The Verse of Prayer (Salat)
Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O you who believe, call for divine blessings upon him, and salute him with a becoming salutation.[82]
In the five obligatory prayers, during the tashhahud (testimony), those offering their prayers must salute the Prophet and his progeny—a term exclusively reserved for Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, Husayn, and their righteous descendants. The emphasis on the Prophet's family in salutation is another indication of their pivotal position after the Prophet. By asking the believers to exalt these noble personalities, Allah, the Almighty reminds the Muslim nation that He has chosen the Ahlul Bayt for the role of leading the Muslim nation.
One of the most prominent commentators of the Quran, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi narrates the response of the Prophet when he was asked by some of his companions how to send blessings upon him. He said, “Say, 'O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad as you sent blessings on Ibrahim and on the progeny of Ibrahim. And send grace on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad just as you sent grace on Ibrahim and on the progeny of Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.'”[83] Al-Razi comments that if Allah and His angels send their blessings upon the Prophet, then what need is there for our blessings? He answers his own question by saying that when we send blessings on the Prophet Muhammad it is not because he is in need of them, because he already has the blessings of Allah and thus, he does not even require the blessings of the angels. When we send blessings on him, we send them to glorify Allah and also to reveal our gratitude towards Allah such that He may have compassion on us and reward us. Thus, the Prophet says, “Whoever sends blessings on me once, Allah will send blessings on him ten times.”
Another verse in the Noble Quran asserts the same teaching when Allah the Almighty sends His blessings on the family of the Prophet by saying, “Peace be upon the Al-e-Yasin!”[84] According to some commentators, “Yasin” is one of the names of the Prophet, as stated in Surah (chapter) Ya Sin when it addresses the Prophet as, ”Yasin, by the Quran full of wisdom, truly you are one of the messengers….”[85]
The Verse of Feeding
Truly, the righteous drink of a cup tempered with camphor, a fountain from which the servants of Allah drink, flowing in abundance. They (the Family of the Prophet) fulfill vows and fear a Day, the evil of which is widespread. And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive. 'We feed you for Allah's sake and pleasure only. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks. Surely, we fear from our Lord a stern, distressful Day,' so Allah will ward off from them the evil of that Day and cause them to meet with splendor and happiness and reward them for their steadfastness with a garden and with silk.[86]
Surah 76 in the Noble Quran descended to honor a sacred gesture performed by the Ahlul Bayt. Allah entitled this Surah, Insan (Mankind) to draw attention of the people to the beauty of mankind's deeds on earth, and to tell them that they should not be selfish or greedy; rather, they should be caring and thoughtful people who spend their time thinking of other human beings around them. The chapter begins, “Has there not been over man a period of time when he was nothing to be mentioned? Verily, We and created man from drops of mixed semen in order to try him, so We made him hearing, seeing. Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.”
This introduction prepares our minds for the big sacrifice of the Family of the Prophet—Ali, Lady Fatima, Hassan, Husayn, and their maidservant Fiddah. The incident provoking these verses began when Hassan and Husayn fell ill, and Lady Fatima al-Zahra asked her father what to do. The Prophet advised her to make a vow with Allah that if He cured them then the entire family would fast for three days. Hassan and Husayn were cured, and the process of fasting began. At that time there was nothing in their house to eat, so Imam Ali went to a Khaybarian Jew named Shimon and borrowed three measures of barley. His wife, Lady Fatima milled one measure into flour and baked it into five loaves of bread, one for each of them. Ali, Lady Fatima, and their two sons, Hassan and Husayn along with their maidservant Fiddah fasted for three consecutive days. On the first day, at the time of breaking the fast, a destitute (miskin) person came to the door asking for some food. They took the food they intended to eat—a loaf of bread each—and gave it to him. They then broke their fast only with water. On the second day, at the time of breaking their fast, an orphan came to their door, and they again gave him all their food. On the third day, at the time of breaking the fast, a prisoner of war (a non-Muslim who had been captured in the defensive wars of Islam and was living in the city of Madina) came to their door and asked for some food, and again, they took all five loaves of bread and gave it to the man, breaking their fast for the third consecutive day with only water. Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah made a visit and saw his daughter, Lady Fatima al-Zahra and her two children, Hassan and Husayn were pale and too weak to speak, and he saw that they were trembling from hunger. Lady Fatima herself was sitting hollow-eyed on her prayer mat, her stomach sunk into her back. As he was asking them the reason for their state, angel Jibril (Gabriel) immediately came to the Prophet with Surah 76, “O Muhammad, Allah congratulates you for the sacrifice of your household.”[87]
These verses not only translate the generosity and steadfastness of the Ahlul Bayt but also reveal the total submission of the Family of the Prophet and their immaculate and pure personalities. Commentators of the Quran have a consensus that these verses speak of the Ahlul Bayt and place them at the highest level of piety and show them as models for the generosity of mankind. Humanity would be rightly guided if they followerd their parable.
The Verse of Guardianship
O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those vested with authority over you ('ul ul-'amr minkum). And if you quarrel about something, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.10
This verse, as explained in the previous section, refers to the guardianship of Imam Ali, and subsequently, the rest of the Ahlul Bayt. The Prophet has said about “those vested with authority over you,” that “They are my successors and the leaders of the Muslims after me. The first of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib, then al-Hassan and al-Husayn, then Ali ibn al-Husayn, then Muhammad ibn Ali, who is known as al-Baqir, then al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, then Musa ibn Ja'far, then Ali ibn Musa, then Muhammad ibn Ali, then Ali ibn Muhammad, then al-Hassan ibn Ali, then the one who bears my name—Muhammad. And he will be the proof (hujjah) of Allah on the earth.”[88]
The Hadith of the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn)
It is probable that I will be called soon, and I will respond. So I leave behind me two weighty (very worthy and important) things, the Book of Allah (the Quran), which is a string stretched from the heaven to the earth; and my progeny, my Ahlul Bayt. Verily Allah, the Merciful, the Aware, has informed me that these two will never be separated from each other until they meet me at the Fountain of Abundance (the Hawdh of Kawthar, a spring in heaven). Therefore, be careful of how you treat these two in my absence, said the Messenger of Allah.[89]
This hadith was declared on, at least five occasions—the first being the farewell speech during the last hajj, the second at Ghadir Khum, the third after the Prophet left the city of Ta΄if near Makkah, the fourth at the pulpit in Madina, and the fifth—just before he died—in his room which was full of his companions.
Given the high importance of the Noble Quran, why would the Prophet associate the Ahlul Bayt with the Noble Quran and place them second in importance to it? The answer is that Ahlul Bayt are the best to explain the true meaning and interpretation of this Noble Book. The Noble Quran, as it states itself, contains both clear (muhkam) and unclear (mutashabiah) verses, and so the correct interpretation of these unclear verses must be passed on from the Prophet himself, as he did to his Ahlul Bayt. In addition, the Ahlul Bayt, due to their closeness to the Prophet, had an unparalleled knowledge of his traditions.
Similar Narrations from the Prophet Muhammad about his Ahlul Bayt
The parable of my Ahlul Bayt is similar to that of Noah's ark. Whoever embarks it will certainly be rescued, but the one who opposes boarding it will certainly be drowned.[90]
Just like the stars protect mankind from losing its way in travel, so are my Ahlul Bayt; they are the safeguard against discord in matters of religion.[91]
Acknowledgement of the Al-e-Muhammad means salvation from the Hellfire; the love of Al-e-Muhammad is a passport for crossing the bridge of Sirat; and obedience to Al-e-Muhammad is protection from divine wrath.[92]
Notes:
[70] Noble Quran, 33:33
[71] al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur
[72] Tirmidhi, Manaqib Ahlul-Bayt, Vol. 2, 308
[73] It is not uncommon to find a group of verses discussing one theme and having one verse in the middle that discusses another theme. For example see Quran, Surah 5, verse 3 and Surah 5, v. 66-68.
[74] Ibn Mardawayh. Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Tirmidhi. Ibn Mundir. Tabarani. For more details see: Tabataba΄i, al-Mizan.
[75] al-Miqrizi, Fadha΄il Ahlul-Bayt, 21
[76] Ibn Hajar, Sawa΄iq. Vol.11, 160; Tabaqat al-Kubra, Ibn Sa΄ad; Sahih Muslim; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal; Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur
[77] Noble Quran, 42:23
[78] Noble Quran, 6:84-85
[79] Tabarsi, al-Ihtijaj, Vol. 2, Argument 271 and 335
[80] Noble Quran, 3:61
[81] Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1, 185; Tabari, Tafsir, Vol. 3, 192; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. 3, 150; al-Hafiz Abu Nu΄aym, Dala΄il al-Nubuwwah, 297; al-Naysaburi, Asbab al-Nuzul, 74; Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi, Ahkam al-Quran, Vol. 1, 115; al-Fakhr al-Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. 8, 85; al-Juzri, Usd al-Ghabah, Vol. 4, 25; Ibn al-Jawzi, Tadhkira Sibt, 17; Qurtubi, al-Jami΄ li-Ahkam al-Quran, Vol. 3, 104; Tafsir ibn Kathir, Vol. 1, 370; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, Vol. 5, 52; Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Isabah, Vol. 2, 503; Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki, al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, 108; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, Vol. 4, 38; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Tarikh al-Khulafa΄, 115; Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa΄iq al-Muhriqa, 199; Altogether 47 narrators and commentators of the Noble Quran from the four schools of thought narrate that the immediate family of the Prophet were only Lady Fatima, Ali, Hassan, and Husayn.
[82] Noble Quran, 33:56
[83] Tafsir al-Kabir, Vol. 3, 56
[84] Noble Quran, 37:130
[85] Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa΄iq, Ch. 11
[86] Noble Quran, 76:5-13
[87] Zamakhshari, Tafsir al-Kashhaf, Ch. 76; Fakhr al-Razi, Tafsir al-Kabir, Ch. 76; Tabarsi, Mu΄jam al-Bayan, Ch. 76
[88] Tafsir al-Burhan
[89] This hadith has been narrated by more than twenty companions of the Prophet and has also been narrated by over 185 narrators mentioned in Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, 238; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 5, 181-182; Sahih Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, 220.
[90] This hadith has been narrated by eight companions of the Prophet and eight disciples of the companions, by sixty well-known scholars and more than ninety authors from the brothers of the Sunni school, such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Mishkat al-Masabih, 523; Fara΄id al-Simtayn, Vol. 2, 242; al-Sawa΄iq al-Muhriqah, 234; ‘Uyun al-Akhbar, Vol. 1, 211.
[91] al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak (quoting Ibn ‘Abbas), Vol. 3, 149
[92] al-Shafa, Vol 2, 40
