A verse and its Tafsir.
Allah the Exalted says:
"They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah."
The term *habr* (rabbi/scholar) refers to the learned person.
He is called a *habr*
Because the trace of his knowledge remains.
Thus, the root of the word *habr*
Indicates the persistence of a trace or mark.
And that is why it is said,
"The skin of such-and-such person has a *habr*,"
Meaning a mark from a wound or sore remains upon his skin.
Among the narrations attributed to ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, is his saying:
"The scholars remain as long as time remains.
Their physical bodies are lost,
But their traces are present among the people."