Self-Purification Makes Ahl al-Bayt Allah’s Favorites

Ahl al-Bayt’s being purified from uncleanness and endowed with good qualities is the reason for their being Allah’s favorites. In the Holy Qur’¡n, Allah has praised them with the best quality which is a thorough purification and their access to the hidden truth:

None shall touch it save the purified ones. (56:79)

Due to their knowing the hidden truth, Ahl al-Bayt are aware of the whole universe and active in relation to Divine decrees and the best deeds. These features show that the devotees have been trained and chosen directly by Allah. Self-purification, awareness of the hidden truths and realization of Allah’s commands have made Ahl al-Bayt Allah’s favorites:

He loves those who purify themselves. (2:222)

Ahl al-Bayt’s morality is the manifestation of their self-purification. Such morality like justice, reliance on Allah, patience, faith, certainty, repentance, jih¡d and self-sacrifice have made Ahl al-Bayt Allah’s most favorites:

Surely, Allah loves those who turn much to Him. (5:42)

Surely, Allah loves those who trust Him (3:159)

The Favorites with the Holy Prophet

As Ahl al-Bayt were the favorites with Allah, they were the favorite with the Holy Prophet, for he did not love but what Allah loved. Umm-Salamah has reported that one day Allah’s Messenger was sitting at home. F¡§imah brought a small pot with dish of flour in it. Allah’s Messenger asked, “Where is `Al¢ and his two sons?” F¡§imah answered, “They are at home.” He said, “Tell them to come here.” After some time, `Al¢, °asan, °usayn and F¡§imah were walking towards Allah’s Messenger. As soon as he saw then, he took his cloak (kis¡’) which was on the bed and covered them, saying:

أللَّهُمَّ هَؤُلأءِ أهْلُ بَيْتِي، فَأذْهِبْ عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْسَ وَطَهِّرْهُمْ تَطْهِيراً.

O Allah! These are my household and my favorite ones; so, remove wickedness from them and make them pure a perfect purification.

At this time, Almighty Allah revealed the Verse of Purification:

Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House, and to purify you a thorough purifying. (33:33)[1]

Imam `Al¢ (a.s) has said:

أتَى رَجُلٌ إلَى النَّبِيِّ 3 فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، أيُّ الْخَلْقِ أحَبُّ إلَيْكَ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ 3 ـ وَأنَا إلَى جَنْبِهِ ـ: هَذَا وَابْنَاهُ وَأُمُّهُمَا. هُمْ مِنِّي وَأنَا مِنْهُمْ. وَهُمْ مَعِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ هَكَذَا ـ وَجَمَعَ بَيْنَ إصْبِعَيْهِ ـ.

A man came to Allah’s Messenger saying, “O Allah’s Messenger! Who is your most favorite one?” The Holy Prophet said, “This (`Al¢), his two sons and their mother are. They are from me and I am from them. In Paradise, they will be as close as two fingers to me.”[2]

Obeisance to Ahl al-Bayt Makes you Allah’s Favorite

Anyone who wishes to be Allah’s favorite must endeavor to purify himself internally and externally by obeying Him, His Prophet (¥), and Ahl al-Bayt. In this relation, the Holy Qur’¡n says:

Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your faults, and Allah is forgiving, Merciful. (3:31)

The Holy Prophet, the obeisance to whom will make us Allah’s favorites, has emphatically ordered his ummah to love Ahl al-Bayt from the bottom of their hearts and to obey them under all circumstances in order to be Allah’s favorite. He has said:

أحِبُّوا اللهَ لِمَا يَغْذُوكُمْ مِنْ نِعَمِهِ، وَأحِبُّونِي بِحُبِّ اللهِ، وَأحِبُّوا أهْلَ بَيْتِي لِحُبِّي.

Love Allah for the blessings He has bestowed on you; love me because of your love for Allah; and love my household because of your love for me.[3]

In another important narration, the Holy Prophet says:

مَنْ سَرَّهُ أنْ يَحْيَا حَيَاتِي وَيَمُوتَ مَمَاتِي وَيَسْكُنَ جَنَّةَ عَدْنٍ غَرَسَهَا رَبِّي فَلْيُوَالِ عَلِيّاً مِنْ بَعْدِي وَلْيُوَالِ وَلِيَّهُ وَلْيَقْتَدِ بِالأئِمَّةِ مِنْ بَعْدِي؛ فَإنَّهُمْ عِتْرَتِي، خُلِقُوا مِنْ طِينَتِي وَرُزِقُوا فَهْماً وَعِلْماً. وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُكَذِّبِينَ بِفَضْلِهِمْ، الْقَاطِعِينَ فِيهِمْ صِلَتِي، لأ أنَالَهُمُ اللهُ شَفَاعَتِي.

Anyone who wishes to live and to pass away like me and to abide in an eternal Paradise the trees of which have been planted by my Lord must love `Al¢ after me, love his lovers and follow the Imams after me, for they are my Household whom are created from my essence and endowed with knowledge. Woe to those who deny their excellence and do not observe my kinship with them. I will not intercede for them.[4]

How To Be Allah’s Favorite?

If man wishes to become Allah’s favorite, he must follow Ahl al-Bayt at the top of whom is Allah’s Messenger. This adherence will lead man gradually to spiritual purification to the extent of his capacity. Hence, he will become Allah’s favorite. To reach this station, it is only possible through Ahl al-Bayt, for they are the straight path and the best guides for the followers of spiritual path.

The criterion for being Allah’s favorite is Ahl al-Bayt who have asked us to compare ourselves with them to see whether we are liked or disliked by Allah:

فَإنَّكُمْ وَسِيلَتِي إلَى اللهِ، وَبِحُبِّكُمْ وَبِقُرْبِكُمْ أرْجُو نَجَاةً مِنَ اللهِ.

You, Ahl al-Bayt, are our means towards Allah. We set our hope on your station and love to be saved by Allah.[5]

Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) says that the only thing which will bring us heaven is devotion in worshipping Allah and saying there is no god but Allah. Devotion is to act according to Allah’s commandments, to abstain from committing sin and to adhere to Ahl al-Bayt. When the Holy Prophet was asked what devotion is and how it is related to there is no god but Allah, he answered:

It is to act to what I have been sent for and to love my Ahl al-Bayt.

They asked him whether love for Ahl al-Bayt’s and acceptance of Imamate was part of the said formula, he said: yes.”[6]

The sane matter is expressed by Imam al-Ri¤¡ in a ¦ad¢th in Salsalat al-Dhahab (Golden Chain) in another way of reporting:

كَلِمَةُ لأ إلَهَ إلأ اللهُ حِصْنِي، فَمَنْ دَخَلَ حِصْنِي أمِنَ مِنْ عَذَابِي؛ بِشُرُوطِهَا وَأنَا مِنْ شُرُوطِهَا.

There is no god but Allah is my fortress. Whoever enters it will be immune from my punishment on one condition which is acceptance of my Imamate.[7]

Therefore, one who has no love for Ahl al-Bayt has not professed the unity of Allah either and he will be resurrected on the Judgment Day as an atheist.

To please Ahl al-Bayt is to please Allah

When one, by devotion, becomes Allah’s vicegerent, one becomes a manifestation of Allah; hence, to respect him and his commands is to respect Allah:

Surely, those who swear allegiance to you do but swear allegiance to Allah. (48:10)

In this case, all people are duty-bound to obey him, for he can intercede with Allah for people. He has, in fact, reached a station where his pleasure is the pleasure of Allah. Allah attaches great importance to what pleases the Holy Prophet and his Ahl al-Bayt so much so that He says:

We shall surely turn you to a kiblah which you shall like. (2:144)

In the Holy Qur’¡n, Allah has explicated the moral values and lifestyle of Ahl al-Bayt explicitly and implicitly so as to set models for us. Here are some examples:

Surely those who believed and those who fled (Their home) and strove hard in the way of Allah (2:218)

We only feed you for Allah’s sake’ we desire from you neither reward nor thanks. (76:9)

Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah.

 (6:162)

Ahl al-Bayt and Submission

Ahl al-Bayt’s submission to Allah’s will is not a state that they are compelled to reach; rather, it is a truth that they have attained its climax due to personal efforts. The station of submission is said to be the last of several stations a spiritualist follower has to go through. It is said that few spiritualist followers have reached this station, for it especially belongs to the Holy Prophet, the Holy Imams and the saints. Imam °usayn (a.s) is reported as saying:

إنَّا أهْلُ بَيْتٍ نَسْألُ اللهَ فَيُعْطِينَا، فَإذَا أرَادَ مَا نَكْرَهُ فِيمَا يُحِبُّ رَضِينَا.

We, the Ahl al-Bayt, beseech Allah and He grants us. So, if He wills to do that which we abhor, provide that it will bring about His pleasure, we submit.[8]

`Al¡’ ibn K¡mil says: I was sitting in the presence of Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) when a woman from the house of the Imam started wailing. The Imam rose up and then sat down saying, “Surely we belong to Allah and unto Him do we return.” He kept on repeating so until he said,

إنَّا لَنُحِبُّ أنْ نُعَافَى فِي أنْفُسِنَا وَأوْلأدِنَا وَأمْوَالِنَا، فَإذَا وَقَعَ القَضَاءُ فَلَيْسَ لَنَا أنْ نُحِبَّ مَا لَمْ يُحِبَّ اللهُ لَنَا.

We favor safety as regards life, property and our children but when there is Divine decree, we do not love what Allah does not love for us.[9]

In this connection, Imam al-B¡qir (a.s) says:

نَدْعُو اللهَ فِي مَا نُحِبُّ، فَإذَا وَقَعَ الَّذِي نَكْرَهُ لَمْ نُخَالِفِ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيمَا أحَبَّ.

We call on Allah for what we love to be given to us but if something happens that we do not love, we will not oppose it.[10]

Qutaybah al-A`sh¡ says: I went to Imam al-¯¡diq (a.s) to visit his child but found the Imam sad at the threshold. I said, “May I be sacrificed for you! How is your child?” The Imam said, “By Allah, he does not feel well.” Then he went inside the house, delayed for an hour and then came out with no sign of sorrow in his face. I thought his child was better. So, I asked, “How is the child?” The Imam answered, “He passed away.” I said, “May I be sacrificed for you! How is it that when he was alive, you were sad but now that he has passed away you are no longer sad?” The Imam said,

إنَّا أهْلَ الْبَيْتِ نَجْزَعُ قَبْلَ الْمُصِيبَةِ، فَإذَا وَقَعَ أمْرُ اللهِ رَضِينَا بِقَضَاءِهِ وَسَلَّمْنَا لأِمْرِهِ.

We, Ahl al-Bayt, wail before calamity comes; but when Divine decree comes, we are pleased with it and submit to His Decree.[11]

Ibr¡h¢m Ibn Sa`d reported: Imam Zayn al-`ªbid¢n (a.s) heard wailing of mourners from his house while a group of people were gathering around him. He went inside and then returned. He was asked if the wailing was for death of anyone. He answered affirmatively. The attendants condoled him, as they were surprised at his patience. The Imam said:

إنَّا أهْلَ الْبَيْتِ نُطِيعُ اللهَ فِي مَا نُحِبُّ وَنَحْمَدُهُ فِي مَا نَكْرَهُ.

We, Ahl al-Bayt, obey Allah for what we love and praise Him for what is unpleasant.[12]