Disappearance of the expected Imam

A tradition that you perceive is better that ten that you narrate (without perceiving them). Every truth has a fact and every rightness has a light. By Allah we do not consider a Shiite as a jurisprudent until it is mistaken before him and he notices the mistake. Amirul Mo’mineen (as) has said from upon the minbar of Kufa: “There will be dark, blind and dim seditions awaiting you, from which no one will be saved except the (nooma).” People asked: “What is the (nooma)?” He said: “It is one, who knows people but people do not know him.” Then he added: “Know well that the world will not be empty of an authority (Hujjah) from Allah but Allah will make His people not see His authority because of their injustice, oppression and excessiveness in disobedience. If the world remains without an authority (from Allah) for an hour, it will sink with its people. The authority knows people but they do not know him. It is like Prophet Joseph (as), who knew people but they denied him. “Alas for (My) servants! There comes not to them a messenger but they mock at him.”

“O Allah, give my caliph, my guardian, the payer of my debts, the executor of my promises and deposits, my assistant and supporter against Your enemy and my enemy and the reliever of my distresses the knowledge that You have given to Adam, the discernment that You have given to Noah, the magnanimity and good offspring that You have given to Abraham, the patience before calamities that You have given to Ayyoob (Job), the strength that You have given to David when confronting heroes and the understanding that You have given to Solomon. O Allah, do not hide any thing of this life from Ali until You make it (life) as a small table before him. O Allah, give him the endurance of Moses and make in his progeny a like of Jesus. O Allah, I pray You to be the trustee after me for him and his pure progeny, whom You have kept uncleanness away from and whom You have turned the influence of the Satan away from. O Allah, if Quraysh extorts his right and prefers others to him, then make him as was Aaron to Moses when Moses left him alone.” Then he said to me: “O Ali, many great men of your descendants will be killed before the eyes of people whereas the people will not try to do anything!! Fie on a nation looking at the progeny of its prophet being killed unjustly without trying to change anything. The one, who has ordered of killing, the killer and the one, who sees the killing without trying to change the situation all participate in committing the sin and all are the same in being damned. O ibn al-Yaman, people of Quraysh will not be pleasant nor will their hearts be contented nor will their tongues be able to pay homage to Ali except unwillingly and lowly. O ibn al-Yaman, Quraysh will pay homage to Ali and then will break the homage, will fight him and will fabricate great lies against him. Then after Ali al-Hasan comes and the same will be done to him then comes al-Husayn, who will be killed by the nation of his grandfather. Damned is a nation that kills the son of its prophet’s daughter, damned is the leader and damned is the planner of its offenders. By Him, in Whose hand the soul of Ali is, this umma, after killing my son al-Husayn, will remain in deviation, darkness, tyranny, oppression, disagreement on the religion, changing what Allah has revealed in His Book, spreading heresies, annulling the Sunna, disorder, personal analogies and leaving the clear laws of Allah until this umma becomes detached from Islam and immerses in confusion and loitering. O Umayyads! May you be not guided! O Abbasids! May calamities afflict you! Everyone among the Umayyads is unjust and everyone among the Abbasids is offensive, sinful and mutinous against Allah. They will kill my descendants and trespass my honor. The people of this umma will remain arrogants rushing madly upon the impermissible pleasures of this life and immersing in seas of destruction and in valleys of bloods until my son (Imam al-Mahdi) disappears (by the will of Allah) from the sights of people and the people become so confused whether he is lost, killed or is dead. Then sedition will come upon, calamities befall, party spirit appears, people exaggerate in their religion and agree upon that the authority (al-Hujjah) has been gone and the imamate has been annulled. In that year the pilgrims, whether the followers or the enemies of Ali, will go to hajj just to spy on the existence of the guardian (al-Hujjah) and to seek any information about him but with no use nor will any news be known about him. There will be no guardian and then the Shia of Ali will be abused by their enemies and will be overcome by the evil and bad people with their protest until the umma becomes so confused and begins to say that al-Hujjah has perished and the imamate has been annulled. By the god of Ali, their authority (al-Hujjah) will remain over the umma walking in its roads, entering into its houses and palaces, roving in the east and in the west, hearing the speech, greeting groups of people and seeing without being seen until the promised time and determined appointment come and then comes the call from the heaven: This is the day that brings forth joy to the descendants of Ali and to the Shia of Ali.” This tradition has many evidences confirming the beliefs of the Shia. This saying of Imam Ali (as): “…until my son (Imam al-Mahdi) disappears (by the will of Allah) from the sights of people” is a sufficient evidence that confirms the disappearance of the last imam and confirms the thought of those, who acknowledge this disappearance and believe in the disappeared imam. Then Imam Ali (as) says: “…and the people become so confused whether he is lost, killed or is dead… and agree upon that the authority (al-Hujjah) has been gone and the imamate has been annulled.” Does this not comply with the opinion of most of the people now, who think that the belief of the Shia concerning the disappearance is unreal and nonsense? Then he says: “In that year the pilgrims will go to hajj just to spy on…” and they really have done so but without any use. And he says: “…and then the Shia of Ali will be abused by their enemies and will be overcome by the evil and bad people with their protest”. He means that they protest against the Shia by saying: Where is your imam? Can you show him to us? They abuse the Shia by ascribing contradiction, weakness and ignorance to them for they say that their imam is existent but cannot be seen. The saying of Imam Ali (as) confirms the truthfulness of the Shia and describes their opponents of being ignorant and opponents to the truth. He swears by his god when saying: “By the god of Ali, their authority (al-Hujjah) will remain over the umma walking in its roads, entering into its houses and palaces, roving in the east and in the west, hearing the speech, greeting groups of people and seeing without being seen”. Does this not refute any doubt about the subject? Does it not confirm the matter and confirm the previous tradition saying: “Know well that the world will not be empty of an authority (Hujjah) from Allah but Allah will make His people not see His authority because of their injustice, oppression and excessiveness in disobedience”? Then he gives an example by mentioning Prophet Joseph (as). Imam al-Mahdi (aj) is existent in substance and person but at his time he sees and he is not seen until-as Amirul Mo’mineen (as) says: “the promised time and determined appointment” when the call comes from the heaven: “This is the day that brings forth joy to the descendants of Ali and to the Shia of Ali.”

“On the Day of Resurrection the human beings will be resurrected in four categories; riders, walking people, groveling people and deaf, dumb and blind people, who do not understand, are not spoken to and not permitted to apologize. These are whom (the fire shall scorch their faces, and they therein shall be in severe affliction).” It was said to him: “O Ka’b, who are these people, whose condition will be so?” He said: “It is those, who have kept on deviation, apostasy and breaking the homage. Evil is that which their souls have sent before for them when they will meet Allah with the sin of fighting the caliph and the guardian of their prophet, their most aware jurisprudent, their most virtuous master, the bearer of the banner, the guard of the pond, the hope and the hoped one out of all this world, the knowledge that is never ignored, the straight path, from which whoever deviates will perish and fall in Fire. It is Ali, by the god of Ka’b, who is the most aware of them, the senior in peace (Islam) and the most discerned of all of them. I wonder at those, who prefer others to Ali. From among the descendants of Ali is al-Qa’im al-Mahdi, who will change the world into another one and by whom Jesus Christ (as) will argue against the Christians of Rome and China. Al-Qa’im al-Mahdi is the most similar one to Jesus Christ (as) in form, character, nobility and dignity. Allah will give him all what He has given to the prophets and more than that and He will prefer him to the all. Al-Qa’im, the descendant of Ali (as), will disappear like the disappearance of Prophet Joseph (as) and will reappear like the reappearance of Jesus the son of Mary (as). He will reappear, after his disappearance, with the appearance of the red star, the destruction of az-Zawra’ (ar-Riy), the sinking of al-Muzawarra (Baghdad), the rising of as-Sufyani, the war of the progeny of al-Abbas against the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which thousands and thousands will be killed. Each one of the warriors will seize on an adorned sword, over which black banners will flutter. It will be a war full of red death and terrible plague.”

“The Day of Resurrection will not come until the eye of the world is gouged out and redness appears in the sky, and this redness is the tears of the bearers of the Throne weeping for the people of the earth, and until a bad gang appears propagandizing for my progeny whereas in fact they are free from my progeny. It is a gang with no morals, prevailing over the evils, deceiving the tyrants and destroying the kings (rulers). It is a gang that appears in Kufa headed by a black-faced and black-hearted man, who is weak in faith, with no morals, hybrid, mean and rude. He is circulated among prostitute mothers from the worst progenies. May Allah have no a bit of mercy upon them. They will appear in the same year, in which my disappearing son with the red banner and the green flag will reappear. What a terrible day for the deviants between Anbar and Heet it will be! A day, on which a great misfortune will occur to the Kurds and the (Kharijites), on which there will be the destruction of the house (city) of the Pharaohs (tyrants), the abode of the arrogants, the shelter of the unjust rulers, the mother of calamities and the sister of shame! O Amr bin Sa’d, by the god of Ali, it is Baghdad! May Allah damn the mutineers of the Umayyads and the Abbasids; the traitors, who will kill my virtuous descendants, who will never regard my sanctity when killing them and who will not fear Allah when doing anything to my progeny. Woe unto the followers of the Abbasids from a war that will break out between Nahawand and ad-Daynour. It will be the war of the paupers of Ali’s Shia headed by a man from Hamadan, whose name will be like the name of the Prophet (S).”

“O Umm Hani’, it is an imam receding until his news will be ignored by people in the year two hundred and sixty and then immediately he will appear like a burning meteor in a dark night. If you remain alive until that time, then your eyes will be delighted!” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob from Ali bin Muhammad from Ja’far bin Muhammad from Musa bin Ja’far al-Baghdadi from Wahab bin Shathan from al-Hasan bin Abur-Rabee’ al-Hamadani from Muhammad bin Iss’haq from Ossayd bin Tha’laba from Umm Hani’.

Once I met Abu Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Baqir (as) and asked him about (the meaning of) these verses, “But nay! I swear by the stars that recede, that run their course (and) hide themselves.” He said: “(The stars) that recede is an imam receding until his news is ignored by people in the year two hundred and sixty then he appears like a burning meteor in the darkness of night. If you live till that time, then your eyes will be delighted!”

“O people, interconnect and be pious and kind to each other! By Him, Who has split the seed and created man, that a time will come to you that none of you will find a place for his dinar and dirham.” Al-Kahili asked him: “And when will that be?” He said: “When you miss your imam and you remain so for a time until he appears to you like the sun while you are so desperate. Beware to doubt and suspect. Drive doubts away from yourselves. I have warned you, so be careful! I pray Allah to guide you and to make you succeed.”

Once I was with Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) in his meeting and there were others. He said to us: “Beware of allusion!” He meant with the name of al-Qa’im. I noticed that he had intended other than me. He said to me: “O Abu Abdullah, beware of allusion! By Allah, he (al-Qa’im) will be hidden (by the will of Allah) for a period of time and he will be ignored until it will be said that he has died or perished or (it is unknown that) which valley he has followed. The believers will weep bitterly for him. There will be turning-over as a ship among the waves of the sea until no one will be saved except those, who has promised Allah sincerely, whom Allah has assisted with a mercy of Him and in whose hearts Allah has fixed faith. Twelve suspicious banners will be raised, none of which will be distinguished from the other.” (Al-Mufadhdhal said) I began to cry. He said to me: “What for are you crying?” I said: “May I die for you! How do I not cry whereas you say that twelve suspicious banners will be raised that none of them will be distinguished from the other?” He looked at an aperture in the house, from which the sun shined into the place of his meeting, and said: “Is this the sun that is shining?” I said: “Yes, it is.” He said: “By Allah, our matter (the imamate of al-Mahdi) is brighter than the sun.”

I heard the sheikh-he meant Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) - saying: “Beware of allusion! By Allah he (Imam al-Mahdi) will be hidden (by the will of Allah) for a period of time and he will be ignored until it will be said that he has died, perished or be lost in an unknown valley. The eyes of the believers will shed a lot of tears for him. Turning over will occur as a ship in a rough sea. No one will be saved except those, whom Allah has promised, fixed faith in their hearts and assisted with His mercy. Twelve suspicious banners will be raised, none of which will be distinguished from each other.” I began to cry and then I asked him: “What will we do then?” He looked at a ray of the sun shining into the shed and said to me: “O Abu Abdullah (al-Mufadhdhal), do you see this sun?” I said: “Yes, I do.” He said: “By Allah, our matter is clearer than this sun.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from Abdul-Kareem from Abdurrahman bin Abu Najran from Muhammad bin al-Musawir from al-Mufadhdhal bin Umar. Imam Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) intended by his saying to refer to the serious troubles that the Shia would face such as the terrible deviating seditions, the invalid and confused doctrines, the suspicious banners pretending to have inherited the imamate from the progeny of Ali bin Abu Talib (as) and the many mutinous people, who looked forward to the rule and leadership in every age. Whoever tries to deprive Ahlul Bayt of their rights-and how many they are-will perish no doubt and just a few, who have believed in the infallible imams and whom Allah has fixed faith in their hearts and assisted with His mercy, will be saved from that rough sea of seditions. Definitely Allah will fix the true believers on the straight path of His guardians in spite of the seditions, the different doctrines, the contradicted opinions and the betraying of the apostates, who have deviated from the right path of the divine imamate and will reward them with the best of His favors by joining them to His honored guardians.

“If the fifth one of the descendants of the seventh one is missed then you are to keep fast to your religion and let nothing turn you aside from it because the executor (al-Qa’im) of this task (reviving the religion) must disappear until many of those, who have believed in him, will apostate. It will be a test, by which Allah will try His people. If your fathers and grandfathers had found a religion better than this, they would have followed it.” I said: “O my master, who is the fifth of the seventh’s descendants?” He said: “O my son, your minds are smaller than to perceive this matter and your patience is weaker than to bear it. If you live until then, you will know who he is.”

“O Abul-Jarood, if the orbit turns and people say that he (al-Mahdi) has died, perished or followed an unknown valley and the opponents say that how he will be back whereas his bones have been perished, then you are to expect him and if you hear of his appearance, you are to join him even if crawling on the ice.”

“When al-Qa’im reappears, people will say: How can that be whereas his bones have been perished?”

Once al-Qa’im (as) was mentioned before Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said: “If he appears people will say: How can that be whereas his bones have been perished since so and so?”

Prophet (S) had said: “The example of my family is like the stars of the sky. Whenever a star sets another shines until a certain star shines and you glance at it and point at it with your fingers then the Angel of Death comes to take it (him) with him. After that you remain a period of time. The progeny of Abdul Muttalib become the same in this regard and none will be distinguished from the other then your star will reappear. Praise Allah and accept it!”

Prophet (S) had said: “The example of my family among this umma is like the stars of the sky. Whenever a star sets another shines until when you stretch your eyebrows towards (a shining star) and point with your fingers at it, the Angel of Death comes to take it with him. Then you remain a period of time unknowing which one it is and so the progeny of Abdul Muttalib become the same in this regard. While you are so, Allah will make your star shine again. Then you are to praise Allah and to accept your star.”

“We are like the stars of the sky. Whenever a star sets another shines until when you point with your fingers at a shining star and turn your eyebrows towards it, Allah takes your star away from you. Then the progeny of Abdul Muttalib become the same that no one is distinguished from the other. If your star reappears, then praise your God!”

“The master of this matter (deliverance) will be from my progeny. It is he, about whom it will be said: Has he died or perished? Or which valley has he followed?”

“I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “What will the sign of al-Qa’im be?” He said: “When the orbit will turn and it will be said: Has he died, perished or which valley has he followed?” I said: “May I die for you! Then what will happen?” He said: “He will appear with the sword.”

Once al-Qa’im was mentioned before Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said: “How will that be and yet the orbit has not turned nor has it been said: Has he died, perished or which valley has he followed?” I (Abdul Kareem) asked him: “What is the turning of the orbit?” He said: “It is the disagreement of the Shia among themselves.” These traditions refer to the conditions of the different groups that are ascribed to Shiism. They have deviated from the real Shia, who believe in the imamate of the twelfth imam Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Ali al-Mahdi (aj). The Sunni say when talking about the expected imam: Where is he? How can his disappearance and reappearance be? Until when will he disappear? How long will he live and eighty years have passed since he has disappeared till now? Some of them say that he is dead. Others deny his being born and deny his existence at all. They scorn those, who believe in him. Some think that the period is too long and that Allah is unable to make His guardian live so long in concealment and then reappear again! We have seen many people of our time outliving for more than a hundred years. They have been sane and healthy until the last moment of their lives. Then how do thy deny the ability of Allah to make His authority outlive for more than that and to make that as one of His great signs among His people? Have they not read the story of Moses (as) mentioned in the Qur’an? When Moses (as) was born, a great number of women and children were killed in order to prevent the will of Allah from being realized but in spite of all what the Pharaoh had done; Allah had carried out His will. The great sign of Allah was that the Pharaoh, who had killed the great number of women and children in order to perish the chance of bringing life to the expected prophet, himself had brought Moses up and in his own palace since being a baby until becoming a young man. “Such has been the course of Allah that has indeed run before, and you shall not find a change in Allah’s course.” O people of understanding, learn a lesson and you, the Shia, keep to what Allah has guided you to and praise Him for the great favor He has distinguished you with.

“If people miss the imam, they will stay many years unknowing which one he is and then Allah will make him appear to them.”

I asked Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “Will there be a time, in which the Muslims will not know who their imam is?” He said: “It is said so.” I said: “what will we do then?” He said: “If that occurs, then keep to the previous one until the next one becomes clear to you.”

“If you spend a day and a night without finding an imam of Muhammad’s progeny, then still love whom you have loved before, hate whom you have hated before, follow whom you have followed and wait for the deliverance day and night.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Muhammad bin Yahya from Ahmad bin Muhammad from ibn Fadhdhal from al-Hasan bin Ali al-Attar from Ja’far bin Muhammad from Mansoor from someone from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as).

My father and I went to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). He said: “What will you do if you become in a time that you do not find an imam of guidance nor any banner and then no one will be saved from that confusion except one, who will pray Allah with the prayer of drowner?” My father said: “By Allah, this is a great calamity. May I die for you! What will we do then?” He said: “If that occurs-and you will not attain it-then keep to that you have had until the matter becomes clear.”

I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “We have tradition saying that the imam will be missed in some period of time. What will we do then?” He said: “Keep to the previous one that you have kept to until the matter becomes clear.”

Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) said: “A time will come to people, in which knowledge will be bound as a snake bound in its hole. While they are in such a condition, a star will shine to them.” I said: “What do we do during that time?” He said: “Keep to what you have kept to until Allah makes your star shine to you.”

“What will you do if a time comes to you between the two mosques, at which knowledge will be bound as a snake bound in its hole and the Shia will disagree among themselves, will call each other as liars and will spit at the face of each other?” Abban said: “What goodness will be in that?” He said: “All the goodness will be in that.” He said it three times and he meant that deliverance would be near.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from some of his companions from Ahmad bin Muhammad from al-Hasan bin Ali al-Washsha’ from Ali bin al-Husayn from Abban bin Taghlub from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as).

“O Abban, a period of time will come to people, at which knowledge will be bound between the two mosques as a snake bound in its hole. As they are in such a condition, their star will shine to them.” Abban said: “May I die for you! What will we do and what will happen then?” He said: “Keep to what you have kept to until Allah brings the master (of the matter).” These traditions confirm the truth of the disappearance (of Imam al-Mahdi) and of the limitation of knowledge, which refers to the authority. Throughout these traditions, the infallible imams have ordered the Shia to keep on what they have believed in and to wait for that they have been promised of. They are excused when not seeing their authority and imam during the period of the disappearance. The ignorant, who are not aware of what the infallible imams have said through their traditions about the disappearance of al-Qa’im (as), ask to be led to the person and the place of al-Qa’im (as). They ask to see him with their eyes and they deny his disappearance because they are far away from knowledge and jurisprudence. They deny the sayings of the infallible imams whereas they have been ordered to obey Allah, His messenger and His guardians and have been warned of disobeying them. Allah has said: “…Therefore let those beware who go against his order lest a trial afflict them or there befall them a painful chastisement.” “O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you.” “And obey Allah and obey the messenger and be cautious; but if you turn back, then know that only a clear deliverance of the message is (incumbent) on Our messenger.” In the fourth tradition it was said “…that you do not find an imam of guidance nor any banner”. This referred to what had really happened and confirmed the matter of the deputies, who had been between the imam and his Shia but their job stopped after some time. The deputy between the imam, during his disappearance, and the Shia was like the banner. When people were afflicted with the ordeal, the banners disappeared and would not reappear until the expected imam would reappear. Also the confusion that the infallible imams had told of occurred. The second disappearance of al-Qa’im (as) also took place. It will be discussed in a next chapter.

“This group (the Shia) will be closer to Allah and Allah will be more pleasant with them when they miss the authority of Allah by being hidden from them whereas they are certain that the authority of Allah and His promise will not be annulled. Then you are to wait for the deliverance day and night. The bitterest wrath of Allah upon His enemies will be when they miss the authority of Allah forever. Allah knows that the true believers will not doubt; otherwise He will never hide His authority for a while. That will not be except with the evil people.”

“People will be closer to Allah and He will be more pleasant with them when they miss His authority and he (the authority) does not appear to them nor they know his place although they know that the authority of Allah will never be annulled. Then you wait for the deliverance day and night because the bitterest wrath of Allah will be upon His enemies when they miss His authority forever. Allah has known that His true believers will never doubt; otherwise He will never hide His authority from them for a while. That will not be except with the evilest people.” Imam Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) has praised his followers by saying that Allah will be more pleasant with them when they will miss the authority by being hidden from them and in spite of that they know well that the authority of Allah will never be annulled. He has described his followers by saying that they will never doubt because if Allah knows that they will doubt, He will never hide His authority from them for a while. Praise be to Allah, Who has made us from among those, who do not doubt, suspect or deviate from the straight way into the way leading to blindness and perishment!

“The master of this matter (al-Qa’im) has a likeness to Prophet Joseph and his mother is a black bondmaid. Allah will make him succeed within a night.”

I heard Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) saying: “The master of this matter has a likeness to Prophet Joseph (as).” I said: “As if you want to tell us about a disappearance or confusion!” He said: “Why do this damned people, who are like the pigs, deny this matter (the disappearance of imam al-Mahdi)? The brothers of Prophet Joseph (as) were skilled, intelligent and sons of prophets. When they came to him, they talked and dealt with him and although they were his brothers they could not know him until he himself told them that he was their brother Joseph. Then why do this umma deny that Allah may want to hide His authority from people for a certain time? Prophet Joseph (as) was the king of Egypt and there was between him and his father a distance of eighteen days-travel. If he wanted to inform his father of his place, he could do that. By Allah, Jacob (as) and his sons, after having heard the news of Joseph, traveled from their village to Egypt within nine days. So why do this umma deny that Allah may do for his authority (al-Mahdi) as He has done for Prophet Joseph (as)? Perhaps the master of this matter (al-Qa’im), who has been wronged and whose right has been denied, goes and comes among people frequently, walks in their markets and sits on their mats but they do not know him until the will of Allah permits him to introduce himself to them as Allah has permitted Prophet Joseph (as) to introduce himself to his brothers by saying: (They said: Are you indeed Yousuf? He said: I am Yousuf). The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from Muhammad bin al-Husayn from ibn Abu Najran from Fudhala bin Ayyoob from Sadeer as-Sayrafi from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as).

I heard Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) saying: “The master of this matter has aspects like those that four of the prophets have had; an aspect of Moses, one of Jesus Christ, one of Joseph and one of Muhammad (peace be upon them).” I said: “Which aspect of Moses (as)?” He said: “Afraid and lying in wait.” I said: “Which one of Jesus Christ (as)?” He said: “It will be said about him (Imam al-Mahdi) as that has been said about Jesus Christ (as).” I said: “Which of Joseph?” He said: “Prison and disappearance.” I said: “Which of Muhammad (as)?” He said: “If he (Imam al-Mahdi) appears, he will imitate his grandfather Muhammad (as) but he will unsheathe his sword for eight months, during which there will be commotion, until Allah becomes pleased.” I said: “How will it be known that Allah becomes pleased?” He said: “Allah will put mercy into his (the imam’s) heart.” Look, O you people of understanding, attentively at these sayings of Imam al-Baqir (as) and Imam as-Sadiq (as) concerning the disappearance of Imam al-Mahdi and the aspects of the prophets he has and that Allah will make him succeed and prevail within a night. Definitely he will remove all the heresies created by the heretics, whom Allah has not let taste the sweetness of faith and knowledge. Then the little group, whom Allah has favored with faith and belief in the imamate and let not deviate as much many groups have deviated and followed the Satan wherever he goes; left or right, is to thank and praise Allah for this great blessing in not being among those, whom the Satan has made hate faith and truth and like deviation. Let this little group be so grateful to Allah for making them obey His guardians, whom He has ordered to be obeyed. Allah says when talking about Iblis: “He (Iblis) said: Then by Thy Might I will surely make them live an evil life, all except Thy servants from among them, the purified ones.” “And most certainly I will lead them astray and excite in them vain desires.” “I will certainly lie in wait for them in Thy straight path.” Imam Ali says (as) in one of his speeches: “I am the firm ‘rope’ of Allah. I am the straight path. I am the authority of Allah over His people after His messenger Muhammad (as)…” Then Allah says when talking about Iblis: “And certainly the Satan found true his conjecture concerning them, so they follow him, except a party of the believers.” Be awake from the doze of advertence and fancy. Do not let what the infallible imams (as) have said go in vain! Care for it with attentive hearts and reflecting minds! Be guided that Allah may keep the Satan away from you in order not to be among his (Satan’s) submissive followers where Allah says: “Surely, as regards My servants, you have no authority over them except those who follow you of the deviators.”

I heard Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) saying: “Al-Qa’im (as) will disappear before his rising.” I asked: “Why?” He said: “He fears (people) although he is the expected one. O Zurara, his birth is suspected. Some say that his father has died without leaving offspring, some say that he has disappeared and others say that he has born some years before his father’s death. He is the expected imam but Allah will try the hearts of the Shia and then might those have doubted, who follow falsehood.” I said: “May I die for you! If I live until that time, what shall I do then?” He said: “O Zurarra, when you live until then, pray with this prayer: (O Allah, let me know You because if You do not let me know You, I can never know Your prophet. O Allah, let me know Your prophet because if You do not let me know Your prophet, I can never know Your authority. O Allah, let me know Your authority because if You do not let me know Your authority, I shall deviate from my religion.” Then he said: “O Zurara, a young boy will be killed in Medina then.” I said: “Is he not the one, who will be killed by the army of as-Sufyani?” He said: “No, but he will be killed by the army of bani so and so. This army will enter into Medina and people will not know why the army has come. Then the young boy will be taken and killed unjustly and offensively. When the boy is killed, Allah will not respite them and then the deliverance will be expected soon.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from al-Hasan bin Musa al-Khashshab from Abdullah bin Musa from Abdullah bin Bukayr from Zurara from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as). Also it was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob from al-Husayn bin Ahmad from Ahmad bin Hilal from Uthman bin Eessa from Khalid bin Nujayh from Zurara from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as).

I said to Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as): “Your Shia in Iraq are so many and there is no one like you from among your family. Why do you not rise?” He said: “O Abdullah bin Atta’, you have given your ears to the fools. By Allah, I am not your man (the one, whom you think to be al-Qa’im).” I said: “Then who is he?” He said: “See whose birth will be vague to people, it will be him. No one of us, who is pointed at with fingers or circulated by tongues, unless he will be killed or will die.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from al-Husayn bin Muhammad and others from Ja’far bin Muhammad from Ali bin al-Abbas bin Aamir from Musa bin Hilal al-Kindi from Abdullah bin Atta’ al-Mekki from Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as).

“I came from Wassit to perform the hajj. I visited Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali (al-Baqir) (as). He asked me about the people and the markets there. I said: the people have looked forward to you. If you rise, a great number of people will follow you.” He said: “O bin Atta’, you have spread your ears to the fools. By Allah, I am not your man. None of us, who is pointed at with fingers or towards whom eyebrows are stretched, unless he is killed or he dies because of anger until Allah will send one, whose birth will be vague.” I said: “And who is he, whose birth will be vague?” He said: “See who that people do not know whether he is born or not. That will be your man.”

“I said to Abul Hasan ar-Redha (as): “We hope that you are the man of the matter and that Allah may pave the way to you peacefully and without fighting. Homage has been paid to you and money is coined with your name.” He said: “None of us that letters has been sent to, has been pointed at with fingers, has been asked about religious matters and monies (legal religious rights) have been sent to, unless he is killed or he dies in his bed until Allah will send for this matter a boy from our progeny, whose birth and early life will be unknown but his lineage will be not unknown.”

I said to Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as): “Would you tell me about al-Qa’im?” He said: “By Allah, it is not me and it is not one, whom you stretch your necks towards. It is the one, whose birth will be unknown.” I said: “What will he do?” He said: “He will do as the Prophet (S) has done. He will annul all heresies that have been established before him and he will establish new principles.”

“The man of this matter will disappear for a period of time, during which one, who still keeps to his religion, is like one, who lathes thorns of al-Qatad with his bare hand. Which of you can grasp at the thorns of al-Qatad?” Then he pondered for a while and said: “The man of this matter will disappear for a time so people are to fear Allah and to keep to their faith.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Muhammad bin Yahya and al-Hasan bin Muhammad from Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Kufi from al-Hasan bin Muhammad as-Sayrafi from Salih bin Khalid from Yaman at-Tammar. Who is this one, who will disappear, but the expected Imam? Who is this one, whose birth and early life most of people will doubt? Who is this one, whom people will be indifferent to and will not believe in his rising nor in his existence even? It is he, whom the infallibles imam (as) have mentioned and described his loyal believers during his disappearance as ones, who grasp at the thorns of al-Qatad with bare hands. It is this little sincere group that is distinguished from the great masses of people, whose fancies have taken them too far away and whose hearts have become too narrow to bear the truth and its bitterness. They find themselves unable to believe in the existence of the Imam while his person is absent and his disappearance has lasted long. Only the little group has believed and kept on believing in the expected Imam (as) following, by that, the saying of Amirul Mo’mineen (as): “Do not feel desolate in the way of guidance when its followers are very few!”

“Al-Qa’im disappears twice; one is a short disappearance and the other is long. In the first disappearance some of his close Shia knows his place and in the other one no one knows his place except the guardians of his religion.”

“Al-Qa’im disappears twice; one is a short disappearance and the other is long. In the first disappearance some of his close Shia knows his place and in the other one no one knows his place except his guardians of his religion.”

“The man of this matter disappears twice.” Also he had said: “Al-Qa’im will rise and he has never paid any homage to anyone on the earth.”

“Al-Qa’im will rise and he has never paid any homage to anyone nor has he had a covenant or a bond with anyone.”

“The man of this matter disappears twice. The first one lasts long until some people say that he has died, some say that he has been killed and others say that he has gone. None of his companions will still believe in him except a very few people. No one knows his place except the guardian, who manages his affairs.” If there is no any other tradition narrated about the disappearance except this one, it will be sufficient for whoever ponders on it.