ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā
Hadith 9494 - وَبِهذَا الإِسنادِ قالَ: قالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُعَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ: اَللَّهُمَّ ارحَم خُلَفائِي ثَلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قِيلَ لَهُ: ومن خلفاؤك؟ قالَ: الَّذِينَ يأتُونَ مِن بَعْدِي وَيَروُونَ أَحادِيثي وَسُنَّتي فَيُعَلِّمونَهَا النَّاسَ مِن بَعْدِي.
31-94 According to the same documentation, God’s Prophet (S) said the following three times, “O God! Please have Mercy upon my successors.” They asked him (a.s.), “Who are your successors?” He (a.s.) replied, “They are the ones who come after me, tell the people my narrations and teach them my traditions.”