The Reason Why There is a Need for the Imam عليه السلام

Narrated to us my father; and Muhammad bin Hasan - may Allah be pleased with them - they said: Narrated to us Abdullah bin Ja’far Himyari from Ahmad bin Hilal from Saeed bin Jannah from Sulaiman Ja’fari that he asked Abul Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام: “Can the earth remain without a Divine Proof?” He replied: “If the earth is without a Divine Proof for a fraction of a second, it will cave into itself along with its inhabitants.”