Re: Does Islam Prescribe Inherited Clergy and Leadership?
The earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He will, and the good end is for the righteous servants. (Quran 7:128).
A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if ye indeed have faith. (2:248)
Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people,- (3:33)
And give me a Minister from my family, (20:29)
There is a principle of hereditary succession in the Quran.
It was our Prophets pure progeny that was chosen by Allah (swt). That is why their love is made obligatory by Allah in the Quran and their thorough purification is guaranteed. It was the Qurayshi group in Saqifa that exploited the fact that the Prophet was from their tribe, and, therefore, they had more right to the caliphate than their opponents from the Ansar (the inhabitants of Medina).
Imam Ali said about the Saqifa "They argued by the tree but they destroyed its fruits." The tree refers to "the tribe of Quraysh" and the fruits refer to "the family of the Prophet". (Tarikh Tabari)