Al-Kāfi - The Book about people with Divine Authority

Al-Kāfi - The Book about people with Divine Authority Chapter: The Issue of Disappearance (of the twelfth Imam (a.s.) from Public Sight َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى وَأَحْ٠َدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْكُوفِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ عَ٠ِّهِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْ٠َنِ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ عَنْ ٠ُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُ٠ِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠) يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِ هَذَا الا٠ْرِ غَيْبَتَانِ إِحْدَاهُ٠ِنْهَا إِلَى أَهْلِهِ وَالاخْرَى يُقَالُ هَلَكَ فِي أَيِّ وَادٍ سَلَكَ قُلْتُ كَيْفَ نَصْنَعُ إِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ قَالَ إِذَا ادَّعَاهَا ٠ُدَّعٍ فَاسْأَلُوهُ عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ يُجِيبُ فِيهَا ٠20.

Muhammad ibn Yahya and Ahmad ibn Idris have narrated from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Kufi from Ali ibn Hass’an from his paternal uncle, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Kathir from Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar who has said the following. “I heard abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) say, “The in charge of this task (Leadership with Divine Authority) will disappear from the public sight twice.

From one them he will return to his family but in the other one it will be said that he is dead or no one knows in which of the valleys has he traveled.” I then asked, “What shall we do in such conditions?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “If any one would claim to have such authority you then should ask him about several things in which he must answer like him (Leader with Divine Authority).” ضعيف - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/54)) يخرجه - Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi (Sahih al-Kafi)