Hadith No. 22

“People are called with the Imam of the truth of their time, so that those who have followed him are separated from those who have not.”

رَوَى أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ [ت274ه‍] فِي «الْمَحَاسِنِ»[1]، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، قَالَ:

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: ﴿يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ﴾[2]، فَقَالَ: «نَدْعُو كُلَّ قَرْنٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بِإِمَامِهِمْ»، قُلْتُ: فَيَجِيءُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي قَرْنِهِ، وَعَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَرْنِهِ، وَالْحَسَنُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَرْنِهِ، وَالْحُسَيْنُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَرْنِهِ، وَكُلُّ إِمَامٍ فِي قَرْنِهِ الَّذِي هَلَكَ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ».

Translation:

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid [d. 274 AH] has narrated in the book al-Mahasin, from his father, from Nadr ibn Suwaid, from ibn Muskan, from Ya‘qub ibn Shu‘ayb, who said:

I said to Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq—: “The Day when We call every people with their Imam,” (what does it mean?) So he said: “It means, ‘We call each generation of this Ummah with their Imam.’” I said: “So the Messenger of Allah comes with the people of his time, Ali with the people of his time, Hasan with the people of his time, Husain with the people of his time, and each Imam with the people of his time among whom he passed away?” He said: “Yes.”

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: الْآيَةُ تَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ الزَّمَانَ لَا يَخْلُو مِنْ إِمَامِ حَقٍّ وَإِمَامِ بَاطِلٍ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَخْلُو مِنْ أَهْلِ حَقٍّ وَأَهْلِ بَاطِلٍ، وَإِذَا كَانَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ يُدْعَوْنَ بِإِمَامِهِمْ، فَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِأَهْلِ الْحَقِّ إِمَامٌ يُدْعَوْنَ بِهِ، وَلِأَهْلِ الْبَاطِلِ إِمَامٌ يُدْعَوْنَ بِهِ، وَهَذِهِ رِوَايَةٌ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا لَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا وَفِيهَا إِمَامَانِ: بَرٌّ وَفَاجِرٌ، فَالْبَرُّ الَّذِي قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا﴾[3]، وَأَمَّا الْفَاجِرُ فَالَّذِي قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ﴾[4]»، وَهَذِهِ رِوَايَةٌ أُخْرَى، وَهِيَ تَفْسِيرُ الْآيَةِ بِأَنَّ النَّاسَ كُلَّهُمْ يُدْعَوْنَ بِإِمَامِ الْحَقِّ فِي زَمَانِهِمْ لِيَمْتَازَ مَنِ ائْتَمَّ بِهِ عَمَّنْ لَمْ يَأْتَمَّ بِهِ، وَلَيْسَ بَيْنَ الرِّوَايَتَيْنِ تَنَاقُضٌ، لِأَنَّ النَّاسَ كُلَّهُمْ يُدْعَوْنَ بِإِمَامِ الْحَقِّ فِي زَمَانِهِمْ، فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: «مَنِ ائْتَمَّ مِنْكُمْ بِفُلَانٍ فَلْيَأْتِ مَعَهُ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ»، فَيَأْتِي فَرِيقٌ وَيَبْقَى فَرِيقٌ، ثُمَّ يُدْعَى الَّذِينَ بَقَوْا بِأَئِمَّتِهِمْ، وَهُمْ أَئِمَّةُ الْبَاطِلِ فِي زَمَانِهِمْ، فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: «مَنِ ائْتَمَّ مِنْكُمْ بِفُلَانٍ فَلْيَأْتِ مَعَهُ إِلَى النَّارِ»، وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُدْعَوْنَ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ، وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ وَالْحَسَنُ وَالْحُسَيْنُ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْحَقِّ.

Translation:

Mansoor said: The verse is evidence that time is not without an Imam of the truth and an Imam of falsehood; because it is not without people of the truth and people of falsehood. And if every people are called with their Imam, then there must inevitably be an Imam for the people of the truth to be called with, and an Imam for the people of falsehood to be called with. And this is a narration from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (al-Sadiq), who said: “There are always two Imams in the world: a righteous Imam and a wicked Imam. The righteous Imam is the one about whom Allah has said: ‘And We made them Imams who guide by Our command.’ And the wicked Imam is the one about whom Allah has said: ‘And We made them Imams who invite to the fire, and they are not helped on the Day of Judgment.’” And this is another narration, which is the interpretation of the verse as meaning that all people are called with the Imam of the truth of their time, so that those who have followed him are separated from those who have not. And there is no contradiction between the two narrations; because all people are called with the Imam of the truth of their time. Then they are told: “Whoever of you has followed so-and-so, come with him to Heaven.” So a group comes forward, and a group remains. Those who remain are then called with their Imams—and they are the Imams of falsehood of their time. Then they are told: “Whoever of you has followed so-and-so, come with him to Hell.” And they are continuously called (in this way) until none of them remain. And Ali, Hasan, and Husain were among the Imams of the truth.