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Dec 27, 202422 min read

The Fadak Series Part IV: Prophetic Inheritance in the Qur'an

Updated: 6 hours ago

When Fatima (as)'s access to Fadak was cut away, and presented with the hadith of Abu Bakr that was mentioned in the previous part, she immediately objected to this hadith instead of submitting to it. The mere opposition towards Abu Bakr's narration directly implies her lack of trust within him, as otherwise she would've accepted the sayings of the Prophet (saw) instead of trying to oppose them. In this article, we will examine the arguments of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) and demonstrate how Abu Bakr's hadith directly contradicts the Qur'an, and thus justifying her opposition of him towards it.

The Right of Inheritance for Women

When Islam was initially spread, the Arabs were very oppressive of women, seeing them as no more than property passed down from the father to the son. This meant that a father's wives would pass to his son after the father's death. Women had few to no rights, and this was common throughout many parts of the world. The West did not consider property rights for women until the 1800s, which was comparatively recent. Islam, however, stood unique, providing women with a detailed set of rights and protection from crimes that would otherwise have been seen as acceptable.

One of those rights include a woman's entitlement for property and her right to inherit it from her father. This was mentioned in the Qur'an in several verses, such as in Surah an-Nisa 4:7:

لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٞ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلۡوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبُونَ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٞ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلۡوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبُونَ مِمَّا قَلَّ مِنۡهُ أَوۡ كَثُرَۚ نَصِيبٗا مَّفۡرُوضٗا

From what is left by parents and those nearest related, there is a share for men and a share for women, whether the property be small or large, a determinate share.

The verse proves that a daughter is a legitimate heir of her father and is entitled to a share of his property. Another verse, Surah an-Nisa 4:11, states:

يُوصِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِيٓ أَوۡلَٰدِكُمۡۖ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثۡلُ حَظِّ ٱلۡأُنثَيَيۡنِۚ فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَآءٗ فَوۡقَ ٱثۡنَتَيۡنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَۖ وَإِن كَانَتۡ وَٰحِدَةٗ فَلَهَا ٱلنِّصۡفُۚ

Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females. But if there are [only] daughters, two or more, for them is two thirds of one's estate. And if there is only one, for her is half.

In this verse, Allah (swt) has laid out rules for Muslims with regard to inheritance, making it clear that all children inherit from their parents. If only daughters are present, then they take the share that would otherwise have gone to the sons.

We also read in Surah an-Nisa 4:33:

وَلِكُلٍّ جَعَلۡنَا مَوَٰلِىَ مِمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلۡوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبُونَۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ عَقَدَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُكُمۡ فَـَٔاتُوهُمۡ نَصِيبَهُمْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ شَهِيدًا

And for all, We have made heirs to what is left by parents and relatives. And to those whom your oaths have bound [to you] - give them their share. Indeed Allah is ever, over all things, a Witness.

Allah (s) has made everyone the heir of someone. This verse clearly incorporates Rasulullah (s) for he inherits from his parents, and his offspring inherit from him. We also read in Surah Ahzab 33:6:

وَأُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَرۡحَامِ بَعۡضُهُمۡ أَوۡلَىٰ بِبَعۡضٖ فِي كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ

And those of [blood] relationship are more entitled [to inheritance] in the decree of Allah than the [other] believers

The verse of the Qur’an places this obligation on all blood relations, and the children of Rasulullah (s) are included among these relations. The only one who outlived him was Fatima (as). Denying her this right was a clear injustice and a violation of the Qur’an. One who commits injustice can never be deemed rightly guided, as the Qur’an says in Surah Maidah 5:45:

وَمَن لَّمۡ يَحۡكُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

The Inheritance of Prophets

The Qur'an makes it very apparent that the Prophet's of Islam leave behind inheritance, and so the advocates of Abu Bakr have come up with a number of justifications to reconcile between Abu Bakr's Hadith and the verses of the Qur'an. But were any of their justifications explained to us by the Prophet (saw), or even believed by the companions themselves? It’s important to note that the most knowledgeable companion of Rasulullah (s), Ali b. Abi Talib (as), never agreed with Abu Bakr or his advocates' reinterpretations of the Qur'an.

This was highlighted to us by a report recorded by Ibn Sa'ad in his Tabaqat al-Kubra. Vol. 2, pg. 241:

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ. حَدَّثَنِي هِشَامُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنْ عَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَعْبَدٍ عَنْ ‌جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: جَاءَتْ فَاطِمَةُ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ تَطْلُبُ مِيرَاثَهَا. وَجَاءَ الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عبد المطلب بطلب مِيرَاثَهُ. وَجَاءَ مَعَهُمَا عَلِيُّ. فَقَالَ ‌أَبُو ‌بَكْرٍ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ: لا نُورَثُ. مَا تَرَكْنَا صَدَقَةٌ. وَمَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ يَعُولُ فَعَلَيَّ. فَقَالَ علي: وَرِثَ ‌سُلَيْمانُ ‌داوُدَ وقال زكرياء يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ. قَالَ ‌أَبُو ‌بَكْرٍ: هُوَ هَكَذَا وَأَنْتَ وَاللَّهِ تَعْلَمُ مِثْلَمَا أَعْلَمُ. فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ: هَذَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ يَنْطِقُ! فَسَكَتُوا وَانْصَرَفُوا]

Muhammad bin Umar informed us. Hisham bin Sa'd narrated to me from Abbas bin Abdullah bin Ma'bad, from Ja'far al-Sadiq (as), who said.:

“Fatima came to Abu Bakr and demanded her share in the inheritance. Al-Abbas b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib came to him and demanded his share in the inheritance, and ‘Ali came with them. Thereupon Abu Bakr said: ‘The Apostle of Allah said: ‘We leave no inheritance, what we leave behind us is sadaqah.’ I shall make provisions for those for whom the Prophet had made.’ On this ‘Ali said: ﴾Sulayman inherited Dawud﴿ (27:16) and Zakariya said: ﴾So that he may be my heir and the heir of the children of Ya’qub﴿ (19:6) Abu Bakr said: ‘This is as this is. By Allah! You know it as I know.’ Thereupon Ali said: ‘This is the book of Allah that speaks.’ Then they became quiet and retired.”

Ali (as) cited the verses of inheritance in the Qur’an, which we will explore in more detail shortly. This indicates that he understood them to refer to inheritance, and Abu Bakr never contested this interpretation by arguing that those verses didn't refer to inheritance or that it was only relevant to the Prophet. Why do Sunnis then justify those verse based on these reasonings, when they were never supported or said by Abu Bakr himself? The Sunni epistemology often revolves around constructing excuses or arguments to defend a particular position, without regard to whether this truly aligns with the original intention. We have seen this occur in too many incidents to count.

Prophet Zakariya (as)’s wealth left to be inherited

We read in Surah Maryam 19:4 - 6: 

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ ٱلۡعَظۡمُ مِنِّى وَٱشۡتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأۡسُ شَيۡبًا وَلَمۡ أَكُنۢ بِدُعَآئِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا (٦)  وَإِنِّى خِفۡتُ ٱلۡمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمۡرَأَتِى عَاقِرًا فَهَبۡ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا (٧) يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنۡ ءَالِ يَعۡقُوبَۖ وَٱجۡعَلۡهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا (٨)

He said, "My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy [i.e., disappointed]. (6) And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir. (7) Who will inherit me and inherit from the family of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You]." (8) 

The verse demonstrates that Prophets do indeed leave inheritance, as seen when Prophet Zakariya (as) asked Allah (swt) to grant him a child to inherit his material possessions. "Warith" (inheritance) is a term commonly associated with material wealth. To the ordinary Arab, when someone mentions "warith," it is understood to refer to material possessions. If someone passes away and it is said that they left a "warith," everyone would immediately understand that it pertains to their material belongings. The term is not ambiguous; it is not typically associated with knowledge or other non-material possessions. When Allah (swt) uses "warith" for something other than material possessions, He (swt) clarifies exactly what is being inherited within the same verse, leaving no room for doubt regarding the meaning. While Sunnis may differ in their interpretation of "warith" here, let us analyze the matter further.

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi mentions in his Tafsir al-Razi Vol. 11, pg. 156 regarding verse (19:6) Surat Maryam:

وثالثها: يرثني المال ويرث من آل يعقوب النبوة وهو قول السدي ومجاهد والشعبي وروي أيضاً عن ابن عباس والحسن والضحاك.

The third: ‘Inherit material possessions and inherit Prophethood from children of Yaqub, this is the statement of al-Siddi, Mujahid, al-Sha’bi and also narrated by Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan (al-Basri) and al-Dhahak.’

This was similarly affirmed as such in:

Scholars who were of this opinion include:

After seeing all this, we see the vastly stronger and most popular opinion is that the meaning of inheritance in this verse is in regard to wealth, and this is affirmed Ibn ‘Attiya in al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, Vol. 4, pg. 5 and al-Sam’ani in Tafsir al-Quran, Vol. 3, pg. 278 (that this was the majority opinion).

Even al-Qurtubi admits in his Tafsir al-Qurtubi. Vol. 18, pg. 415:

  وأما وراثة المال فلا يمتنع

Their statement that inheriting material possessions is not impossible. 

Though he tries to defend Abu Bakr by saying the hadith applies to Rasulullah (s) only, which is a weak argument that we will discuss in the next part.

Aside from the tafsir books, logically, this must refer to wealth because, as we see in verse 7, the dua includes a request for inheritance from the family of Ya’qub. If Zakariyyah (as) had only supplicated for an inheritor of his Prophethood, why would he also specify ‘from Ale-Ya’qub’ in the dua? This indicates that it cannot be referring to prophethood, as none of the sons of Ya’qub, except Yusuf, were Prophets. So how could Zakariyyah (as) be asking for prophethood to be inherited by an offspring, just as Ale-Ya’qub inherited prophethood from their father, when they themselves were not prophets or inheritors of prophethood in that sense?

If anyone ignorantly tries claim that perhaps they were prophets, let them refer to Surah Yusuf 12:5:

قَالَ يَٰبُنَىَّ لَا تَقۡصُصۡ رُءۡيَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ إِخۡوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُواْ لَكَ كَيۡدًاۖ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنَ لِلۡإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

He said, "O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers or they will contrive against you a plan. Indeed Satan, to man, is a manifest enemy.

Moreover, if one were to argue that the inheritance here refers to knowledge, then we would ask: What type of knowledge is this?

  • Inherit knowledge about shari’ah? Zakariyyah already delivered this knowledge through his da’wah, so there was no risk for it being stolen, hence no need for an inheritor.

  • Inherit unseen knowledge? There is no danger posed for him to fear his cousins if this was the knowledge, as knowledge of the unseen can only be given by Allah (swt) 

Al-Shawkani states in his Fath al-Qadeer. Vol. 3, pg. 380: 

واختلفوا في وجه المخافة من زكرياء لمواليه من بعده فقيل خاف أن يرثوا ماله وأراد أن يرثه ولده فطلب من الله سبحانه أن يرزقه ولدا

They (scholars) disagreed on the meaning of Zakaryia’s fear of his relatives, some said that he feared that they would inherit his property and he wished to have a son to inherit him, thus he asked Allah to grant him a son.

If we analyze his statement about the fear of his successors or inheritors, the following comes to mind:

  1. A fear occurs of something that can be stolen - immaterial possessions - as knowledge or prophethood cannot be stolen. Worldly possessions are tangible items that can be occupied by Muslims and non-muslims, hence it’s natural to fear having it usurped. 

  2. As Zakariyya had material possessions but no offspring to carry it, logically we can conclude his fear refers to his material possessions being stolen by wrongdoers. This is why he asked for a pious inheritor who would spend these items in a manner that befits the deen and spends in the way of Allah.

Elsewhere in the Qur’an we read, in Surah Ale Imran 3:38:

هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ

At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication."

Al-Naysaburi writes in commentary of this verse the following in his Tafsir Ghara'ib al-Qur'an, Vol. 4, pg. 470:

واختلف المفسرون في أنه طلب ولداً يرثه أو طلب من يقوم مقامه ولداً كان أو غيره؟ والأول أظهر لقوله في آل عمران ﴿رب هب لي من لدنك ذرية طيبة﴾ [آل عمران: ٣٨] ولقوله في سورة الأنبياء ﴿رب لا تذرني فرداً﴾ [الأنبياء: ٨٩]

The commentators differed on whether he was asking for a child to inherit from him or asking for someone to take his place, whether a child or someone else. The first opinion is more apparent due to his statement in Surah Aal Imran: 'My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring' [Aal Imran: 38], and his statement in Surah Al-Anbiya: 'My Lord, do not leave me alone' [Al-Anbiya: 89].

Al-Zamakhshari simiarily says in Tafsir al-Kashshaf, Vol. 3, pg. 129:

سأل ربه أن يرزقه ولداً يرثه ولا يدعه وحيداً بلا وارث، ثم رد أمره إلى الله مستسلماً فقال ﴿وأنت خير الوارثين﴾ أي إن لم ترزقني من يرثني فلا أبالي

He asked his Lord to grant him a child who would inherit from him and not leave him alone without an heir. Then, he entrusted his matter to Allah in submission, saying: 'And You are the best of inheritors,' meaning that if You do not grant me someone to inherit from me, I will not mind.

Zakariya (as) prayed for a helper and someone to inherit his worldly possessions, this is because he would not wish his property to fall in the hands of people who would misuse his wealth for wrongful matters.

Prophet Sulaiman (as)’s inherited his father's Kingdom

We read in Surah Naml 27:16:

وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَانُ دَاوُودَ ۖ وَقَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْمُبِينُ

And Solomon inherited David. He said, "O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty."

In this verse, it has been made clear to us that Sulaiman (as) inherited the Kingdom of Dawood (as) from him and this is well-known, for Sulaiman (as) had a huge Kingdom that he inherited from his father, which was given to him by Allah (swt). This is stated in the Qur’an itself as we read in Surah al-Baqarah 2:251:

فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ جَالُوتَ وَآتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَاءُ

So they routed them by Allah's leave and David slew Goliath; and Allah gave him the kingdom and wisdom, and taught him of that which

Notice how wisdom and kingdom are two separate things? Kkingdom is tangible while wisdom isn’t. Indeed Sulaiman (as) inherited both of these from Dawud (as). 

A list of scholars who mention this are:

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ مَالِكٍ السُّوسِيُّ، ثنا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ عَطَا، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ‌وَوَرِثَ ‌سُلَيْمَانُ ‌دَاودَ ‌وَرِثَ نُبُوَّتَهُ وَمُلْكَهُ.

أَخْبَرَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ هَارُونَ الطُّوسِيُّ فِيمَا كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ، ثنا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمَرْوَزِيُّ، ثنا شَيْبَانُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ قَوْلُهُ: وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَانُ دَاودَ قَالَ: وَرَّثَهُ نُبُوَّتَهُ وَمُلْكَهُ، وَعِلْمَهُ.

Narrated Ahmad b. Yahya b. Malik Al-Susi from Abdel-Wahab b. Ata from Sa’id from Qutada about his saying: “And Sulaiman inherited Dawood”. He said: He inherited Prophethood and his kingdom.

Narrated Musa b. Haroon Al-Tusi from Al-Hassan b. Muhammad Al-Murwani from Sufyan from Qutada about his saying: “And Sulaiman inherited Dawood”. He said: He inherited Prophethood, his kingdom and his knowledge.

One of the great Tabi’i Mufassirin affirms this to include the Kingdom of Dawud (as). Those who don’t know him, he is the student of Anas b. Malik and said to be by al-Dhahabi in Siyar A'lam al-Nubala. Vol. 5, pg. 269 - 270:

قَتَادَةُ … حَافِظُ العَصْرِ، قُدْوَةُ المفسِّرِيْنَ وَالمُحَدِّثِيْنَ

Qatadah… The Hafidh of his time, the role model of the Mufasireen and Muhaditheen.

We have cited 12 Sunni Tafsirs that Prophet Sulaiman (as) inherited the worldly possessions of his father. Moreover, we read in Surah Sad 38:30 & 31:

وَوَهَبْنَا لِدَاوُودَ سُلَيْمَانَ ۚ نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ ‎﴿٣٠﴾‏ إِذْ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ بِالْعَشِيِّ الصَّافِنَاتُ الْجِيَادُ ‎﴿٣١﴾

And to David We gave Solomon. An excellent servant, indeed he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah ]. (30) [Mention] when there were exhibited before him in the afternoon the poised [standing] racehorses. (31) 

These horses were inheritance and this is affirmed by the following scholars:

Shaykh Kamaluddin Muhammad b. Musa Damiri (C. 8th) records in Hayat al-Haywan, Vol. 1, pg. 315:

وجمهور المفسرين على أنها كانت خيلا موروثة

The majority of scholars say that those horses were inherited.

فقال الجمهور إن سليمان عليه السلام عرضت عليه خيل كان ورثها عن ابيه

The majority said that Sulaiman (as) brought for him horses he inherited from his father.

وجمهور الناس على أنها كانت خيلا موروثة

The majority of people state that those horses were inherited.

Did he inherit Prophethood?

This claim that Sulaiman (as) inherited prophethood from Dawud (as) is refuted by the very Qur’an itself, because Sulaiman was already a Prophet during Dawud’s lifetime.

فَفَهَّمْنَاهَا سُلَيْمَانَ ۚ وَكُلًّا آتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا

To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge;

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ عِلْمًا ۖ وَقَالَا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

We gave (in the past) knowledge to David and Solomon: And they both said: “Praise be to Allah, Who has favored us above many of his servants who believe!”

Sulaiman (as) was born during the lifetime of his father, and attained Prophethood during his father’s lifetime. Inheritance is something which is attained after death, thus this clearly proves that inheritance in the previous verse does not mean Prophethood rather it refers to his Kingdom. This also proves it cannot be knowledge and wisdom only, because he had it in his lifetime already. Secondly, where did the kingdom of Dawud go? Did it go to charity? No it’s famously known Sulaiman (as) had a huge kingdom, where did he get it from? It’s very clear that he inherited from his father the kingdom.

Some have falsely assumed Dawud (as) of having hundreds of wives and mistresses, this is a jewish fabrication. Ibn Abi al-Hadid makes mention that this claim comes from Ahlul Kitab in his Sharh Nahj al-Balagha Vol 8, pg. 343.

There is no evidence that other sons of Dawud (as) were alive after his death, and certainly presupposing this cannot be used as evidence against the Qur’anic affirmation that Sulaiman (as) inherited from Dawud (as). Secondly, even if they were alive it’s not necessarily the case they received nothing, they may have had a share of his wealth but the Kingdom was bestowed to Sulaiman (as) as he was the Khalifah (successor). A king has personal property distributed amongst heirs and sovereign land that goes to the one occupying his seat. 

Moreover, per the same logic - Allah (swt) says in Surah Sad 38:30:

وَوَهَبْنَا لِدَاوُودَ سُلَيْمَانَ ۚ نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ

To David We gave Solomon (for a son),- How excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn (to Us)!

Why didn’t Allah mention other sons but only Sulaiman (as)?  In the same way that reference to Sulaiman (as) in this verse does not negate the existence of other sons, likewise the verse of inheritance wherein only Sulaiman (as) is referred to, does not deny the other brothers their inheritance. That is of course assuming there were even any other sons or any living ones. So in any way you look at it, this argument is very weak.

Other Prophets leaving inheritance

We challenge our opponents to produce even a single authentic report proving that the kingdom of Dawud (as), the wealth of Zakariyyah (as) was distributed among the poor of their nations as Sadaqa after their deaths. If you are unable to produce a single authentic proof, we challenge you to bring forth even a weak tradition from either your sources or ours demonstrating this. If you cannot even produce a weak tradition, then we challenge you further to produce a single report from the Christian or Jewish sources, that shows that property of even a single Prophet (out of all 124,000 prophets) were distributed amongst the poor as Sadaqah when they died.

If you find incapable of providing any evidence of this, we would love to know: How come this hadith / ruling that the prophets’ properties are left for charity, is non-existent and unknown to all of mankind until Abu Bakr somehow was the only one aware of this? How strange!

Adam (as) leaving inheritance

The Qur’an says in Surah al-Baqarah 2:248: 

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ ءَايَةَ مُلْكِهِۦٓ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَبَقِيَّةٌۭ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ءَالُ مُوسَىٰ وَءَالُ هَـٰرُونَ تَحْمِلُهُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

And their prophet said to them, "Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed that is a sign for you, if you are believers."

These relics were originally in the hands of Adam (as) & then went to the descendants of the prophets after him. This has been mentioned by many of the major Sunni mufassireen. For example, we read in Tafsir al-Baghawi, Vol. 1, pg. 298 - 299:

وَكَانَتْ قِصَّةُ التَّابُوتِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْزَلَ تَابُوتًا عَلَى آدَمَ فِيهِ صُورَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ ع، وَكَانَ مِنْ عُودِ الشِّمْشَاذِ نَحْوًا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ أَذْرُعٍ فِي ذِرَاعَيْنِ، فَكَانَ عِنْدَ آدَمَ إِلَى أَنْ مَاتَ ثُمَّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ شِيثَ ثُمَّ تَوَارَثَهَا أَوْلَادُ آدَمَ إِلَى أَنْ بَلَغَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، ثُمَّ كَانَ عِنْدَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَكْبَرَ وَلَدِهِ ثُمَّ عِنْدَ يَعْقُوبَ ثُمَّ كَانَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَى أَنْ وَصَلَ إِلَى مُوسَى فَكَانَ مُوسَى يَضَعُ فِيهِ التَّوْرَاةَ وَمَتَاعًا مِنْ مَتَاعِهِ، فَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ إِلَى أَنْ مَاتَ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، ثُمَّ تَدَاوَلَتْهُ أَنْبِيَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَى وَقْتِ إِشْمَوِيلَ

The story of the Ark was that Allah, the Most High, sent down a box to Adam containing the images of the prophets, peace be upon them. It was made of shittim wood, about three cubits long in each of its arms. It remained with Adam until he passed away, then with Seth, and it was passed down to Adam's offspring until it reached Ibrahim. Then it was with Isma'il because he was his eldest son, then with Jacob, and then it was among the Children of Israel until it reached Moses. Moses placed the Torah and some of his belongings in it, and it remained with him until he passed away. After that, the prophets of the Children of Israel took care of it until the time of Ishmael…

قَالَ أَصْحَابُ الْأَخْبَارِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ تَابُوتًا فِيهِ صُوَرُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ أَوْلَادِهِ، فَتَوَارَثَهُ أَوْلَادُ آدَمَ إِلَى أَنْ وَصَلَ إِلَى يَعْقُوبَ

The people of akhbar narrate that Allah (swt) sent some relics to Adam (as) which contained pictures of the Prophets, and these relics were inherited by the children of Adam, to the point that they reached Ya'qub (as).

قوله تعالى: ﴿وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ عَايَةَ مُلْكِهِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ التَّابُوتُ ، أي: إتيان التابوت، والتابوت كان من شأنه فيما ذكر أنه أنزله الله على آدم عليه السلام، فكان عنده إلى أن وصل إلى يعقوب عليه السلام، فكان في بني إسرائيل يغلبون به من قاتلهم حتى عَصَوْا ، فغُلبوا على التابوت، غلبهم عليه العمالقة : جالوت وأصحابه في قول السُّدِّي، وسلبوا التابوت منهم

And their Prophet said to them, 'Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you,' meaning the coming of the Ark. And the Ark was among the special items mentioned that Allah bestowed upon Adam, peace be upon him. It remained with him until it reached Jacob, peace be upon him. Then it was among the Children of Israel. They used it to prevail over their enemies until they disobeyed. They were defeated while the Ark was with them. The giants overpowered them: Goliath and his companions, as stated by As-Suddi, and they took the Ark from them."

وكان عند آدم عليه السلام إلى أن مات، ثم عند شيث، ثم توارثه (4) أولاد آدم إلى أن بلغ إبراهيم عليه السلام، فلما مات كان عند إسماعيل؛ لأنه أكبر ولده، فلما مات إسماعيل (5) كان عند ابنه (6) قَيْدَار، فنازعه (7) ولد إسحاق، وقالوا: إن النبوة قد صرفت عنكم، فليس لكم إلا هذا النور الواحد، فأعطنا التابوت. فكان قيدار يمتنع عليهم، ويقول: إنه وصية لأبي (8)، ولا أعطيه أحدًا من العالمين

It was with Adam till he died, then it was with Sheeth, then the progeny of Adam inherited it till it reached to Ibrahim, when Ibrahim died it was with Ismaeel, because he was is his elder son, then when Ismaeel died, it was with his son Kedar, then Isaac’s progeny disputed with him about it and said: ‘Prophethood has gone from you and you have no other than this single light (the light of Muhammad) hence give us the covenant’, thus Kedar rejected to submit it to them and said: ‘It’s a legacy from my father and I would never give it to any one….’

Did no papers exist during the period of Adam (as) till Ya'qub (as)? If the possessions of Prophets are Sadaqah for the Ummah, then why were these relics not distributed as Sadaqah when these prophets died? Complimenting these tafsirs is the narrative from the Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 3, pg. 125 - 126:

Elisha was made a Prophet among the Israelites. He remained among them for as long as God wished them to be; then He took him to Himself. People followed each other in succession among them with sins increasing while the Ark was among them. Within it was Sakinah and a remainder of what the people of Moses and Aaron had left. It was handed down as an inheritance from one generation to another.

Ishaq (as) leaving inheritance

We read in Surah Yusuf 12:77:

 قَالُوٓا۟ إِن يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌۭ لَّهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ فَأَسَرَّهَا يُوسُفُ فِى نَفْسِهِۦ وَلَمْ يُبْدِهَا لَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ أَنتُمْ شَرٌّۭ مَّكَانًۭا ۖ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَصِفُونَ

They said, "If he steals - a brother of his has stolen before." But Joseph kept it within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said, "You are worse in position, and Allah is most knowing of what you describe."

In commentary of the above, the reason why there was this statement in Tafsir al-Madhhari, Vol. 5, pg. 53:

​​ففعل ذلك فعمدت إلى منطقة إسحاق كانوا يتوارثونها بالكبر فكانت عندها لأنها كانت أكبر ولد إسحاق

From Mujahid: …Ishaq’s (as) strap was to be inherited by the eldest child, being elder than Yaqub (as), his sister had inherited that strap and it was in her possession…

We can see that the inheritance of Prophet Ishaq (as) was not distributed as charity rather his daughter inherited his belongings. There are many traditions in the books of our opponents that demonstrate that the children of the Prophet (s) inherited from them. And there is not even a single report, which shows that any child of any prophet was refused for inheritance except for the incident of Abu Bakr.

Biblical Evidence

The Bible provides a detailed insight into the lives of Prophets and their properties. It is strange that there is not even a single clue to substantiate Abu Bakr’s hadith. On the contrary we see at various points that when Prophets die, their properties do not become charitable donations but are inherited by their offspring. 

Ayyub’s daughters inherited from him

We read in Job 42:15:

And in all the land there were no women so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.

Ya’qub’s inheritance reached the descendants of Yusuf 

In the Book of Joshua 24:32, it says regarding Ya’qub (Jacob)’s inheritance reaching Yusuf’s (Joseph)’s descendants.

The bones of Joseph which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt were buried at Shechem, in the portion of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; it became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

In other places in the Bible, we find the whole history of this Land of Shechem and why Prophet Joseph’s (s) bones were brought to this place after his death; Genesis 34. And before Joseph died (at the age of 110), he made a ‘will’ that his bones must be brought to this Promised Land. This whole incident can be found in Genesis 50:24 - 25:

Joseph said to his brothers: “I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, “When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place.”

Ibrahim leaves inheritance

We read in Genesis 15:1-6:

Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, “Abram, don’t be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly.” But Abram answered, “LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything.” The LORD replied, “No, he won’t! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.” Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That’s how many descendants you will have.” Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD was pleased with him.

Does the Bible have any relevance?

The changes in the Bible concern beliefs and prophecies, matters relating to inheritance would not necessarily be under that. The evidence that prophets inherit is proven from the Quran and Sunnah, so the use of the Bible is just affirming the evidence already mentioned. 

Should our opponents mock us for using this, let them know they’ve mocked their Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah as he himself affirms using the Bible in matters not proven to be lies; in his al-Qa’ida al-Jaleela, pg. 175:

وهذا الإسرائيليات يجوز أن يروى منها ما لم يعلم أنه كذب للترغيب والترهيب فيما علم أن الله أمر به في شرعنا وى عنه في شرعنا

This is like the [situation] of the Isra'iliyat [stories related by the Jews]. It is permissible to be narrated as long as we know that it is not a lie, for encouraging or discouraging in what we know that Allah has ordered in our law [shar'] or forbade in our law [shar'].

Applying the principle established by Ibn Taymiyyah to the Biblical references, we can that these narrations in no way conflict with the Law of Allah (swt) as set out in the Qur’an, wherein we learn that Prophets Dawud (as) and Zakariya (as) left inheritance – on the contrary they corroborate these verses. It is therefore perfectly acceptable to cite Biblical references to Prophetic inheritance.

Conclusion

This concludes our research, that the Holy Qur'an affirms that the Prophets of Islam leave behind Prophetic inheritance, and the Sunni scholars themselves have attested to the validity of this understanding of these verses. There remains not even a single jewish let alone muslim source indicating that any of the previous prophets forbid inheritance to be taken by their successors, but somehow Abu Bakr comes and claims this to be the case. After being disproven by Imam Ali (as), he remains quiet without addresing the issue, but continues with his lie nonetheless.

One extremely strange reply that Sunnis will try to come up with, as they always do, is to argue that the hadith of Abu Bakr only applies to Rasulullah (saw) and he was the only Prophet to not leave behind inheritance. We will address this argument in our next part.


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