Examining the Conflicting Narrations on the "Authority of the Question from the Infallible Imam to Prove the Imamate" in the Book Kāfi

In the narrations of Ahl al-Bayt, various signs have been mentioned for recognizing the Infallible Imam. The mention of these signs has been due to the fact that Shiites in every age can know the Imam of their time and also the claimants of the Imamate can be disgraced. One of the various signs mentioned to prove the guardianship of the Infallible Imam over the people is the question from the Imam. In other words, by asking questions of the claimant to the Imamate, the Shiites can establish the legitimacy or invalidity of his claim and get rid of the confusion in the matter of the Imamate. There are conflicts between different narrations that have considered the issue of asking the Imam as a way to identify the Imam of Truth. Some narrations consider the question from the Imam as a proof to prove his legitimacy, and on the other hand, a narration of Imam Riḍā (as) does not consider the question as a proof and instead considers other signs other than the question from the claimant of the Imamate to prove the Imamate. This obvious conflict between the narration of Imam Riḍā (as) and other narrations regarding the authority of the question from the Infallible Imam is the main issue of this article and seeks a solution for it.