٧ - وعن محمد بن يحيى، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن الحسن بن محبوب عن إسحاق بن غالب، عن أبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد في خطبة له يذكر فيها حال الأئمة وصفاتهم فقال: إن الله تعالى أوضح بأئمة الهدى من أهل بيت نبيه عن دينه، وأبلج بهم عن سبيل منهاجه، وفتح لهم عن باطن ينابيع علمه، فمَن عرف من أمة محمد واجبَ حقّ إمامه وجد طعمَ حلاوةِ إيمانه وعلم فضل طلاوة إسلامه لأن الله تعالى نصب الإمام علماً لخلقه، وجعله حجة على أهل طاعته، ألبسه الله تاج الوقار وغشّاه من نور الجبار، يمد بسبب إلى السماء، لا ينقطع عنه مواده، ولا ينال ما عند الله إلاّ بجهة أسبابه، ولا يقبل الله الأعمال للعباد إلاّ بمعرفته. فهو عالم بما يرد عليه من مشكلات الدجى ومعميات السنن ومشتبهات الفتن، فلم يزل الله تعالى يختارهم لخلقه من ولد الحسين ، من عقب كل إمام، فيصطفيهم كذلك ويجتبيهم ويرضى بهم لخلقه ويرتضيهم لنفسه، كلما مضى منهم إمام نصب لخلقه إماماً علماً بيّناً وهادياً منيراً وإماماً قيّماً وحجة عالماً. أئمة من الله يهدون بالحق وبه يعدلون، حجج الله ودعاته ورعاته على خلقه، يدين بهديهم العباد وتستهل بنورهم البلاد وينمو ببركتهم التلاد، جعلهم الله حياة للأنام ومصابيح للظلام ومفاتيح للكلام ودعائم للاسلام، جرت بذلك فيهم مقادير الله على محتومها. فالإمام هو المنتجب المرتضى والهادي المجتبى والقائم المرتجى، اصطفاه الله بذلك واصطنعه على عينه في الذر حين ذرأه، وفي البرية حين برأه ظلاً قبل خلقه نسمة عن يمين عرشه، محبوّاً بالحكمة في علم الغيب عنده، اختاره بعلمه وانتجبه لطهره بقية من آدم، وخيرة من ذرية نوح، ومصطفى من آل إبراهيم، وسلالة من إسماعيل، وصفوة من عترة محمد . لم يزل مرعياً بعين الله يحفظه بملائكته، مدفوعاً عنه وقوب الغواسق، ونفوث كل فاسق، مصروفاً عنه قوارف السوء، مبرءاً من العاهات محجوباً عن الآفات معصوماً من الزلات مصوناً من الفواحش كلها، معروفا بالحلم والبر في يفاعه منسوباً إلى العفاف والعلم والفضل عند انتهائه، مسنداً إليه أمر والده، صامتاً عن المنطق في حياته. فإذا انقضت مدة والده وانتهت به مقادير الله إلى مشيته، وجاءت الإرادة من عند الله فيه إلى محبته وبلغ منتهى مدة والده فمضى، صار أمر الله إليه من بعده وقلّده الله دينه، وجعله الحجة على عباده وقيمه في بلاده وأيده بروحه وأعطاه علمه واستودعه سره وانتدبه لعظيم أمره وأنبأه فصل بيان علمه ونصبه علما لخلقه وجعله حجة على أهل عالمه وضياءً لأهل دينه والقيم على عباده. رضيَ الله به إماماً لهم؛ استحفظه علمه واستخبأه حكمته واسترعاه لدينه وأحيا به مناهج سبيله وفرائضه وحدوده، فقام بالعدل عند تحيّر أهل الجهل وتحيير أهل الجدل بالنور الساطع والشفاء البالغ بالحق الأبلج والبيان اللائح مِن كل مخرج على طريق المنهج الذي مضى عليه الصادقون من آبائه  فليس يجهل حق هذا العالم إلاّ شقيّ ولا يجحده إلاّ غويّ ولا يدعه إلاّ جريّ على الله.
(7) Muhammad bin Yahya narrated from Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Eessa from al-Hasan bin Mahboob from Iss’haq bin Ghalib that Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq  had said in one of his speeches when describing the imams: “Allah the Almighty has declared his religion with the guiding imams of the Prophet’s family . He has shone His divine method with them and has uncovered to them the hidden springs of His knowledge. Whoever of Muhammad’s nation knows the right of his imam will taste the sweetness of his faith and find the virtue of the comeliness of his religion. Allah has appointed the imam as a sign to His people and has made him the authority over the believers. Allah has put on the imam’s head the crown of gravity and has shed upon him some of His light. He is the means between the Heaven and people. Nothing of the blessings of Allah is gained except by the means of the imam. Allah does not accept the deeds of His people without regarding (the right of) their imam. The imam is able to answer all the vague problems and is aware of all the ambiguous issues of the Sharia and the confusing questions of religion. Allah has chosen for His people the infallible imams from the descendants of al-Husayn  one after the other. He has been pleased with them and He has accepted them for His people. Whenever an imam goes to the better world, Allah appoints another as a guiding imam and a knowing authority to guide the people to the straight path of the truth. The imams are the authorities of Allah, His preachers and guardians, by whom people are guided and nations are refreshed. Allah has made them as the means of life for His people, as the light in darkness and as the pillars of Islam. All that has been determined by the will of Allah. The imams are the preferred choice of Allah, the chosen guides and expected deliverances. Allah has chosen them since the first creation. He has created them as shadows before making them as beings at the right side of His Throne with His care. He has endowed them with wisdom while in the unseen world near Him. He has created them as the pure remainder of Adam, the best of Noah’s progeny, the choice of Abraham’s family, the offspring of Ishmael and the purest progeny of Muhammad . They are still under the care of Allah and they are protected by His angels. They are protected from the evil darkness and the evil of every devil. They are freed from handicaps and diseases. They are infallible before all kinds of obscenities. They are endowed with piety and patience. They are granted with abstinence, knowledge and virtue. An imam is entrusted with the position of his father. He keeps silent during the lifetime of his father. But when the will of Allah determines to bring the father to the better world, the son becomes ready to receive the order of Allah. Allah will entrust the son after the death of the father with His religion and make him the authority over His people and the guardian on His earth. He assists him with His angels, grants him His knowledge, entrusts him with His secret, deputes him to undertake the great task, appoints him as the authority over His people, makes him as a light for the believers of His religion and entrusts him with their affairs. Allah is pleased with him as His guardian over His people. He entrusts him with His knowledge, wisdom and religion. He makes him revive His path, obligations and penalties. In his turn, the imam spreads justice when the ignorant become confused, confutes the arguers with the clear proofs and the bright truth of his truthful fathers . No one ignores this truth save the wretched, no one denies it save the deviate and no one leaves it aside save the opponents of Allah.”