عَنْ يَمَانٍ التَّمَّارِ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ [عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ]:
« إِنَّ لِصَاحِبِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ غَيْبَةً، الْمُتَمَسِّكُ فِيهَا بِدِينِهِ كَالْخَارِطِ لِشَوْكِ الْقَتَادِ بِيَدِهِ، ثُمَّ أَوْمَى أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) بِيَدِهِ هَكَذَا، قَالَ: فَأَيُّكُمْ يُمْسِكُ شَوْكَ الْقَتَادِ بِيَدِهِ؟ ثُمَّ أَطْرَقَ مَلِيًّا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّ لِصَاحِبِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ غَيْبَةً، فَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ عَبْدٌ، وَلْيَتَمَسَّكْ بِدِينِهِ ».
— أصـول الكافـي
Yaman at-Tammar said:
"We were sitting in the presence of Abu 'Abdillah when he said to us: 'The Master of this Affair will go into occultation; he who holds fast to his religion in [this time] will be like a person who strips [the thorns] off a tragacanth bush [which has many very sharp thorns]. Thus,' he said, [showing us] with his hand. 'Which of you can hold the thorn of a tragacanth bush in his hand? Whereupon he lowered his head in silence for a while,
