Hadith No. 20
There is an Imam of guidance in every generation.
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْكُلَيْنِيُّ [ت329ه] فِي «الْكَافِي»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ وَفَضَالَةَ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بَكْرٍ، عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، قَالَ:
سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ﴾[2]، فَقَالَ: «كُلُّ إِمَامٍ هَادٍ لِلْقَرْنِ الَّذِي هُوَ فِيهِمْ».
Translation:
Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub al-Kulayni [d. 329 AH] has narrated in the book al-Kafi, (in this manner that) he has said: A number of our companions narrated to me, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from Husain ibn Sa‘id, from Nadr ibn Suwaid and Fadalah ibn Ayyub, from Musa ibn Bakr, from Fudayl ibn Yasar, who said:
I asked Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq—
about the statement of Allah, Exalted and Majestic, Who says: “And there is a guide for every people.” So he said: “Every Imam is the guide of the generation among whom he is present.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: قَالَ الْكُلَيْنِيُّ: «كُلُّ مَا كَانَ فِي كِتَابِي عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، فَهُمْ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُوسَى الْكُمَيْذَانِيُّ، وَدَاوُدُ بْنُ كُورَةَ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ»، ذَكَرَهُ النَّجَاشِيُّ [ت450ه][3].
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: Kulayni has said: “Wherever the phrase, ‘A number of our companions, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa,’ appears in my book, they are Muhammad ibn Yahya, Ali ibn Musa al-Kumaidhani, Dawud ibn Kurah, Ahmad ibn Idris, and Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim.” Al-Najashi [d. 450 AH] has mentioned this.
Attestation
وَرَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النُّعْمَانِيُّ [ت360ه] فِي «الْغَيْبَةِ»[4]، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عُقْدَةٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْأَزْدِيِّ فِي شَوَّالِ سَنَةِ إِحْدَى وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الطَّوِيلِ، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ سَيْرٍ، عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بَكْرٍ الْوَاسِطِيِّ، عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ -فَذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ سَوَاءً.
Translation:
Also, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Nu‘mani [d. 360 AH] has narrated in the book al-Ghaybah and said: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘id ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Uqdah informed us, he said: Muhammad ibn Salim ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Azdi narrated to us in the month of Shawwal, in the year two hundred and eighty-one (AH), he said: Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-Tawil narrated to us, from Ahmad ibn Sayr, from Musa ibn Bakr al-Wasiti, from Fudayl, from Abu Abdullah (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq) —he then mentioned a similar Hadith without any difference.
