Someone Without A Rightful Imam

بسم الله الواحد القهار

يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَابَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

The day when We will call every people with their Imam; then whoever is given his book in his right hand, these shall read their book; and they shall not be dealt with a whit unjustly. [17:71]

Sheikh Hadi An-Najafi:

Al-Kulayni: From Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Safwan ibn Yahya from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following:
“I heard abu Ja'far(عليه السلام) saying, ‘Whoever worships Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, with the expectation for reward, and works hard but without having an Imam for himself, his efforts will not find acceptance.
Such person is lost and is straying and Allah dislikes his deeds. The example of such person is like that of a lost sheep who strays away from the herd. She wanders around during the day and at nightfall she finds a different flock of sheep with a shepherd and she gladly and affectionately joins it thinking it to be like her own flock. She passes the night in their barn but does not recognize her flock and the shepherd, and begins to wander in search for her own flock and shepherd. She finds a flock and a shepherd rushes to the flock with great interest but the shepherd shouts, ‘Go to your own flock and shepherd; you are lost and wandering.’ She then runs back and forth, lost and wandering without a shepherd to show her the grazing areas and the barn. At such time a wolf seizes the opportunity and kills her for food. Just the same is the case, by Allah, O Muhammad, of those people of this ‘Ummah (nation) who have no Imam from Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, who is in public and possesses the noble quality of justice. Such people are lost and straying. If such people, in such a condition, die their death will be like that of an unbeliever and hypocrite. O Muhammad, take notice that all unjust Imams and their followers are far away from the religion of Allah. They have lost the right path and have misled the others. Their deeds are like dust blown away by the winds in a stormy day. They will remain helpless and unable to benefit from their deeds. Such is straying far away from the right path.’”

Grading: the chain of the narration is Sahih(authentic).

Source: Mawsu'atu Ahadith Ahlulbayt(عليهم السلام), Vol. 6 Pg. 7