Ikma-l al-Di-n: ‘Abd al-Adhi-m al-Hasani narrates from Abu Ja‘far II (Imam Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali al-Jawa-d) (a.s) who narrates through his forefathers from Ameerul Momineen (a.s), “Our Qa-‘im will have an occultation the duration of which is long. As if I see the Shi-‘a, wandering about like the cattle that are searching for pasture and are not finding it. Behold, whoever from them stays firm on his religion and will not become stone-hearted because of the length of the occultation of his Imam, he will be with me in my rank on the Day of Judgment.” Then he said, “When he rises, our Qa-‘im will not have commitment of allegiance to anyone on his shoulders. For this reason, his appearance in this world will be concealed and his person will be hidden.”
Ikma-l al-Di-n: Abu Sa‘i-d ‘Uqaisa-’ says, When Hasan (as) Ibn ‘Ali (a.s) made peace with Mu‘a-wiya (la )Ibn Abi Sufya-n, people went to him and some of them criticized him for his pledge of allegiance. The Imam said, “Woe unto you! You do not know what I did. By Allah, what I have done is better for my Shi-‘a than all the riches upon which the sun has risen and sat. Don’t you know that I am your Imam, whose obedience is obligatory upon you, and one of the two masters of the youths of the paradise on the virtue of explicit saying of the Messenger of Allah (saw)?” They said, “Indeed so.” He said, “Don’t you know that when al-Khidhr tore the boat and killed the boy and erected the wall, that was very harsh for Musa- Ibn ‘Imra-n (a.s), since its wisdom was hidden to him, which was wisdom and propriety before Allah?
Don’t you know there is no one of us except a pledge of allegiance to the tyrant of his time falls on his neck except the Qa-‘im behind whom Ru-h-Allah Jesus the son of Mary will pray? For Allah, the Exalted, will hide his birth and conceal his person, so there will not be any commitment of allegiance on his neck for anyone when he rises. He is the ninth from the children of my brother Husain, the son of the Mistress of bondmaids. Allah will prolong his life in his occultation. Then he will bring him forth through His power in the figure of a youth of less than forty years, so it may be known that Allah is All-Powerful over everything.”
Ikma-l al-Di-n: ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Omar says, I heard Husain (as) Ibn ‘Ali (a.s) say, “Even if there should not remain but a single day from the world, Allah, the Exalted, will prolong that day so much that a man from my progeny will rise. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it will be replete with injustice and oppression. So I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say.”
Ikma-l al-Di-n: Ibn Qais al-Thuma-li narrates from ‘Ali Ibn al-Husain, “This verse, Those who are akin are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah (8:75) , has been revealed about us. And the verse, And He made it a Word to continue in his progeny (43:28), has been revealed about us. Imamate is in the progeny of Husain (as) Ibn ‘Ali (as) Ibn Abi Ta-lib (a.s) until the Day of Judgment. Our Qa-‘im will have two occultations, one longer than the other. The first one will be six days and six months and six years. The second one, its period will last very long so much so that many of the believers of this creed will turn away from it. No one will stay firm on it but the one whose certainty is strong, whose cognition is correct and he does not find impediment in his heart from our judgment and submits to us Ahl al-Bait.”
Explanation: “Six days” perhaps alludes to the different phases of his life in his occultation. For six days, no one but the extremely confidential individuals were aware of his birth. After six months, others were informed. After six years, as his father passed away, he became well known to many people.
Ikma-l al-Di-n: Abu al-Ja-rud says, Abu Ja‘far (a.s) said to me “O’ Abu Ja-ru-d, 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.”
Ikma-l al-Di-n: Sudair says I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s) say, “There is a sign from Joseph in the Qa-‘im.” I said, “It seems as you are mentioning the confusion or the occultation.” He said, “What of this does this nation deny? They are the likes of swine, whereas brothers of Joseph were heirs and children of prophets, yet they traded and sold Joseph. They addressed him, being his brothers and he being their brother, yet did not recognize him; so Joseph said to them, I am Joseph. So what is this accursed nation denying that Allah, the Exalted, in a certain time from times, may desire to hide his Hujja? Joseph had the kingdom of Egypt and there was between him and his father the journey of eighteen days.
If Allah, the Exalted, had desired to let his father know his place, He could have done that. By Allah, Jacob and his sons journeyed, when they were given the glad tidings, for nine days from the beginning of their journey until Egypt. What is this Ummah denying that God would do to His Hujja what He did to Joseph, that he would walk in their markets and step on their grounds while they do not recognize him until Allah, the Exalted, identifies him to them, as He permitted Joseph when he said, Do you know what did you do to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant? They said, Verily, you, you are Joseph. He said, I am Joseph and this is my brother.
‘Ilal al-Shara-‘e‘: ‘Ali Ibn Ja‘far narrates from his brother Musa- Ibn Ja‘far (a.s), “When the fifth from the sons of the seventh disappears, then by Allah, by Allah, watch your religion. Do not allow anyone to remove it from you. O’ my dear son, it is necessary for Imam al Mahdi (atfs) to disappear until many who believe in this matter turn away from it. It will be a trial from Allah, by which He will try His creation. If your fathers and grandfathers knew a creed better than this, they would have followed it.” I said, “My master, who is the fifth from the sons of the seventh?” He said, “O’ my son, your intelligence is beneath understanding him and your dreams are narrower than to carry it. However, if you live, you will see him.”
‘Ilal al-Shara-‘e‘ and ‘Uyu-n Akhba-r al-Reza-: Al-Hasan Ibn Fadhdha-l narrates from his father, who narrates from Imam Reza- (a.s), “As if I see the Shi-‘a when they lose the third form my sons, they will be searching for the green pasture, but will not be finding it.” I said to him, “Why so, O’ son of the Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Because their Imam will disappear from them.” I said, “Why?” He said, “So there will not be any pledge of allegiance for anyone over his shoulders when rises with the sword.”
Narrations from Imam al-Jawad (as)
Ikma-l al-Di-n: ‘Abd al-‘Adhi-m al-Hasani says, I entered upon my master Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali (a.s) intending to ask him about the Qa-‘im whether he is the Mahdi or someone else. However, he initiated the topic before I brought it up, saying, “O’ Abu al-Qa-sim, the Qa-‘im from us and he is the Mahdi. It is obligatory to wait for him in his occultation and to obey him in his appearance. He is the third from my sons. By the One Who sent Muhammad (saW)with Prophethood and distinguished us through Imamate, even if it does not remain from the world but a single day, Allah will prolong that day until he rises. He will fill the earth with equity and justice, as it will be replete with injustice and oppression. Allah, the Exalted, will rectify his order in one night, as He rectified the order of His Converser Moses (a.s) who went to fetch some fire for his family and returned a prophet, an apostle.” Then he said, “The best action of our Shi-‘a is to wait for the salvation.”
‘Uyu-n Akhba-r al-Redha-: Abu Ha-shim al-Ja‘fari says, I heard Abu al-Hasan of the ‘Askar (a.s) say, “The heir after me is my son Hasan (as). How would you be like to the heir after the heir?” “Why, may I be your ransom?” I asked. He said, “Because you will not see his person and it will not be permissible for you to mention him by his name.” I asked him, “So how are we going to mention him?” He said, “Say, al-Hujja from the House of Muhammad (saw).”
Ikma-l al-Di-n: Musa- Ibn Ja‘far al-Baghda-di says, I heard Abu Muhammad al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali (a.s) say, “As if I see you, you have disputed after me with regard to my heir. Behold, someone who professes faith in the Imams after the Prophet of Allah yet denies my son, is like someone who professes faith in all prophets and messengers of Allah and then rejects the Prophethood of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (saw); and the denier of the Messenger of Allah (saw) is like the one who rejects all of the prophets.
Because obedience to our last one is obedience to our first one and rejecter of our last one is the rejecter of our first one. Behold, my son will have an occultation in which people will doubt except the ones whom Allah saves.”