the transmission continues to be continuous over the ages and the centuries such that the narrators reach the level of continuous transmission both the end of the news and its middle. this is impossible. four things are needed in every one of ali and his sons may god be pleased with him until this day. the first is to prove that he died leaving a son and did not die without a son so that his son is known as ali may god be pleased with him was known and the correctness of their lineage is known as the correctness of alis lineage is known. the second is to prove that each one of them designated his son before his death and made him his heir. and he appointed him from among all his sons so he was appointed to the imamate by his appointment and not one of them died except after the designation and appointment of his third successor. he should also transmit a continuous report that he may god bless him and grant him peace made the text of all his sons in the position of his text in the obligation of obedience and its coincidence with the place of entitlement and its occurrence on the one who deserves the position from the side of god almighty so that it is not conceivable that a mistake occurred to one of them in the fourth appointment. he should also transmit the continuation of infallibility and suitability for the imamate from and the time of his text on the one he appointed until he died after his appointment on someone else so if one of these ranks was breached their claims would not continue even if they proved the continuous transmission of the text of each one of them and the existence of his son in the first era it would not suffice them until they prove its continuous transmission likewise in all the successive eras after him era after era. and these are matters if continuous transmission was proven in them they would be known just as the existence of the prophets is known and the existence of countries that have not been witnessed such as china and kairouan in morocco and the existence of events such as the battle of badr and siffin and people do not share in its attainment until it was no one can doubt it himself and it is not hidden that the matter in these claims is the opposite because if a person were to be tasked with the ability to permit and make possible what they said he would not be able to but rather he would know with certainty the opposite. so how can one imagine the desire to prove it and how can they be so bold as to claim it while those who say that the infallible imam is obligatory have differed?
لا يزال النقل متواترا على تناسخ الأعصار وانقراض القرون بحيث يستوي في بلوغ المخبرين حد التواتر طرف الخبر وواسطته وهذا ممتنع يفتقر في كل واحد من علي وأولاده رضي الله عنه إلى يومنا هذا أربعة أمور الاول أن يثبت أنه مات عن ولده ولم يمت أبتر لا ولد له حتى يعرف ولده كما عرف علي رضي الله عنه وتعرف صحة انسابهم كما عرف صحة انساب علي الثاني أن يثبت أن كل واحد منهم نص على ولده قبل وفاته وجعله ولي عهده وعينه من بين سائر أولاده فانتصب للإمامة بتوليته ولم يمت واحد إلا بعد التنصيص والتعيين على ولي عهده الثالث ان ينقل أيضا خبرا متواترا انه صلى الله عليه وسلم جعل نص جميع اولاده بمنزلة نصه في وجوب الطاعة ومصادفته لمنظنة الاستحقاق ووقوعه على المستحق للمنصب من جهة الله تعالى حتى لا يتصور وقوع الخطأ لواحد منهم في التعيين الرابع أن ينقل أيضا بقاء العصمة والصلاح للإمامة من وقت نصه على من نص عليه إلى ان توفي هو بعد نصه على غيره فلو انخرمت رتبة من هذه الرتب لم تستمر دعاويهم ولو اثبتوا تواتر نص كل واحد منهم ووجود ولده في العصر الأول فلا يغنيهم حتى يثبتوا تواتره كذلك في سائر الأعصار المتوالية بعده عصرا بعد عصر وهذه أمور لو ثبت التواتر فيها لعلمت كما يعلم وجود الانبياء ووجود الاقطار التي لم تشاهد كالصين وقيروان المغرب ووجود الوقائع كحرب بدر وصفين ولا يشترك الناس في دركه حتى كان لا يقدر احد على ان يشكك فيه نفسه وليس يخفى أن الأمر في هذه الدعاوى بالضد إذ لو كلف الإنسان ان يتسع لتجويز ما قالوه وإمكانه لم يتمكن بل علم قطعا خلافه فكيف يتصور الطمع في اثباته وكيف يتواقحون على دعواه وقد اختلف القائلون بوجوب الإمام المعصوم