SHAFAQNA – Sadir Sirafi narrated: I went to see Imam Sadeq (AS) and said to him: For the sake of Allah (SWT), why are you sitting down? Imam (AS) asked: O’ Sadir, what has happened? Sadir replied: I am talking about the great number of your Shias, followers and helpers. Imam Sadeq (AS) said: What do think the numbers of our Shias are? Sadir replied: One hundred thousand. Imam (AS) asked: One hundred thousand? Sadir replied: Yes, and maybe two hundred thousand. Imam Sadeq (AS) asked again: Two hundred thousand? Sadir replied: Yes, and maybe half of the world. At this point, Imam (AS) did not say anything. After that, Imam Sadeq (AS) and Sadir went towards Yanba’a and in the middle of the way, as Imam (AS) was looking at the herd of goats, he said: O’ Sadir, if the number of our Shias was equal to the number of these goats, I would not have sat down. Sadir said: I counted the number of goats, and saw their total number was seventeen [1].
[1] Osul Kafi, Vol. 2, Page 190.