Who are Prophet Muhammads (S.A.) Ahlul Bayt (Household)? [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Who are Prophet Muhammad's (S.A.) Ahlul Bayt (Household) ?

The Holy Book tells
us about the Words of Allah, the Great and Almighty, concerning
them:

" Allah only
desires to keep away uncleanness from you, O members of the House! and to purify
you a (thorough
purification)." (33:33)

It is a virtue for
them. No one of all people has this virtue. There is no dignity more precious
than keeping away uncleanness from them and purifying them from all defects,
that is the purifying which the Most kind (Allah) likes for them with His care,
and it is not limited to a certain uncleanness or from a certain thing. So, it
implies general purifying from every defect and sin. From this holy verse, we
conclude the infallibility of the members of the Prophetic House (Ahlul-Bayt),
because every sin is uncleanness and committing sins does not agree with their
keeping away from them and their purification from them, so, they are, according
to this verse purified from uncleanness and sins.

Is infallibility a
thing behind this? Yes, all importance is in the concerned persons with this
virtue which no one of the community had, except them. Does this virtue concern
those who were in the House when the above- mentioned Holy Verse came down or
does it concern every one who belonged to the most purified Prophet because of a
certain affinity or ancestry? If the second question is accepted, then the
reality opposes it, because some of the Prophet's wives disobeyed him, and no
uncleanness is greater than this disobedience. So, certainly his wives are not
concerned with this virtue. Also some of those who belonged to the Prophet
because of ancestry committed grave sins and crimes, and it is not right that
Allah, the Almighty, wants to do a thing by the creation will, (1) but the thing
does not happen. As it is impossible that Allah wants to create a thing and the
thing does not happen, so all the Prophet's wives and all the Hashimites are not
included in the foregoing verse, because the women and the Hashimites might
commit what conflicts with purification, besides no one has said that all his
wives and all the Hashimites were infallible. And if the intended meaning in the
verse was the legal will, then no sense would the will of purification
concerning the members of the House (Ahlul-Bayt) have because Allah, the
Exalted, wants it from all people. As the verse concerns the outstanding merit
of Ahlul-Bayt, it indicates that the creation will is confined to them. Then the
legislation will is related to the acts of creatures, while the verse concerns
the act of Allah.

Therefore, if the
verse was related to the legislation will, He (Allah) would say:" Go and purify
yourself." So, there is no doubt that the concerned persons in the verse are
those who have been mentioned in the first question, namely the intended meaning
of the verse refers to certain people, and they were those who were in the House
of our master Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, where he covered
them and himself with his cloak (kisa'). So, the verse was sent down to them and
concerning them. They were Ali, Fatima, and their sons, peace be on them.
Moreover the correct traditions of the two parties (Shi'a and Sunna) affirm
that. And if there was no religious text that denotes that the verse concerns
them (Ahlul-Bayt), then their behavior would be the greatest evidence for the
relation between them and the verse, because their actions and sayings force us
to admit their honesty. This plain truth has been well known for the clear-
headed persons since the revelation of this clear verse till
today.

They certainly know
that the members of the House (Ahlul-Bayt) were the people of the cloak (kisa'),
who had countless noble qualities of which were purification from defects and
taking away uncleanness and sins. Yes, maybe, some of the Hashimites made use of
the general sense of the word (Ahlul-Bayt) to achieve their aims and to reach
the throne, so all the Hashimites used this verse to convince people to follow
them. Also the word 'Shi'ism' (tashayy) maybe used to refer to 'Ali and (the
members of the) House (Ahlul-Bayt) in the general sense, not the members of the
cloak (kisa') and the Imams from the sons of al- Husayn, peace be on them, but
the persons whom the floods of the rabble do not deviate them from the truth.
People knew that Shi'ism (tashayy) was limited to those certain Imams when
silence spread over them after the first one- third of the Abbasid dynasty when
the revolts of the Alawids were over. Our evidence is that the Abbasid were able
to destroy the Marwani dynasty and to take the reins of government by using the
words (Ahlul-Bayt).

The Abbasid used
these words to make the hearts of Shl'a incline to them and to make them a
bridge to build an entity for their authority and to destroy the entity of the
Omayyad dynasty that resisted the members of the House (Aahlul-Bayt) and their
followers throughout its' days and colored the surface of the ground with their
shed blood. Thus the Abbasids achieved their ambition through the members of the
and their the followers House (Ahlul-Bayt). They used them both as a bridge to
achieve their goals. Generally speaking they madeuseofall parties: the Abbasid,
the Talibis, the Alawids, the Ja'farids, the 'Aqilis, the Hassanis, and
Husaynis.

Then every Hashimite
used the same manner to summon people to support his rising. For example, Abd
Allah b. Mu'awiya b. Abd Allah ibn Ja'far revolted against Abu Muslim in Kufa
then in Persia because they had the followers of the members of the House
(Ahlul-Bayt), but Abu Muslim was able to kill Abd Allah when his followers
abandoned him. Besides Zaid and his son, and the two brothers Mohammed and
Ibrahim rose to take the authority from the enemies of the members of the House
(Ahlul-Bayt). After that, people realized that the Abbasids did not belong to
the members of the House (Ahlul-Bayt) because they pulled out the sword of
aggression against the members of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), who were the kinship
of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. Moreover, people knew that
the Abbasids wanted to achieve their aims when they summoned them to overthrow
the Omayyad dynasty under the pretext of avenging the blood of those who were
killed in (the Battle of) al-Taf and the crucifixion of Kanasah and Jawzjan and
the like.

That was because the
Abbasids had built their authority on the skulls of those who loved the members
of the House (Ahlul-Bayt). In other words, they showed the spite of their chests
and their evil inner most thoughts to ward Ahlul-Bayt and their followers.
Besides, Mohammed and Ibrahim disappeared when al- Safah took the reins of
government because they were aware of his intentions toward the close relatives
of the Prophet. (Muhammad Al-Husayn Al-Muzaffar, Imam al-Sadiq,
p.21-23)

The Rights and Attributes of Ahlul-Bayt, in the Qur'an and
Sunnah

The following is a
discourse on the rights and attributes of Ahlul-Bayt sccording to our Holy Book
(Qurm) and the Sunnah (way of life) of Prophet Muhammad
(p.b.u.h.).

By Ahlul-Bayt, we
meam the progeny of our beloved prophet (p.b.u.h.) since this is how Ayah 33 of
Surah Al-Ahzaab, is intributes.

Discourse can only be
logical when first we explore the justification of Ahlul-Bayt and then we
introduce their attributes.

The Identity of
Ahlul-Bayt: Umm Salama, the wife of our beloved Prophet says, "Ayah 33 of surah
33 (Al-Ahzaab) was revealed to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) when he was at my house.
After this revelation, the Messenger of Allah called upon Ali, Fatima, Al-Hasan
and Al-Husain to come to him and be under the mantle with him; then he
proclaimed "O' Lord, these are my Ahlul-Bayt, I implore thee to cleanse them of
all stigmas, and to purify them."

Thus, the Prophet
made known the identity of Ahlul-Bayt so as to prevent any exploitation of this
verse in the future.

Umm Salama then
remarked, "I asked if I could join them, but the Prophet said "halt" and
declared that "I am in goodness", meaning she was not of Ahlul-Bayt as mentioned
in the Ayah.

No statement could
have more clearly identified Ahlul-Bayt than this one. The Messenger of Allah
did not even permit his wife Umm Salama to join the ranks of Ahlul-Bayt, thus by
so doing he hindered any claims by his other wives in the future to that
honor.

Tibari, the great
historian, writes in his interpretation of the Holy Qur'an that Prophet Muhammad
(p.b.u.h.) said, "This Ayah was a revelation about me, Ali, Fatima, Al-Hasan and
Al-Husain. It is true that this Ayah is revealed amidst verses referring to the
wives of the Prophet, however, references to the masculine gender (words like
An'kum and Yu'tahirukum) prevents one from assuming that these verses were
referring to the wives of Allah's Messenger, too. On the contrary, according to
oft-repeated narrations and testimonials, no one but the daughter of the Prophet
and her husband and their two beloved boys, meaning the progeny of the Messenger
of God, are intended when references are made to Ahlul-Bayt.

Fundamentally, this
verse cannot be referring to the wives of the Prophet because the language of
the Qur'an in revelations about the spouses of the Prophet is harsh and
assertive whereas the references in the aforementioned Ayah are affectionate and
benevolent.

To clarify these two
languages, we point to the following judgments rendered by the Qur'an regarding
the wives of the Holy Prophet.

1. At times the
Revelation threatens them with distress and declares:

2. At times, the Holy
Book forbids them from treading the same course as the women of Jahiliya. When
such references are seen in the Qur'an (regarding the spouses of the Prophet),
is it fair to attribute the Ayah (which declares God's affection towards
Ahlul-Bayt) to no one but the Prophet's Pure Family?

3. In the 3rd Ayah,
two spouses of the Prophet (who revealed his secret) are reprimanded. They are
told to repent and that repentance is to their benefit since their hearts have
veered from righteousness and that if they conspire against the Prophet they
will not triumph since Allah and Gabriel, and the righteous and the angels are
the protectors and supporters of the Prophet.

The nature of the
secret that was about to be revealed is not pertinent at this point but the
important fact is that such people who are at the verge of openly opposing the
Prophet and are asked to repent are not in position to be pronounced immaculate
and cleansed. of sin as such.

There is no doubt
that all the spouses of the Prophet deserve special respect due to the fact that
they are related to the Messenger of God. However, such respect does not mean
the Qur'an's judgment about them can be ignored or that if anyone would speak
unkindly about them should be condemned.

Now that we
familiarized ourselves with the meaning and the usage of the term "Ahlul-Bayt"
the time has come for recounting some of their attributes.

The right to interpret the Word of God

Numerous verses in
the Holy Qur'an make it clear that an understanding of the inner-meaning (the
implied) and in other words the true test of the Holy Book is specific to
certain individuals and that the true status of the Qur'an and the hidden
revelations therein will not be known to any but such special individuals whose
characteristics include integrity.

According to Ayah 80
of Surah Wa'qi'ah, these individuals are the ones who have the ability to come
in contact with this fountain of knowledge in the Qur'an.

Therefore, it can be
concluded that the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet who are (according to Surah 33,
Ayah 33), free of all ignominy, are the ones who shall witness the true status
(meaning) of the Qur'an.

It is important to
mention here that according to the Holy Verses, the true standing of the Qur'an
is the vastness of the knowledge within its revelations. The final meaning
thereof, and that of the latent verses or the less than clear content, was to be
clarified to become the guidance to mankind. Therefore, those who have access to
the true status of the Qur'an, meaning the true knowledge of the firm and
unmistakable (Muh'kam) and to the unspecified (Mu'tashaabah), no doubt have full
command of the interpretation and allegoric explanation of the Holy
Verses.

The Qur'an calls the
interpreters of the firm and unmistakable (Muh'kam) and

the unspecified
(Mu'tashaabah) verses as: Al-Rasikhoon fil I'lm. meaning the Deeply Versed in
Divine Knowledge (of the Qur'an).

Ahlul-Bayt are entitled to one-fifth of
Ghanaa'em

The Holy Qur'an, in
Ayah 41 of Surah Anfaal, considers one-fifth of the Ghanaa'em (livelihood-gains)
as the property of Allah and the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), his relatives, the orphans,
the poor and the helpless.

We do not want to
divulge in a discussion of the term Ghanaa'em, whether to mean what is gained in
a war (spoils of war), or the normal income of a person attained through any
legitimate means. Those who believe that it is limited solely to the spoils of
war are deceived by the language of the era after the revelation.

In contrast to such a
view, the Qur'an and the Sunnah consider Ghanaa'em as the net profit or benefit
that one obtains, that can even include heavenly blessings and the benefits of
the hereafter.

In Ayah 94 of Surah
Nisaa' reference is made to those who seek the perishable wealth of this world
while the heavenly blessings are with God. Usage of the term Ghanaa'em in
reference to heavenly blessings is by itself proof of the truthfulness of the
claim that by Ghanaa'em the Qur'an means the total of what man acquires for his
livelihood, whether worldly, in the Hereafter, through war or as a result of a
business transaction.

Therefore, it is
incumbent upon the Muslim or the Islamic Jurisprudent to use one-fifth of
Ghanaa'em for the six-fold uses. These six-fold uses include the needs of the
household of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

The fact that the
word (to the Messenger) precedes the term to the kin, (Dhul Qur'ba) is proof
that by "kin" the Qur'an means the relatives of the Prophet, not those related
to the benefactors.

The three other
groups meaning the orphans, the poor and the travelers in special situation,
(ibn al-sabeel) are also somehow related to the Prophet.

Allah has forbidden
payment of zakat to the Hashimites but on the other hand has allowed payment of
khums to members of this family so that in addition to covering expenses
associated with leadership, they are able to support those who are dependent
upon this family for their sustenance.

But unfortunately,
after the demise of our beloved Prophet (p.b.u.h.), the rights of his progeny to
the fifth of Ghanaa'em was among the rights which were trampled
upon.

Not only were their
rights ignored but also their personal possessions were confiscated under the
pretext that the Prophet had not granted it to his beloved daughter; and
eventually all ended in the hands of Benu Umayya (Benu Sufyan and
Aal-Marwan).

In this regard,
wrongful justifications and erroneous jurisprudence replaced the command of
revelation. The Qur'an orders the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to pay the dues of
relatives and the poor and the traveler, and the Prophet grants the land of
Fadak to his daughter in accordance to this command. However, after the demise
of the Holy Prophet, personal vendetta replaced the laws of the
Book.

The term kin
(Dhul-Our'ba) is mentioned in the Qur'an 16 times, once singularly and 15 times
with prefixes like Dhi, Dhawi, and Ulu. At times, it means t'nose close to the
Prophet of God. Depending on the Ayah, where the Prophet himself is being
addressed, the Ayah is naturally referring to his relatives. According to
interpreters of the Holy Qur'an, Fadak was granted to Fatima (A.S.) after the
Ayah about Dhul Qur'ba was revealed to the Prophet.

Further deliberation
about the rights of Ahlul-Bayt is avoided since such discourse is broad and
beyond the means of this work.

The Love of Ahlul-Bayt is incumbent upon us

The Messengers of God
propagate Allah's Word in order to please the Almighty, and the motto of the
final Messenger of God, Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), was commanded by the Qur'an in
Surah Al-Shoora, Surah 42, Ayah 23:

" Declare [O'
Muhammad]: "I ask you of no recompense for my toil except the love for my kin
(family)." Whose earns good, We shall expand it for him. Verily Allah is
oft-forgiving, appreciates good works".

Thus, Allah commands
the Prophet of Islam to demand from the Ummah the love of his progeny. In the
Arabic language the term "Qur'ba" means kinship, and "Mawad'dat fil Our'ba"
means love of Dhul Qur'ba (kin) that we see throughout the Holy Qur'an. As
mentioned before, this word has been used with prefixes such as Dhi and
Ulu.

In addition, numerous
narrations clarify the brevity in this Ayah and show that by love and affection
toward relatives, the Qur'an means those closely related to the Prophet. Here we
bring to your attention some narrations by believers of the Sunni School of
Thought.

Ahmad Bin Hanbal
quotes the Prophet in his book "Fadha'il of the Sahaaba" and writes when the
above quoted verse, (Surah Al-Shoora, Surah 42, Ayah 23) was revealed,
Companions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) asked "O' Prophet of God, who are those
close to you and who are those people whose fondness and admiration is incumbent
upon us." The Prophet replied, "They are Ali, Fatima and their two children" and
he repeated this three times.

In his interpretation
of the Holy Qur'an, Sayooti quotes Ibn Abbas that the Ayah means that the right
of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) must be honored by honoring this family, and that
we should love them for his sake.

Kumayt Assadi, the
poet of the Umawi era has mentioned this Ayah in a poem and
writes:

"In a Surah that
begins with letters Ha-meem, we found an Ayah whose meaning was altered by the
dissimulators among us, Yet others (Imams) proclaimed the Ayah in its Rightful
Worth. "

Imam Shafi'i himself
being a descendant of the Prophet, in his famous works of poetry, calls the love
of Ahlul-Bayt an entitlement of the family of the Prophet and
writes:

"O' Pilgrims! On your
way to the House of Allah, pause shortly in the sands of Muzdalifah. At dawn,
when the caravans of pilgrims move toward Mina, like a roaring river, call upon
them and say: "If love of the Prophet's family means to Refuse, "Rafidhi" then
let Mankind know, that surely I am a "Rafidhi."

Of course, it must be
kept in mind that the love of this family benefits the Ummah more than it does
good for Ahlul Bayt, since he who loves one from the heart will follow the path
of his beloved and will take steps in such direction in life.

When the head of such
a great family stresses this issue and declares: (Who dies with the love of
Ahlul-Bayt, he will have died as a martyr), he is referring to true love that is
inseparable from action. Of course, this does not mean that he who loves Ahlul
Bayt must be absolving Islamic integrity or vindicating Islamic commands. What
it means is that a person should attempt tofollow their examples and should not
be negligent in religious duties or freely engage in what is
prohibited.

Ahlul-Bayt are authorities in religious teachings of Usool, (the basics
of the faith)

and Furoo' (the branches, acts of worship) of
Islam

The oft-repeated
Hadith of Thaqalain and the Mutawaatir Hadith of Safinah clearly illustrate that
Ahlul-Bayt are the authentic source of religious and intellectual reference for
Muslims after the demise of the Holy Prophet.

According to the
Hadith: "I leave after me two pivotal matters for you to cherish. One is the
Book of Allah and the other my progeny (Ahlul-Bayt)."

These two are further
described in the following Hadith: "As long as you seek refuge in the Qur'an and
Ahlul-Bayt in times of trouble, you will not go astray."

If the Qur'an is the
greatest source of knowledge for the Muslims, the progeny of the Prophet also
have such a status and position. If resorting to the Qur'an is a means of
finding guidance and avoiding the Qur'an results in deviation from the path of
righteousness, then the same is true for the Ahlul-Bayt."

According to the
second Hadith:

"The similitude of
Ahlul-Bayt is the same as that of Noah's Ark. Whoever boards it will be saved
and he who avoided it will drown."

This hadith proves
the religious authority of Ahlul-Bayt in the same manner the hadith of Thaqalain
does. Avoidance of Ahlul-Bayt again is considered a deviance or aimlessly
straying. Although the system of Khilaafah and Islamic leadership encountered
indecision and lack of unity after the demise of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and
individual based jurisprudence and (political) justifications prevailed,
however, none of this tainted the image of Ahlul-Bayt and their religious
authority.

Ali and his sons
continuously remained the problem-solvers of the Ummah and covered the roots and
branches of the faith in their teachings.

Despite this, the
Umawi and Abbasi dynasties attempted to create a deep rift between the Ummah and
Ahlul-Bayt. Shunning the progeny of Muhammad by Ahlul Sunnah in recent centuries
is the result of such ominous policies of the Umawi and Abbasi
dynasties.

As a result, in Sunni
jurisprudence, all scholars and writers of Ahadith are eagerly quoted, yet the
progeny of the Prophet are rarely mentioned. This can only be explained by the
mischief of the Muslim leadership in the past.

Today, the Informed
Society of Ahlul-Bayt can bring together all Islamic people around one single
axis and end discord. We hope and pray for the culmination of such aspirations,
success of the admirers of Ahlul-Bayt and harbingers of harmony and unity and
cessation of discord and division among Muslim ranks.

Salawaat is due to the progeny of
Muhammad(P.B.U.H)

Among the rights of
Ahlul-Bayt is that salawaat is due to them as well as the Prophet and that one
should not separate the Messenger of Allah from his progeny when chanting
salawaat.

Verily Allah and His
angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! send blessings on him
[Muhammad] and greet him with the fitting salutation.

When the above Ayah
was revealed, the Companions of the Prophet inquired about the manner in which
salawaat is to be said. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) answered:

When saying salawaat,
one must say: "O Allah! send Thy peace and blessings upon the Prophet and his
progeny in the same manner that You send it upon Ibrahim and his progeny for You
are Praiseworthy and Most High."

In his book
(Sawaa'iq), Ibn Hajr quotes the Prophet saying, "Do not deliver an unfinished
salawaat for me." Ibn Hajr adds, when the Prophet was asked what he meant by an
unfinished salawaat, the Prophet replied:

"Do not say 'O Allah!
send Thy peace and blessings upon Muhammad instead say: Allah! send Thy peace
and blessings upon Muhammad and upon Aali Muhammad".

Regretfully, this
unfinished salawaat is quite popular in writings of Ahlul-Sunnah and the
lectures of Sunni preachers.

In a Hadith, the
beloved Prophet (p.b.u.h.) insists that, "Whoever makes prayer and does not
declare salawaat for him and his family, his prayer is incomplete and will not
be accepted."

Imam Shafi'i attests
to this Hadith in a famous poem:

Roughly translated
Al-Shafi'i says: Oh the love of Ahlul-Bayt is such That it is a must since the
Qur'an has it established . Suffice it that their distinction is such That the
prayer is invalid if no salawaat is offered for them.

Honoring the homes of Ahlul-Bayt

It is incumbent upon
the Muslim Ummah to honor and respect the homes of Ahlul-Bayt and according to
the Ayah mentioned earlier:

"The light (of Allah)
shines upon dwellings that are made to be honored. In those homes men pray to
Allah every morning and every afternoon."

These homes are
honored and endeared both physically by being well-kept, and spiritually by
being kept pure. Special respect is due to such dwellings.

Sayooti writes in his
interpretation of the Qur'an that when this Ayah was revealed, the disciples of
the Prophet asked him what was meant by (homes). He replied, "The homes of the
Prophets." Then Abu Bakr asked him if the residence of Fatima (A.S.) was among
such homes. Prophet Muhammad replied, "Yes, and it is one of the best among
them."

Any disrespect
towards the homes of the Prophets and the residence of the Final Messenger of
Allah is prohibited and considered a transgression upon the person of the
Prophet. Such acts lead to apostasy.

If paying homage "
Tar'fii' " refers only to the physical appearance of these homes then their
well-keeping is a duty on Muslims. However, if dignifying means doing so in a
spiritual capacity, then respecting these dwellings is incumbent upon all
Muslims, too.

1. The creation will
is related to the Act of the willer (Allah) Himself; legislation will is related
to the acts of human beings, it concerns the religious
obligations.
By:
Ayatollah Muhaqiq Damad