122 - The merits of Quranic scholars

عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ وَاثِلَةَ، أَنَّ نَافِعَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْحَارِثِ، لَقِيَ عُمَرَ[ رضي الله عنه ] بِعُسْفَانَ، وَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ عَلَى مَكَّةَ، فَقَالَ: مَنِ اسْتَعْمَلْتَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْوَادِي؟ فَقَالَ: ابْنَ أَبْزَى، فقال: وَمَنِ ابْنُ أَبْزَى؟ فقال: مَوْلًى مِنْ مَوَالِينَا. قَالَ: فَاسْتَخْلَفْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَوْلًى؟ قَالَ: إِنَّهُ قَارِئٌ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ عزَّ وجلَّ، وَإِنَّهُ عَالِمٌ بِالْفَرَائِضِ، قَالَ عُمَرُ: أَمَا إِنَّ نَبِيَّكُمْ ﷺ قَدْ قَالَ: «إِنَّ اللهَ يَرْفَعُ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا، وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ»

‘Āmir ibn Wāthilah narrated that

1. Nāfi‘ ibn ‘Abd al-Ḥārith met ‘Umar at ‘Usfān. ‘Umar had appointed him Governor of Makkah. [‘Umar] asked him: “Whom did you appoint over the people of this valley?” 

 2. [Nāfi‘] said: “Ibn Abzā”. [‘Umar] asked: “And who is Ibn Abzā?” He said: “One of our mawlas”. 

 3. [‘Umar] said: “You appointed a mawla as their ruler?” 

 4. [Nāfi‘] said: “He has learnt God’s Book, the Mighty and Exalted, by heart and he is well versed in the discipline of division of inheritance”. 

 5. [‘Umar] said: “Your Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘God elevates some people by means of this Book and brings down others”’.  

Hadiths projects