٦ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ السَّرِيِّ أَبِي الْيَسَعِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) أَخْبِرْنِي بِدَعَائِمِ الإسْلامِ الَّتِي لا يَسَعُ أَحَداً التَّقْصِيرُ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْهَا الَّذِي مَنْ قَصَّرَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنْهَا فَسَدَ دِينُهُ وَلَمْ يَقْبَلِ [ الله ] مِنْهُ عَمَلَهُ وَمَنْ عَرَفَهَا وَعَمِلَ بِهَا صَلَحَ لَهُ دِينُهُ وَقَبِلَ مِنْهُ عَمَلَهُ وَلَمْ يَضِقْ بِهِ مِمَّا هُوَ فِيهِ لِجَهْلِ شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنَ الأمُورِ جَهْلُهُ فَقَالَ شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لا إِلَهَ إِلا الله وَالإيمَانُ بِأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَالإقْرَارُ بِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ الله وَحَقٌّ فِي الأمْوَالِ الزَّكَاةُ وَالْوَلايَةُ الَّتِي أَمَرَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهَا وَلايَةُ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ هَلْ فِي الْوَلايَةِ شَيْ‏ءٌ دُونَ شَيْ‏ءٍ فَضْلٌ يُعْرَفُ لِمَنْ أَخَذَ بِهِ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا الله وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الأمْرِ مِنْكُمْ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) مَنْ مَاتَ وَلا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً وَكَانَ رَسُولَ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَكَانَ عَلِيّاً (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) وَقَالَ الآخَرُونَ كَانَ مُعَاوِيَةَ ثُمَّ كَانَ الْحَسَنَ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) ثُمَّ كَانَ الْحُسَيْنَ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) وَقَالَ الآخَرُونَ يَزِيدَ بْنَ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَحُسَيْنَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ وَلا سِوَاءَ وَلا سِوَاءَ قَالَ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَزِيدُكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ حَكَمٌ الأعْوَرُ نَعَمْ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ ثُمَّ كَانَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ ثُمَّ كَانَ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ وَكَانَتِ الشِّيعَةُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ وَهُمْ لا يَعْرِفُونَ مَنَاسِكَ حَجِّهِمْ وَحَلالَهُمْ وَحَرَامَهُمْ حَتَّى كَانَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ فَفَتَحَ لَهُمْ وَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ مَنَاسِكَ حَجِّهِمْ وَحَلالَهُمْ وَحَرَامَهُمْ حَتَّى صَارَ النَّاسُ يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا كَانُوا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى النَّاسِ وَهَكَذَا يَكُونُ الأمْرُ وَالأرْضُ لا تَكُونُ إِلا بِإِمَامٍ وَمَنْ مَاتَ لا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً وَأَحْوَجُ مَا تَكُونُ إِلَى مَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ إِذْ بَلَغَتْ نَفْسُكَ هَذِهِ وَأَهْوَى بِيَدِهِ إِلَى حَلْقِهِ وَانْقَطَعَتْ عَنْكَ الدُّنْيَا تَقُولُ لَقَدْ كُنْتُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ حَسَنٍ. أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ السَّرِيِّ أَبِي الْيَسَعِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) مِثْلَهُ.
6. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Safwan ibn Yahya from ‘Isa ibn al-Sariyy abu al-Yasa’ who has said the following: “Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah  ‘Teach me, please, the basic principles of Islam that are necessary for everyone to know to his limits of understanding, and if he fails to learn them to the necessary levels his religion is destroyed and Allah does not accept his deeds. What is the limit of learning about the deeds with which someone’s religion can take proper shape and Allah may accept his deeds? What are the limits and degrees of the permissible level of ignorance and lack of knowledge of certain aspects of these principles?’ “The Imam said, ‘The matters necessary to learn are to testify that no one deserves to be worshipped except Allah, that Muhammad  is the Messenger of Allah, that whatever he has brought from Allah is the truth and to affirm that paying Zakat (charity) is a right. (Of such necessary matters is) to affirm al-Wilayah (Divine Authority of ‘ A’immah ) that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has made obligatory upon the other people to obey and acknowledge the Divine Authority of certain members of the family of Prophet Muhammad .’ I (the narrator) then asked the Imam, ‘Is al-Wilayah of an exclusive nature?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, “O believers, obey Allah, obey the Messenger and those among you who possess Divine Authority.” (4:59) The Merssenger of Allah has said, “Whoever dies without knowing who the Imam of his time is, he is considered as a person dying in the time of ignorance (as an unbeliever).” There was the Messenger of Allah and there was Ali  but others said there was Mu’awiyah. Then there was al-Hassan  and then there was al-Husayn . Others said that there were Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah and Husayn ibn Ali. They were not equals and certainly they were not equals, meaning thereby Ali, al-Hassan and al-Husayn with Mu’awiyah and his son Yazid.’ He has said that the Imam remained calm for a while and then said, ‘Do you want me to tell you additional facts?’ Hakam ibn al-’A’War said, ‘Yes, may Allah keep my soul in service to your cause.’ The Imam said, ‘Then there was Ali ibn al-Husayn  then there was Muhammad ibn Ali, abu Ja’far. The Shi’a before abu Ja’far did not know the rules of Hajj, the lawful matters and the unlawful matters until there was abu Ja’far . He opened it (system of religion) for them and explained to them the rules of their Hajj, the lawful and unlawful matters. People began to realize that they needed him very much while before they would ask other people for what they needed. This is how the facts are. The earth does not remain without an Imam and one who dies without knowing, who his Imam is, he is as though he was of the people of the dark ages of ignorance. The time when you need al-Wilayah most urgently is the time when your soul reaches here (pointing to his throat) and the world is cut off from you and then you say, ‘I have certainly been on the good side of the affairs, (a supporter of al-Wilayah).”’’ Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan from ‘Isa ibn al-Sariyy abu al-Yasa’ from Abu ‘Abdillah  a similar Hadith. 