Who Appointed the Imams after Ghadir?

From Sunni Sources:

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, it is narrated from Jābir ibn Samura, who said:

«سمعت رسول الله (PBUH) یقول لایزال الاسلام عزیزا الی اثنی عشر خلیفه – ثم قال کلمه لم افهمها! فقلت لابی ما قال؟ فقال کلهم من قریش!»

“I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say, ‘Islam will remain strong until twelve caliphs have ruled.’ Then he said something I did not understand. I asked my father, ‘What did the Prophet (PBUH) say?’ He replied, ‘They are all from Quraysh.’”

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 3/1453)

A narration from Shi‘i sources:

Imam Muḥammad al-Taqī said:

The Commander of the Faithful was walking with Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, leaning on Salmān, until they entered the Sacred Mosque and sat down. A man with a handsome appearance and fine clothes approached and greeted the Commander of the Faithful. The Imam returned his greeting, and the man sat down. He then said, “O Commander of the Faithful, I have three questions for you. If you answer them, I will know that those people”—meaning those who seized power after the Prophet—“committed an act that condemned them, leaving them neither secure nor at ease in this world or the next. But if you cannot answer, I will know that you are no different from them.”

The Commander of the Faithful said to him, “Ask whatever you wish.”

The man said, “Tell me: (1) Where does a person’s spirit go when they sleep? (2) How is it that a person sometimes remembers and sometimes forgets? (3) How is it that a person’s child may resemble his paternal uncles or maternal uncles?”

The Commander of the Faithful turned to Ḥasan and said, “O Abū Muḥammad, answer him.” Imam Ḥasan gave him the answers.

The man said, “I bear witness that none is worthy of worship but God, and I shall continue to bear witness to this.

“And I bear witness that Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, and I shall continue to bear witness to this.

“And I bear witness that you are the successor to the Messenger of God and stand as his proof”—he pointed to the Commander of the Faithful—“and I shall continue to bear witness to this.

“And I bear witness that you are his successor and stand as his proof”—he pointed to Imam Ḥasan.

“And I bear witness that Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī is the successor to his brother and stands as his proof after him.

“And I bear witness that ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn succeeded Ḥusayn in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī succeeded ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad succeeded Muḥammad in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar succeeded Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that ʿAlī ibn Mūsā succeeded Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī succeeded ʿAlī ibn Mūsā in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad succeeded Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī succeeded ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad in the office of the Imamate.

“And I bear witness that a man from among the descendants of Ḥasan will come, whose kunya and name must not be spoken until his mission is made manifest. He will fill the earth with justice, just as it has been filled with oppression.

“May God’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful.”

Then the man stood and left. The Commander of the Faithful said, “O Abū Muḥammad, follow him and see where he goes.”

Ḥasan went out, but as soon as the man stepped beyond the mosque, he could not tell which part of God’s earth the man had gone to. He returned to the Commander of the Faithful and told him what had happened.

The Commander of the Faithful asked, “O Abū Muḥammad, do you know who he was?”

I replied, “God, His Messenger and the Commander of the Faithful know best.”

He said, “He was al-Khiḍr.”
Uṣūl al-Kāfī / translated by Muṣṭafawī, vol. 2, p. 468

A group of our companions, from Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Barqī, from Abū Hāshim Dāwūd ibn al-Qāsim al-Jaʿfarī, from Abū Jaʿfar the Second, peace be upon him, who said:

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, came with al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, peace be upon them both, leaning on Salmān’s arm. He entered the Sacred Mosque and sat down. A man of fine appearance and dress approached, greeted the Commander of the Faithful, and received his greeting in return. He then sat down and said, “Commander of the Faithful, I have three questions for you. If you answer them, I will know that the people have taken a course in your affair whose consequences have been decreed against them, and that they cannot be trusted in this world or the next. But if the answer is otherwise, I will know that you and they stand on equal footing.”

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said, “Ask whatever you wish.”

“Tell me: when a man sleeps, where does his soul go? How does a man remember and forget? And how is it that a man’s child may resemble his paternal uncles or his maternal uncles?”

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, turned to al-Ḥasan and said, “Abū Muḥammad, answer him.”

Al-Ḥasan, peace be upon him, answered him. The man said, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I have always borne witness to this. I bear witness that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, and I have always borne witness to this. I bear witness that you are the successor of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and the one who upholds his proof”—and he pointed to the Commander of the Faithful—“and I have always borne witness to this. I bear witness that you are his successor and the one who upholds his proof”—and he pointed to al-Ḥasan, peace be upon him. “I bear witness that al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī is the successor of his brother and the one who upholds his proof after him. I bear witness that ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn upholds al-Ḥusayn’s command after him; that Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī upholds the command of ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn; that Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad upholds the command of Muḥammad; that Mūsā upholds the command of Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad; that ʿAlī ibn Mūsā upholds the command of Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar; that Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī upholds the command of ʿAlī ibn Mūsā; that ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad upholds the command of Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī; and that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī upholds the command of ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad. I bear witness to a man from the descendants of al-Ḥasan, who will be neither given a kunya nor named until his cause becomes manifest; then he will fill the earth with justice, just as it has been filled with oppression.

Peace be upon you, Commander of the Faithful, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.”

Then he rose and went on his way. The Commander of the Faithful said, “Abū Muḥammad, follow him and see where he is going.” Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, peace be upon him, went out after him. He said, “He had barely set foot outside the mosque when I could no longer tell where on Allah’s earth he had gone.” I returned to the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and told him. He said, “Abū Muḥammad, do you know him?” I replied, “Allah, His Messenger, and the Commander of the Faithful know best.” He said, “He is al-Khiḍr, peace be upon him.”

Al-Kāfī (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 529

Imām al-Ṣādiq, peace be upon him, said:

My father said to Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, “I have something to ask you. When would it be convenient for you to meet with me alone so that I can ask you about it?”

Jābir replied, “Whenever you wish.”

One day, he sat with him in private and said, “Tell me about the tablet you saw in the hand of my mother, Fāṭimah, peace be upon her, daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and about what my mother told you was written on it.”

Jābir said, “I call Allah to witness that, during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, I went to your mother Fāṭimah, peace be upon her, to congratulate her on the birth of al-Ḥusayn, peace be upon him. I saw a green tablet in her hand, which I thought was made of emerald, and on it was white writing, bright as the sun.

“I said to her, ‘Daughter of the Prophet, may my father and mother be your ransom, what is this tablet?’

“She said, ‘It is a tablet that Allah gave to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Written on it are the name of my father, the name of my husband, the names of my two sons, and the names of the trustees of authority from among my descendants. My father gave it to me as glad tidings.’

“Jābir said: Your mother, Fāṭimah, peace be upon her, then gave it to me. I read it and made a copy. My father said to him, ‘Jābir, will you show it to me?’

“He replied, ‘Yes.’

“My father then went with Jābir to his house. Jābir brought out a sheet. My father said, ‘Jābir, follow along in your writing while I read it to you.’ Jābir looked at his copy as my father read aloud, and not a single letter differed from another.

“Then Jābir said, ‘I call Allah to witness that this is what I saw written on that tablet:

“‘This is a letter from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise, to Muḥammad, His Prophet, His light, His envoy, His intermediary between the Creator and creation, and His proof, upon whom the Trustworthy Spirit (Gabriel) descends from the Lord of the worlds.

“‘Muḥammad, honour My names [that is, your Imāms and trustees of authority—according to al-Majlisī], give thanks for My blessings, and do not deny My favours.

“‘I am Allah; none is worthy of worship but Me. I break the power of tyrants, grant power to the oppressed, and requite people on the Day of Resurrection. I am Allah; none is worthy of worship but Me. Whoever hopes for anything other than My grace—that is, considers himself deserving of My reward—or fears anything other than My justice—that is, imagines My punishment to be unjust—I shall punish him as I have punished none among the worlds. So worship Me alone and put your trust in Me alone.

“‘I never sent a prophet whose appointed term had run its course and whose time had come to an end without appointing a trustee and successor for him. I have favoured you above the prophets, and your trustee above the other trustees. I have honoured you with your two lion cubs and your two grandsons, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn. After his father’s appointed time had passed, I made al-Ḥasan a repository of My knowledge; and I made al-Ḥusayn the keeper of My revelation. I honoured him with martyrdom and brought his end to a blessed conclusion. He is the foremost of martyrs, and his rank is the highest of them all. I placed My perfect word—My teachings and proofs—with him, and entrusted him with My decisive proof—the conclusive arguments for the Imamate. Through his descendants, I shall reward and punish.

“‘The first among them is the master of those who worship Me and the adornment of My devoted servants of old.’”
And his son, who is like his ancestor Mahmud (the praised one), is himself Muhammad; he is the splitter of my knowledge and the focus of my wisdom.

And he is Ja'far, about whom those who split and dispute will perish. Whoever does not accept him — does not accept his imamate, or does not accept his word in obedience — has not accepted me. My word and promise stand firm: I will honour the station of Ja'far and gladden him with regard to his followers, companions and friends.

After him is Musa, in whose time a severe and bewildering turmoil will come, for the thread of the obligation of obedience to me will not be cut, nor will my proof be hidden, and truly my friends will be watered from an overflowing cup. Whoever denies one of them has denied my blessing, and whoever alters a single verse of my Book has lied against me.

After the passing of the time of my servant, my friend and my chosen one Musa — woe to the liars and deniers — comes Ali (the eighth Imam, peace be upon him), my friend and my helper, and the one upon whose shoulders I will place the heavy burdens of prophethood and by whose carrying out of them I will test him (it seems this alludes to his accepting the difficult matter of the succession to the caliphate). A vile and arrogant man (Ma'mun) will kill him, and in the city (Tus) which my righteous servant (Dhu'l-Qarnayn) built, he will be laid to rest beside the worst of my creatures (Harun). My command and promise are established that:

I will gladden him with the existence of his son and successor and heir of his knowledge, Muhammad. He is the focus of my knowledge, the place of my secret, and my proof over my creation. Every servant who believes in him, I will make Paradise his abode, and I will accept his intercession for seventy members of his household, all of whom would deserve the Fire.

And I will bring the end of the affair of his son Ali to felicity — my friend and helper, the witness among my creatures, and the trustee of my revelation.

From him I will bring forth the one who calls to me, and the treasurer of my knowledge, Hasan (Imam Askari, peace be upon him).

And I will complete this thread with the existence of his son "M H M D," who is a mercy to the worlds. He has the perfection of Musa, the radiance of Isa, and the patience of Ayyub. In the time of his occultation my friends will be humiliated, and the oppressors will send their heads to one another as gifts, just as the heads of the Turks and Daylamites (the unbelievers) are sent as gifts. They will kill them and burn them, and they will be fearful, frightened and terrified. The earth will be coloured with their blood, and wailing and lamentation will rise loud among their women. They are my true friends. Through them I will sweep away every severe and dark turmoil, and through their blessing I will remove doubts, calamities and chains. Blessings and the mercy of their Lord be upon them, and they alone are the rightly guided.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Salim says: Abu Basir said: If in your lifetime you have heard nothing but this hadith, it is enough for you; so hide it from those who are unworthy of it.
Uṣūl al-Kāfī / translation by Muṣṭafawī, vol. 2, p. 470

From Abū ʿAbd Allāh (peace be upon him), who said: My father said to Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, "I have a need of you; when would it be easy for you to be alone with me so that I may ask you about it?" Jābir replied, "Whichever time you wish." So he met with him alone on one of the days and said to him, "O Jābir, tell me about the tablet you saw in the hand of my mother Fāṭimah (peace be upon her), daughter of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), and what my mother told you was written on that tablet." Jābir said, "I bear witness by God that I entered upon your mother Fāṭimah (peace be upon her) during the lifetime of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), and I congratulated her on the birth of al-Ḥusayn, and I saw in her hands a green tablet which I took to be of emerald, and I saw upon it writing white as the colour of the sun. I said to her, 'May my father and mother be your ransom, O daughter of the Messenger of God, what is this tablet?' She said, 'This is a tablet which God presented as a gift to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); on it are the name of my father, the name of my husband, the names of my two sons, and the names of the trustees from among my descendants. My father gave it to me to gladden me with that.'" Jābir said, "Your mother Fāṭimah (peace be upon her) gave it to me, and I read it and made a copy of it." My father said to him, "O Jābir, would you show it to me?" He said, "Yes." So my father walked with him to Jābir's house, and he brought out a sheet of parchment. He said, "O Jābir, look at your book while I read to you." Jābir looked at his copy, and my father read it, and it did not differ by a single letter. Jābir said, "I bear witness by God that I saw it written thus upon the tablet:

*This is a Book from God, the Mighty, the Wise* — to Muḥammad, His Prophet, His light, His envoy, His veil, and His proof, brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit from the presence of the Lord of the Worlds. Magnify My names, O Muḥammad, and be thankful for My favours, and do not deny My bounties. I am God; there is no god but I, the Crusher of the tyrants, the Avenger of the oppressed, the Requiter of the Day of Judgement. I am God; there is no god but I. So whoever hopes for other than My bounty, or fears other than My justice, I shall punish him with a punishment with which I punish no one among the worlds. So worship Me alone, and place your trust in Me alone. I have never sent a prophet whose days I completed and whose term expired without appointing for him a trustee. And I have preferred you over the prophets, and preferred your trustee over the trustees, and honoured you with your two lions and your two grandsons, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. So I made Ḥasan the mine of My knowledge after the expiry of his father's term, and I made Ḥusayn the treasurer of My revelation, and honoured him with martyrdom, and sealed for him with felicity; he is the most excellent of martyrs and the loftiest of the martyrs in rank. I placed My complete word with him and My conclusive proof with him. Through his offspring I reward and punish. The first of them is ʿAlī, the master of the worshippers and the adornment of My past friends, and his son, the likeness of his praised grandfather, Muḥammad al-Bāqir, My knowledge and the mine of My wisdom. The doubters concerning Jaʿfar shall perish; whoever rejects him is as one who rejects the truth of the word from Me. I shall surely honour the resting place of Jaʿfar and shall keep him secret among his followers, his helpers, and his friends. After him I brought forth Mūsā as a blinding, dark trial — for the thread of My obligation is not cut, and My proof is not hidden. And My friends shall drink the fullest cup. Whoever denies one of them has denied My favour, and whoever turns aside from a verse of My Book has fabricated a lie against Me. Woe to the fabricating deniers when the term of Mūsā, My servant, My beloved, and My chosen one, expires — in ʿAlī, My friend, My helper, and the one upon whom I place the burdens of prophethood and whom I test with bearing them. A proud demon shall kill him, and he shall be buried in the city built by the righteous servant, beside the worst of My creation. The word from Me is true: I shall keep him secret through Muḥammad his son, his successor after him, and the inheritor of his knowledge. He is the mine of My knowledge, the place of My secret, and My proof over My creation. No servant believes in him but I shall make Paradise his abode, and I shall grant him intercession for seventy of the people of his house, all of whom have deserved the Fire. And I seal felicity for his son ʿAlī, My friend, My helper, the witness over My creation, and My trustee over My revelation. From him I bring forth the caller to My path and the treasurer of My knowledge, al-Ḥasan, and I complete that through his son M ḥ m d, a mercy to the worlds — upon him the perfection of Mūsā, the splendour of ʿĪsā, and the patience of Ayyūb. In his time My friends shall be humiliated, and their heads shall be passed about as the heads of the Turks and Daylamites are passed about; they shall be killed and burned, and they shall be fearful, terrified, and trembling. The earth shall be dyed with their blood, and wailing and lamentation shall spread among their women. Those are truly My friends; through them I repel every blinding, dark trial, and through them I remove earthquakes and cast off burdens and shackles. Upon those are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and those are the rightly guided."

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Sālim said: Abū Baṣīr said, "If you had heard nothing in your lifetime but this ḥadīth, it would suffice you. So guard it, except from those who are worthy of it."

Al-Kāfī, Islamic edition, vol. 1, p. 527