The Sufficient (Vol 1) · Hadith 629 (#Ḥadīth #3)

3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ السِّلاحِ فِينَا مَثَلُ التَّابُوتِ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَيْثُمَا دَارَ التَّابُوتُ أُوتُوا النُّبُوَّةَ وَحَيْثُمَا دَارَ السِّلاحُ فِينَا فَثَمَّ الامْرُ قُلْتُ فَيَكُونُ السِّلاحُ مُزَائِلاً لِلْعِلْمِ قَالَ لا.

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Safwan from abu al-Hassan al-Rida who has said the following. “Abu Ja‘far would say, ‘The case of the Armaments with us is as the Ark with the Israelites. Wherever the Ark would go prophet-hood would also follow. Wherever the Armaments among us would go the matter (leadership with Divine authority) would also settle there.” I then asked, “Would the Armaments ever depart knowledge?” The Imam said, “No, it would not do so.”

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