About the Occultation

Saʿd b. ʿAbd Allāh and ʿAbd Allāh b. Jaʿfar al-Ḥimyarī both said: “Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿUmar b. Yazīd narrated to us, from al-Ḥusayn b. al-Rabīʿ al-Madāʾinī, saying: “Muḥammad b. Isḥāq narrated to us, from Usayd b. Thaʿlaba, from Umm Hāniʾ, who narrated: “I met Abā Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib عليهم السلام, whereupon I asked him about this verse: ﴾So I swear by the stars that return—the comets﴿ [81:15-16]. He said: “An Imam who will withdraw during his time, upon the conclusion of the year two hundred and sixty, according to his knowledge.[1] Then, he will appear like a blazing flame in the darkness of the night. If you live to see that, your eyes will be gladdened.”