 ١ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَلاءِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) تَكُونُ الارْضُ لَيْسَ فِيهَا إِمَامٌ قَالَ لا قُلْتُ يَكُونُ إِمَامَانِ قَالَ لا إِلا وَأَحَدُهُمَا صَامِتٌ.
 1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from al-Husayn ibn Abu al-‘Ala’ who said the following: “I asked Abu ‘Abdallah , ‘Can there be a time on earth without Imam?” The Imam said, “No, it can not be without Imam.” I asked, “Can there be two Imams at a time?” He said, “No, unless one of them is silent.”