Refutation of those who stopped at the Imamate of Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) and said that he is the Promised Mahdi

As for the Nawusiyya, who express uncertainty after Ja’far Ibn Muhammad (a.s), we explained the invalidity of their belief, as we know that Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) passed away and that his son Musa Ibn Ja’far rightly succeeded him and that the Imamate of the Twelve Imams is a proven fact. The fact that he expressly confided a final will, underscores our point.

I was present at the time of the passing away of Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) when the Imam was in a swoon in his last moments. After that he regained his consciousness and gave seventy dinars to Hasan bin Ali bin Husain – or the same Hasan Aftas – to give such and such amount to so and so person and such and such amount to so and so person. I asked: Would you give money to one who attacked you and wanted to slay you? He replied: Don’t you want me to be one, about whom Almighty Allah has said: “And those who join that which Allah has bidden to be joined and have awe of their Lord and fear the evil reckoning.” (13:21) Yes, O Salima, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime has created Paradise and purified and made it fragrant in such a way that the fragrance of Paradise reaches upto a distance of two thousand years’ of travel, but it will not reach to those who are disowned by parents and those who cut off relationships.

Abu Ja’far Mansur Dawaniqi summoned me in the middle of the night. When I came to him, I found him seated on the throne and a candle was burning before him and there was a letter in his hand. When I greeted him, he passed the letter to me while weeping and saying: This is the letter of Muhammad bin Sulaiman, which has informed us that Ja’far bin Muhammad has passed away. And he said thrice: Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. Where will a like of Ja’far come into being? After that he said: Write: I wrote the heading and he continued: Write that if he has appointed anyone in particular as his successor, you must put him to death. Reply same that Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) has willed in favor of five persons, one of them being Abu Ja’far Mansur Dawaniqi, after Muhammad bin Sulaiman, his two sons: Abdullah and Musa, and his wife Hamida. When he heard this, he remarked: It is not possible to eliminate them.

As for the Waqifa, who stop at the Imamate of Musa Ibn Ja’far (a.s), saying that he is the Mahdi, we have invalidated their belief by proving that Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s) passed away and that his death was a well-known historical reality and that his son, Imam Ridha (a.s) was the Imam after him, and this much is sufficient for people of reason.

As for the Muhammmadiyya, who said that Muhammad Ibn Ali Askari is the Imam and that he is alive and has not died, their assertion is invalid on the basis of our proofs of the Imamate of his brother, Hasan Ibn Ali, the father of the Qaim (a.s). Furthermore, Muhammad died in the lifetime of his father and his death was apparent and visible like the death of his father and grandfather. To dispute that would amount to disputing a self-evident reality.