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»

تحميل الملف الصوتي

‘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”’.

Summary of Meaning

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‘Umar met the man whom he appointed Governor of Makkah, which was inhabited by the most honourable of people. His governor told him that he deputized a person who was not of the nobility. ‘Umar expressed disapproval, fearing that this might cause some problem. When his governor told him that the man he deputized knew the Qur’an by heart, ‘Umar no longer disapproved. He confirmed what the governor did and cited the Prophet’s hadith that the Qur’an elevates some people and brings down others.