and shall be deniers of their worshipping (them).” (46:1-6) May Allah give you divine opportunity (Taufeeq), ask him that which I have told you and test him and ask him interpretation of any verse of Quran or ask him a question about Daily Prayers, so that you may find how much he knows and what defect he has. The Almighty Allah has secured truth with those who are deserving of it and has placed it at its center. And He cannot accept that after Imam Hasan and Imam Husain عليه السلام the post of Imamate should go to two brothers. And when Allah the Mighty and Sublime permits us to speak the truth, the truth will come out and falsehood will be destroyed. I ask for Allah’s help; He is sufficient for us and the best of the helpers. May Allah bless Muhammad and Aale Muhammad عليه السلام.