١١ - حدثنا محمد بن همام قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن صالح بن محمد، عن يمان التمار قال: قال أبو عبد الله: إنّ لصاحب هذا الأمر غيبةً، المتمسّكُ فيها بدينه كالخارط لشَوك القتاد بيده. ثم أطرق ملياً، ثم قال: إنّ لصاحب هذا الأمر غيبةً فليتّقِ الله عبدٌ وليتمسّكْ بدينه. لا تستوحِشوا في طريق الهدى لقلّة مَن يسلكه.
(11) Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Himyari from Muhammad bin Eessa from Salih bin Muhammad from Yaman at-Tammar that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq  had said: “The man of this matter will disappear for a period of time, during which one, who still keeps to his religion, is like one, who lathes thorns of al-Qatad with his bare hand. Which of you can grasp at the thorns of al-Qatad?” Then he pondered for a while and said: “The man of this matter will disappear for a time so people are to fear Allah and to keep to their faith.” The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Muhammad bin Yahya and al-Hasan bin Muhammad from Ja’far bin Muhammad al-Kufi from al-Hasan bin Muhammad as-Sayrafi from Salih bin Khalid from Yaman at-Tammar. Who is this one, who will disappear, but the expected Imam? Who is this one, whose birth and early life most of people will doubt? Who is this one, whom people will be indifferent to and will not believe in his rising nor in his existence even? It is he, whom the infallibles imam  have mentioned and described his loyal believers during his disappearance as ones, who grasp at the thorns of al-Qatad with bare hands. It is this little sincere group that is distinguished from the great masses of people, whose fancies have taken them too far away and whose hearts have become too narrow to bear the truth and its bitterness. They find themselves unable to believe in the existence of the Imam while his person is absent and his disappearance has lasted long. Only the little group has believed and kept on believing in the expected Imam  following, by that, the saying of Amirul Mo’mineen : “Do not feel desolate in the way of guidance when its followers are very few!”