عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ اَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِؑ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ لَمْ يَتْرُكِ اللهُ الْاَرْضَ بِغَيْرِ عَالِمٍ يَحْتَاجُ النَّاسُ اِلَيْهِ وَ لَا يَحْتَاجُ اِلَيْهِمْ يَعْلَمُ الْحَلَالَ وَ الْحَرَامَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ بِمَا ذَا يَعْلَمُ قَالَ بِمَوَارِيثِهِ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَ مِنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ اَبِي طَالِبٍؑ
Al-Haarith Ibn al-Mughirah reports, “I heard Imam Abu Abdillah (al-Sadeq a.s.) say, ‘Allah has not left the earth without a (divinely appointed) learned man. The people need him but he does not them. He knows the permissible and the prohibited.’ I asked, ‘How does he know?’ He (peace be upon him) replied, ‘Through his inheritances from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and from Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (peace be upon him)’.”
Note:
q Here, learned man is not used in its general meaning of a scholar because scholars are subject to sins and errors while an Imam is infallible.
q People are in need of divine proofs but not vice-versa, even in non-religious sciences.
References:
1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, p. 40, H. 74 باب الاضطرار إلى الحجّة و أن الأرض لا تخلو من حجّة
2. Kamaal al-Deen, vol. 1, p. 224, Chapter 22, H. 18 باب اتصال الوصية من لدن آدمؑ و أن الأرض لا تخلو من حجة لله عز و جل على خلقه إلى يوم القيامة