Hadith record

26. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad and others have narrated from Ja’far ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-‘Abbass ibn ‘Amir from Musa ibn Hilal al-Kindi from ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Ata’, fron abu Ja’far (a.s.) the following. “I said to him, ‘Your Shi‘a (followers) in Iraq are many. By Allah, there is no one like you in your family. Why do you not rise (for leadership)?” The narrator has said that he said, “O ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Ata’, you have began to open your ears to silliness. Yes, by Allah, I am not your companion (the one who will rise with Divine Authority).” The narrator has said that I said to him, “Who then is our companion (the one who will rise with Divine Authority)?” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “Find out whose time and place of birth is unknown to people, such person will be your companion (the one who will rise with Divine Authority). There is no one among us towards whom people point out their fingers so much and tongues will mention him so much, but that has died in frustration or due sorrow for being neglected.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.