The Sufficient (Vol 1) · Hadith 443 (#Ḥadīth #4)
Chapter 4 | The issue that Allah’s holding people accountable remains unjustified without the Imam
4ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْبَرْقِيِّ عَنْ خَلَفِ بْنِ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله الْحُجَّةُ قَبْلَ الْخَلْقِ وَمَعَ الْخَلْقِ وَبَعْدَ الْخَلْقِ.
4. Muhammad b. Yahya narrated from Ahmad b. Muhammad from al-Barqi from Khalaf b. Hammad from ’Aban b. Taghlib from Abu Abdillah has said: “A person with Divine authority is before the people, with the people and after the people.”
Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).