Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said...

Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said, My hadith is the same as my father’s, while my father’s hadith is the same as my grandfather’s, and the hadith of my grandather is similar to that of al-Husain ((as) Husain’s hadith is the same as that of al-Hasan; al-Hasan’s hadith is similar to that of the Commander of the Faithful (as); the hadith of the Commander of the Faithful (as) is the same hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is the speech of Allah, the Lord of Dignity and Greatness (This statement is recorded onp.

53, Vol. 1, of al-Kulayni’s book AI-Kafi). From the viewpoint of Muslims who believe in and follow the flqh of Imam Ja’fer al-Sadiq (as), whatever he said was the echo of what his great grandfather the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had said. He is one of twelve Imams followed byJa’feri Shi’as and who the latter believe are divinely inspired; they are the Imams of AhI al-Bayt (as) referred to in verse 33 of Surat al-Ahzab (Chapter 33).

The fad that their number is twelve and that all of them descended from Quraysh is stated in the Sahib books of our Sunni brethren. This is what all3ukhari and Muslims, as well as many others, have confirmed. Some Sunni references indicate that the Prophet (pbuh) named all of them, saying that the first was Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) followed by his son alHasan (as) then al-Hasan’s brother al-Husain (as), followed by nine from the offspring of al-Husain (as) the last of whom is al-Mahdi (as).

The great Sunni Hanafi author of Yanabee’ al-Mawaddaa narrates an incident in his book as follows: A Jew named al-A’tal came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, "Muhammad! I wish to ask you about certain things which I have been keeping to myself; so, if you answer them, I shall declare my acceptance of Islam before you." The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Ask me, O father of Imarah!" So he asked him about many things till he was satisfied and admitted that the Prophet (pbuh) was right.

Then he said, "Tell me about your wasi (successor): who is he? No prophet can ever be without a wasi, and our prophet Moses (as) had appointed Yusha’ IJoshna] son of Noon as his successor." He (pbuh) said, "My wasi is Ali ibn Abu Talib followed by my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husain followed by nine men from the loins of al-Husain." He said, "Then name them for me, O Muhammad!" The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Once al-Husain departs, he will be followed by his son Ali; when Ali departs, his son Muhammad will succeed him.