Persians and Egyptians in Hadith

I do know there will be a hiatus so take as long as you will Shoyukh!
But the question is: There is a Twelver Hadith from The Prophet that says "If learning were suspended to the highest part of the Heavens, the Persians would attain it.", there is also another one where he (ص) says "If Faith was suspended to the highest Star, these people would attain it" and he put his hand on the shoulder of Salman. As for the Egyptians, in Sahih Muslim there is a Narration from Abu-Zar in which The Prophet said "You will conquer Egypt, known as the Land of Qīrāt, so treat its people kindly, for theirs is kindness and compassion, and if you see in it two men arguing over a brick, then leave it." I want to know what is the Zaydi view of these Hadeeth? Are there similar narrations in Zaydi Tradition? May Allah reward you endlessly for your time.

As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh, akhī al-karīm,

I have searched the works of our ʿUlamāʾ regarding these two ḥadīths, but I have not found any report that directly resembles them.
Regarding the acceptance of non-Zaydī-transmitted aḥādīth: as we have discussed in another thread, if the narrators (ruwāt) of such a ḥadīth are trustworthy, and the content does not contradict the consensus (ijmāʿ) of the Ahl al-Bayt, then it is deemed acceptable.

As for the explanation (sharḥ) of such ḥadīths, it should always be done in a way that aligns with the ʿaqīdah of the Ahl al-Bayt.

Below I will present my own humble opinion regarding these reports. This is not a claim to absolute understanding—so please do not take it as definitive.

On the ḥadīth about the Persians:

The Arabic text is as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ:
"لَوْ كَانَ الْإِيمَانُ عِندَ الثُّرَيَّا لَنَالَهُ رِجَالٌ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ."
قال: وأشار بيده إلى فارس.

In another version, the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have placed his hand on the shoulder of Salman al-Fārisī (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu).

This ḥadīth clearly praises certain individuals, specifically some from among the people of Salman al-Fārisī, who was famously Persian.

The sentence begins with لو, which expresses a counterfactual or unreal condition — similar in meaning to saying: "Were it that…"

The next part, كَانَ الْإِيمَانُ عِندَ الثُّرَيَّا, means:

"Faith were with (or at) the Pleiades."

Putting these two together:

"Were it that faith were at the Pleiades…"

Then follows:

لَنَالَهُ رِجَالٌ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ

Here:

The particle "لَـ" (lam) indicates certainty.

The word "رِجَالٌ" (indefinite plural) suggests that not all, but some among them would attain it.

Thus, the full meaning would be something like:

"Even if faith were at the Pleiades, certainly some men from among these people (i.e., the Persians) would reach it."

The ḥadīth does not claim that faith is with the Pleiades.

It does affirm that some Persians would surely attain it — even if it were far and unreachable.

It is a praise of specific individuals among the Persians, not a blanket statement about the entire ethnicity.

Conclusion:

This ḥadīth is often used in different ideological contexts:

Nationalist-minded Persians use it to suggest ethnic superiority.

Imāmī (Twelver) Shīʿa claim it proves that the truth lies with their madhhab, since Iran (Persia) is now majority-Twelver.

Classical Sunnī scholars have understood it as a recognition of the significant role that Persian scholars played in preserving and developing Islamic sciences.

From a Zaydī perspective, I would say:

The ḥadīth does not prove ethnic superiority.

It certainly does not validate Imāmism, especially considering that Iran only became majority-Twelver Shīʿī in the 16th century due to Safavid state enforcement.

Before the Safavid era, Sunnism dominated Persia, and the largest Shīʿa communities were often Zaydī, not Twelver.

Many Daylamites and Ṭabarīs were Zaydīs.

The Buyid dynasty, the most powerful pre-Safavid Shīʿa dynasty, was initially Zaydī.

The great scholar Ṣāḥib ibn ʿAbbād was most likely a Zaydī.

Numerous major Zaydī scholars came from Persia, and several of our Imāms resided there and even exercised their Imāmate from Persian lands.

It's also worth noting that Ray, now part of modern Tehran, was historically home to a large Zaydī population during Sunnī rule — something often overlooked.

Thus, if this ḥadīth is used to support the Persian connection to truth, then one can just as validly argue that many great Zaydīs were Persian, and that the Zaydī legacy in Iran long predates the rise of Twelver dominance under Safavid coercion.

Wa-s-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh.

as-salamu alaikum,

as for the hadith on egypt:

َحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَعُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، سَمِعْتُ حَرْمَلَةَ الْمِصْرِيَّ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ شُمَاسَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي بَصْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي، ذَرٍّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ إِنَّكُمْ سَتَفْتَحُونَ مِصْرَ وَهِيَ أَرْضٌ يُسَمَّى فِيهَا الْقِيرَاطُ فَإِذَا فَتَحْتُمُوهَا فَأَحْسِنُوا إِلَى أَهْلِهَا فَإِنَّ لَهُمْ ذِمَّةً وَرَحِمًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ أَوْ قَالَ ‏"‏ ذِمَّةً وَصِهْرًا فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ رَجُلَيْنِ يَخْتَصِمَانِ فِيهَا فِي مَوْضِعِ لَبِنَةٍ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَرَأَيْتُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ شُرَحْبِيلَ بْنِ حَسَنَةَ وَأَخَاهُ رَبِيعَةَ يَخْتَصِمَانِ فِي مَوْضِعِ لَبِنَةٍ فَخَرَجْتُ مِنْهَا ‏.‏

Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
You would soon conquer Egypt and that is a land which is known (as the land of al-qirat). So when you conquer it, treat its inhabitants well. For there lies upon you the responsibility because of blood-tie or relationship of marriage (with them). And when you see two persons falling into dispute amongst themselves for the space of a brick, than get out of that. He (Abu Dharr) said: I saw Abd al-Rahman b. Shurahbil b. Hasana and his brother Rabi'a disputing with one another for the space of a brick. So I left that (land).

The best explanation I know of this hadith is that it is a prophecy regarding the Muslim conquest of Egypt. The Prophet ﷺ advises the Muslims to treat the Egyptians with kindness due to their kinship with the Arabs through Hagar (ʿalayha al-salām), the mother of Ismāʿīl (ʿalayhi al-salām). This blood relationship is explicitly mentioned in the hadith. Additionally, there is a marital connection, as the Prophet ﷺ was married to Maria al-Qibtiyya, an Egyptian woman and the mother of his son Ibrāhīm.

What stands out in this hadith is the reference to two individuals disputing over a single brick—a symbolic way of referring to petty disputes, particularly over land and material possessions. The Prophet's ﷺ advice to leave Egypt in such a scenario may reflect a warning against the societal and moral decline that arises when people begin to quarrel over trivial matters.

In my view, this hadith may also be interpreted as a prophecy and an implicit counsel to withdraw from Egypt once it comes under the control of Muʿāwiyah through ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ. The quarreling could allude to that political shift and unrest. More broadly, it may be seen as advice to distance oneself from lands dominated by tyranny and injustice.

Wa al-salām ʿalaykum.