Hadith No. 21
In every generation, there is a guide from Allah.
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ وَيَعْقُوبُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ جَمِيعًا، عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنْ حَرِيزِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ:
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ﴾[2]، فَقَالَ: «كُلُّ إِمَامٍ هَادٍ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ فِي زَمَانِهِمْ».
Translation:
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Babawayh [d. 381 AH] has narrated in the book Kamal al-Din Wa Tamam al-Ni‘mah, (in this manner that) he has said: My father and Muhammad ibn Hasan narrated to us, they said: Sa‘d ibn Abdullah narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Husain ibn Abi al-Khattab and Ya‘qub ibn Yazid both narrated to us, from Hammad ibn Isa, from Hariz ibn Abdullah, from Muhammad ibn Muslim, who said:
I said to Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq—
about the statement of Allah, Exalted and Majestic, Who says: “You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people.” So he said: “Each Imam is a guide for every people in their time.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ؛ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَامٌّ يَشْمُلُ كُلَّ قَوْمٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَالْقَوْمُ قَرْنٌ؛ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا ۙ وَجَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا ۚ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْقَوْمَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ﴾[3].
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: This is an authentic Hadith, because the statement of Allah Almighty is general and includes every people until the Day of Judgment. And the intended meaning of “people” is “generation”; as He has said: “And indeed, We destroyed the generations before you when they did wrong and their Messengers came to them with clear signs, but they refused to believe. This is how We punish the guilty people.”
Attestation
وَرَوَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ [ت290ه] فِي زِيَادَاتِهِ عَلَى «الْمُسْنَدِ»[4]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُطَّلِبُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ، عَنِ السُّدِّيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ﴾، قَالَ: «رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُنْذِرُ، وَالْهَادِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ».
Translation:
Also, Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal [d. 290 AH] has narrated in what he has added to Musnad; he has said: Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to me, he said: Muttalib ibn Ziyad narrated to us, from al-Suddi, from Abd Khayr, from Ali, regarding the statement of Allah: “You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people,” he said: “The Messenger of Allah 
is the warner, and the guide is a man from Banu Hashim.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: قِيلَ أَنَّهُ أَرَادَ بِالرَّجُلِ نَفْسَهُ، وَالظَّاهِرُ أَنَّهُ أَطْلَقَ وَأَرَادَ أَنَّ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَادِيًا مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ.
Translation:
Mansoor said: It has been said that by this man, he meant himself. But it seems he was speaking generally, and what he meant was that for every people (i.e., every generation) after the Messenger of Allah , there is a guide from Banu Hashim.
