٤ - حدثنا علي بن أحمد قال: حدثنا عبيد الله بن موسى العلوي، عن أحمد بن الحسين، عن أحمد بن هلال، عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي نجران، عن فضالة بن أيوب، عن سدير الصيرفي قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله الصادق يقول: إنّ في صاحب هذا الأمر لشبهاً من يوسف. فقلت: فكأنك تخبّرنا بغيبة أو حَيرة. فقال: ما ينكر هذا الخلق الملعون أشباه الخنازير من ذلك؟ إنّ إخوة يوسف كانوا عقلاء ألبّاء أسباطاً أولاد انبياء، دخلوا عليه فكلّموه وخاطبوه وتاجروه وراودوه وكانوا إخوتَه وهو أخوهم لم يعرفوه حتىّ عرّفهم نفسه وقال لهم: أنا يوسف، فعرفوه حينئذ. فما تُنكر هذه الأمّة المتحيرة أن يكون الله يريد في وقت من الأوقات أن يستر حجته عنهم؟ لقد كان يوسف إليه مُلك مصر، وكان بينه وبين أبيه مسيرة ثمانية عشر يوماً، فلو أراد أن يعلمه بمكانه لقدر على ذلك، واللهِ لقد سار يعقوب وولده عند البشارة تسعة أيام من بَدوهم إلى مصر. فما تنكر هذه الأمة أن يكون الله يفعل بحجّته ما فعل بيوسف؟ وأن يكون صاحبُكم المظلوم المجحود حقّه صاحب هذا الأمر يتردّد بينهم ويمشي في أسواقهم ويطأ فرشَهم ولا يعرفونه حتى يأذن الله له أن يعرّفهم نفسه كما أذِن ليوسف حين قال له إخوته قَالُوا أَإِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ يُوسُفُ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا يُوسُفُ وَهَٰذَا أَخِي ۖ قَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
(4) Ali bin Ahmad narrated from Obaydillah bin Musa al-Alawi from Ahmad bin al-Husayn from Ahmad bin Hilal from Abdurrahman bin Abu Najran from Fudhala bin Ayyoob that Sadeer as-Sayrafi had said: I heard Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq  saying: “The master of this matter has a likeness to Prophet Joseph .” I said: “As if you want to tell us about a disappearance or confusion!” He said: “Why do this damned people, who are like the pigs, deny this matter (the disappearance of imam al-Mahdi)? The brothers of Prophet Joseph  were skilled, intelligent and sons of prophets. When they came to him, they talked and dealt with him and although they were his brothers they could not know him until he himself told them that he was their brother Joseph. Then why do this umma deny that Allah may want to hide His authority from people for a certain time? Prophet Joseph  was the king of Egypt and there was between him and his father a distance of eighteen days-travel. If he wanted to inform his father of his place, he could do that. By Allah, Jacob  and his sons, after having heard the news of Joseph, traveled from their village to Egypt within nine days. So why do this umma deny that Allah may do for his authority (al-Mahdi) as He has done for Prophet Joseph ? Perhaps the master of this matter (al-Qa’im), who has been wronged and whose right has been denied, goes and comes among people frequently, walks in their markets and sits on their mats but they do not know him until the will of Allah permits him to introduce himself to them as Allah has permitted Prophet Joseph  to introduce himself to his brothers by saying: (They said: Are you indeed Yousuf? He said: I am Yousuf). The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Ya’qoob al-Kulayni from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from Muhammad bin al-Husayn from ibn Abu Najran from Fudhala bin Ayyoob from Sadeer as-Sayrafi from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq .