The Source of Traditions on Imam al-Riḍā (Vol 1) · Hadith 210 (#Ḥadīth #2)

2 - حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّه، عَن عبّاد بْنِ سُلَيْمان، عَن سَعْدِ بْنِ الأَشْعَرِيِّ، عَن أَحْمَدِ بْنِ عُمَر، عَن أَبي الحَسَن الرِّضا a.sُ قالَ قُلْتُ هَلْ تَبْقَى الأَرْضُ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ فَقالَ: لا. قلتُ: فَإِنَّا نَرْوِي، عَن أَبِي عَبْدِاللَّهِ a.sُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لا تَبْقَى إِلا أَنْ يَسْخَطَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ فَقَالَ: لا تَبْقَى إِذاً لَسَاخَتْ.

28-2 My father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’d ibn Abdullah quoted on the authority of Ebad ibn Soleiman, on the authority of Sa’d ibn Sa’d al-Ash’ari, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Umar, “I asked Abil Hassan Al-Ridha (s), ‘Will the Earth be left without a Divine Leader?’ The Imam (s) said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘It has been narrated for us on the authority of Abi Abdullah (as-Sadiq) (s) that it will not be left without one unless God deals hard with the servants.’ Then the Imam (s) said, ‘The Earth will not be left without a Divine Leader, otherwise it will devour all its residents.’”

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