Hadith No. 11
“Allah has not left the earth without an Imam since Adam, peace be upon him, departed from the world.”
رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى، عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى، عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلِ -يَعْنِي مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ- قَالَ:
مَا تَرَكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْأَرْضَ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ قَطُّ مُنْذُ قُبِضَ آدَمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يُهْتَدَى بِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ الْحُجَّةُ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ، مَنْ تَرَكَهُ ضَلَّ وَمَنْ لَزِمَهُ نَجَا، حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
Translation:
Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Bābawayh [Died in 381 AH] has narrated in the book of “Kamāl al-Din wa Tamām al-Ni’mah”, (in this way that) has said: My father and Muhammad ibn Hasan may God be pleased with them (both) narrated to us, they said: Sa’d ibn Abdullah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Isā, from Safwān ibn Yahyā, from the first Abu al-Hasan — meaning Musā ibn Ja’far peace be upon them — that said:
God Almighty, since when Adam peace be upon him passed away, has not left the earth be without an Imam through whom one finds path toward God Almighty, and he is the proof over servants. Whoever leaves him will go astray, and whoever accompanies him will be saved. This is a right on God Almighty.