1 . أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ يَقُولُ: لَا بُدَّ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ إِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ، وَذَلِكَ عَهْدٌ عَهِدَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ إِذِ ابْتَلَاهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ: ﴿قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ۖ قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ[1]، فَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَا يَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْإِمَامَ فَقَدْ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً! أَلَا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيَّ وَلَا مُحَمَّدعُمَرَ الْقَنْدَهَارِيَّ وَلَا فُلَانًا وَلَا فُلَانًا -فَمَا أَبْقَى رَجُلًا مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْقَوْمِ إِلَّا سَمَّاهُ- وَلَكِنَّهُ الْمَهْدِيُّ! ثُمَّ تَمَثَّلَ بِقَوْلِ دِعْبِلِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْخُزَاعِيِّ فَقَالَ: خُرُوجُ إِمَامٍ لَا مَحَالَةَ خَارِجٌ/ يَقُومُ عَلَى اسْمِ اللَّهِ وَالْبَرَكَاتِ/ يَمِيزُ فِينَا كُلَّ حَقٍّ وَبَاطِلٍ/ وَيَجْزِي عَلَى النَّعْمَاءِ وَالنَّقَمَاتِ/ فَيَا نَفْسُ طَيِّبِي ثُمَّ يَا نَفْسُ أَبْشِرِي/ فَغَيْرُ بَعِيدٍ مَا هُوَ آتٍ!

Translation of the saying:

Isa ibn Abd al-Hamid al-Jowzajani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani say: “People have no choice but a just Imam from the descendants of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, whom God has appointed for them, and this is a covenant that God made with him when He tested him with some words, then he fulfilled them: ‘He said: “I am going to appoint you as an Imam for people.” He said: “And also my offspring?” He said: “My covenant does not reach the oppressors.”’ So whoever dies while not knowing this Imam has died a death of (the time of) ignorance! Know that he is not Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Muhammad Umar al-Qandahari or so-and-so, -so he did not leave any of the imams of people unless he mentioned him by name- but rather he is the Mahdi!” Then he gave the poem of Di‘bal ibn Ali al-Khuza‘i as an example and said: “The arrival of an Imam who will inevitably arrive, will rise in the name of God and His blessings, will separate every truth and falsehood among us, and will reward for every good and punish for every bad. So O soul! Be calm and happy, for anything that is to come is not far away!”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ، قَالَ: كَانَ فِي الْمَحَلَّةِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَكَانَ لَهُ حُسْنُ خُلْقٍ وَحُسْنُ عِبَادَةٍ، فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَنْصُورُ يَوْمًا فَرَقَّ لَهُ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ! إِنَّ الَّذِي أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ حَسَنٌ وَهُوَ يُعْجِبُنِي، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَكَ مَعْرِفَةٌ، فَاذْهَبْ وَاطْلُبِ الْمَعْرِفَةَ! أَفَلَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَعِيشَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ حَتَّى يَمُوتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً؟!

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Habib al-Tabari informed us, he said: There lived a man of knowledge in the neighborhood who had good manners and good worship. Then one day Mansoor looked at him and pitied him, so he wrote him: “O Muhammad! Indeed, what you do is good, and I like it, but you possess no cognition, so go and seek cognition! Is any of you not ashamed to live for forty years while not knowing the Imam of his time until he dies a death of (the time of) ignorance?!”

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا جُبَيْرُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ الْخُجَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ دَانَ اللَّهَ وَلَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامًا مِنَ اللَّهِ يُعَلِّمُ كِتَابَهُ وَيُقِيمُ حُدُودَهُ فَدِيَانَتُهُ غَيْرُ مَقْبُولَةٍ، وَهُوَ ضَالٌّ يَتِيهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ، كَمَثَلِ شَاةٍ ضَلَّتْ عَنْ رَاعِيهَا وَقَطِيعِهَا، فَتَاهَتْ فِي الْجِبَالِ يَوْمَهَا، فَلَمَّا أَنْ جَاءَهَا اللَّيْلُ بَصُرَتْ بِقَطِيعِ غَنَمٍ أُخْرَى، فَظَنَّتْ أَنَّهَا قَطِيعُهَا، فَجَاءَتْ إِلَيْهَا فَبَاتَتْ مَعَهَا فِي مَرْبَضِهَا، حَتَّى إِذَا أَصْبَحَتْ أَنْكَرَتْهَا، فَفَارَقَتْهَا مُتَحَيِّرَةً تَطْلُبُ رَاعِيَهَا وَقَطِيعَهَا، فَبَصُرَتْ بِقَطِيعِ غَنَمٍ أُخْرَى، فَعَمَدَتْ نَحْوَهَا وَحَنَتْ عَلَيْهَا فَرَءآهَا الرَّاعِيُ، فَأَنْكَرَهَا فَصَاحَ بِهَا: إِلْحَقِي بِقَطِيعِكِ أَيَّتُهَا الشَّاةُ الضَّالَّةُ الْمُتَحَيِّرَةُ! فَهُجِمَتْ ذَعِرَةً مُتَحَيِّرَةً، لَا رَاعِيَ لَهَا يُرْشِدَهَا إِلَى مَرْعَاهَا أَوْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى مَرْبَضِهَا، فَبَيْنَا هِيَ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا اغْتَنَمَ ذِئْبٌ ضَيْعَتَهَا فَأَكَلَهَا، وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَيَلْتَحِقُ يَوْمًا بِرَجُلٍ وَيَوْمًا بِرَجُلٍ، حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَتْهُ شَقَاوَتُهُ يَوْمًا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ!

Translation of the saying:

Jubayr ibn Ata’ al-Khujandi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Whoever practices God’s religion while not knowing an Imam from God who teaches His Book and establishes His hudud, then his practicing religion is not accepted, and he is a misguided person who wanders on Earth, like a sheep that has lost its shepherd and flock, then it spends the day wandering in the mountains, then, when the night comes, it sees another flock of sheep and thinks that it is its flock, so it comes to it and spends the night with it in its fold until morning comes and it finds the flock unfamiliar, then, while it is wandering, it separates from it and searches for its shepherd and flock, then it sees another flock of sheep, so it moves toward it and approaches it, but the shepherd sees it and finds it unfamiliar, so he yells at it: ‘Go to your flock, you lost wandering sheep!’ So it flees in terror and astonishment while there is no shepherd for it to lead it to its pasture or bring it back to its fold. Then, while it is in this state, a wolf appreciates the value of its loneliness and rips it apart. Such is the case with one who does not know his Imam from God, so one day he joins a man and another day another man until his misery reaches him one of these days and destroys him!”

4 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: قَالَ لِي سَيِّدِي الْمَنْصُورُ: يَا أَحْمَدُ! أَتَعْرِفُ إِمَامَ زَمَانِكَ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، كَمَا أَعْرِفُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ! قَالَ: اعْرِفْهُ! فَإِنَّ الْحَيْرَةَ وَالذِّلَّةَ وَالْمَسْكَنَةَ وَالْخِزْيَ وَالضَّلَالَةَ وَالْهَلَاكَ لِمَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ! ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا أَحْمَدُ! أَتُطِيعُ إِمَامَ زَمَانِكَ؟ قُلْتُ: رُبَّمَا وَلَعَلَّ! قَالَ: أَطِعْهُ! فَإِنَّ مَنْ يَعْرِفُ الْإِمَامَ وَلَا يُطِيعُهُ كَمَنْ يَعْرِفُ السَّبِيلَ وَلَا يَسْلُكُهُ، فَمَا أَحْرَى بِهِ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَالِكًا! ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا أَحْمَدُ! إِنَّ النَّاسَ أَمْوَاتٌ وَمَا حَيَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا الْمَعْرِفَةُ، وَالطَّاعَةُ مِيزَانُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ! يَا أَحْمَدُ! أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ كُتِبَ فِي قَلْبِهِ: آيِسٌ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ، وَأَنَّ مَنْ عَرَفَهُ وَلَمْ يُطِعْهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ؟! يَا أَحْمَدُ! إِنَّ مَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ إِمَامِ زَمَانِهِ وَكَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى مَنْ رَغِبَ إِلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ لَا يُبَالِي فِي أَيِّ وَادٍ هَلَكَ! يَا أَحْمَدُ! إِنَّ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ فِي غَيْبَتِهِ كَمَنْ يُجَاهِدُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِهِ، بَلْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ! يَا أَحْمَدُ! أَتَدْرِي كَيْفَ انْتِظَارُهُ؟! قُلْتُ: ذِكْرُهُ كَثِيرًا وَالدُّعَاءُ لَهُ! قَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا لَصَالِحٌ، وَلَكِنَّ انْتِظَارَهُ الدَّعْوَةُ إِلَيْهِ وَالتَّمْكِينُ لَهُ فِي غَيْبَتِهِ! إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ: ﴿وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ[2]، أَيْ فِي غَيْبَتِهِمْ؛ كَمَا قَالَتِ امْرَأَةُ الْعَزِيزِ إِذَا حَصْحَصَ الْحَقُّ وَيُوسُفُ غَائِبٌ: ﴿ذَلِكَ لِيَعْلَمَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَخُنْهُ بِالْغَيْبِ[3] أَيْ فِي غَيْبَةِ يُوسُفَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ.

Translation of the saying:

Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Taloqani informed us, he said: My master Mansoor said to me: “O Ahmad! Do you know the Imam of your time?” I said: “Yes, as I know night and day!” He said: “Do know him; because bewilderment, ignominy, wretchedness, disgrace, misguidance, and destruction are for one who does not know the Imam of his time!” Then he said: “O Ahmad! Do you obey the Imam of your time?” I said: “Perhaps and maybe!” He said: “Do obey him; because one who knows the Imam and does not obey him is like one who knows the path and does not take it, so how much he deserves to perish!” Then he said: “O Ahmad! Indeed, people are the dead, and their life is nothing but cognition, and obedience is the scale for (assessing) cognition! O Ahmad! Do you not know that one who does not know the Imam of his time, it is written in his heart: ‘Despaired of the mercy of God,’ and one who knows him and does not obey him is among the losers?! O Ahmad! Indeed, one who turns away from the Imam of his time, God leaves him to the one he has turned to, then He does not care in which valley he will perish! O Ahmad! Indeed, one who expects the Imam of his time when he is absent is like one who fights in his presence when he appears, but rather he is better than him! O Ahmad! Do you know how to expect him?!” I said: “Remembering him often and praying for him!” He said: “Indeed, this is good, but expecting him is inviting [people] toward him and preparing the ground for his advent when he is absent! Indeed, God Almighty says: ‘And so that God knows who will help God and His Prophets in secret,’ which means in their absence; as Potiphar’s wife, when the truth was revealed in the absence of Yusuf, said: ‘(I did) this so that he may know that I did not betray him in secret,’ which means in the absence of Yusuf, peace be upon him.”

↑[1] . Al-Baqarah/ 124
↑[2] . Al-Hadid/ 25
↑[3] . Yusuf/ 52