الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 1, page 178

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from al-Husayn ibn Abu al-‘Ala’ who said the following: “I asked Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘Can there be a time on earth without Imam?” The Imam said, “No, it can not be without an Imam.” I asked, “Can there be two Imams at a time?” He said, “No, unless one of them is silent.”

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

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Muhammad Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Mansur ibn Yunus and Su‘dan ibn Muslim from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammara from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “I heard the Imam (a.s.) saying, ‘The earth is never left without an Imam so that if the believers would add any thing it would be brought back and if they would reduce anything it would be completed.”

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

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Rabi‘ ibn Muhammad al-Musalliy from ‘Abdallah ibn Sulayman al- ‘Amiriy from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “The earth has never been without a person with Divine authority who would teach people about the lawful and unlawful matters and call them to the path of Allah.”

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

4. Ahmad ibn Mihran has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ali from al-Husayn Ibn Abu ‘Ala’ from Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.): I (the narrator) said to him: “Can the earth be without Imam?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “No.”

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

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from ibn Muskan from Abu Basir from one of them (a.s.), who said: “Allah does not leave the earth without a ‘Alim (scholar). Without this the truth would not be distinguished from falsehood.”

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

6. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn abu Hamza from abu Basir from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following “Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, is far greater and above leaving the earth without an Imam of justice.”

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

7. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from abu ’Usama and Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from abu ’Usama and Hisham ibn salim from abu Hamza from abu Ishaq from those reliable among the companions of Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) who has said the following. “O Lord. You do not leave your earth without a person who would represent Your authority among the people.”

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

8. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl from abu Hamza from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following. “I swear to Allah that He has not, from the day Adam died, left the earth without an Imam who would guide people to the Lord as with divine authority over the servants of the Lord. The earth will never remain without an Imam with Divine authority over His servants.”

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