٢٠ - أخبرنا علي بن الحسين، عن محمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن حسان الرازي، عن محمد بن علي، عن محمد بن سنان، عن داود بن كثير الرقي قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد: جعلت فداك أخبرني عن قول الله وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولَٰئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ قال: نطقَ الله بها يومَ ذرأَ الخلقَ في الميثاق قبل أن يخلُق الخلقَ بألفي عام. فقلت: فسِّرْ لي ذلك، قال: إنّ الله لما أراد أن يخلق الخلق خلقَهم من طين، ورفع لهم ناراً فقال: ادخلوها، فكان أولَ مَن دخلها محمدٌ رسول الله وأمير المؤمنين والحسن والحسين وتسعةٌ من الأئمة إمام بعد إمام، ثم أتبعهم بشيعتهم، فهم والله السابقون.
(20) Ali bin al-Husayn narrated from Muhammad bin Yahya from Muhammad bin Hassaan ar-Razi from Muhammad bin Ali from Muhammad bin Sinan that Dawood bin Katheer ar-Riqqi had said: I said to Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq : “May I die for you! Would you tell me about (the meaning of) the saying of Allah, “And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)”? He said: “Allah has said that on the day when He has determined the creation in the Covenant two thousand years before creating the creatures (people).” I said: “Would you explain this for me?” He said: “When Allah had willed to create people, He made them of clay and made a fire for them. He ordered them to enter into fire. The first ones, who had entered into it, were Muhammad, Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn and nine imams one after the other and then their followers followed them. By Allah they are the foremost.”