Setting-up a Time Limit for the Reappearance of the Twelfth Imam (a.s.) an Antipathetic Issue

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ‌ يَا ثَابِتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى قَدْ كَانَ وَقَّتَ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ فِي السَّبْعِينَ فَلَمَّا أَنْ قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اشْتَدَّ غَضَبُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَأَخَّرَهُ إِلَى أَرْبَعِينَ وَ مِائَةٍ فَحَدَّثْنَاكُمْ فَأَذَعْتُمُ الْحَدِيثَ فَكَشَفْتُمْ قِنَاعَ السَّتْرِ[1] وَ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ وَقْتاً ع

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.) say, “O Thabit, Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, had set up a time limit for it in the year seventy but when al-Husayn (a.s.) was murdered Allah’s anger became more intense on the people on earth. He delayed it until one hundred forty. When then spoke to you about it and you publicized th

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِذْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِهْزَمٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ الَّذِي نَنْتَظِرُ مَتَى هُوَ فَقَالَ يَا مِهْزَمُ كَذَبَ الْوَقَّاتُونَ وَ هَلَكَ الْمُسْتَعْجِلُونَ وَ نَجَا الْمُسَلِّمُونَ.

“Once I was in the presence of abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) that Mihzam came in and to The Imam (a.s.), ‘May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, enlighten me about this matter that we wait for (the rise of al-Mahdi with Divine authoriiity). When it will take place?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “O Mihzam, those who give it

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْقَائِمِ ع فَقَالَ كَذَبَ الْوَقَّاتُونَ إِنَّا أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ لَا نُوَقِّتُ.

“I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) , ‘I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about al-Qa’im ((the one who will rise with Divine Authority) with divine power).’ He said, “Those who give it a definite time have spoken lies. We, Ahl al-Bayt, do not set a definite time.”

قَالَ أَبَى اللَّهُ إِلَّا أَنْ يُخَالِفَ وَقْتَ الْمُوَقِّتِينَ.

“Allah disdains to make the people’s time set for it (reappearance of the one who will rise with Divine Authority) to come true.”

قُلْتُ لِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ وَقْتٌ فَقَالَ كَذَبَ الْوَقَّاتُونَ كَذَبَ الْوَقَّاتُونَ كَذَبَ الْوَقَّاتُونَ إِنَّ مُوسَى ع لَمَّا خَرَجَ وَافِداً إِلَى‌ رَبِّهِ وَاعَدَهُمْ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْماً فَلَمَّا زَادَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى الثَّلَاثِينَ عَشْراً قَالَ قَوْمُهُ قَدْ أَخْلَفَنَا مُوسَى فَصَنَعُوا مَا صَنَعُوا فَإِذَا حَدَّثْنَاكُمُ الْحَدِيثَ فَجَاءَ عَلَى مَا حَدَّثْنَاكُمْ بِهِ فَقُولُوا صَدَقَ اللَّهُ وَ إِذَا حَدَّثْن

“I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), ‘Is there a definite time for this matter (the rise of al-Mahdi with Divine Authority)?” He said, “Those who set a definite time have lied, those who set a definite time have lied, those who set a definite time have lied. When Musa (Moses) came out to delegate before his lord and gave the pe

قَالَ لِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع الشِّيعَةُ تُرَبَّى بِالْأَمَانِيِّ مُنْذُ مِائَتَيْ سَنَةٍ:" قَالَ وَ قَالَ يَقْطِينٌ لِابْنِهِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ يَقْطِينٍ مَا بَالُنَا قِيلَ لَنَا فَكَانَ وَ قِيلَ لَكُمْ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلِيٌّ إِنَّ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَنَا وَ لَكُمْ كَانَ مِنْ مَخْرَجٍ وَاحِدٍ غَيْرَ أَنَّ أَمْرَكُمْ حَضَرَ فَأُعْطِيتُمْ مَحْضَهُ فَكَانَ كَمَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ وَ إِنَّ أَمْرَنَا لَمْ يَحْضُرْ فَعُ

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) said to me, ‘The Shi‘a have live on hopes for two hundred years.’” The narrator has said that Yaqtin said to his son, Ali ibn Yaqtin, “We did not have to worry. What was said to us came true. What is said to you has not come true yet” Ali then said to him, “What was said to you and what is said to

ذَكَرْنَا عِنْدَهُ مُلُوكَ آلِ فُلَانٍ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ النَّاسُ مِنِ اسْتِعْجَالِهِمْ لِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْجَلُ لِعَجَلَةِ الْعِبَادِ إِنَّ لِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ غَايَةً يَنْتَهِي إِلَيْهَا فَلَوْ قَدْ بَلَغُوهَا لَمْ يَسْتَقْدِمُوا سَاعَةً وَ لَمْ يَسْتَأْخِرُوا.

“We mention before abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) the Kings from the descendants of so and so. The Imam (a.s.) said, “People have perished due to their haste for this matter ((the rise of al-Mahdi with Divine Authority). Allah does not expedite it because of the haste of people. For this matter (the rise of al-Mahdi with Divine

فِيهَا أَلَا إِنَّ بَلِيَّتَكُمْ قَدْ عَادَتْ كَهَيْئَتِهَا يَوْمَ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ ص وَ الَّذِي بَعَثَهُ بِالْحَقِّ لَتُبَلْبَلُنَّ بَلْبَلَةً وَ لَتُغَرْبَلُنَّ غَرْبَلَةً حَتَّى يَعُودَ أَسْفَلُكُمْ أَعْلَاكُمْ وَ أَعْلَاكُمْ أَسْفَلَكُمْ وَ لَيَسْبِقَنَّ سَبَّاقُونَ كَانُوا قَصَّرُوا وَ لَيُقَصِّرَنَّ سَبَّاقُونَ كَانُوا سَبَقُوا وَ اللَّهِ مَا كَتَمْتُ وَسِمَةً وَ لَا كَذَبْتُ كَذِبَةً وَ لَقَدْ نُبِّئْت

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from ya‘qub al-Sarraj and Ali ibn Ri’ab from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “When people pledged allegiance to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) after the assassination of ‘Uthman he addressed the people from the pulpit and delivered a se