عَمْرِو بْنِ الْاَشْعَثِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ اَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِؑ يَقُولُ اَ تَرَوْنَ الْاَمْرَ اِلَيْنَا نَضَعُهُ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ كَلَّا وَ اللهِ اِنَّهُ لَعَهْدٌ مَعْهُودٌ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ اِلَى رَجُلٍ فَرَجُلٍ حَتَّى يَنْتَهِيَ اِلَى صَاحِبِهِ
Amr Ibn al-Ash’ath recounts, “I heard Imam Abu Abdillah (peace be upon him) say,
‘Do you think that the affair (of Imamate) is in our hands, we place it wherever we please? Nay! By Allah, it is a promised covenant from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) till one person (Imam) after another, until it reaches to its master’.”
References:
1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, p. 70, H. 7
2. Kamaal al-Deen, vol. 1, p. 222, H. 11