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The Book of Occultation — al-Ṭūsī · Hadith 202 (#Ḥadīth #7)

Chapter 22 | Reason of occultation of the Imam from his followers

فعلى هذا التقرير أقوى ما يعلل به ذلك إن الإمام إذا ظهر ولا يعلم شخصه وعينه من حيث المشاهدة فلا بد من أن يظهر عليه علم معجز يدل على صدقه والعلم بكون الشيء معجزا يحتاج إلى نظر يجوز أن يعترض فيه شبهه فلا يمتنع أن يكون المعلوم من حال من لم يظهر له أنه متى ظهر وأظهر المعجز لم ينعم النظر فيدخل عليه فيه شبهة فيعتقد أنه كذاب ويشيع خبره فيؤدي إلى ما تقدم القول فيه.

Based on this, the strongest reason that can be given is that if the Imam appears and his person is not recognized and identified, it is necessary that he works a miracle to indicate his truthfulness; and it requires reflection to know whether something is a miracle, which can be subject to doubts. Therefore, it is not possible that it be evident from the condition of a person to whom the Imam has not appeared that if he appears to him and shows him a miracle, he may not reflect well and have doubts and believe that he is a liar and spread this information and cause the harm mentioned earlier.

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).