حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَرْقِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ دَاوُدَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْجَارُودِ الْعَبْدِيِّ عَنِ الْأَصْبَغِ بْنِ نُبَاتَةَ قَالَ: خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عليه السلام ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَ يَدُهُ فِي يَدِ ابْنِهِ الْحَسَنِ عليه السلام وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَ يَدِي فِي يَدِهِ هَكَذَا وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ خَيْرُ الْخَلْقِ بَعْدِي وَ سَيِّدُهُمْ أَخِي هَذَا وَ هُوَ إِمَامُ كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ وَ مَوْلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِي أَلَا وَ إِنِّي أَقُولُ خَيْرُ الْخَلْقِ بَعْدِي وَ سَيِّدُهُمْ ابْنِي هَذَا وَ هُوَ إِمَامُ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَ مَوْلَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِي أَلَا وَ إِنَّهُ سَيُظْلَمُ بَعْدِي كَمَا ظُلِمْتُ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ خَيْرُ الْخَلْقِ وَ سَيِّدُهُمْ بَعْدَ الْحَسَنِ ابْنِي أَخُوهُ الْحُسَيْنُ الْمَظْلُومُ بَعْدَ أَخِيهِ الْمَقْتُولُ فِي أَرْضِ كَرْبَلَاءَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ وَ أَصْحَابُهُ مِنْ سَادَةِ الشُّهَدَاءِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْحُسَيْنِ تِسْعَةٌ مِنْ صُلْبِهِ خُلَفَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ وَ حُجَجُهُ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ وَ أُمَنَاؤُهُ عَلَى وَحْيِهِ وَ أَئِمَّةُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَ قَادَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ سَادَةُ الْمُتَّقِينَ تَاسِعُهُمُ الْقَائِمُ الَّذِي يَمْلَأُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ بِهِ الْأَرْضَ نُوراً بَعْدَ ظُلْمَتِهَا وَ عَدْلًا بَعْدَ جَوْرِهَا وَ عِلْماً بَعْدَ جَهْلِهَا وَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ أَخِي مُحَمَّداً بِالنُّبُوَّةِ وَ اخْتَصَّنِي بِالْإِمَامَةِ لَقَدْ نَزَلَ بِذَلِكَ الْوَحْيُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ عَلَى لِسَانِ الرُّوحِ الْأَمِينِ جَبْرَئِيلَ وَ لَقَدْ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص وَ أَنَا عِنْدَهُ عَنِ الْأَئِمَّةِ بَعْدَهُ فَقَالَ لِلسَّائِلِ وَ السَّماءِ ذاتِ الْبُرُوجِ إِنَّ عَدَدَهُمْ بِعَدَدِ الْبُرُوجِ وَ رَبِّ اللَّيَالِي وَ الْأَيَّامِ وَ الشُّهُورِ إِنَّ عَدَدَهُمْ كَعَدَدِ الشُّهُورِ فَقَالَ السَّائِلُ فَمَنْ هُمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَوَضَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي فَقَالَ أَوَّلُهُمْ هَذَا وَ آخِرُهُمُ الْمَهْدِيُّ مَنْ وَالاهُمْ فَقَدْ وَالانِي وَ مَنْ عَادَاهُمْ فَقَدْ عَادَانِي وَ مَنْ أَحَبَّهُمْ فَقَدْ أَحَبَّنِي وَ مَنْ أَبْغَضَهُمْ فَقَدْ أَبْغَضَنِي وَ مَنْ أَنْكَرَهُمْ فَقَدْ أَنْكَرَنِي وَ مَنْ عَرَفَهُمْ فَقَدْ عَرَفَنِي بِهِمْ يَحْفَظُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ دِينَهُ وَ بِهِمْ يَعْمُرُ بِلَادَهُ وَ بِهِمْ يَرْزُقُ عِبَادَهُ وَ بِهِمْ نَزَلَ الْقَطْرُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَ بِهِمْ يَخْرُجُ بَرَكَاتُ الْأَرْضِ هَؤُلَاءِ أَصْفِيَائِي وَ خُلَفَائِي وَ أَئِمَّةُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَ مَوَالِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ.
Narrated to us Ali bin Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Abi Abdullah Barqi from his father from his grandfather Ahmad bin Abi Abdullah from his father Muhammad bin Khalid from Muhammad bin Dawood from Muhammad bin Jarud Abdi from Asbagh bin Nubatah that he said:
“One day Amirul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib 
came out, holding the hand of his son Hasan, while he was saying, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ met us in a similar fashion one day. That is, my hand was in his hand and he was saying, ‘The best of creatures after me, and their chief is this brother of mine and he is the Imam of every Muslim and the master of every believer after my death. Beware! And certainly I declare, ‘The best of creatures after me, and their chief is this son of mine and he is the Imam of every Muslim and the master of every believer after my death. Beware! He will be oppressed after me just as I was oppressed after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The best of creatures and their chief after Hasan is my son and his brother Husain , the oppressed after his brother and the martyr at Kerbala. Know that he and his companions are the chiefs of the martyrs on the Day of Judgment. After Husain , nine of his descendants are Allah’s Caliphs in His earth, His proofs upon His servants, His trustees upon His revelation, the Imams of the Muslims, the leaders of the believers and the pilots of the pious.
The ninth (of the Imams) is the Qaim through whom Allah will fill the earth with light after its darkness, justice after its oppression and knowledge after its ignorance. By the One Who sent my brother Muhammad with Prophethood and chose me for Imamate, revelation has descended from the sky in this regard on the tongue of the Trustworthy Spirit Jibraeel . Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked while I was with him, concerning the Imams after him. He replied to the questioner, By the sky, the possessor of constellations! (85:1)
Certainly, their number is equal to the number of the constellations, by the Lord of the nights, days and months and their number is equal to the number of the months!” The questioner asked, ‘Who are they, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’ He placed his hand on my head and said, “He is the first of them and the last of them is Mahdi. Whoever befriends them has befriended me and whoever bears enmity against them bears enmity against me. Whoever loves them loves me and whoever bears malice against them, bears malice against me. Whoever denies them denies me and whoever recognizes them, recognizes me.
Through them, Allah, the Mighty and Glorified, will protect His religion, inhabit His cities and sustain His servants. Due to them, rains descend from the sky and the earth throws up its bounties. They are my chosen ones, my caliphs, the Imams of the Muslims and the masters of the believers.”
