Tacit and Explicit Testimony as proof of abu Ja‘far’s (a.s.) Divine Authority over the people after Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.)

لَمَّا حَضَرَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ ع الْوَفَاةُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ أَخْرَجَ سَفَطاً أَوْ صُنْدُوقاً عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ احْمِلْ هَذَا الصُّنْدُوقَ قَالَ فَحَمَلَ بَيْنَ أَرْبَعَةٍ فَلَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ جَاءَ إِخْوَتُهُ يَدَّعُونَ مَا فِي الصُّنْدُوقِ فَقَالُوا أَعْطِنَا نَصِيبَنَا فِي الصُّنْدُوقِ فَقَالَ وَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكُمْ فِيهِ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ لَوْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِيهِ شَيْ‌ءٌ مَا دَفَعَهُ إِلَيَّ وَ كَانَ فِي ا

When Ali ibn al-Husayn (as) was on his deathbed, he took out a box or chest that was with him and said, "O Muhammad, carry this chest." So he carried it between four men. When he passed away, his brothers came claiming what was in the chest and said, "Give us our share of the chest." He replied, "By God, you have no sh

الْتَفَتَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع إِلَى وُلْدِهِ وَ هُوَ فِي الْمَوْتِ وَ هُمْ مُجْتَمِعُونَ عِنْدَهُ ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَذَا الصُّنْدُوقُ اذْهَبْ بِهِ إِلَى بَيْتِكَ قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ دِينَارٌ وَ لَا دِرْهَمٌ وَ لَكِنْ‌[1] كَانَ مَمْلُوءاً عِلْماً.

“O Muhammad, take this box to your house.” He said, “It was not full of Dirhams and Dinars (valuable properties), it, however, was full of knowledge.”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ كَتَبَ إِلَى ابْنِ حَزْمٍ‌[2] أَنْ يُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِ بِصَدَقَةِ عَلِيٍّ وَ عُمَرَ وَ عُثْمَانَ وَ إِنَّ ابْنَ حَزْمٍ بَعَثَ إِلَى زَيْدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ وَ كَانَ أَكْبَرَهُمْ فَسَأَلَهُ الصَّدَقَةَ فَقَالَ زَيْدٌ إِنَّ الْوَالِيَ‌[3] كَانَ بَعْدَ عَلِيٍّ الْحَسَنَ وَ بَعْدَ الْحَسَنِ الْحُسَيْنَ وَ بَعْدَ الْحُسَيْنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ وَ بَعْدَ عَلِيِّ بْن

“’Umar ibn ‘ad al-‘Aziz wrote ibn Hazm to send him the endowment documents of Ali, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman. Inb Hazm sent a person to Zayd ibn al-Hassan (a.s.) who was the eldest among them and asked him about the documents. Zayd said, “The high authority after Ali was al-Hassan and after him al-Husayn and Ali ibn al-Husayn

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ كَتَبَ إِلَى ابْنِ حَزْمٍ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ ابْنُ حَزْمٍ إِلَى زَيْدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ وَ كَانَ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ أَبِي ع. - عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ مِثْلَهُ.

‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz wrote ibn Hazm. He then have narrated a hadith similar to the above one except that he has said, “Ibn Hazm sent to Zayd ibn al-Hassan who was older than my father.” A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Washsha’ a similar hadith.