Al-Kāfi
Hadith 996 6ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْخَيْرَانِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ كُنْتُ وَاقِفاً بَيْنَ يَدَيْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بِخُرَاسَانَ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَائِلٌ يَا سَيِّدِي إِنْ كَانَ كَوْنٌ فَإِلَى مَنْ قَالَ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ابْنِي فَكَأَنَّ الْقَائِلَ اسْتَصْغَرَ سِنَّ ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى بَعَثَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) رَسُولاً نَبِيّاً صَاحِبَ شَرِيعَةٍ مُبْتَدَأَةٍ فِي أَصْغَرَ مِنَ السِّنِّ الَّذِي فِيهِ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ.
6. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from al-Khayrani from his father who has said the following. “Once I was standing in the presence of abu al-Hassan (a.s.) in Khurasan and someone said to him, ‘O my master if something will happen to you to who must we then turn for guidance?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “You must turn for guidance to abu Ja‘far (a.s.), my son.” The person asking the question seemed to have thought of his (abu Ja‘far (a.s.) age very small. Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) then said, “Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, sent Jesus (a.s.) son of Mary as a Messenger and a prophet being the author of a whole system of law. He began this task in an age much smaller than the age of abu Ja‘far (a.s.).”