Studying through Hadith the Allegation that the Prophet (S) Did not Make a Will

This article seeks to study the allegation that there are reports in Sunni textual sources that the Prophet of Islam (S) did not leave a WILL before he passed away. The problem is that this conduct on the part of the Prophet is not in harmony with what has been asserted in jurisprudence and religion about the significance and virtue of leaving a will¡ not to mention the fact that the Book¡ Prophetic tradition¡ normative conduct of the Prophet and consensus bear witness to the same. Although extensive discussions have been carried out between the two branches of Islam (Shias and Sunnis) on this issue¡ most of the discussions that have so far been made tend to be either theological or ideological whereas¡ in fact¡ the present article seeks to study this issue from the perspective of hadith. Thus¡ the main question addressed here is: Did the Prophet (S) make a will? Some efforts made to resolve this issue have not been successful and the factors responsible for their failure have been enumerated. As well¡ the traditions transmitted through Sunni sources have been studied and analyzed and the Shiite position has been substantiated after the Sunni traditions have been proved to be poor and inauthentic.