—neither in his religion nor in his worldly life—then no one (1) has attained through him any of the objectives of the imamate (2).

If none of the intended ends can be attained through him, there is no need to establish the means, for means are sought only for the sake of their ends (3). Once we know with certainty that those ends are absent, discussing the means becomes a futile endeavor.

This is like someone saying: “People need someone to feed them and give them drink. The food should possess such-and-such qualities, and the drink such-and-such qualities, and these may be found among a certain group”—when that group is known to be among the poorest of people and renowned for its utter destitution.

What benefit is there in seeking what is known not to exist, or in following that from which no benefit whatsoever can be derived? An imam is needed for two things (4): either for knowledge, so that he may convey and teach it, or for putting it into practice, so that he may help people do so through his strength and authority.

Yet this Awaited One provides no benefit in either respect. Whatever knowledge they possess comes from the words of his predecessors. As for putting it into practice, if it is something on which the Muslims agree with them, they seek the Muslims’ assistance; otherwise, they seek the assistance of unbelievers, heretics, and the like. Thus, they are the most incapable of people in practice and the most ignorant of people in knowledge, despite claiming to follow the infallible imam, whose very purpose is to provide knowledge and power. Yet they have acquired neither knowledge nor power. It is therefore clear that what they claim does not exist.