عَنْ اَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ الصَّادِقِؑ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اَنَا سَيِّدُ النَّبِيِّينَ وَ وَصِيِّي سَيِّدُ الْوَصِيِّينَ وَ اَوْصِيَائِي سَادَةُ الْاَوْصِيَاءِ اِنَّ آدَمَ سَاَلَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ اَنْ يَجْعَلَ لَهُ وَصِيّاً صَالِحاً فَاَوْحَى اللهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ اِلَيْهِ اَنِّي اَكْرَمْتُ الْاَنْبِيَاءَ بِالنُّبُوَّةِ ثُمَّ اخْتَرْتُ خَلْقِي وَ جَعَلْتُ خِيَارَهُمُ الْاَوْصِيَاءَ ثُمَّ اَوْحَى اللهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ اِلَيْهِ يَا آدَمُ اَوْصِ اِلَى شَيْثٍ فَاَوْصَى آدَمُ اِلَى شَيْثٍ وَ هُوَ هِبَةُ اللهِ بْنُ آدَمَ ….. وَ اَوْصَى يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا اِلَى مُنْذِرٍ وَ اَوْصَى مُنْذِرٌ اِلَى سُلَيْمَةَ وَ اَوْصَى سُلَيْمَةُ اِلَى بُرْدَةَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَ دَفَعَهَا اِلَيَّ بُرْدَةُ وَ اَنَا اَدْفَعُهَا اِلَيْكَ يَا عَلِيُّ وَ اَنْتَ تَدْفَعُهَا اِلَى وَصِيِّكَ وَ يَدْفَعُهَا وَصِيُّكَ اِلَى اَوْصِيَائِكَ مِنْ وُلْدِكَ وَاحِدٍ بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ حَتَّى يُدْفَعَ اِلَى خَيْرِ اَهْلِ الْاَرْضِ بَعْدَكَ وَ لَتَكْفُرَنَّ بِكَ الْأُمَّةُ وَ لَتَخْتَلِفَنَّ عَلَيْكَ اخْتِلَافاً شَدِيداً الثَّابِتُ عَلَيْكَ كَالْمُقِيمِ مَعِي وَ الشَّاذُّ عَنْكَ فِي النَّارِ وَ النَّارُ مَثْوًى لِلْكَافِرِينَ
Imam Sadeq (peace be upon him) informs that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said, “I am the Chief of the Prophets and my successor is the Chief of the successors. My successors are the chiefs of the successors. Surely, (Prophet) Adam (peace be upon him) asked Allah – Mighty and Majestic be He – that He should appoint for him a righteous successor. So Allah – Mighty and Majestic be He – revealed to him, ‘Verily, I have honoured the Prophets with Prophethood. Thereafter, I selected My creatures and made the chosen ones among them as the successors. Then Allah said, ‘O Adam! You appoint Shaith as your successor and he was Hebatullah the son of Adam….and Yahya Ibn Zakariyya willed to Mundhir, who willed to Sulaimah, who willed to Burdah…Burdah handed it to me (viz. the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.a.), and I am handing it to you, O Ali! You should hand it to your successor and your successor should hand it over to the successors from your progeny, one after the other, till it is handed to the best person of the earth after you. Indeed, the nation will disbelieve on your account and there will be intense disagreements in it regarding you. The one who is steadfast upon you (i.e. your mastership) is like the one who is steadfast with me. The one who disassociates himself from you will be in the hell-fire and hell-fire is the abode of the disbelievers.”
References:
1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, p. 57, Chapter 2, H. 1 باب 2- آخر في اتصال الوصية و ذكر الأوصياء من لدن آدم إلى آخر الدهر
2. Al-Amaali of Shaikh Saduq (r.a.), p. 402, Majlis 63, H. 3