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Who are the Ahl al-Bayt (People of the House) in the Purification Verse (Ayah al-Tat`hir)? And who are the Members of the Family in the Verse of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS)?
ID: 181 Publish Date: 24 January 2016 - 18:11 Count Views: 3534
Question & Answer » Imamat and Caliphate
Who are the Ahl al-Bayt (People of the House) in the Purification Verse (Ayah al-Tat`hir)? And who are the Members of the Family in the Verse of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS)?

Questioner 's name: Aliakbar Salimi

 

Explaining the question:

Question1: who are the Ahl al-Bayt in the purification Verse and who are Ahl al-Bayt in the verse of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS)

In the first verse Ahl al-Bayt is the family of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and in the second verse the Ahl al-Bayt is the family of the prophet of God (PBUH).

The argument between Sunnis and Shiites is about who the Ahl al-Bayt is in each verse. Sunnis know it as a general concept for all the relatives whereas Shiites discuss it as a special group only. Shiites base their argument on the Quranic verses and at the same time on the Sunnis’ narrations to prove their claim about this matter. But there is a disagreement among Sunnis about the meaning of (Ahl al-Bayt) because they are disassociated from the divine source.

Support for the Shiites ' view:

The lexical meaning of the Member of the Family (Ahl al-Bayt):

In Arabic language the phrase اهل الرجل is used to refer to the family of that man. So firstly the Ahl al-Bayt of a man is the wife, children and also the relatives.

The term the Members of the Family in view of Quran:

But there is a special religious term which is special for the meaning of Ahl al-Bayt:

In the Quran the term (اهل) {Ahl} is used for some of the prophets’ special relatives and it doesn’t include all the relatives. Because in the Quran even the son of Noah (AS) was exempt from the members of Noah’s family. Even some prophet’s wives were exempt like (the wives of Noah and Lot)

قَالَ يَا نُوحُ إنَّهُ لَيسَ مِن أهلِکَ إنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيرُ صَالِحٍ (سوره هود آيه 46)

Said He, ‘O Noah! Indeed He is not of your family. Indeed he is [personification of] unrighteous conduct.

So to understand the meaning of the member of the family of each messenger, we must go back to the divine source and learn about the meaning of the members of the family.

It’s better to return to the narrations which are agreed upon by Shiites and Sunnis to learn about Ahl al-Bayt of the prophet of God (PBUH).

Regarding the revelation of Sura al-Ahzab, Sunnis quoted the narration of Hadith al-Kisa (Hadith of the Event of the Cloak).

عن صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتِ شَيْبَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم غَدَاةً وَعَلَيْهِ مِرْطٌ مُرَحَّلٌ مِنْ شَعْرٍ أَسْوَدَ فَجَاءَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ فَأَدْخَلَهُ ثُمَّ جَاءَ الْحُسَيْنُ فَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ جَاءَتْ فَاطِمَةُ فَأَدْخَلَهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ عَلِيٌّ فَأَدْخَلَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ (إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا).

 

Aisha says: When the prophet of God (PBUH) was going out wearing a patterned cloak made of a black hair. Then Hassan Ibn Ali (AS) came then he wrapped him under it. Then Hussain Ibn Ali (AS) came and he also wrapped him. Then Ali (AS) came and he wrapped him under it. Then said: God desires to take away any uncleanliness from you, people of the household, and purify you.

-Sahih Moslem: 7/ 130, hadith 6414

 

ودعا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الحسن والحسين وعليا وفاطمة فمد عليهم ثوبا فقال اللهم هؤلاء أهل بيتي فأذهب عنهم الرجس وطهرهم تطهيرا

The prophet (PBUH) called al-Hassan (AS), al-Hussain, Ali (AS) and Fatima then he covered them with a cloth and said: God! They are my family so take away anyuncleanliness from them and purify them.

-Sonan Al-Nesai Al-Kobra, v 5 p 113

3871 حدثنا محمود بن غيلان حدثنا أبو أحمد الزبيري حدثنا سفيان عن زبيد عن شهر بن حوشب عن أم سلمة أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم جلل على الحسن والحسين وعلي وفاطمة كساء ثم قال اللهم هؤلاء أهل بيتي وخاصتي أذهب عنهم الرجس وطهرهم تطهيرا فقالت أم سلمة وأنا معهم يا رسول الله قال إنك إلى خير قال هذا حديث حسن وهو أحسن شيء روي في هذا وفي الباب عن عمر بن أبي سلمة وأنس بن مالك وأبي الحمراء ومعقل بن يسار وعائشة


 

Umm Salamah, the wife of the prophet, (peace be upon him) says: the prophet of God took Hassan, Hussain, Ali and Fatima under a cloak, Then said “O! God they are my household and my closest relatives. Take away any uncleanliness from them and purify them”. Umm Salamah says: “I asked him “am I a member of Ahl al-Bayt?” He said “you’re a good person but you are not a member of Ahl al-Bayt, you are from the good people”

 -Sonan Al-Termezi, v 5 p 699

Tirmadhi says: this is a proper narration and the best one about this matter…

Albani accounted this narration in his book (Sahih Sunan al-Tirmadhi, al-Albani, vol 3, p 306, Hadith No. 3205) as true.

And also Hakim Neyshabouri quotes this narration and says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط البخاري ولم يخرجاه.

This narration is authentic from the view of Bukhari and Muslim but they have never quoted it

 

-Al-Mostadrak: v 2 p 416, 3 / 146

And also he has mentioned a narration of the same content:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط البخاري ولم يخرجاه.


This narration is authentic from the view of Muslim but he has never quoted it.

 - Al-Mostadrak: v 2 p 416

Even Tabrani mentions ten narrations from number 2662 to number 2673 in vol 3 p 52 which clearly state the same content that the household of the prophet are only Ali (AS), Hassan (AS) and Hussain (AS) and even Umm Salama who is one of the wives of the prophet (PBUH) is not a member of the group.

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and Tabarani have also quoted the following narration from Umm Salama that she says:

فرفعت الكساء لأدخل معهم فجذبه من يدي وقال: إنّك على خير. 

So I rose the cloak up to enter with them, so the prophet took it out of my hands and said “you are a good person”

-Mosnad Ahmad, v 6 p 323, Al-Mojam Al-Kabir lel Tabarani, v 3 p 53

More interestingly, Ibn Taymiyah the theoretical leader of Wahhabis says the following about them:

والحسن والحسين من أعظم أهل بيته اختصاصا به كما ثبت في الصحيح أنه دار كساءه على علي وفاطمة وحسن وحسين ثم قال اللهم هؤلاء أهل بيتي فأذهب عنهم الرجس وطهرهم تطهيرا

The meaning is clear. O! God! They are my family, so take any uncleanliness away from them and purify them.

-Menhaj Al-Sonat Al-Nabaviye, v 4 p 561

In these sentences there is no prerequisite for the purification of Ahl al-Bayt. This means that their piety is the prerequisite.

God says about the wives of the prophet in the Holy Quran:

يَا نِسَاءَ النبي لَستُنَّ کَأَحَدٍ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إن اتَّقَيتُنَّ (سوره احزاب آيه 32)

O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women: if you are wary [of Allah], then do not be complaisant in your speech, lest he in whose heart is a sickness should aspire, and speak honorable words

Also it’s mentioned in some of the authentic narrations of Sunnis that some of the eminent Companions don’t consider the wives of the prophet (peace be upon him) as a member of Ahl al-Bayt:

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ قَالَ دَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتَ خَيْرًا لَقَدْ صَاحَبْتَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَصَلَّيْتَ خَلْفَهُ وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِنَحْوِ حَدِيثِ أَبِي حَيَّانَ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَلَا وَإِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمْ ثَقَلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هُوَ حَبْلُ اللَّهِ مَنْ اتَّبَعَهُ كَانَ عَلَى الْهُدَى وَمَنْ تَرَكَهُ كَانَ عَلَى ضَلَالَةٍ وَفِيهِ فَقُلْنَا مَنْ أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ نِسَاؤُهُ قَالَ لَا وَايْمُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ تَكُونُ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ الْعَصْرَ مِنْ الدَّهْرِ ثُمَّ يُطَلِّقُهَا فَتَرْجِعُ إِلَى أَبِيهَا وَقَوْمِهَا أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ أَصْلُهُ وَعَصَبَتُهُ الَّذِينَ حُرِمُوا الصَّدَقَةَ بَعْدَهُ 

We asked (Zaid Ibn Arqam) Who are the Ahl al-Bayt of the prophet of God? His wives? He replied: No, I swear by God that the woman lives with her husband for a while and then he divorces her and she returns to her family and relatives.

-Sahih Moslem, v 4 p 1874, Ketab Fazael Al-Sahabe, chapter Min Fazael Ali Ben Abi Taleb

 

Besides this narration there are many narrations that differs in content from this narration but based on what was said the reason of this dissension is ignoring the Quran and the conduct and speech of the prophet (PBUH) himself.

 

But at first we could distinguish by the using Quran that from the view of religion Ahl al-Bayt of each prophet refers to a specific group.

Then we showed some evidences from the Sunni narrations which are quoted on half of the prophet of God (PBUH).

 

GOOD LUCK

THE BOARD OF ADDRESSING THE RELIGIOUS DOUBTS

THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF VALIASR (HIS HOLINESS IMAM OF THE AGE) MAY GOD PRECIPITATE HIS BLESSING REAPPEARANCE

 



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