The rise of al-Mahdi with Divine Authority earlier or later will not affect one who has learned who his Imam is

Al-Kāfi|Volume 1|Book 4|Chapter 84
Al-Kāfi

Book 4, Chapter 84

The rise of al-Mahdi with Divine Authority earlier or later will not affect one who has learned who his Imam is

5ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ عَنْ فُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ فَمِيتَتُهُ مِيتَةُ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَهُوَ عَارِفٌ لامَامِهِ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ تَقَدَّمَ هَذَا الامْرُ أَوْ تَأَخَّرَ وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَهُوَ عَارِفٌ لامَامِهِ كَانَ كَمَنْ هُوَ مَعَ الْقَائِمِ فِي فُسْطَاطِهِ.
5. A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Ni‘man from Muhammad ibn Marwan from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following. “I heard abu ‘Abdallah عليه السلام say, ‘One who would die without having an Imam his death would like the death of ignorance. One who would die and would know who his Imam is then the coming of this matter (the rise of al-Mahdi with Divine Authority) earlier or later will not affect him at all. One who would knowing who his Imam is he would be like the one present with Al-Qa’im in his tents.”
  • Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi
    Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (4/189)
  • Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
    Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 42