4. We were told by Muhammed bin Ibrahim bin Ishaq al-Talaqani, may Alah be pleased with him, that he said: We were informed by Ahmad bin Muhammed bin Sa’eed al-Kufi, that he said: We were told by Ali bin Hasan bin Ali bin Faddal, from his father, from Abu’l-Hasan, Ali bin Musa al-Rida, peace be upon him, that he said:

For the Imam are signs: that he is the most knowledgeable among the people, the wisest among people, the most godfearing among the people, the most forbearing among the people, the bravest among all people the most munificent among the people and the most worshipping among the people. He is begotten circumcised; purified; sees from behind him like how he sees before his hands; he has no shadow; when he falls unto the ground from the belly of his mother, he falls on his palms, raising his voice with the two testimonies; he does not have nocturnal emission; his eye sleeps but his heart does not sleep; he is spoken to; the armor of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, is evend to him; urine nor feces are seen form him, because Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, has, certainly, assigned the earth to swallow what leaves him; his fragrance is better than the fragrance of musk; he has more authority upon people than they have over themselves; the most compassionate among the people than their fathers and mothers; the most humble among the people to Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He; he is the one who among people who takes them most to what He commands, and the one most repelling among the people from what He forbids; and his prayer is answered, to the extent that if he recites a prayer against a rock, it would split in two halves. With him is the weapon of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and his sword, Dhu’l-Faqqar; with him is a journal in which are the names of his Shi’a till the Day of Resurrection, and a journal in which are the names of his enemies till the Day of Resurrection; with him is Al-Jami’a, which is a journal whose length is 70 arms, in it lies all what the sons of Adam will need. With him shall be the Major and Minor Cipher, the skin of the goat and the skin of the sheep in which lies all knowledge, even indemnity for a scratch, and even for the whip’s hit, half of the whip’s hit and third of the whip’s hit, and with him shall be the Journal of Fatima, peace be upon her.