Hadith No. 21
There is a guide from Allah in every age.
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 Bābawayh [Died in 381 AH] has narrated in the book of “Kamāl al-Din wa Tamām al-Ni’mah”, (in this way that) has said: My father and Muhammad ibn Hasan may God be pleased with them, narrated to us, they said: Sa’d ibn Abdullah narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Husain ibn Abi al-Khattāb and Ya’qub ibn Yazid both narrated to us, from Hammād ibn Isa, from Hariz ibn Abdullah, from Muhammad ibn Muslim that said:
I said to Abu Abdullah, meaning Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq, peace be upon him about the word of God Almighty that says: “You are only a warner and there is a guide for every nation”, so he said: Each Imam is the guide of each nation 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 may God protect him, said: This is a correct narration; because the word of God Almighty is general and includes every nation until the Day of Judgment, and the nation means the century (meaning generation and period); as He has said: “And indeed, We destroyed the centuries before you when they did wrong and their Prophets came to them with clear signs and they refused to believe in, in this way We punish the guilty people”.
Attestation No. 1
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 [Died in 290 AH] has narrated in that which he has added to “Musnad”, has said: ‘Uthmān ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to me, he said: Muttalib ibn Zyad narrated to us, from al-Suddi, from Abd Khayr, from Ali that about the word of God: “You are only a warner and there is a guide for every nation”, he said: The Messenger of God peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, is the warner and the guide is a man from Bani Hāshim.
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 may God protect him, said: It has been said that his meaning from this man has been he himself, but it seems that he has spoken in general, and his meaning has been that for every nation (that is, every century) after the Messenger of God peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, there is a guide from Bani Hāshim.