The proofs of the credibility and necessity of clinging to the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)

The proofs of the credibility and necessity of clinging to the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)

The ḥadīth scholars [muḥaddithūn] of both Sunnī and Shī‘ah schools of thought are of the opinion that the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) has left behind two precious legacies and invited all Muslims to hold fast to these two legacies, regarding that felicity and guidance are the consequence of people’s holding fast to these two—the first is the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and the second is his progeny [‘itrah] and the members of his Household [Ahl al-Bayt] (‘a).

Here are some examples of these traditions:

1. In his Ṣaḥīḥ (or Sunan), Tirmidhī thus narrates on the authority of Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī that the Messenger of Allah said:

:تضلّوا لن به أخذتم إن ما فيكم تركتُ قد إنّي النّاس أيُّها يا”

“.بيتي أهل عترتي و الله كتاب

“O people! I am leaving behind two things, which if you hold fast to, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and my progeny, the members of my Household.”[1]

2. Tirmidhī thus also writes in the mentioned book:

– وسلّم [وآله] عليه الله صلى – الله رسول قال

أحدهما بعدي تضلّوا لن به تمسّكتم إن ما فيكم تارك إنّي

إلىٰ السّماء من ممدود حبل الله كتاب :الآخر من أعظم

الحوض عَليَّ يردا حتّىٰ يفترقا لن بيتي أهل عترتي و الأرض

.فيهما تخلفوني كيف فانظروا

The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said: Verily, I am leaving among you two weighty things, which if you hold fast to, you will never go astray; one is greater than the other: the Book of Allah, which is a cord extending from the heaven to earth. The other is my progeny, the members of my Household. These two will never separate from each other until they meet me at the Pond [ḥawḍ] (of Kawthar). Be careful how you will behave with them when I leave you.[2]

3. In his Ṣaḥīḥ, Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj narrates from the Holy Prophet (ṣ) and says:

ربّي رسول يأتي أن يوشك بشرٌ أَنَا فانّما الناس أيها ألا

و الهدىٰ فيه الله كتاب أولهما :ثقلين فيكم تارك أنا و فأجيب

كتاب علىٰ فحث – به واستمسكوا الله بكتاب فخذوا النور

أهل في الله أذكركم بيتي أهل و – :قال ثم فيه رغّب و الله

.بيتي أهل في الله أذكركم بيتي أهل في الله أذكركم بيتي

“O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah’s call, (would bid goodbye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it.” He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: “The second are the members of my Household. I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.”[3]

4. A group of ḥadīth scholars has reported the Holy Prophet (ṣ) to have said:

لن إنّهما و بيتي أهل و الله كتاب الثّقلين فيكم تارك إنّي

.الحوض علىَّ يردا حتّى يفترقا

I am leaving among you two weighty things [thaqalayn]: the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and my Household [ahla baytī], and these two will never be separated from each other until they meet me at the Pool [ḥawḍ] (of Kawthar).[4]

It is necessary to note that the ḥadīths related to this topic are too many to be covered in this volume, and the prolific researcher, Sayyid Mīr Ḥāmid al-Ḥusayn has compiled the chains of transmission of these traditions in his six-volume ‘Abaqāt al-Anwār.

These quoted traditions clearly show that clinging to and following the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (ṣ), alongside the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Holy Apostle (ṣ), is among the exigencies of Islam, and ignoring the ḥadīths of the Prophet’s progeny (‘a) leads to misguidance and loss.

Now, who are the progeny of the Prophet (ṣ) whose obedience is incumbent upon us by the order of the Messenger of Allah (ṣ)? In order to clarify this point, we shall cite some narrations and examine the meaning of “the progeny [‘itrah] of the Prophet (ṣ)”: