The Members Of The Ahl Al-Bayt - Enquiries About Shi'a Islam 5/48

Bismillaher Ramanir Rahim. Alhamdolillahe rabbeil alamin. Assalato wassalamo ala sayedina Mohammadew wa ahle baytet tayyebinat taherin. One of the important terms that one has to be familiar with in the Shia terminology and Shia theology is the term 'Ahlul Bayt', the household of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa alayhi wa salam, which has been mentioned in the Quran very clearly in Chapter 33 verse 33. So it is 33:33. innamaa yureedu Allaahu liyuzhiba ‘ankumur rijsa Ahlal Bayti wa yutahhirakum tatheeraa (33:33) "Allah only intends to remove all the uncleanliness from you. Abomination, to remove all the abominations from you, the household of the Prophet, and he cleanses you and he purifies you thoroughly". It's a reference to not only physical purity, but spiritual, mental, intellectual, social, purity and cleansing. Those people have been completely purified and cleansed from moral sins, from ethical sins, from spiritual sins, from physical sins, from all types of contaminations. People who are top in their purity. They don't have any greed. They don't have any jealousy. They don't struggle over the dunya, over this life. Their intention is not this dunya. They don't cling to the dunya. Their goal is the Akherah. These are some aspects of purity, t'adheer. T'adheer does not mean only you take a shower and you clean your face and your hair and your head and your body. It's when you cleanse the heart, most importantly, when you cleanse your heart, when you make it crystal clean.

And this is given to them, bestowed upon them by God. Now, we have two points here. Who are 'Ahlul Bayt? Is it everyone who belongs to the prophet by blood, associated to the prophet by blood associated to the Prophet by blood relation or by something else? Ahl Al-Bayt is a reference to those who are related to the prophet by blood plus by spiritual relationship. Because a person could be related to a prophet, a messenger, by blood, biologically, but he does not subscribe to the path of that prophet. He does not subscribe to the message of that prophet, to the spirit of that prophet. The clear example of that is the son of Nuah. innahoo laisa min ahlik, innahoo ‘amalun ghairu saalih (11:46). He is not a righteous deed. He's not a righteous or virtuous outcome or result. Throw him away. Get rid of him. Don't run after him. Yes, through blood, he's related to you. But through logic, through reason, through message and spirit, he's away from you. He's a stranger. He's not a family member. innahoo ‘amalun ghairu saalih. In another verse in the Quran, Surah Al-Tahrim. Allah -subhanahu wa ta'ala- speaks about some wives of the prophet, Darabal laahu masalal lillazeena kafarum ra ata Noohinw wamra ata Loot (66:10) the wife of Noah, Al-Lut, who were the wives, permanent wives, and under one roof in the same house on one bed with two prophets, but they chose to go into the opposite direction, not to follow the guidance of their own husbands, the closest people to them.

Physically, they were together, but mentally and spiritually, they were away apart from each other. kaanataa tahta ‘abdaini min ‘ibaadinaa saalihaini fakhaanataahumaa falam yughniyaa ‘anhumaa minal laahi shai anw-wa qeelad khulan naara ma’ad Daakhileen (66:10). So when we say 'Ahl Al-Bayt', we mean two things: blood relationship plus spiritual relationship. They follow the Prophet in his ethics, in his manners, in his tradition. And this is exactly how the family of the Prophet were. And the family of the Prophet were Fatima alayhassalam, Imam Ali alayhissalam, Imam Hassan alayhissalam, and Imam Hussain, of course, plus the Prophet who is the leader, who is the leader of that household. Those five people. When this verse came down, descended upon the Prophet, innamaa yureedul laahu liyuzhiba ‘ankumur rijsa Ahlal Bayti wa yutahhirakum tatheeraa (33:33). The Prophet at that time was in the house of Umm Salama, one of his noble wives. So the Prophet asked her to bring him a cloak, Abaa, or Qeba a cover, and he asked Ali, and Fatima, and Hassan, and Hussain to join him, and he covered them, and he said, Allahumma, haulai'hum ahlu bayti, wa haammati, wa khassati. Those are my closest people to me. Those are my blood. Those are my flesh. Those are my soul. Those are my special. And he prayed for them. Umma Salama came. She said, Ya Rasulallah, can I join you? He said, Sorry, you cannot join us.

Walakinake ala khair. But You are doing good. You are a noble, a noble wife, a noble woman. But you are not part of this group. You are not part of them. This group is exclusive by the commands of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. There is a debate now between the scholars of both sides, the School of companions or the Sunnis, and the School of Ahl Al-Bayt or the Shias. As to who are Ahl al-Bayt? Some Sunni scholars, they say it's only the wives of the Prophet, which does not stand, this claim does not stand to scientific and objective argument and discussion. It fails. Because the Hadith comes and explains the meaning of and the identity of the people of the household, the Hadith. Others believe that it is Imam Ali, Fatima Zahraa, Hasan and Husayn, plus the wives of the Prophet. Again, that is not correct. Why? For the following reasons. Number one, although the wives of the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, are addressed by that verse in the beginning and at the end, and the verse of the Purity or purification 33:33 is in the middle. Before it, Allah is talking to the wives of the Prophet. After it, he goes back to talk to them.

But here, the verse in the middle, verse 33, does not include the wives of the prophets. Why? Because before this verse and after this verse, when you look at the Arabic grammar, the pronoun is feminine because God is talking to the wives of the prophet. They are females. When he comes and speaks about Ahl Al-Bayt, he changes the pronoun into what? Masculine. It's not feminine. Here in literature, in the Arabic literature, we know that Al-Mukhatab, the one who's being addressed, is different. Because the pronoun was changed from being feminine into being masculine. This is one point in the grammar. Another point we have that the Quran uses this method of speaking to someone about a specific thing, and then in the middle of his speech, he switches to another subject, and then he may come back again to the first person, and he continues addressing him. So the verse is sometimes they take a detour from the main subject, but they come back to it in the middle of the subject. Why the Quran does this? It's not confusing? No, it's not confusing. Why he's doing it? He's doing it to emphasize certain points. When I am talking to you now and there is something important to remember, I say to you "By the way, this is what happened". I go to another subject, and then I come back to my first subject.

This is common in the Quran. If you look at Chapter 2, Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is talking about divorce. And then in the middle of that, divorce and family issues and reconciliation, he goes to speak about the prayers or about the loan, qardh. And then he comes back to that issue. You can see that from verses 225 onward. And then he comes back to speak about the family issue. So you have seen this diversion in the Quran. The third reason why Ahl al-Bayt are only the family of the Prophet, that includes Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain, and of course, plus the Prophet himself, Salla Allahu alayhi wa alayhi wa sallam, is that lahnu al-khitaab, the tone of the speech, is different. When God is addressing the wives of the Prophet, you sense that he's somehow utilizing some sort of harsh tone, criticizing them, maybe, if you will, threatening them. Yaa nisaaa’an Nabiyyi lastunna ka ahadim min an-nisaaa’i init taqaitunna falaa takhda’na bilqawli fa yatma’al lazee fee qalbihee maradunw wa qulna qawlam ma’roofaa (33:32). Wa qarna fee bu yoo tikunn (33:33), stay indoors, wa laa tabarrajna tabarrujal Jaahiliyyat al-oolaa (33:33). He was somehow chiding them, forewarning them. mai yaati min kunna bifaa hishatim mubaiyinatiny yudaa’af lahal ‘azaabu di’fain (33:30). If anyone of you attempts to commit some shameful acts, immoral acts, then the punishment is going to be doubled for her because she is the wife of the Prophet.

So there is some criticism and forewarning, at least forewarning, and sometimes condemnation. If you read the verses, you would realize that. But when it comes to the family of the Prophet, the tone completely changes, 180 degrees. We realize that there are two groups God is talking to them at the same time. One time, he's turning to this group, the wives of the Prophet. Another time, he's turning to the family of the Prophet, Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn. And then he goes back to the same group, the first group, the wives of the Prophet. In the same line, In the same verse, in the same chapter, two groups. Because the tone is changing.

When he speaks about the wives of the Prophet, he was almost condemning them if they do something bad, threatening them, criticizing them. When he speaks about the family of the Prophet, he's praising them. He's nurturing them. He's speaking with a great reverence, with a great tone. innamaa yureedu Allaahu liyuzhiba ‘ankumur rijsa Ahlal Bayti wa yutahhirakum tatheeraa (33:33). Indeed, this is the will of God to cleanse you, to purify you, to make you immaculate and pure. So why God is doing this? God is doing this to bring to the attention of the wives of the Prophet that, Listen, don't tell me that I am under difficult circumstances. I cannot I cannot be good. I cannot be super. You can be super because look at those people next door, they are super. So, I want you to watch them. I want you to listen to them. I want you to get inspired by them.

This contrast is necessary. One of us speaks to his children and he tells them, "Listen, I want you to be good. I want you to do homework. I want you to study hard. Don't tell me I can't do that because look at your cousins. They are They are doing this. They are doing it. So this is possible. Don't tell me this is impossible". So Allah is bringing the family of the Prophet as an example to the wives of the Prophet, that you must be inspired by them. Learn from them. This is the reason, Ayat al-Tadheer, the verse of purification is exactly in the middle of a verse that addresses the wives of the Prophet, Sallallahu alayhi wa salam. How do we assert that the verse of purity, Ayat al-Tadheer, which is 33:33, Surah Al-Ahzaab, verse number 33, is exclusively about specific people. And those people are Prophet Muhammad, Salla Allahu alayhi wa salam, Imam Ali, Fatimat uz-Zahra, Hasan and Husayn. And it does encompass others. We mentioned many evidence.

And one last, but not least, evidence is what the companions of the Prophet mentioned that when this verse came down for six months, in another version, for nine months, the Prophet, whenever he left his room to enter the mosque, he would stand on the door of Ali and Fatima, which is an adjacent door, next to the house of the Prophet, inside the same complex or the same compound. He would He would stand on their gate, yaqifo ala babi Ali en wa Fatima . And he would recite: Innamaa yureedu Allah, as-salat as-salata ya ahl al-Bayt. Innamaa yureedu Allahu liyuzhiba ‘ankumur rijsa wa yutahhirakum tatheeraa (33:33). You would stand at the gate of Ali and Fatima. And today, if you go to the mosque of the Prophet, if you are able to get close to Bab Jibrail, the gate of Jibrail, where Jibrail used to enter the mosque, you would find a small gate there. That is the gate of Ali and Fatima. The Prophet used to stand there and reassert this verse, times and times again, for six months or nine months. So people know that this is what is meant by the purification. This family, those members who are in this household.

Another verse in the Quran is Ayat al-Mawadda that asserts the purity and the special position and the importance of the family of the Prophet for him and for Islam, and for the Muslims. And this is in Chapter 42, verse 23. Qul la as’alukum ‘alaihi ajran illa al-mawaddata fi 'l-qurbaa (42:23). Dhol'qurba, who are the qurba? The qurba has two meanings. A general term is anyone who's related to you by blood, your relatives, your extended family members are dhol'qurba. But in the Quran, it has another specific meaning, another specific meaning, which is a direct reference to the family of the Prophet. This is not a general term. This is a specific term, exclusive term, referring to the family of the Prophet, again, to Ali, to Fatima, to Hasan and Husayn. Al-Fakhr al-Razi, the great commentator of the Quran, he said, There was no one near or nearer to the Prophet than Fatima Al-Zahra, her husband Ali, and her two sons, Hasan and Husayn, alayhim as-salam. Towards the end of his life, Muslims came to him and they said to him, Ya Rasul Allah, you did a lot for us. A lot. How can we compensate you for that? How How can we reward you? God taught him what to say: la as’alukum ‘alaihi ajra (42:23). I'm not asking for financial or physical or material or monetary compensation. All what I am expecting you to do is to respect my family after my departure, to take care of them.

This is the family of the Prophet. It has been said that the Abbasid caliph, Harun, one day in one of his sessions and debates with the seventh imam, Al-Imam Musa bin Ja'far Al-Kha'dhim, alayhi as-salam, or alayhim al-salam, he asked him, "How do you attribute yourself to the Prophet? How do you say, I am the descendant of the Prophet? You are the descendant of Ali, and Ali was the cousin of the Prophet". Do you have an evidence for that? The Prophet said, I am related to the Prophet through his daughter, Fatimah al-Zahra. So I am the grandson of the Prophet through his daughter. But the Arabs at that time, and every time, they consider the grandson that comes from the son, not from the daughter, to be the authentic grandson. So he was using the same logic with Imam Musa Al-Kazim. Imam Musa Al-Kazim said to him "First of all, the Prophet would look at Hassan and Hussain, and he would call them Walada'i or Ibnai, my two sons". Not even, he would say, my grandchildren. He would say, Husaynun Ibni, Al-Hasan wa al-Husayn Ibnai. They are my children. They are my sons. This is number one.

Number two, we have the evidence in the Quran. The Quran uses the same terminology. Here, the ayah that in Surah Al-An'am, beginning from 83, that the ayah that imam Al-Kazim brought as an evidence before the Abbasid caliph, Harun al Abbasi. Bismillah hir rahman nir raheem Wa tilka hujjatuna atainaha Ibrahima ‘alaa qawmih; narfa’u darajaatin man nashaaa’; inna Rabbaka Hakeemun ‘Aleem (6:83) Wa wahabnaa lahoo (6:84) We bestowed on Abraham the following. We gave him this following offspring and children. Ishaq wa Ya'aqb, they are his children. Isaac is his son, and Jacob is his grandson. Kullan hadainaa; wa Noohan hadainaa min qablu wa min zurriyyatihee and from the offspring of Abraham Daawooda wa Sulaimaana wa Ayyooba wa Yoosufa They are all the descendants of Ibrahim wa Moosaa wa Haaroon; wa kazaalika najzil muhsineen (6:84), and Musa, and Harun, and as well as Najzi al-Muhsineen, and Wa Zakariyyaa, is part of his descendants, wa Yahyaa wa ‘Isa wa Illyaasa kullum minas saaliheen (6:85), Wa Ismaa’eela wal Yasa’a wa Yoonusa wa Lootaa; wa kullan faddalnaa ‘alal ‘aalameen (6:86) Wa min aabaaa’ihim wa zurriyyaatihim wa ikhwaanihim wajtabainaahum wa hadainaahum ilaa Siraatin Mustaqeem (6:87).

This family, we chose, we guided, we He made them leaders. So Imam said to him, Allah is saying that Jesus is the offspring of Abraham. Who was the father of Jesus? Did he have a father? Harun said, he didn't have a father. He was fatherless. But he was connected to Abraham through what? Harun had no answer. Imam said to him, he was connected to Abraham through his mother, Mary. She was the descendant of Abraham. So Quran calls him here the son of Ibrahim. Although he had no father, he's connected to Ibrahim through his mother, and we, Ahl Al-Bayt, are connected to Prophet Muhammad, salla Allaho alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, through our grandmother, Fatimah Al-Zahra, alayha as-salam.