and forbids them from evil, they will be more likely to do what they are commanded and refrain from what is prohibited. They must therefore have an imam, and he must be infallible; for if he were not infallible, the intended purpose would not be achieved through him. Infallibility has been claimed for no one after the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—except Alī. He must therefore be that imam, since there is consensus that it could be no one else. These points were explained to him at length.

They then said:

“Alī explicitly designated Hasan, and Hasan designated Husayn (1), until the succession reached the Awaited One, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, the absent Master of the Cellar.”

He acknowledged that this was a perfectly complete exposition of their doctrine.

I said to him:

“You and I are seekers of knowledge, truth, and guidance. Yet they say, ‘Whoever does not believe in the Awaited One is an unbeliever.’ Have you seen this Awaited One? Or have you seen anyone who saw him? Have you heard any report concerning him? (2) Do you know anything that he himself said, or any command or prohibition transmitted from him, as such things are transmitted from (3) the imams?”

He replied, “No.”

I said:

“What benefit, then, does this belief of ours bring? What gracious aid do we obtain through it? Moreover, how can Allah impose upon us the duty of obeying a person when we do not know what he commands or forbids, and we have no means whatsoever of learning that? Yet no people are more vehement than they are