Hadith No. 16
The Earth is never without a proof.
رَوَى أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ [ت274ه] فِي «الْمَحَاسِنِ»[1]، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي خَلَفٍ، عَنْ [الْحَسَنِ بْنِ] زِيَادٍ الْعَطَّارِ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَقُولُ:
إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا وَفِيهَا حُجَّةٌ، إِنَّهُ لَا يُصْلِحُ النَّاسَ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ، وَلَا يُصْلِحُ الْأَرْضَ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ.
Translation:
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid [d. 274 AH] has narrated in the book al-Mahasin, from Ya‘qub ibn Yazid, from Muhammad ibn Abi Umair, from Sa‘d ibn Abi Khalaf, from [Hasan ibn] Ziyad al-Attar, who said: I heard Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq—
say:
The Earth will not be unless there is a proof on it. Nothing but this reforms people, and nothing but this reforms the Earth.
Attestation No. 1
وَرَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الصَّفَّارُ [ت290ه] فِي «بَصَائِرِ الدَّرَجَاتِ»[2]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى، عَنْ صَفْوَانَ، عَنْ ذَرِيحٍ الْمُحَارِبِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: «الْأَرْضُ لَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا وَفِيهَا عَالِمٌ، لَا يُصْلِحُ النَّاسَ إِلَّا ذَاكَ».
Translation:
Also, Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Saffar [d. 290 AH] has narrated in the book Basa’ir al-Darajat and said: Muhammad ibn Isa narrated to us, from Safwan, from Dharih al-Muharibi, from Abu Abdullah (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq) , who said: “The Earth will not be unless there is a scholar on it. Nothing but this reforms people.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الصَّفَّارُ مِنْ ثِقَاتِ الشِّيعَةِ وَإِنَّمَا لَا أَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى كِتَابِهِ «بَصَائِرِ الدَّرَجَاتِ» لِأَنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ رِوَايَتِهِ وَهُوَ كِتَابٌ مَعْرُوفٌ عِنْدَهُمْ فِيهِ مَا يُعْرَفُ وَيُنْكَرُ.
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Saffar is among the trustworthy figures of the Shia. And I do not rely on his book, Basa’ir al-Darajat, because Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn al-Walid has refrained from narrating it. And it is a well-known book among them, which contains recognized and unrecognized matters (that is, the content of some of its narrations is acceptable, and the content of some others is unacceptable).
