The Successor, An Inheritor
وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِنْ وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا {5}
And I fear ‘الْمَوَالِيَ’ my successors from after me, and my wife is barren, therefore Grant me an heir from You [19:5]
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) أَنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( عليه السلام ) كَانَ يَقْرَأُ وَ إِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوالِيَ مِنْ وَرائِي يَعْنِي أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَارِثٌ حَتَّى وَهَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بَعْدَ الْكِبَرِ
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Al Nowfaly, from Al Sakuny,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah-asws that: ‘Amir Al-Momineen-asws used to recite: And I fear my successors from after me, and my wife is barren, [19:5]’ – Meaning that he (Zakariyya-as) did not have an inheritor for himself-as until Allah-azwj Granted for him-as after the old age’.[1]
[1] Al Kafi – V 7 – The Book of Aqeeqa Ch 1 H 9