The Meaning of Ahl al-Bayt
A group of scholars nurtured by the oppressive rulers misused their socio-scientific positions to justify the legitimacy of those tyrants to gain something.
Hence, they distorted religious facts with special enmity and bias so as to please domineering rulers. In this relation, they have presented interpretations which has no validity from the viewpoint of the Holy Qur’¡n and narrations. One of those facts is the word Ahl al-Bayt mentioned in the Holy Qur’¡n.
Ahl al-Bayt in the Holy Qur’¡n
In verse 33 of the Qur’¡nic Chapter, the Allies (al-A¦z¡b), we read:
ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑ
Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House (Ahl al-Bayt), and to purify you a thorough purifying.
The pronoun kum meaning ‘you’ in Arabic does not obviously refer to the wives of the Holy Prophet as misinterpreted by those biased scholars who intended to create deviation in the Muslims’ opinion.
Although they knew that the Holy Prophet’s wives including `ª’ishah and a group of their scholars considered Imam `Al¢, Lady F¡§imah, Imam °as¡n and Imam °usayn and the infallible Imams from the issue of Imam °usayn as members of Ahl al-Bayt, their enmity with Sh¢`ites motivated them to distort the truth to please Abbasid and Umayyad rulers
The Meaning of Ahl al-Bayt in Narrations
Reporting the Holy Prophet, numerous narrators have mentioned Imam `Al¢, Lady F¡§imah, Imam °as¡n, Imam °usayn and the Infallible Imams of Imam °usayn’s issue as Ahl al-Bayt. Those narrators are: Ummu-Salamah, `ª’ishah, Ab£-Sa`¢d Khidr¢, Ab£-Barazah Aslam¢, Ab£’l-°amr¡ Hil¡l ibn °¡rith, Ab£-Layl¡ An¥¡r¢, Anas ibn M¡lik, al-Bar¡’ ibn `ªzib, Thawb¡n ibn Bajdad, J¡bir An¥¡r¢, Zayd ibn Arqam, Zaynab daughter of Ab£-Salamah Makhz£m¢, Sa`d ibn Ab¢-Waqq¡¥, ¯ubay¦, `Abdull¡h ibn `Abb¡s, `Umar ibn Ab¢-Salamah, `Umar ibn Kha§§¡b and W¡thilah ibn Asqa`.
The most reliable books of Sunni scholars have narrated the true meaning of Ahl al-Bayt from those narrators. Sh¢`ite scholars too, by relying on the Holy Qur’¡n and the said narrations as well as their own authentic books, attach their hearts to Ahl al-Bayt and consider them as the true leaders and successors of the Holy Prophet. Hence obeying Ahl al-Bayt is deemed obligatory and a means for salvation in this world and the Hereafter.
We suffice to relate a few narrations here to please the heart of Ahl al-Bayt’s lovers:
Narration One:
Reporting Tam¢m¢, al-`Aww¡m ibn °awshab said, “One day when I went to see `ª’ishah, she had seen Allah’s Messenger calling for `Al¢, F¡§imah, °asan and °usayn saying:
أللَّهُمَّ هَؤُلأءِ أهْلُ بَيْتِي، فَأذْهِبْ عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْسَ وَطَهِّرْهُمْ تَطْهِيراً.
O Allah, these are the people of my House (Ahl al-Bayt). So keep away uncleanness from them and purify them a thorough purifying.[1]
Narration Two:
Jumay` ibn `Umayr says:
One day, my mother and I went to see `ª’ishah. My mother asked her to tell us about the Holy Prophet’s interest in `Al¢ (a.s). `ª’ishah said: Among the men, `Al¢ was the most loved by Allah’s Messenger. I myself saw that he put `Al¢, F¡§imah, °asan and °usayn under his cloak saying: O Allah, these are my Ahl al-Bayt. Keep away any uncleanness from them and purify them a thorough purifying. I too went forward to put my head under the cloak but Allah’s Messenger pushed me back! I asked: Am I not your Ahl al-Bayt? He answered: you are good, you are good.[2]
Narration Three
Reporting `Umar ibn Kha§§¡b, `«s¡ ibn `Abdull¡h ibn M¡lik says: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying:
أيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إنِّي فَرْطٌ لَكُمْ وَإنَّكُمْ وَارِدُونَ عَلَيَّ الحَوْضَ؛ حَوْضاً أعْرَضَ مِمَّا بَيْنَ صَنْعَاءَ وَبُصْرَى، فِيهِ قِدْحَانٌ عَدَدَ النُّجُومِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ، وَإنِّي سَائِلُكُمْ حِينَ تَرِدُونَ عَلَيَّ عَنِ الثَّقَلَيْنِ، فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ تُخَلِّفُونِّي فِيهِمَا: السَّبَبِ الأكْبَرِ كِتَابِ اللهِ، طَرْفُهُ بِيَدِ اللهِ وَطَرْفُهُ بِأيْدِيكُمْ، فَاسْتَمْسِكُوا بِهِ وَلا تُبَدِّلُوا، وَعِتْرَتِي أهْلِ بَيْتِي، فَإنَّهُ قَدْ نَبَّأنِيَ اللَّطِيفُ الخَبِيرُ أنَّهُمَا لَنْ يَفْتَرِقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الحَوْضَ... أهْلُ بَيْتِي مِنْ وِلْدِ عَلِيٍّ وَفَاطِمَةَ وَالْحَسَنِ وَالْحُسَيْنِ وَتِسْعَةٍ مِنْ صُلْبِ الْحُسَيْنِ، أئِمَّةٍ أبْرَارٍ. عِتْرَتِي مِنْ لَحْمِي وَدَمِي.
O people, I am leading you and you will come to me at the pond, a pond the expanse of which is from Sana’a to Bu¥r¡ and as many as the number of stars. The golden chalice is therein. When you come to me, I will ask you about the two valuable things (thaqalain). So be careful how you deal with them after me. The first is Allah’s Book, a cord stretched from the heavens to the earth. So hold fast of it and the other is my Family (Ahl al-Bayt). Allah has informed me that they will never separate until they come to me at the Pond… My family members are `Al¢, F¡§imah, °asan, and °usayn and nine persons from the issue of °usayn who are beneficent Imams. My Ahl al-Bayt are from my flesh and blood.[3]
Narration Four
M£s¡ ibn `Abd-Rabbih says: I heard from °usayn ibn `Al¢ in the Prophet’s Mosque at the time of his father, `Al¢, saying: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying:
ألأ إنَّ أهْلَ بَيْتِي أمَانٌ لَكُمْ فَأحِبُّوهُمْ لِحُبِّي وَتَمَسَّكُوا بِهِمْ لَنْ تَضِلُّوا. عَلِيٌّ وَسِبْطَايَ وَتِسْعَةٌ مِنْ وُلْدِ الحُسَيْنِ؛ أئِمَّةٌ اُمَنَاءُ مَعْصُومُونَ. ألأ إنَّهُمْ أهْلُ بَيْتِي وَعِتْرَتِي، مِنْ لَحْمِي وَدَمِي.
Behold! My Ahl al-Bayt are security and mercy for you. Therefore, love them for my sake and resort to them so that you will never go astray… Ahl al-Bayt are `Al¢, my two grandsons and nine children of °usayn who are trustworthy and infallible Imams. Behold! They are Ahl al-Bayt from my flesh and blood.[4]
Now it has become clear that the Sh¢`ites, by relying on the Holy Qur’¡n and tradition, resort to Ahl al-Bayt, accept their Imamate, follow them and declare with evident proof that is based on books written by both Sh¢`ite and Sunni scholars, Ahl al-Bayt are none but `Al¢ ibn Ab¢-±¡lib, Lady F¡§imah, Imam °as¡n, Imam °usayn and nine infallible Imams from the issue of Imam °usayn.
The Necessity of Getting to know Ahl al-Bayt in the Narrations
In the science of logic when ‘Presenter’ is being discussed, it is unanimously agreed that the presenter who starts to introduce a fact must be superior to the ‘presented’ so as to be able to present the fact as it really is.
After proving the Imamate of Ahl al-Bayt and the fact that they are the inheritors of the Prophet’s knowledge and inspired by Allah, we should say that which presenter is better than Ahl al-Bayt themselves in this universe to make them known? We have no option but Ahl al-Bayt for getting to know their character and knowledge, for no one has an all-encompassing knowledge about them.
Getting to know Ahl al-Bayt will lead to salvation, nearness to Allah and a true understanding of Islam. In this relation, Imam `Al¢ (a.s) says:
أسْعَدُ النَّاسِ مَنْ عَرِفَ فَضْلَنَا، وَتَقَرَّبَ إلَى اللهِ بَنَا، وَأخْلَصَ حُبَّنَا، وَعَمِلَ بِمَا إلَيْهِ نَدَبْنَا، وَانْتَهَى عَمَّا عَنْهُ نَهَيْنَا، فَذَاكَ مِنَّا وَهُوَ فِي دَارِ الْمُقَامَةِ مَعَنَا.
The happiest people are those who recognized our superiority and excellence, sought nearness to Allah through us, loved us sincerely, acted according to what we called for, and stopped doing what we have prohibited. Such people are from us and they will be with us in the eternal Paradise.[5]
Zara`ah says: I said to Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s): After getting to know Allah, which deed is most excellent? The Imam said:
مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ يَعْدِلُ هَذِهِ الصَّلأة،َ وَلأ بَعْدَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالصَّلأةِ شَيْءٌ يَعْدِلُ الزَّكَاةَ، وَلأ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ يَعْدِلُ الصَّوْمَ، وَلأ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ يَعْدِلُ الحَجَّ؛ وَفَاتِحَةُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ مَعْرِفَتُنَا، وَخَاتِمَتُهُ مَعْرِفَتُنَا.
After getting to know Allah, nothing is equal to daily prayers. After prayer nothing is equal to paying the poor-rate; and after these nothing is equal to observing fasting, and after these nothing is equal to (going on) °ajj (ritual pilgrimage). Yet, the beginning and end of all is to get to know us.[6]
We should learn about the quality of prayer, poor-rate, fast and °ajj from Ahl al-Bayt in whose house the Qur’¡nic verses were revealed and who are the inheritors of the Prophet’s knowledge. This learning is not possible except by getting to know their culture, teachings and injunctions.
The Holy Prophet has been reported as saying:
مَنْ مَنَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ بَمَعْرِفَةِ أهْلِ بَيْتِي وَوِلأيَتِهِمْ فَقَدْ جَمَعَ اللهُ لَهُ الْخَيْرَ كُلَّهُ.
He who has been favored by Allah to get to know my Ahl al-Bayt and their Imamate has certainly had all the good gathered for him by Allah.[7]
Reporting Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) in the interpretation of the following verse:
ﯩ ﯪ ﯫ ﯬ ﯭ ﯮ ﯯ.
He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom, he indeed is given a great good…
Ab£-Ba¥¢r says:
طَاعَةُ اللهِ وَمَعْرِفَةُ الإمَامِ.
It is to obey Allah and to get to know the Imams
