When the Imam learns that Leadership with Divine Authority has come to him?

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَدْ عَرَفْتَ انْقِطَاعِي إِلَى أَبِيكَ ثُمَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ حَلَفْتُ لَهُ وَ حَقِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ حَقِّ فُلَانٍ وَ فُلَانٍ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ بِأَنَّهُ لَا يَخْرُجُ مِنِّي مَا تُخْبِرُنِي بِهِ إِلَى أَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَ حَيٌّ هُوَ أَوْ مَيِّتٌ فَقَالَ قَدْ وَ اللَّهِ مَاتَ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّ شِيعَتَكَ يَرْوُونَ أَنّ

“I said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, you know how devoted I have been towards your father and after him to yourself. I then swore before him up on the rights of the Messenger of Allah and the rights of so and so and so and so (Ali, al-Hassan, al-Husayn . (a.s.) until his o

قُلْتُ لِلرِّضَا ع إِنَّ رَجُلًا عَنَى‌[1] أَخَاكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فَذَكَرَ لَهُ أَنَّ أَبَاكَ فِي الْحَيَاةِ وَ أَنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ يَمُوتُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص وَ لَا يَمُوتُ مُوسَى ع قَدْ وَ اللَّهِ مَضَى كَمَا مَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص وَ لَكِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى لَمْ يَزَلْ مُنْذُ قَبَضَ نَبِيَّهُ ص هَلُمَّ جَرّاً يَمُنُّ بِهَذَا الدِّينِ عَلَى أَوْلَادِ الْأَ

The Imam (a.s.) said, “Glory belongs to Allah. The Messenger of Allah dies. How is it that Musa (Imam Musa al-Kadhim) does not die? Certainly, by Allah, he passed away just as the Messenger of Allah passed away. However, Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, ever since that He took his Prophet from this world has contin

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ‌[1] ع إِنَّهُمْ رَوَوْا عَنْكَ فِي مَوْتِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع‌[2] أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لَكَ عَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلِ سَعِيدٍ[3] فَقَالَ جَاءَ سَعِيدٌ بَعْدَ مَا عَلِمْتُ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَجِيئِهِ قَالَ وَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ طَلَّقْتُ أُمَّ فَرْوَةَ بِنْتَ إِسْحَاقَ‌[4] فِي رَجَبٍ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ بِيَوْمٍ قُلْتُ طَلَّقْتَهَا وَ قَدْ عَلِمْتَ بِمَوْتِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ

“I said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘They have narrated from you about the death of abu al-Hassan (Musa al-Kadhim (a.s.) that a man said to you, “You have learned that (the death of your father) through the report of Sa‘id.” He said, “Sa‘id came after I learned about that (death of my father) before his coming.” The narra

قُلْتُ لِلرِّضَا ع أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْإِمَامِ مَتَى يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ إِمَامٌ حِينَ يَبْلُغُهُ أَنَّ صَاحِبَهُ قَدْ مَضَى أَوْ حِينَ يَمْضِي مِثْلَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ قُبِضَ بِبَغْدَادَ وَ أَنْتَ هَاهُنَا قَالَ يَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ حِينَ يَمْضِي صَاحِبُهُ قُلْتُ بِأَيِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ قَالَ يُلْهِمُهُ اللَّهُ.

“I requested abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.), ‘Enlighten me when an Imam comesto know that he is the Imam (a.s.)? Does it take place when the preceding Imam has already passes away or when he is about to leave this world? For example abu al-Hassan (a.s.) passed away in Baghdad and you were here (in the city of Madina)?” T

رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي الْيَوْمِ الَّذِي تُوُفِّيَ فِيهِ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقَالَ‌ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَيْهِ راجِعُونَ‌ مَضَى أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَ كَيْفَ عَرَفْتَ قَالَ لِأَنَّهُ تَدَاخَلَنِي ذِلَّةٌ لِلَّهِ لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْرِفُهَا.

“I saw abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad on the day abu Ja‘far (a.s.) passed away. He said, “To Allah we belong and to Him we return. Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) passed away.” He was asked, “How do you know that he passed away?” He said, “A form of humbleness before Allah that I had never experienced overwhelmed me.”

أَمَرَ أَبُو إِبْرَاهِيمَ ع حِينَ أُخْرِجَ بِهِ- أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع أَنْ يَنَامَ عَلَى بَابِهِ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ أَبَداً مَا كَانَ حَيّاً إِلَى أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ خَبَرُهُ قَالَ فَكُنَّا فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ نَفْرُشُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ فِي الدِّهْلِيزِ ثُمَّ يَأْتِي بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ فَيَنَامُ فَإِذَا أَصْبَحَ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ قَالَ فَمَكَثَ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْحَالِ أَرْبَعَ سِنِينَ فَلَمَّا كَانَ لَيْلَةٌ مِنَ اللّ

“Abu Ibrahim commanded –at the time he was taken out to Baghdad- abu al-Hassan (a.s.) to sleep every night at his (abu Ibrahim’s) house until the coming of the news of his death. The narrator has said narrator has said that we would prepare the bed for abu al-Hassan every night in the terrace and he would come after th