Hadith No. 27
Allah is not worshipped except through a living and visibly present Imam.
رَوَى عَلِيُّ بْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت329ه] فِي «الْإِمَامَةِ وَالتَّبْصِرَةِ»[1]، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ السَّرَّاجِ، قَالَ:
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: تَبْقَى الْأَرْضُ بِلَا عَالِمٍ حَيٍّ ظَاهِرٍ يَفْزَعُ إِلَيْهِ النَّاسُ فِي حَلَالِهِمْ وَحَرَامِهِمْ؟ فَقَالَ لِي: «إِذًا لَا يُعْبَدُ اللَّهُ يَا أَبَا يُوسُفَ!»
Translation:
Ali ibn Babawayh [d. 329 AH] has narrated in the book al-Imamah Wa al-Tabsirah, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Husain ibn Abi al-Khattab, from Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Ya‘qub al-Sarraj, who said:
I said to Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq—
: “Does the Earth remain without a living, visibly present scholar whom people turn to in their lawful and unlawful matters?” So he said to me: “In that case, Allah would not be worshipped, O Aba Yusuf!”
Attestation No. 1
وَرَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ [تبعد411ه] فِي «دَلَائِلِ الْإِمَامَةِ»[2] -وَهُوَ غَيْرُ صَاحِبِ التَّارِيخِ- قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْمُفَضَّلِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الشَّيْبَانِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ السَّرَّاجِ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ -فَذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ.
Translation:
Also, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari [d. after 411 AH]—a person other than the owner of the book Tarikh—has narrated in the book Dala’il al-Imamah and said: Abu al-Mufaddal Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Shaybani narrated to us, he said: Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘id al-Hamdani narrated to us, he said: Yahya ibn Zakariyya narrated to us, from Hasan ibn Mahbub, from Ya‘qub al-Sarraj, who said: “I said to Abu Abdullah (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq) ”—then he has mentioned a similar Hadith.
Attestation No. 2
وَرُوِيَ فِي كِتَابِ «الْإِخْتِصَاصِ»[3] الْمَنْسُوبِ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْحَلَبِيِّ، قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: «مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ إِمَامٌ حَيٌّ ظَاهِرٌ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً».
Translation:
Also, in the book al-Ikhtisas, attributed to Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Nu‘man, it has been narrated from Muhammad ibn Ali al-Halabi, who said: Abu Abdullah (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq) said: “Whoever dies while there is no living, visibly present Imam for him has died a death of (the time of) ignorance.”
Attestation No. 3
وَرُوِيَ فِيهِ[4] عَنْ أَبِي الْجَارُودِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ إِمَامٌ حَيٌّ ظَاهِرٌ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً»، قُلْتُ: إِمَامٌ حَيٌّ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ؟! قَالَ: «إِمَامٌ حَيٌّ».
Translation:
Also, it has been narrated in this book from Abu Jarud, who said: I heard Abu Abdullah (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq) say: “Whoever dies while there is no living, visibly present Imam for him has died a death of (the time of) ignorance.” I said: “A living Imam, may I be sacrificed for you?!” He said: “A living Imam.”
Attestation No. 4
وَرُوِيَ فِيهِ[5] عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلِ -يَعْنِي مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ مَاتَ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً، إِمَامٍ حَيٍّ يَعْرِفُهُ»، فَقُلْتُ: لَمْ أَسْمَعْ أَبَاكَ يَذْكُرُ هَذَا -يَعْنِي إِمَامًا حَيًّا- فَقَالَ: «قَدْ وَاللَّهِ قَالَ ذَاكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ»، قَالَ: «وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ”مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ يَسْمَعُ لَهُ وَيُطِيعُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً“».
Translation:
Also, it has been narrated in this book from Umar ibn Yazid, who said: I heard the first Abu al-Hasan—meaning Musa ibn Ja‘far— say: “Whoever dies without having an Imam has died a death of (the time of) ignorance—a living Imam whom he knows.” I said: “I did not hear your father (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad) say that”—i.e., a living Imam! So he said: “By Allah, the Messenger of Allah 
has said it. The Messenger of Allah has said: ‘Whoever dies without having an Imam from whom he hears and whom he obeys has died a death of (the time of) ignorance.’”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُعْبَدُ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِإِمَامٍ مَيِّتٍ؛ لِأَنَّ عِبَادَتَهُ فِيهَا إِقَامَةُ حُدُودِهِ وَتَنْفِيذُ أَحْكَامِهِ وَإِدَارَةُ أَمْوَالِهِ وَجِهَادُ أَعْدَائِهِ وَهِيَ مُحْتَاجَةٌ إِلَى إِمَامٍ حَيٍّ، فَإِنْ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ أَبْدَلَ اللَّهُ مَكَانَهُ مِثْلَهُ أَوْ خَيْرًا مِنْهُ عَلَى سُنَّتِهِ فِي النَّسْخِ وَالْإِنْسَاءِ؛ كَمَا قَالَ: ﴿مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا ۗ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾[6] وَإِلَى قَوْلِي هَذَا أَشَارَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ -فِيمَا رُوِيَ عَنْهُ- إِذْ قَالَ لِعِيسَى بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: «أَمَا إِنَّكَ يَا عِيسَى لَا تَكُونُ مُؤْمِنًا حَتَّى تَعْرِفَ النَّاسِخَ مِنَ الْمَنْسُوخِ»، قَالَ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ وَمَا مَعْرِفَةُ النَّاسِخِ مِنَ الْمَنْسُوخِ؟ قَالَ: «أَلَيْسَ تَكُونُ مَعَ الْإِمَامِ مُوَطِّنًا نَفْسَكَ عَلَى حُسْنِ النِّيَّةِ فِي طَاعَتِهِ، فَيَمْضِي ذَلِكَ الْإِمَامُ وَيَأْتِي إِمَامٌ آخَرُ فَتُوَطِّنُ نَفْسَكَ عَلَى حُسْنِ النِّيَّةِ فِي طَاعَتِهِ؟» قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: «هَذَا مَعْرِفَةُ النَّاسِخِ مِنَ الْمَنْسُوخِ»[7]، وَرُوِيَ أَنَّ الْمُعَلَّى بْنَ خُنَيْسٍ سَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي يُرْوَى عَنِ الْإِمَامِ الْمَاضِي، فَقَالَ: «خُذُوا بِهِ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَكُمْ عَنِ الْحَيِّ، فَإِنْ بَلَغَكُمْ عَنِ الْحَيِّ فَخُذُوا بِقَوْلِهِ»[8].
ثُمَّ قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُعْبَدُ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِإِمَامٍ غَائِبٍ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ فِي غَيْبَتِهِ أَنْ يُقِيمَ الْحُدُودَ وَيَأْخُذَ الصَّدَقَاتِ وَيُنَفِّذَ الْأَحْكَامَ وَيُجَاهِدَ الْأَعْدَاءَ وَلَوْ تَنَاوَلَ ذَلِكَ غَيْرُهُ عَجَزَ عَنْ كَثِيرٍ؛ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِيهِ وَلَا يُوَفِّقُهُ وَلَوْ أَدْرَكَ شَيْئًا لَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُدْرِكْهُ مِنَ الْوَجْهِ الَّذِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَنْ تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهَا وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَى ۗ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾[9].
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: Indeed, Allah is not worshipped on the Earth through a deceased Imam; because His worship on it is the establishment of His limits, the enforcement of His rulings, the administration of His property, and jihad against His enemies. And these tasks require a living Imam. So if he dies or is killed, Allah appoints someone like him—or better than him—in his place, according to His way in abrogation and causing to be forgotten; as He has said: “Any sign that We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or like it. Have you not known that Allah has power over all things?!” And to this statement of mine, Ja‘far ibn Muhammad 
referred in what has been narrated from him, when he said to Isa ibn Abdullah: “Know, O Isa, that you will not be a believer until you know the abrogator from the abrogated.” He said: “May I be sacrificed for you, what is knowing the abrogator from the abrogated?” He said: “Is it not that you are with the Imam, while having compelled yourself to obey him with good intention, then he passes away, and another Imam comes, then you compel yourself to obey him with good intention?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “That is knowing the abrogator from the abrogated.” And it has been narrated that Mu‘alla ibn Khunais asked him about a hadith that had been narrated from the previous Imams. So he replied: “Take it until you hear from a living Imam. Then, when you hear from the living Imam, take his statement.”[10]
Then Mansoor said: Indeed, Allah is not worshipped on the Earth through an absent Imam; because in his absence, he cannot establish the limits, collect alms, enforce the rulings, or fight against the enemies. And if someone other than him attempts to carry that out, he fails in many; because Allah does not guide him and does not grant him success. And if he accomplishes something, it is not accepted from him; because he has not accomplished it through the way Allah has commanded—while Allah has said: “And it is not a righteous act to enter houses from the back, but righteousness is to be pious and enter the houses from the front door. And fear Allah so that you may succeed.”
