Hadith No. 31
“The Earth is not without Allah’s caliph even for a single hour, as long as there is a respite for people.”
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مَهْزِيَارَ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ، عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ الْبَجَلِيِّ، عَنْ أَبَانَ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ زُرَارَةِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي حَدِيثٍ لَهُ فِي الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي آخِرِهِ:
وَلَوْلَا مَنْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ حُجَجِ اللَّهِ، لَنَفَضَتِ الْأَرْضُ مَا فِيهَا وَأَلْقَتْ مَا عَلَيْهَا، إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو سَاعَةً مِنَ الْحُجَّةِ.
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 narrated to us, he said: Sa‘d ibn Abdullah narrated to us, he said: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa and Ibrahim ibn Mahziyar narrated to us, from Ali ibn Mahziyar, from Husain ibn Sa‘id, from Abu Ali al-Bajali, from Aban ibn Uthman, from Zurarah ibn A‘yan, from Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq—
that at the end of a Hadith about Husain ibn Ali 
, he said:
And were it not for one of the proofs of Allah who is on the Earth, the Earth would cast out all that lies within it and bring down all that rests upon it. Indeed, the Earth is not without proof even for a single hour.
Attestation No. 1
وَرَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[2]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ نُوحٍ، عَنِ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُسْلِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ الْعَامِرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: «مَا زَالَتِ الْأَرْضُ إِلَّا وَلِلَّهِ تَعَالَى ذِكْرُهُ فِيهَا حُجَّةٌ يُعَرِّفُ الْحَلَالَ وَالْحَرَامَ وَيَدْعُو إِلَى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَا يَنْقَطِعُ الْحُجَّةُ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَإِذَا رُفِعَتِ الْحُجَّةُ أُغْلِقَ بَابُ التَّوْبَةِ وَلَنْ يَنْفَعَ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ الْحُجَّةُ، أُولَئِكَ شِرَارُ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ، وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِيَامَةُ».
Translation:
Also, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Babawayh [d. 381 AH] has narrated in the book Kamal al-Din Wa Tamam al-Ni‘mah and said: My father narrated to us, he said: Sa‘d ibn Abdullah and Abdullah ibn Ja‘far al-Himyari narrated to us, from Ayyub ibn Nuh, from Rabi‘ ibn Muhammad ibn Musli, from Abdullah ibn Sulayman al-Amiri, from Abu Abdullah (Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq) , who said: “The Earth has never been except that there has been a proof for Allah Almighty on it, who has made known the lawful and the unlawful and has called toward Allah, Exalted and Majestic. And the proof is not cut off from the Earth except forty days before the Day of Judgment. Then, when the proof is lifted, the door of repentance closes, and the faith of one no longer benefits him if he has not believed before the proof is lifted. They are the worst of Allah’s creation, and they are the ones upon whom the Day of Judgment will come.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لَيْسَ بَيْنَ الْحَدِيثَيْنِ تَعَارُضٌ؛ لِأَنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ خَلِيفَةِ اللَّهِ سَاعَةً وَلِلنَّاسِ فِيهَا مُهْلَةٌ وَإِذَا رُفِعَ خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ طَلَعَتْ طَلَائِعُ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَبُدِّلَتِ الْأَرْضُ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ وَأَتَى تَأْوِيلُ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ رَبُّكَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ ۗ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا ۗ قُلِ انْتَظِرُوا إِنَّا مُنْتَظِرُونَ﴾[3]. نَعَمْ، يُعَارِضُهُ مَا رُوِيَ مِنْ أَنَّ «الْحُجَّةَ قَبْلَ الْخَلْقِ وَمَعَ الْخَلْقِ وَبَعْدَ الْخَلْقِ» وَأَنَّهُ «لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا اثْنَانِ لَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا الْإِمَامَ» وَأَنَّ «آخِرَ مَنْ يَمُوتُ الْإِمَامُ» وَأَنَّهُ «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ»، وَلَكِنْ يَعْضُدُهُ مَا رُوِيَ مِنْ أَنَّهُ «لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ إِلَّا عَلَى شِرَارِ النَّاسِ» وَأَنَّهُ «لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى لَا يُقَالَ فِي الْأَرْضِ: اللَّهُ اللَّهُ» وَأَنَّهُ «تَجِيءُ رِيحٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ السَّاعَةِ طَيِّبَةٌ، فَتُقْبَضُ فِيهَا رُوحُ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ»، وَتَعَارُضُ الْأَحَادِيثِ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ قَدِيمٌ مَشْهُورٌ وَسَوْفَ أَتَكَلَّمُ فِيهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ.
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: There is no contradiction between these two Hadiths; because the Earth is not without Allah’s caliph even for a single hour, as long as there is a respite for people. And when Allah’s caliph is lifted, the signs of the Day of Judgment appear. Then the Earth and the heavens are transformed, and the interpretation of Allah’s statement comes, where He has said: “Are they waiting for anything but that the angels should come to them or your Lord should come or some of the signs of your Lord should come? On the Day when some of the signs of your Lord come, the faith of one does not benefit him if he has not believed before or has not earned any good in his faith. Say: ‘Wait. We too are waiting.’” Yes, the Hadiths in which it has been stated: “The proof was before people, is with people, and will be after people,” and “If there are only two people left on the Earth, one of them will be the Imam,” and “The last person to die is the Imam,” and “A group from my Ummah will always be steadfast upon the truth until the Day of Judgment comes” contradict it. But the Hadiths in which it has been stated: “The Day of Judgment does not come except upon the worst people,” and “The Day of Judgment does not come until the name of Allah is not mentioned on the Earth,” and “Near the Day of Judgment, a good breeze blows and takes the life of every believer” confirm it. And the contradiction between the Hadiths in this chapter is old and well-known, and I will discuss it in the future, InShaAllah.
