Al-Kāfi
Hadith 511 3ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنْ قَوْلِ الله جَلَّ جَلالُهُ وَعَدَ الله الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الارْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ قَالَ هُمُ الائِمَّةُ.
3. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Washsha’ from ‘Abdallah ibn Sinan who has said that he asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the meaning of the following verse of the Holy Quran. “God has promised the righteously striving believers to appoint them as His deputies on earth, as He had appointed those who lived before. . .” (24:55) The Imams (a.s.) said, “The people referred to in this verse are the Imams (a.s.).”