Hadith No. 13
The earth is never devoid of an Imam.
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْوَلِيدُِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ مَعْرُوفٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ، عَنْ أَخِيهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ بَشَّارٍ الْوَاسِطِيِّ قَالَ:
قَالَ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ لِلرِّضَا -يَعْنِي عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُوسَى- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَأَنَا حَاضِرٌ: أَتَخْلُو الْأَرْضُ مِنْ إِمَامٍ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا.
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: Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn Walid may God be pleased with him, narrated to us, he said: Sa’d ibn Abdullah narrated to us, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isā, from Abbās ibn Ma’ruf, from Ibrahim ibn Mahziār, from his brother Ali ibn Mahziār, from Hasan ibn Bashshār al-Wāsiti that said:
Husayn ibn Khālid, while I was present, said to Ridhā — meaning Ali ibn Musā — peace be upon him: Does the earth remain empty of Imam? So he said: No.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مَهْزِيَارَ مَقْبُولٌ عِنْدَهُمْ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا اللَّفْظُ مِنْ غَيْرِ طَرِيقِهِ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ.
Translation:
Mansoor may God protect him, said: Ibrahim ibn Mahziār is accepted by them, and this phrase has been narrated through other than him from Ja’far ibn Muhammad peace be upon them.