Once Jābir b. Yazīd b. al-Ḥārith al-Juʿfī

asked imam Sadiq( pbuh), “When will be your emergence?”[ By your, he ment imam Mahdi ‘s]. The imam stated,

“Woe! Woe! There wont be our emergence, unless you are screened!

…screened…and screened till

God eliminates your impurities and the pure remain.”

Somewhere else Abu basir and Muhammad ibn Muslim said, ” We heard from imam Sadiq( pbuh) that he stated,

‘ The Emergence wont happen, unless two third of peolpe apostatize!’

We wondered, ” If two third of peolpe will apostatize, who else will remain?!”

But the imam stated,’ Dont you like to be among the remaining one- third?!’

source:

۱-Tusi, A.J. “Al Ghayba”. P.339

۲-Al-Qummi, Ali b.”Ikmāl al-din wa itmām al-niʿma”. Vol.2, P.655