3. The Ghaybat Sughra
During the Ghaybat Sughra,Imam al-Mahdi (a.s.) had appointedfour
special agents, one after another, as a link between himself and his
Shi‘as.Ofcourse,therewereotheragentsalsobutwithlimitedjurisdic-
tion or limited duties.
The four special agents were as follows:- ‘Uthmān bin Sa‘īd al-‘Amri, known as Abu Amr.
- Muhammad bin ‘Uthmān bin Sa‘īd, known as Abu Ja‘far.
- Husayn bin Rawh an-Nawbakhti, known as Abul Qāsim.
- ‘Ali bin Muhammad Samary, known as Abul Hasan.
‘Uthmān bin Sa‘īdwas also a prominent companion and agent of
Imam‘Alian-Naqi(a.s.)andImamHasanal-‘Askari(a.s.).Hewasresid-
ent of Samarra. Inorder to hide his link andwork with Imam Hasan
al-‘Askari from governmentinformers, ‘Uthmān binSa‘īd changedhis
profession—hebecameavendorsellingcookingoilonacart.Whenthe
government’s surveillance on the Imam’s house made it almost im-
possiblefortheShi‘astovisithimfreely,‘Uthmānwouldputtheletters
andreligiousduesfromtheShi‘asintheoilcontainersandtakethemto
the Imam’s house under the pretext of delivering cooking oil!
Ahmad bin Ishāq narrates that Imam al-‘Askari (a.s.) told him that
‘UthmānbinSa‘īdwas“trustworthy,andreliableintheeyesofthepast
Imamaswellasmyselfinmylifeaswellasaftermydeath.Whateverhe
says to you is from me, and whatever he brings to you is from me.”
When‘UthmānbinSa‘īddied,Imam al-Mahdi(a.s.) wrotealetterof
condolencetohisson,Muhammadbin‘Uthmān,asfollows:“Webelong
toAllāh,andtoHimweshallreturn.Yourfatherlivedagracefullifeand
diedasan honourableman.May AllāhshowerHismercyonhimand
joinhimwith hisMasters.Hewasdiligentin hisworkfortheMasters,
and workedhard in what pleased the Almightyand the Imams.May
Allāh shower His grace on him and forgive his faults.”
Muhammadbin‘Uthmānwasthesecondspecialagentoftheperiod
of Minor Occultation. ‘Abdullāh bin Ja‘far al-Himyari says that when
‘Uthmāndied, we received aletter from the Imam,in the same hand-
writingthat we recognized from his previouscommunications, stating