Book: Dalail an-Nubuwwah by Bayhaqi

باب ما جاء في إخبار النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن خلفاء يكونون بعده فكانوا

Chapter: Chapter on what was reported about the Prophet, peace be upon him, regarding the successors who would come after him, and so they did.

Volume: 6 (Page:338)

English:

Chapter on the Successors of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Narrated by Abu Huraira: I sat with Abu Huraira for five years and heard him talking about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He said, "The children of Israel were ruled by their prophets. Whenever a prophet died, another would succeed him. But there will be no prophet after me, and there will be successors after me, and they will number many."

They said, "What do you order us (to do)?" He said, "Fulfill their rights and give them what is due to them, for indeed Allah will question them about what He entrusted them with." [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Explanation of terms:

  1. "Were ruled by their prophets": This means the prophets managed their affairs as princes or governors govern their subjects, and policy refers to acting on something in a way that benefits it.
  2. "Fulfill their rights and give them what is due to them": If a caliph is appointed after a caliph, the pledge of allegiance to the first caliph is valid and must be fulfilled, and the pledge to the second is invalid and it is forbidden to fulfill it.

References: This hadith is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari in the Book of Prophets (No. 60) and Sahih Muslim in the Book of Governance (No. 33) under the chapter on fulfilling allegiance to the successors, the first of them being the first. Ibn Majah also recorded it in the Book of Jihad, and Imam Ahmad in his Musnad.

Arabic:

بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي إِخْبَارِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ خُلَفَاءَ يَكُونُونَ بَعْدَهُ فَكَانُواأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ: مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْفَضْلِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ فُرَاتٍ يَعْنِي الْقَزَّازَ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا حَازِمٍ يُحَدِّثُ، قَالَ: قَاعَدْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ خَمْسَ سِنِينَ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يُحَدِّثُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ [ (١) ] كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَ نَبِيٌّ وَإِنَّهُ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي، وَسَتَكُونُ خُلَفَاءُ فَتَكْثُرُ. قَالُوا: فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا؟ قَالَ: فُوا [ (٢) ] بِبَيْعَةِ الْأَوَّلِ فَالْأَوَّلِ وَأَعْطُوهُمْ حَقَّهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ سَائِلُهُمْ عَمَّا اسْتَرْعَاهُمْ.رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ ومُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ بَشَّارٍ [ (٣) ] .[ (١) ] (تسوسهم الأنبياء) أي يتولون أمورهم كما تفعل الأمراء والولاة بالرعية، والسياسة: القيام على الشيء بما يصلحه.[ (٢) ] (فُوا بِبَيْعَةِ الْأَوَّلِ فَالْأَوَّلِ) أي إذا بويع لخليفة بعد خليفة، فبيعة الأول صحيحة يجب الوفاء بها، وبيعة الثاني باطلة يحرم الوفاء بها.[ (٣) ] أخرجه البخاري في: ٦٠- كتاب الأنبياء (٥٠) باب ما ذكر عن بني إسرائيل، ومسلم في: ٣٣- كتاب الإمارة (١٠) باب الوفاء ببيعة الخلفاء، الأول فالأول، الحديث (٤٤) ص (٣: ١٤٧١) ، وأخرجه ابن ماجة في الجهاد، والإمام أحمد في «مسنده» (٢: ٢٩٧) .

Vols: Intro, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Chapters