Kulayni...

Kulayni, quoting from Jaabir bin 'Abdullah Ansaari says the following, “I approached Fatimah and in her hands was a tablet.

In it were the names of the executors (of the prophetic trust) (الأوصياء) from her children, and they numbered twelve.[^12] The last of them was Al-Qaa'im, three amongst them were (named) Mohammad, three amongst them 'Ali.”[^13] What [the narrator] meant by “three amongst them were (named) Mohammad” was Mohammad al-Baqir(a.s) (the 5th Imam), Mohammad al-Jawaad(a.s) (the 9th Imam) and Mohammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi(a.s) (the 12th Imam, referred to in the hadith as “Al-Qaa'im”).

However, the statement that “three among them 'Ali” doesn't correspond to the number of Imams with the name of ”'Ali”. There were actually four of them: Imam 'Ali(a.s) (the 1st Imam), 'Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajaad(a.s) (the 4th Imam), 'Ali ibn al-Musa al-Ridha(a.s) (the 8th Imam) and 'Ali ibn al-Mohammad al-Haadi(a.s) (the 10th Imam). How do we rectify this? The first answer: the pronoun “amongst them” (مِنهُم) refers to “her children” (وُلْدِها).

In these respect, the meaning of “three amongst them 'Ali” is the children of Lady Fatimah(a.s) and that's why the narrator didn't mention the name of Imam 'Ali(a.s) (the husband of Lady Fatimah(a.s) and father of the Imams(a.s)). The second answer: The scribe erred (in writing “three amongst them 'Ali”. It was meant to be written as “four amongst them 'Ali”.

There is a hadith from Abi al-Jaarud quoting Imam al-Baqir(a.s) in which the Imam(a.s) says “four”.[^14] The third answer is that the pronoun of “amongst them” (مِنهُم) is referring to [they numbered] “twelve” (اثنى عشر). If the narrator hadn't said “four ['Ali's] amongst them” (مِنهُم أربع) it was because Imam 'Ali's(a.s) name was not written on the tablet.