Informed Regarding the Occurrence of the Occultationحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الصَّفَّارُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَرْقِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنِ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْبَاقِرِ عليه السلام أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَغِيبُ عَنْهُمْ إِمَامُهُمْ فَيَا طُوبَى لِلثَّابِتِينَ عَلَى أَمْرِنَا فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ إِنَّ أَدْنَى مَا يَكُونُ لَهُمْ مِنَ الثَّوَابِ أَنْ يُنَادِيَهُمُ الْبَارِئُ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ فَيَقُولَ عِبَادِي وَ إِمَائِي آمَنْتُمْ بِسِرِّي وَ صَدَّقْتُمْ بِغَيْبِي فَأَبْشِرُوا بِحُسْنِ الثَّوَابِ مِنِّي فَأَنْتُمْ عِبَادِي وَ إِمَائِي حَقّاً مِنْكُمْ أَتَقَبَّلُ وَ عَنْكُمْ أَعْفُو وَ لَكُمْ أَغْفِرُ وَ بِكُمْ أَسْقِي عِبَادِيَ الْغَيْثَ وَ أَدْفَعُ عَنْهُمُ الْبَلَاءَ وَ لَوْلَاكُمْ لَأَنْزَلْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ عَذَابِي قَالَ جَابِرٌ فَقُلْتُ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَمَا أَفْضَلُ مَا يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ الْمُؤْمِنُ فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ قَالَ حِفْظُ اللِّسَانِ وَ لُزُومُ الْبَيْتِ.
Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan bin Ahmad bin Walid (r.a.) that he said: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan as-Saffar from Ahmad bin Abi Abdullah Barqi from his father from Mughaira from Mufaddal bin Salih from Jabir from Abu Ja’far Baqir that he said: “A time will come upon the people when their Imam shall disappear from their view. Blessed be those who remain firm upon our guardianship during such times. The least divine reward that shall reach them would be that the Almighty Allah shall call them and say: O My servants and maidservants, you brought faith in My secret and believed in My unseen. Then good news to you for My goodness and rewards as you are truly My servants and maidservants. I shall accept your deeds, disregard your faults and forgive your sins. And due to you I shall send rain to My creatures and ward off calamities from them. If you hadn’t been there I would have sent My chastisement upon them.”
Jabir said: I asked, "O son of the Messenger of Allah, what is the best thing a believer can do during that time?"
He (the Imam) replied: "Guarding the tongue and staying within the home."
