Hadith of "Scholars Are the Heirs of the Prophets"
| Issued by | Prophet (s), Imam al-Sadiq (a) |
|---|---|
| Narrators | 'Abd Allah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah, Abu al-Bakhtari |
| Shi'a sources | • Al-Amali • al-Kafi • Basa'ir al-darajat |
| Sunni sources | • Sunan Ibn Maja • Sunan Abu Dawud • Sunan al-Tirmidhi |
The hadith "Scholars are the heirs of the prophets" (Arabic: حديث العلماء ورثة الأنبياء) is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a), quoting the Prophet (s), which identifies religious scholars as the successors of prophets. The general theme of the hadith is said to be the superiority of knowledge and scholars. In this hadith, "knowledge" refers to otherworldly knowledge (religious beliefs, ethics, and jurisprudential rulings), and "scholars" are understood to be those learned in religious sciences.
It has also been stated that the term "heirs" (waratha) refers to inheriting knowledge and wisdom, and "prophets" denotes those prophets with independent divine laws and scriptures. According to Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (d. 1071 AH/1660), scholars inherit the prophets' knowledge in terms of their prophethood, which is not incompatible with prophets leaving material inheritance as well. Some jurists have also cited this hadith to support the concept of wilayat al-faqih (guardianship of the jurist).
This hadith is recorded in early Shiite and Sunni sources, including Basa'ir al-darajat, al-Kafi, Sunan Ibn Maja, and Sunan Abu Dawud.
Significance and Chain of Transmission
The hadith "Scholars are the heirs of the prophets" is narrated by Imam al-Sadiq (a) from the Prophet (s), designating religious scholars as the inheritors of prophets. Some jurists, such as Imam Khomeini and Hossein-'Ali Muntazeri, have cited this hadith to established the doctrine of the guardianship of the jurist, considering the leadership of society as one of the roles of prophets that is transferred to scholars.
This hadith is cited in early Shiite and Sunni sources. Among Shiite scholars of hadith, al-Saffar al-Qummi (d. 290 AH/902-3) in Basa'ir al-darajat, al-Kulayni (d. 329 AH/941) in al-Kafi, and al-Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 381 AH/991-2) in al-Amali have transmitted this hadith.
Among Sunni scholars of hadith, Ibn Maja (d. 273 AH/886-7), Abu Dawud (d. 275 AH/888-9), al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH/892-3), and Ibn Hibban (d. 354 AH/965-6) have cited this hadith in their books.
Text of the Hadith
The hadith "Scholars are the heirs of the prophets" is cited in al-Kafi through two chains of transmission: one through 'Abd Allah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah, who is considered a reliable transmitter of hadiths, and another through Abu al-Bakhtari, which, despite its weakness, some have accepted due to its content. The text of al-Qaddah's report, in which Imam al-Sadiq (a) quotes the Prophet (s), is as follows:
"Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge therein, Allah guides him to a path toward Paradise. Verily, the angels lower their wings in approval for the seeker of knowledge, and those in the heavens and on earth, even the fish in the sea, seek forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge. The superiority of a scholar over a worshiper is like the superiority of the full moon over other stars. Scholars are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not bequeath gold or silver, but they bequeathed knowledge. Whoever acquires it has gained an abundant share."
Examining the Terms Used in the Hadith
In this hadith, scholars are described as the inheritors of prophets. Mirza Na'ini (d. 1315 Sh/1936) suggested that "scholars" may refer to the Shiite Imams (a), while others have interpreted it as religious scholars. Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq Ruhani (d. 1401 Sh/2022-3) considered it unlikely that "scholars" refers solely to the Imams, given the hadith's emphasis on the virtues of seeking knowledge.
In this hadith, "prophets" are understood to be those with independent divine laws and scriptures, identified as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Al-Fayd al-Kashani (d. 1091 AH/1680), a Shiite jurist and hadith scholar, interprets "scholars" as the spiritual heirs of the prophets, inheriting the spiritual nourishment of knowledge and wisdom from them.
Do Prophets Never Bequeath Money?
Main Article: We Prophets Never Bequeath
In one part of the hadith "Scholars are the heirs of the prophets," it is stated that prophets do not leave behind dirhams or dinars as inheritance; rather, their legacy is knowledge and wisdom, and thus their heirs are scholars. According to Mulla Sadra (d. 1050 AH/1640), a Shiite philosopher and mystic, this means that prophets, in their capacity as prophets, do not bequeath material wealth, but this does not preclude them from leaving other forms of inheritance.
Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (d. 1071 AH/1660), a Shiite hadith scholar, also believed that the greatest acquisition of prophets in this world is knowledge and wisdom. Thus, they bequeath these as their legacy, and their heirs are the scholars. According to him, this does not preclude prophets from leaving material inheritance in their physical capacity. Consequently, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) (the Prophet's Household) are heirs of the Prophet (s) both spiritually and materially.
Superiority of Knowledge and Scholars
According to Imam Khomeini, the general theme of the hadith "Scholars are the heirs of the prophets" pertains to the virtue and superiority of knowledge and scholars. Al-Kulayni also included it in al-Kafi under the section titled "The Reward of the Scholar and the Learner."
In his book Forty Hadiths (Chihil hadith), Imam Khomeini categorizes knowledge based on its purpose into worldly and otherworldly, stating that while all knowledge leads to perfection and honor, the hadith refers specifically to otherworldly knowledge. He defines otherworldly knowledge as encompassing knowledge of God (religious beliefs), self-purification (ethics), and religious rites and laws (jurisprudence), considering such knowledge as the means to attain felicity in the afterlife.