Regarding the Designation of Al-qa'imحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَلِيِّ بْنِ هَمَّامٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عُثْمَانَ الْعَمْرِيَّ قَدَّسَ اللَّهُ رُوحَهُ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سُئِلَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ع وَ أَنَا عِنْدَهُ عَنِ الْخَبَرِ الَّذِي رُوِيَ عَنْ آبَائِهِ ع أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ حُجَّةٍ لِلَّهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ أَنَّ مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً فَقَالَ ع إِنَّ هَذَا حَقٌّ كَمَا أَنَّ النَّهَارَ حَقٌّ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَمَنِ الْحُجَّةُ وَ الْإِمَامُ بَعْدَكَ فَقَالَ ابْنِي مُحَمَّدٌ هُوَ الْإِمَامُ وَ الْحُجَّةُ بَعْدِي مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً أَمَا إِنَّ لَهُ غَيْبَةً يَحَارُ فِيهَا الْجَاهِلُونَ وَ يَهْلِكُ فِيهَا الْمُبْطِلُونَ وَ يَكْذِبُ فِيهَا الْوَقَّاتُونَ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى الْأَعْلَامِ الْبِيضِ تَخْفِقُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِهِ بِنَجَفِ الْكُوفَةِ.
Narrated to us Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Ishaq (r.a.): Narrated to me Abu Ali bin Hammam: I heard Muhammad bin Uthman al-Umari (q.s.) say: I heard my father say:
“Abu Muhammad al-Hasan bin Ali was asked, while I was with him, about traditions narrated from his forefathers, peace be on them, that the earth does not remain without the Proof of Allah on His creatures until the Judgment Day and that if anyone dies without the cognition of the Imam of his time, he dies the death of a pagan.
The Imam said: This is as true as the daylight. It was said: O son of Allah’s Messenger, who is the Proof and the Imam after you? He replied: My son, M.H.M.D. Whoever dies not knowing him, will die a pagan death. Behold, he will have an occultation during which the ignorant will be perplexed and the invalidators will perish and the time-assigners will lie. Then he will rise. As if I am gazing at the white standards waving over his head in the Najaf of Kufa.”
