ابْنُ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ مَعاً عَنْ أَبِي الْجَارُودِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ قَالَ لِي يَا أَبَا الْجَارُودِ إِذَا دَارَ الْفَلَكُ وَ قَالَ النَّاسُ مَاتَ الْقَائِمُ أَوْ هَلَكَ بِأَيِّ وَادٍ سَلَكَ وَ قَالَ الطَّالِبُ أَنَّى يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ وَ قَدْ بُلِيَتْ عِظَامُهُ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ فَارْجُوهُ فَإِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ بِهِ فَأْتُوهُ وَ لَوْ حَبْواً عَلَى الثَّلْجِ

1- Ikmal ad-Din: Shaykh as-Saduq (r.a.) has narrated from Ibn Mutawakkil from ‘Ali from his father from Abdullah Ibn Hammad and Muhammad Ibn Sinan together from Ab al-Jarud that he said:

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) said to me “O Abu Jarud, when ages pass and people say the Qa’im has died or perished or gone to some valley, and the seeker says, When is this going to happen while his bones have decayed? At that time expect him. And when you hear from him, come to him even if you have to crawl on ice.”

2- Ikmal ad-Din: It is narrated from Ibn Walid from Saffar from Muhammad Ibn Isa and Ibn Abil Khattab and Haitham Nahdi together from Ibn Mahbub from Ibn Raab from Abu Hamza Ath-Thumali that he said:

I heard Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) say, “The nearest of the people to Allah, the Exalted, and their most knowledgeable and their most compassionate to the populace is Muhammad and the Imams, bliss of Allah be for them all. Enter where they enter and separate whoever they separate from. I mean Husayn and his progeny by that. Righteousness is in them and they are the successors and from them are the Imams. Wherever you see them, follow them. If a time comes one day that you do not see anyone of them, seek help from Allah and contemplate on the tradition you are on and follow it, and love whom you love, and disdain whom you disdain. How soon is the relief coming to you!”

3- Ikmal ad-Din: It is narrated from Abd al-Wahid Ibn Muhammad from Abu Amr Laithi from Muhammad Ibn Masud from Jibra’il Ibn Ahmad from Musa Ibn Ja’far Ibn Wahab Baghdadi and Yaqub Bin Yazid from Sulayman Ibn al-Hasan from Saad Ibn Abi Khalaf from Maruf Ibn Kharbudh that he said:

I said to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a): “Tell me about yourselves.” He said: “We are the like of stars. When star sets, another star of peace and security, harmony and tranquillity, leisure and openings rises. So, until the Children of Abd al-Muttalib are equal and distinction remains amongst them, Allah, the Exalted, will manifest your Patron. So, praise Allah, the Exalted. And He will give him a choice between the easy and the difficult.” I asked, “May I be your ransom, which will he choose?” He sat, “He will choose the difficult over the easy.”

The author says: Sa’b wa al-Dhahul (Humble and intractable) are qualities of riding beasts.

4- Ikmal ad-Din: It is narrated through the same chains of narrators from Muhammad Ibn Masud from Nasr Ibn Sabbah from Ja’far Ibn Sahal from Abu Abdullah brother of Abdullah Kabuli from Qabusi from Nadhr Ibn Sindi from Khalil Ibn Amr from ‘Ali Ibn Husayn Fazari from Ibrahim Ibn Atiyya from Umm Hani Thaqafiyya that she says:

I came in a morning to my master Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali Imam al-Baqir (‘a) and said to him, “My master, a verse from the Book of Allah, the Exalted, has struck my heart and has troubled me and taken away my nights’ sleep.”

He said: “Ask O Umm Hani.” I said: “The saying of Allah, the Exalted:

فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالْخُنَّسِ

“But nay! I swear by the stars” (Surah at-Takwir, 81:15).

الْجَوَارِ الْكُنَّسِ

“That run their course (and) hide themselves…” (Surah at-Takwir, 81:16).

He said: “Yes, the subject you asked me about, O Umm Hani, is someone who will be born in the last period of time and he is the Mahdi and from this House. There will be a perplexity and occultation about him in which nations will go astray and nations will remain on guidance. Blessed be you if you see his time! Blessed be anyone who sees his time!”

5- Ikmal ad-Din: It is narrated from Muzaffar Alawi from Ibn Ayyashi from his father from Ab al-Qasim from Ahmad Dahan from Qasim Ibn Hamza from Ibn Abu Umair from Abu Ismail Sarraj from Khaithama Ju’fi from Abu Ayyub Makhzumi that he said:

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) mentioned the conduct of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and when he reached their last one he said: “The Twelfth is the one behind whom Isa Ibn Maryam (‘a) will pray. You must uphold his conduct and the Noble Qur’an.”

6- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: It is narrated from Salama Ibn Muhammad from Ahmad Ibn Dawood from Ahmad Ibn al-Hasan from Imran Ibn Hajjaj from Ibn Abi Najran from Ibn Abu Umair from Muhammad Ibn Ishaq from Usaid Ibn Thalaba from Umm Hani that she says:

I asked Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a), “What is the meaning of Allah’s word, Nay. I swear by the Star?” He said: “O Umm Hani, an Imam who on the year two hundred and sixty hides himself until his whereabouts is not known to the people. Then he will appear like a blazing meteor in a dark night. If you should see that time, your heart will find solace.”

7- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: Kulayni has narrated from ‘Ali from his father from Hannan Ibn Sudair from Maruf Ibn Kharbudh that he said: Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) said:

“Your stars are like the stars of the heavens. Whenever a star sets, another star rises. So when you point with your fingers and make gestures with your eyebrows, Allah will hide your stars from you. Bani Hashim will be equal without any distinction amongst them from one another. Then your star will rise, so praise your Lord.”

8- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: It is narrated from Muhammad Ibn Hamam through his chains from Abdullah Ibn Ata that he said:

I asked Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a), “Your Shi’a are many in Iraq and there is no one, by Allah, in your household like you. So why do not you uprise?” He said: “O Abdullah Ibn Ata’, you have begun lending your ears to the fools. No, by Allah, I am not your Awaited Patron.” I asked him, “Then who is our Awaited Patron?” He said: “Look who does Allah hide his birth from the people, he is your Awaited Patron. There is no one of us who is pointed at with fingers or hinted by tongues except that he dies because of being under wrath or because of other causes.”

9- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: It is narrated from Muhammad Ibn Hamam from Ja’far Ibn Muhammad Ibn Malik from Ibad Ibn Yaqub from Yahya Ibn Yala from Abu Maryam Ansari from Abdullah Ibn Ata that he said:

I said to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a), “Tell me about the Qa’im.” He said: “By Allah, he is neither me, nor the one towards whom you stretch your necks. His birth will not be known.” “What is his conduct according to?” I asked. He said: “He will act according to what the Messenger of Allah (S) has acted, invalidating the past and looking forward.”

10- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: It is narrated from ‘Ali Ibn Ahmad from Abdullah Ibn Musa from Ibn Abil Khattab from Muhammad Ibn Sinan from Ab al-Jarud that he said:

I heard Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) say, “Times shall come and go until Allah sends for this enterprise someone you do not know that he has been created.”

11- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: It is narrated from Muhammad Ibn Hamam from Fazari from Ibn Abil Khattab from Himyari from Ibn Isa together from Muhammad Ibn Sinan from Ab al-Jarud that Abu Ja’far (‘a) said:

“You will continue to stretch your necks to a man of ours, saying He is the one, and Allah takes him away; until Allah sends a man for this affair whom you do not know if he is born or not, has he been created or not.”

12- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: It is narrated from ‘Ali Ibn Husayn from Muhammad Attar from Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan Raazi from Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali Kufi from Muhammad Ibn Sinan from Yahya Ibn Muthanna from Ibn Bukair from Hakam from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) that he said:

“As if I see you, you climb up and do not find anyone and return and do not find anyone.”

13- Ghaybah an-Nu’mani: Shaykh al-Mufid has narrated from ‘Ali Ibn Husayn from Muhammad Ibn Yahya from Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan from Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali from Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad from Muhammad Ibn Isa from Abdur Razzaq from Muhammad Ibn Sinan from Fudhail Rassan from Abu Hamzah Ath-Thumali that he said:

I was with Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) one day. When everyone had dispersed, he said to me, “O Abu Hamzah, one of the destined events that must happen is the rise of our Qa’im. Whoever doubts in what I say, will meet Allah disbelieving in Him.” Then he said: “My parents be the ransom of the one who is named by my name and bears my patronymic, the seventh after me. My father be the ransom of the one who will fill the earth with equity and justice, as it will be replete with oppression and injustice.

O Abu Hamzah, whoever sees him and submits to him through the submission for Muhammad and ‘Ali, I give him a solemn promise of Paradise. And whoever does not submit, verily Allah has made Paradise forbidden for him and his abode is the Fire and bad a place it is for the oppressors.

Then he said: The following verse of Qur’an clarifies our stand:

إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللّهِ

“Surely the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s ordinance…” (Surah at-Tawbah, 9:36).

14- Al-Kafi: It is narrated from some persons from Ibn Isa from ‘Ali Ibn Hakam from Zaid Ab al-Hasan from Hakam Ibn Abu Naeem that he said:

I came to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a) when he was in Medina. I said to him, “I have taken a vow between the Rukn and the Maqam that when I meet you, I will not go away from Medina until I know whether you are the Qa’im of Aali Muhammad (‘a) or not.” He did not answer me anything. I stayed for thirty days. Then he met me on a road and said: “O Hakam, you are still here?” I said: “I told you about the vow I have taken by Allah and you did not order me to do anything, nor did you forbid me from anything. And you did not give me an answer.” He said: “Come to me in the morning at my house.” I went to him in the morning. He said: “Ask what you need.” I said: “I have vowed with Allah of alms and fasting and charity between the Rukn and the Maqam, that if I meet you I will not exit Medina until I know whether you are the Qa’im (Establisher) of Aali Muhammad (‘a). If you are, I will stay and be at your guard; and if you are not, I would go in the lands in search of livelihood.”

He said: “O Hakam, we are all Establishers of the Order of Allah.” I said: “Then are you the Mahdi (the Guide)’?” He said: “We all guide to Allah.” “Are you the one with the sword’?” “Each one of us is with the sword and heir of the sword.” “Then are you the one who will kill the enemies of God, and is it through you that the friends of Allah will be victorious, and is it through you that the religion of Allah will manifest’?” “O Hakam,” he said: “how can I be that and I have reached forty-five years of age. The awaited Patron of that Enterprise is closer to breastfeeding than me and lighter on the back of a courser.