عَنِ ابْنِ اَبِي يَعْفُورٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِاَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ ع اِنِّي أُخَالِطُ النَّاسَ فَيَكْثُرُ عَجَبِي مِنْ اَقْوَامٍ لَا يَتَوَالَوْنَكُمْ وَ يَتَوَالَوْنَ فُلَانًا وَ فُلَانًا لَهُمْ اَمَانَةٌ وَ صِدْقٌ وَ وَفَاءٌ وَ اَقْوَامٌ يَتَوَالَوْنَكُمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ تِلْكَ الْاَمَانَةُ وَ لَا الْوَفَاءُ وَ لَا الصِّدْقُ قَال فَاسْتَوَى اَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ ع جَالِسًا وَ اَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ كَالْمُغْضَبِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَا دِينَ لِمَنْ دَانَ بِوِلَايَةِ اِمَامٍ جَائِرٍ لَيْسَ مِنَ اللهِ وَ لَا عَتْبَ عَلَى مَنْ دَانَ بِوِلَايَةِ اِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنَ اللهِ قُلْتُ لَا دِينَ لِأُولَئِكَ وَ لَا عَتْبَ عَلَى هَؤُلَاءِ ثُمَّ قَالَ اَ لَا تَسْمَعُ قَوْلَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ اللهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُماتِ اِلَى النُّورِ مِنْ ظُلُمَات الذُّنُوبِ اِلَى نُورِ التَّوْبَةِ اَوِ الْمَغْفِرَةِ لِوَلَايَتِهِمْ كُلَّ اِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنَ اللهِ قَالَ وَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اَوْلِياؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُمْ مِنَ النُّورِ اِلَى الظُّلُماتِ فَاَيُّ نُورٍ يَكُونُ لِلْكَافِرِ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ اِنَّمَا عَنَى بِهَذَا اَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى نُورِ الْاِسْلَامِ فَلَمَّا تَوَالَوْا كُلَّ اِمَامٍ جَائِرٍ لَيْسَ مِنَ اللهِ خَرَجُوا بِوَلَايَتِهِمْ اِيَّاهُمْ مِنْ نُورِ الْاِسْلَامِ اِلَى ظُلُمَاتِ الْكُفْرِ فَاَوْجَبَ اللهُ لَهُمُ النَّارَ مَعَ الْكُفَّارِ فَقَالَ أُولئِكَ اَصْحابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيها خالِدُون
Ibn Abi Ya’foor said: Once I said to Abu Abd Allah (peace be upon him) ‘I meet people and it increases my wonder when I find people who do not consider you (Ahl al-Bayt) as their guardians and Infallible Imams (Leaders with Divine Authority) but they consider so and so as their Imam. However, they are trustworthy, truthful and loyal. I also find people who consider you as their guardians and Infallible Imams (Leaders with Divine Authority) but are not trustworthy, loyal and truthful.’ Abu Abd Allah (peace be upon him) then sat in an upright position and turned to me as if angered, and then said, ‘One who follows the religion of Allah under the guardianship of an unjust Imam who does not possesses Divine Authority, has no religion. One who follows the religion of Allah under the guardianship of an Imam who is just in his dealings and possesses Divine Authority, will suffer no negative effect.’ “I then asked, ‘Do those, in fact, have no religion, and these face no destruction?’ The Imam (peace be upon him) said, ‘That is correct. Those have no religion and these face no destruction.’ Then the Imam (peace be upon him) said, ‘Have you not heard the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious: ‘Allah is the Guardian of the believers and it is He who takes them out of darkness into light…’ (2:257) It means that He takes them out of the darkness of sins to the light of repentance and forgiveness because of their love for and their being under the guardianship of the just Infallible Imams (peace be upon them) who possess Divine Authority. He has also said, ‘The Devil is the guardian of those who deny the Truth and he leads them from light to darkness…’ (2:257) It means that they were in the light of Islam but when they accepted the guardianship and the leadership of every unjust Imam who possessed no authority from Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Gracious, their guardianship took them out of the light of Islam to the darkness of disbelief. Allah then made it necessary for them to suffer in fire along with the unbelievers, ‘…these are the dwellers of hell wherein they will live forever.’” (2:257)
References:
1. Al-Kaafi, vol. 1, pp. 375-376, H. 3
2. Al-Ghaibah, pp. 133-134, H. 14
3. Al-Burhan fee Tafseer al-Quran, vol. 1, p. 522, H. 1405
4. Mir’aat al-Oqool, vol. 4, pp. 215-217, H. 3
5. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, pp. 322-323, H. 39
6. Tafseer Noor al-Saqlain, vol. 1, p. 266, H. 1070