In this respect, the Holy Qur'an states: هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِين He it is Who raised among the inhabitants of Mecca a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His communications and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, although they were before certainly in clear error.
(62:2) The system that the (‘a) set forth for managing the affairs of the virtuous community is based on the aforementioned concept of Imamate. Even if an Imam is circumstantially deprived of authority and power to rule, he must still possess all the particularities and qualifications to undertake all the responsibilities and carry out all the duties divinely entrusted upon him. The public, on the other hand, must obey the Imam.
All such responsibilities and duties must be compatible with the circumstances as well as the virtuous community that is being managed. The ability or inability to perform such responsibilities and duties would depend upon the circumstances. In the age of the absence of the Imam, the well-qualified mujtahid , in his capacity as the natural heir of the Prophets and the Imams, must undertake this mission.
The Prophets have in fact not left gold or silver coins as their legacies, but rather great knowledge and wisdom. In this respect, the Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said: اَلعُلَمَاءُ مَصَابِيحُ الأَرْضِ، وَخُلَفَاءُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَوَرَثَتِي، وَوَرَثَةُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ. The scholars are the lanterns of the earth, the representatives of prophets, my heirs and the heirs of the prophets.
Verily, scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets have not left behind them Dirhams or Dinars; rather, the treasure they have left behind is their discourses. So, whoever applies some of these discourses acquires a great share of the fortune. You must consider the source from which you take your knowledge.