Hadith Text

"There will be twelve Amir after me." He said: "Then he said something that I did not understand. So I asked the one who was next to me, who said that he(s.a.w) had said: 'All of them are from Quraish."'

Source Reference

Book: Chapters On Al-Fitan

Author: Jami' at-Tirmidhi

Hadith: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2223

Scholarly Commentary

This noble hadith indicates the succession of twelve righteous leaders from the Prophet's nation, all descending from the Quraysh tribe. The number twelve holds significance in Islamic tradition, representing completeness and divine order.

The specification "from Quraysh" affirms the Prophetic wisdom in maintaining leadership within the tribe that produced the Final Messenger, ensuring continuity and preserving the religious establishment. This does not imply superiority of lineage but rather practical consideration for communal stability and recognition.

Classical scholars differ regarding the identification of these twelve leaders. Some interpret them as the first four Rightly Guided Caliphs followed by subsequent just rulers until the Hour, while others understand them as appearing at different times throughout Islamic history until the Mahdi emerges as the final among them.

The hadith serves as both glad tidings and warning - glad tidings that Allah will preserve this ummah through righteous leadership, and warning against abandoning the collective body and its legitimate imams from Quraysh.