Ahl al-Bayt: Its Meaning and Origin

The term "ahl" signifies the members of a household of a man, including his fellow tribesmen, kin, relati es, wife !or wi es", children, and all those who share a family background, religion, housing, city, and country with him# "Ahl" and "Aal" are both the same term with the e$ce%tion that "al" is e$clusi ely used for human beings and should come before the family name, but such a condition is not e$istent in the case of "ahl"# "Bayt" refers to habitation and dwelling, including tents and buildings both# The "ahl al-bayt" of any %erson refers to his family members and all those who li e in his house !c#f# "Mufradat al&ur'an" by (aghib Isfahani) "&amus" by *iroo+abadi) "Ma,m-a al-Bahrayn"# The term "ahl al-bayt" !%eo%le of the house" has been re%eated twice in the .oly &ur'an: /# "### the mercy of Allah and his blessing are on you, O %eo%le of the house, ### !//:01"" This erse refers to the %eo%le of the .ouse of Ibrahim !s" !c#f# "2ashf al-Asrar wa -3ddat alAbrar", 4/564 and other inter%retations"# 7# "### Allah only desires to kee% away the uncleanness from you, O %eo%le of the .ouse8 And to %urify you a !thorough" %urifying !11:11""# This erse, known as the "Tathir erse", refers to the Members of the .ousehold of the .oly 9ro%het !s"# The Imamiyyah scholars of hadith and fi:h, as well as some ;unni -3lama, consider the "ahl al-bayt" cited in the "tathir erse" to include e$clusi ely Muhammad, -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all"# They do not consider the .oly 9ro%het's other offs%ring, wi es, sons of %aternal uncles, and dwellers of his house as the Messenger's "ahl al-bayt"# They base their argument on the genuine and authentic traditions narrated by the com%anions of the 9ro%het !s" recorded in the ;unni and ;hi-i sources# 3nder the following headings, this article will del e into some of the said traditions and refer to some features of the "ahl al-bayt" as narrated by the ;unnis: /# 2isa' tradition) 7# Mubahalah tradition) 1# Mawaddat al-&urba tradition) 4# ;afinah tradition) <# Other traditions# /# 2isa' Tradition A- =alaluddin -Abdul-(ahman bin Abi Bakr ;uyuti !d >// A#.#" in his commentary "Al-?ur alManthur", />@6<-/>>, Muhammad ibn -Isa Tirmidhi !1 70> A#.#" the author of "=ami' ;ahih", .akim Aishaburi !d 4B< A#.#" in "Al-Mustadrak ala al-;ahihayn", Ahmad ibn .usayn Bayha:i !d 4<@ A#.#" in ";unan" !all three of whom ha e considered the 2isa' tradition as authentic", Muhammad ibn =arir Tabari !d 1/< A#.#", Ibn Mun+ir Muhammad ibn Ibrahim !d 1/> A#.#", Ibn Mardawayh Isfahani, and Ahmad ibn Musa !d 4/B A#.#" ha e :uoted 3mmu ;alamah, the wife of the .oly 9ro%het !s" as saying that the erse "### Allah only desires to kee% away the uncleanness from you, O %eo%le of the .ouse8 And to %urify you a thorough %urifying !11:11"" was re ealed in her house# At that time, -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all" were in her house# The .oly 9ro%het !s" s%read his cloak o er them and stated: "These are the members of my .ousehold, and Allah has %urified them of all !sins and faults and uncleanness"#" B- Ahmad bin Muhammad bin .anbal, the .anbali Imam, !d 74/ A#.#", in "Musnad" 77>67 :uotes 3mmu ;alamah as saying: "The .oly 9ro%het !s" was in my house# *atimah came to her father holding a stone bowl filled with "harirah" !ty%e of food made u% of flour, milk, and egetable oil"#

The .oly 9ro%het !s" stated: In ite your husband and two sons to come as well#" -Ali, .asan, and .usayn also came there and all sat down to eat "harirah"# Then, the .oly 9ro%het !s" was sitting on a cloak in his resting %lace and I was reciting the %rayer in the chamber# At this time, Almighty Allah re ealed the erse "Allah only desires to ###"# The .oly 9ro%het !s" co ered -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all" with the cloak and then stretched his hand toward the sky and said: "Allah8 These are the Members of my .ousehold, so %urify them of all uncleanness'# 3mmu ;alamah said: "I asked him: "Am I also with youC" .e stated: "Dou are on good and irtue" !but did not say that you are a member of my .ousehold"'#" This tradition has also been narrated by Ahmad ibn Muhammad Tahawi !d 17/ A#.#" in "Mushkil al-Athar" 117 and 114) Eahidi in "Asbab al-Au+ul" 75@ and Muhib Tabari !d 5>4 A#.#" in "Fakhair al--3:ba" 71 ha e related this tradition# In continuation of this tradition, Tabari has written that the 9ro%het !s" stated: "I am a friend of whosoe er is friends with them and an enemy of whosoe er is an enemy of them#" The said tradition of similar statements ha e been recorded in "Mana:ib" by Ibn .anbal, 44, the microfilm co%y of the book is a ailable in the 9arliament Gibrary# Tabari remarked: "This tradition has been narrated from 3mma ;alamah by Ibn al&ubabi in "Mu',am" and ;iyuti in "Al-?ur al-Mnthur" under the title of the "tathir erse", as well as by Ibn =arir, Ibn Mun+ir, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn Abi .atam and Ibn Tabrani#" H- 2hatib Baghdadi, Ahmad bin -Ali, !d 451 A#.#" in "The .istory of Baghdad" 70@6/B, has :uoted Abu ;aeed 2hidri ;-ad bin Malik !d 04 A#.#" as saying that after the re elation of the "tathir erse", the .oly 9ro%het !s" summoned -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all" and co ered them with the cloak he had on and said: "These are the members of my .ousehold, and Allah has %urified them !of e ery wrong and sin"#" The same tradition has been narrated from 3mmu ;alamah by Muhammad ibn =arir Tabari in "=am-a al-Bayan" 0677# ?- In ";ahih Muslim" !narrated by ;ayyid Murtada *iroo+abadi in "*adail al-2hamsah min ;ihah al-;itah" 7/46/", ;afiyah, the daughter of ;hayba, has narrated -Aishah, the wife of the .oly 9ro%het !s", as saying: "One morning, the Messenger of Allah left the house with a cloak made of black material and bearing the design of a camel's saddle# .asan ibn -Ali entered the %lace, and the 9ro%het !s" co ered him with the cloak# Then came .usayn, *atimah, and -Ali one after another, and all of them were also co ered by the cloak# The 9ro%het !s" then stated: "### Allah only desires to kee% away uncleanness from you, O %eo%le of the .ouse8 And to %urify you a !thorough" %urifying#" This tradition has been narrated by .akim Aishaburi in "Al-Mustadark" /461) Bayha:i in ";unan" /4>67) Tabari in the "=ami al-Bayan" ;iyuti in "al-?urri al-Manthur" under the title of the "tathir erse"# In addition, Ibn Abi ;haybah, Ahmad bin Muhammad bin .anbal, Ibn Abi .atam ha e narrated it from -Aishah# Famakhshari in "2ashshaf" and *akhr (a+i in "Tafsir 2abir" ha e also related this tradition# It seems that the recorders of traditions are unanimous about the authenticity of this tradition !"*adail al-2hamsah" 7746/"# I- In the "=ami al-Bayan" Muhammad bin =arir Tabari has :uoted ;hahr bin .ushab Ash'air !d /BB A#.#" as saying: "Ehen 3mmu ;alamah heard news of the martyrdom of .usayn bin -Ali , she cursed the %eo%le of Ira: and said: -May Allah kill the %eo%le of Ira: who decei ed him and left him alone# May Allah curse them# Jerily, I saw *atimah while bringing a stone bowl of sweet %aste for the .oly 9ro%het !s"# The .oly 9ro%het !s" stated: -Ehere is your cousinC' ;he said: -At home#' The 9ro%het !s" said: -Ko bring him here with his two sons#' *atimah returned while holding the hands of .asan and .usayn# -Ali also followed them, and they came to the .oly 9ro%het !s"# The .oly 9ro%het !s" embraced .asan and .usayn and made -Ali sit on his right and *atimah on left# .e then the cloak as the car%et on which we sle%t in Medina and %laced it o er *atimah, -Ali, .asan, and .usayn# .e held the two sides of the cloak with his left hand# .e raised his right hand toward the sky addressing Almighty Allah by saying: -O Allah, %urify them of any uncleanness # O Allah, these are the members of my .ousehold# 9urify and cleanse them of any ice, wrong, and sin,' !.e re%eated this twice"# I asked: -O Messenger8 Am I also a member of your .ouseholdC' .e said: -Dou come under the cloak#' I also went under the cloak, but only after the 9ro%het !s" finished

his %rayer for his cousin, his two sons, and *atimah !%eace be u%on them all"#" This tradition has been related by Ahmad bin Muhammad ibn .anbal in "Musnad" 7>765: Tahwi in "Mushkil alAthar" 11<6/) and Muhib Tabari in "Fakhair al--3:ba" 776/# The 2isa' tradition which has been narrated in different forms by the ;hias and the ;unnis is ery sacred for the entire Imamiyyah, es%ecially the ;hia of Iran, the Indian subcontinent, Ira:, and Demen# It is recited in "rawdah" sessions !mourning ceremony" to ha e the wishes fulfilled and %roblems remo ed# ;ome narration %ro ide more details on this tradition# ;ome say that =ibraeel and Mikaeel were also among the disci%les of the 2isa' or were %resent there# A di ine re elation was descended on the .oly 9ro%het !s" to the effect that the world and whate er is in it is indebted to these fi e %ure ones# 7# Mubahalah Tradition ;i$ty chiefs and -3lama of Aa,ran, headed by ;ayyid, A:ib, and 3s:uf !religious %ersonalities" of the region in the /Bth year A#.# came to Medina to clarify their religious and %olitical stance is-ais Islam which had s%read o er the Arab %eninsula and to engage in discussions with the Messenger !s" of Allah to reali+e the essence and truth of Islam# After lengthy discussions which ha e been %resented in details in Ibn .usham's ";irah" <016/, no agreement was reached on the %osition and standing of =esus# The Hhristians of Aa,ran belie ed in the di inity of =esus and considered him as the son of Kod# This is while, based on the e$%licit wording of the .oly &ur'an !1:<>", the Messenger !s" of Allah considered him as a %ro%het and the ser ant of Kod# At the end of the discussions, the 9ro%het !s" suggested that the two sides engage in "mubahalah", in other words, to in oke di ine malediction for the lying side# The following erse was descended in this regard: "But whoe er dis%utes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our near %eo%le and your near %eo%le, then let us be earnest in %rayer, and %ray for the curse of Allah on the liars#" !1:5/" The /Bth !and some say the 74th" of ?hul-.i,,ah was chosen for "mubahalah"# The Messenger !s" of Allah ordered that in a field outside Medina a thin black "aba" !men's loose slee eless cloak o%en in front" be used as a shade between two trees# The Hhristian chiefs and dignitaries of Aa,ran stood in orderly ranks on one side of the field, on the other side, the 9ro%het, together with -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn came from the direction of Medina to the shade# Along this %ath, the 9ro%het !s", holding the hand of -Ali, .asan and .usayn walked in front with *atimah behind them !c#f# "Ma,m-a al-Bayan"# Inter%retation of the Mubahalah Jerse"# Eith such sim%licity and grandeur, they reached the shade and stood below the "aba"# The .oly 9ro%het !s" recited the "tathir erse" and addressed the "ahl al-bayt" by saying: "I will in oke malediction for them and you say -amin'#" ;eeing such glory and grandeur, the Aa,ran chiefs lost their self-confidence and felt that they were ery %uny and could not stand against 9ro%het Muhammad !s" and his .ousehold# They, therefore, acce%ted to %ay ",a+iyyah" and offered to gi e in to %eace# On behalf of the .oly 9ro%het !s", the commander of the *aithful, -Ali, signed a %eace treaty with the Hhristians# The Hhristians were to annually offer twel e thousand e$:uisite clothes, a thousand mith:al of gold, and some other items to remain Hhristians under the umbrella of Islam# On the basis of the "mubahalah erse", ;unni inter%reters such as Famakhshari, Baydawi, Imam *akhr (a+i and others regard -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all" su%erior to all other %eo%le and argue that .assan and .usayn are the sons of the Messenger !s" of Allah# The term "anfusina" in the "mubahalah erse" %ro es the unity of the heart and soul of 9ro%het Muhammad and -Ali# The .oly 9ro%het !s" stated: "-Ali is of me and I am of -Ali#" !"*adail al2hamsah" 1416/"# The "mubahalah tradition" has been recounted in different books of "sirah" and history with arious wordings# These include those of Tirmidhi !";ahih" /5567" which :uotes ;-ad ibn Abi Ea::as as follows: "Ehen the mubahalah erse was recited, the .oly 9ro%het !s"

summoned -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn and said: -O Allah, these are the Members of my .ousehold#" This tradition has been narrated by .akim Aishaburi in "Al-Mustadrak" /<B61 and Bayha:i in ";unan" 5160# .akim regards this tradition as authentic# 1# Mawaddat al-&urba Tradition Based on the consensus of the e$egesists !"=am-a al-Bayan" Tabari /567<, /0) ".ilyat al-Awlia" 7</61) "Al-Mustadrak" /0761) "3sd al-Khabah" 1506<) "Al-;awa'i: al-Muhara:ah" /B/", the following erse has been re ealed about the members of the .ousehold of the .oly 9ro%het !s": "###;ay: I do not ask of you any reward for it but lo e for my near relati es ###" !47:71" The term "Al-&urba" in this erse, based on the traditions narrated from the .oly 9ro%het !s", embraces only -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn and no one else# The tradition from Ibn -Abbas' has it that when the "mawaddat al-:urba" erse was re ealed, the 9ro%het !s" was asked: "O messenger, who are your near relati es who should be lo edC" .e stated: "-Ali, *atimah, and their sons#" This tradition has been narrated by Muhib Tabari in "Fakhair al--3:ba" 7<6/) Ibn .anbal in "Mana:ib" //B) Mo'min ;habilen,i "Aural-Absar" /B/) and Famakhshari in "2ashshaf" as annotation to the said erse# In the "Tafsir al-2abir", *akhr (a+i has related the said narration from "2ashshaf" and has said that based on this erse, -Ali, *atimah, .asan, and .usayn should be re ered and sanctified# .e has also cited lines of erse from the ;hafii' Imam, Muhammad bin Idris ;hafii' !d 74B A#.#" in this regard# A line of it is as follows: "If lo e for the members of the .ousehold of the .oly 9ro%het is heresy, then the world should stand witness that I am a heretic#" 4# ;afinah Tradition The irtues of the "ahl al-bayt" ha e been am%ly mentioned in the authenticated and Tawatur traditions narratted by both ;hia and ;unni -3lama# 3sing different words and %hrases, these traditions ha e asked %eo%le to lo e the "ahl al-bayt" and follow thier teachings# *or instance, the .oly 9ro%het !s" has com%ared his "ahl al-bayt" to Aoah's ark# Ehoe er lo es and follows them will attain sal ation and whoe er iolates their sanctity will drown# The ser ant of the .oly 9ro%het !s", Anas bin Malik !d >1 A#.#", has been related as :uoting the 9ro%het !s" as saying: "The e$am%le of the members of my .ousehold among you is like the e$am%le of Aoah's ark# Ehoe er boards it will attain sal ation and whoe er does not board it will drown#" This tradition has been narrated by .akim Aishaburi in "Al-Mustadrak" 14167) 2hatib in "Tarikh Baghdad" >/6/7) and other great recorders of traditions !"al-Khadir" 1BB67-1B/"# In this regard, Imam ;hafii' has said the following: "Ehen I saw different schools of thought directing %eo%le toward the seas of ignorance and de iation, I boarded the ark of sal ation in the Aame of Allah# This arc is erily crystalli+ed in the "ahl al-bayt" of the ;eal of the 9ro%hets, Mustafa !s"#" Among ery famous traditions in which the "ahl al-bayt" ha e been resembled to the ark of sal ation, reference can be made to the famous "Ishbah tradition" which has been narrated from the .oly 9ro%het !s" by Abu .urayrah -Abdul(ahman bin ;akhar !d <> A#.#"# "Ehen Almighty Allah created Adam, the father of mankind, and breathed .is s%irit into him, Adam looked to the right hand side of the em%yrean# There he saw fi e figures in the form of silhouettes engaged in %rostration and genuflection# .e asked: "Kod, ha e you created any one from the dust before meC" Kod re%lied: "Ao#" Adam said, ";o who are these fi e figures which I see resembling my own sha%e and formC" Kod answered, "These are fi e of your offs%ring# If it were not for them, I would ha e not created you# They are fi e %eo%le whose names are deri ed from My Own# If it were not for them, I would ha e not created %aradise or hell, the hea ens and the earth, the skies and the lands, the angels, the human beings and the ,inn# I am "Mahmud" and this Muhammad# I am "Aala" and this is -Ali# I am "*atir" and this is *atimah, I am "Ihsan" and this is .asan# I am "Muhsin" and this is .usayn# By My Klory, whoe er bears e en an atom's

weight of grudge against them will be cast into hell# O Adam8 They are My chosen ones# *or them, I will sa e or cast others to %erdition# If you want anything from me, you should resort to these fi e %eo%le#" The .oly 9ro%het !s" said: "Ee ser e as the ark of sal ation# Ehoe er holds fast to this ark will reach sal ation and whoe er de iates from it will be cast into %erdition# Ehoe er wants Allah to grant him something should resort to the -ahl al-bayt'#" This tradition has been narrated by ;haykh al-Islam .amu'i in the first cha%ter of "*ara'id al-;amtayn" and 2hatib 2hwara+mi in "Mana:ib" 7<7 !c#f# "al-Khadir" 1BB67"# The Ashbah tradition has been narrated by -Allamah Amini in another %art of the al-Khadir" !1B/60" :uoting Abul-*ath Muhammad bin -Ali al-Aatan+i in "Alfa+"# <# Other Traditions About the Jirtues and Hharacteristics of the "Ahl al-Bayt" A- In the inter%retation of the erse "And en,oin %rayer on your household ###" !7B:/17", =alaluddin ;iyuti in "al-?urr al-Manthur", has related Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn -Aker, and in al-Aa,,ar as :uoting Abu ;aeed 2hidri as saying that after this erse was re ealed, for eight months, the 9ro%het went to the house of -Ali e ery morning at the time of morning %rayers and read this erse: "### Allah only desires to kee% away the uncleanness from you, O %eo%le of the .ouse8 And to %urify you a !thorough" %urifying !11:11"#" !"Al-?urr al-Manthur" />@6< and />>) "*adail al2hamsah") 7756/"# Another tradition has it that from the fortieth day after the consummation of the marriage of -Ali and *atimah, the 9ro%het !s" e ery morning went to their house and said: "9eace be u%on you, O members of the .ouse and the mercy and blessings of Allah# I will fight with whoe er fights with you and I will be reconciled with whoe er is reconciled with you#" .e then recited the "tathir erse"# Ibn -Abdul-Bar in "al-isti-ab" <>@67) Abu ?awud Tialisi in ";ahih" 7046@) and *iroo+abadi in "*adail al-2hamsah" 7156/ ha e %ut at forty the number of mornings when the 9ro%het !s" went to the house of -Ali and *atimah# In the "=ami al-Bayan" inter%retation, Tabari has said that this was done for se en months# ;iyuLi !in "Al-?urr al-Manthur", />>" has :uoted Ibn -Abbas as saying that after the erse "And en,oin %rayer on your household ###" !7B:/17" was re ealed, the .oly 9ro%het !s" for nine months went to the house of -Ali fi e times a day at the time of daily %rayers and called on the members of the house to kee% u% the %rayer# Iach time, he recited the "tathir erse"# This is %ossible because the .oly 9ro%het's house was close to that of -Ali# Its door o%ened inside the mos:ue# ;o whene er the Messenger !s" of Allah wanted to go to the mos:ue, he had to %ass the house of -Ali and *atimah# B- In "Al-Mustadrak alal-;ahihayn", .akim Aishaburi :uotes -Abdullah bin =a'afar bin Talib as saying that when the Messenger !s" of Allah looked to the blessings coming down, he said, "Hall on them#" ;afiyeh said, "O Messenger of Allah, whom should we call u%onC" .e re%lied, "The members of my .ousehold: -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn#" They were called u%on# Then the 9ro%het !s" %laced his cloak o er them and raised both hands and said, "O Allah, these are the members of my .ousehold# 9eace be u%on Muhammad and u%on the .ousehold of Muhammad#" Almighty Allah re ealed the erse, "### Allah only desires to kee% away ### !11:11"#" .akim Aishaburi said this tradition is an authenticated tradition# The .oly 9ro%het !s" taught them to send greetings u%on his household !"-Ayan al-;hi-ah" 1<@6/) "*adail al-2hamsah" 7706/) "AlMustadrak" /4061"# Ibn =urir and Ibn Abi .atam ha e :uoted &utadah as saying that in relation to the erse, "### Allah only desires to kee% away ### !11:11"", the 9ro%het !s" stated, "These are the members of my .ousehold, and Allah has %urified them of any uncleanness and granted them .is mercy# Ee ser e as the tree of %ro%hethood, the %illar of mission, the %lace of %assage of angels, the house of mercy, and the wealth of knowledge" !"Al-?urr al-Manthur", />@6<-/>>"#

H- In "Al-Mustadrak al-;ahihayn", .akim Aishaburi has :uoted this authentic tradition from Ibn -Abbas: The .oly 9ro%het !s" stated, "Go e Allah who gi es you food out of his bounty and lo e me for .is lo e and lo e the members of my .ousehold because of lo e for me#" .e also relates this tradition which he considers authentic from Abu ;-ad 2hidri: "Ehoe er shows animosity toward us the members of the .ousehold will be cast into the fire#" !"A'yan al-;hi-a", 1/<6/"# ?- .akim Aishaburi in "Al-Mustadrak", /4>61 and Ibn .a,ar in ";awai:", /4B ha e related Ibn -Abbas as :uoting the 9ro%het !s" as saying: "The stars are the source of the earth and the members of my .ousehold are the source of the "ummah" !%eo%le"#" Another tradition refers to the same: "The stars are the refuge for the dwellers of the hea ens and my "ahl al-bayt" are the refuge for the "ummah" !"2an+ al-A'mal fi ;unan al-A:wal wal-Af-al" //565"# Another tradition has said: "the stars are the refuge for the dwellers of the skies# ;o if the stars are destroyed, the dwellers of the skies will also be destroyed# The members of my .ousehold are the refuge for the dwellers of the earth# If they are destroyed, the dwellers of the earth also be destroyed" !Muhib Tabari in "Fakhair al--3:ba", /06/ and -Ali bin ;ultan Muhammad &ari in "Mir:at al-Mafatih" 5/B6<, Igy%t, /11> A#.#"# ;ome ;unni -3lama regard the "tathir erse" %ertinent to all kin and relati es of the .oly 9ro%het !s" including the wi es, children, the Bani .ashim and Bani-Adul-Mutallib !Ash'ari in "Ma:alat alIslamin", >"# Based on a tradition narrated from ;aeed bin =ubayer, Bukhari, Ibn Abi .atam, Ibn -Aker, and Ibn Mardawayh ha e said that this erse has been re ealed about the wi es of the 9ro%het !s" and belie e that they are the members of the .ousehold of the Messenger !s" of Allah !"*ath al-&adir", 7064, Igy%t /1<B A#.#"# In addition to the wi es of the .oly 9ro%het !s", &urtabi and Ibn 2athir consider -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all" as members of the .ousehold to whom the "tathir erse" a%%lies# But Tirmidhi, Ibn =urir, Ibn Man+ar, .akim Aishaburi, and Bayha:i who are all ;unni -3lama ha e referred to the authentic tradition of 3mmu ;alamah and ha e thus considered the "tathir erse" a%%licable to -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn !%eace be u%on them all"# The ;hias ha e mentioned se eral reasons and %roofs that the "ahl al-bayt" of the .oly 9ro%het !s" are e$clusi ely -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn to whom the "tathir erse" a%%lies# The most im%ortant of these reasons and %roofs are: /# Based on an authentic tradition narrated from 3mmu ;alamah and Abu ;aeed 2hidri, the "tathir erse" has been re ealed about the .oly 9ro%het !s", -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn !%eace be u%on all"# 7# In the 2isa' tradition, it has been sti%ulated that after %lacing -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn !%eace be u%on all" under his cloak, the 9ro%het !s" said: "O Allah, these are the members of my .ousehold#" This means that no one else a%art from these is iewed as the "ahl al-bayt"# 1# In res%onse to 3mmu ;alama who asked whether she was also a member of the .ousehold, the 9ro%het !s" said: "Dou ha e your own %lace, you are irtuous#" .e said no more than this# If 3mmu ;alama, in whose house the "tathir erse" was re ealed, is not a member of the .ousehold of the .oly 9ro%het !s", the erse will surely not a%%ly to the Messenger's other wi es# 4# ;ome traditions state that based on a re:uest from 3mmu ;alamah, the 9ro%het !s" allowed her to come under the cloak but did so after saying, "Allah these are the members of my .ousehold" and reciting the "tathir erse"# <# -Akramah Bariri !d /B< A#.#" and 3rwat bin Fubayr !d >1 A#.#" are among the %eo%le who ha e related that the "tathir erse" has been e$clusi ely re ealed about the wi es of the 9ro%het !s"# Of course, Akramah subscribe to 2hawari, !"Al--a'lam" Farkali, 476<" and 3rwat !"-Ayan al-;hi-ah", 1B>6/"# Also the %ronoun in the said erse is masculine not feminine# ;uch a narration cannot contrdict the famous tradition related by -Aishah, 3mmu ;alamah, and Abu ;aeed 2hidri, who ha e considered the "ahl al-bayt" to be e$clusi ely fi e %eo%le# They ha e said that the erses coming before and after the "tathir erse" are related to the wi es of the 9ro%het !s", so this erse should also be rele ant to them#

&ur'anic erses are not classified based on the order of their re elation or contents# In addition, Fayd bin Ar:am who has related the authenticated Tha:alayn tradition, has stated that the wi es of the .oly 9ro%het !s" are not regarded as the members of his .ousehold"# .e was asked: "Aren't the wi es of the .oly 9ro%het !s" considered as the members of the .ouseholdC" .e re%lied: "The wi es of the 9ro%het reside in the 9ro%het's house but the 9ro%het's "ahl al-bayt" are those to whom the grant of "sada:ah" is religiously unlawful#" Another tradition has it that Fayd was asked to name the members of the .ousehold of the .oly 9ro%het !s"# .e was asked whether the 9ro%het's wi es were among his "ahl al-bayt"# .e re%lied: "Ao, a wife li es with a husband for a while and then might be di orced and go back to her %arents#" 5# After citing the "tathir erse", -Ali &ari in the "Annotation to &a+i Aya+'s ;hifa" !as related in "-Ayan al-;hi-ah", 1B>6/" has mentioned that according to a tradition narrated by Ibn -Abbas, the 9ro%het's "ahl al-bayt" include his wi es as well# According to Abu ;aeed 2hidri and some followers, the "ahl al-bayt" include -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn !%eace be u%on all"# .e says: "There is no %roblem if we gather these traditions together and consider both grou%s to be members of the .ousehold of the .oly 9ro%het !s"# But It would go against the ;hia idea that the "tathir erse" a%%lies only to -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn and that they are immaculate # I en the fact that they regard the consensus of Imamiyyah -3lama as %roof to the eracity of this would be re,ected# Abu ;aeed 2hidri's tradition only shows that these four are members of the 9ro%het's .ousehold and does not indicate that no one else is among the "ahl al-bayt"# But Akramah's traditions e$%licitly :uotes Ibn -Abbas as saying that erily the "ahl al-bayt" refers to the wi es of the 9ro%het# On the other hand, 2hidir's tradition says that the 9ro%het said: "Only these !i#e# -Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn" are the Members of my .ousehold#" This indicates e$clusi e membershi%# .ow then can these two traditions be combinedC *or this reason, the Imamiyyah -3lama ha e consensus on following the traditions of the immaculate Imams !%eace be u%on them all" and the distinguished disci%les to the effect that the "ahl al-bayt" of the 9ro%het !s" are only the fi e %eo%le known as the "Aal al-'Abaa" and "Ashab al-2isa'"#

The Eord .ouse !Ahlul-Bayt" in &uran .ouse of Abraham !a" &uran testifies that ;arah, the wife of 9ro%het Abraham !a", was blessed by angels and was gi en the glad tiding that she will gi e birth to two %ro%hets of Kod: M&uran //:0/N: And his wife, standing by, laughed when Ee ga e her good tidings !of the birth" of Isaac, and, after Isaac, of =acob# M:uran //:07N: ;he said: "Alas for me8 ;hall I bear a child when I am an old woman and my husband now is an old manC That would indeed be a strange thing8" M&uran //:01N: The !angles" said: ?o Dou wonder at Allah's decreeC The grace of Allah and .is blessings be u%on you, O 9eo%le of the .ouse8 .e is indeed worthy of all %raise full of all glory8" ;ince in the mercy and the bounty of Kod offered in the abo e erse to the 9eo%le of the .ouse of Abraham, it has been a tendency of some ;unni commentators and their an$iety to find some argument for their counting the wi es of the .oly 9ro%het !s" in the terms Ahlul-Bayt# They argue that since ;arah the wife of Abraham is included in the term Ahlul-Bayt mentioned in the abo e erse, then all the wi es of the 9ro%het !s" are included in the erse 11:11 relating to the %urity and the e$cellence of the Ahlul-Bayt of 9ro%het Muhammad# .owe er, these commentators intentionally or otherwise ignore the significance of the address by the Angels# If ;arah, the wife of Abraham, is included in the term Ahlul-Bayt used in the abo e

erse, it is not because she was the wife of Abraham, but because she was going to be the MOT.I( of two %ro%hets !Isaac and =acob"# ;he was mentioned by angles in the abo e erse as a member of Ahlul-Bayt, A*TI( she (IHIIJI? the glad tiding that she is %regnant of 9ro%het Isaac !a"# The matrimonial relation between and a man and a woman is only circumstantial and can be gi en u% at any moment# ;he could ne er be a %ermanent %artner to any husband to be included in the hea enly address who are endowed with the uni:ue and hea enly e$cellence 3AGI;; she brings a son who becomes a 9ro%het or an Imam# Thus if we consider ;arah as a member of the .ouse, it would be only because she would be the mother of Isaac, and not being the wife of Abraham# The erses //:0/-01 :uoted abo e show that ;arah was called among Ahlul-Bayt after she got to know that she is ha ing Isaac !a"#

.ouse of Imran !a" Gikewise, &uran mentions the mother of Moses among the Ahlul-Bayt of Imran# Again, as we can see in the following erses, the em%hasis here is the MOT.I( of Moses and not the wife of Imran: M&uran 7@:/7N: And Ee ordained that he refuse to seek any foster mother before so she said: ;hall I %oint out to you a household who will take care of him for you, and will be kind to himC M&uran 7@:/1N: ;o Ee restored him to his mother that she might be comforted and not grie e, and that she might know that the %romise of Allah is true# But most of them know not# The mother of Moses is termed as Ahlul-Bayt, not for being the wife of Imran, but for being the mother of Moses, otherwise the wi es who are sub,ect to di orce and being substituted with women better than them !&uran 55:<" can't be considered as Ahlul-Bayt as %ointed out by Faid Ibn Ar:am as well# This is illustrated with the wife of Aoah and Got, though they were the wi es of such great ser ants of Kod, they were not considered Ahlul- Bayt# They %erished along with the rest of community# Get's remember what Faid Ibn Ar:am said: "Ahlul-Bayt !household" of the 9ro%het are his lineage and his descendants !those who come from his blood" for whom the acce%tance of charity !Fakat" is %rohibited#" The wife of Imran was in the lineage of the Moses, so was the wife of Abraham who was in the lineage of Isaac and =acob# ;imilarly, if *atimah is among the Ahlul-Bayt 9ro%het of Islam, it is because not only she was the daughter of the 9ro%het !s", but also she was the mother of two Imams#

.ouse of Aoah !a" And Aoah Hried unto his Gord and said: "My Gord8 Jerily my son is of my family) and erily Dour %romise is true, and Dou are the most ,ust of the ,udges#" .e !Allah" said: "O Aoah8 Jerily he is not of your family) Jerily he is !of" conduct other than the righteous) Therefore do not ask what you ha e no knowledge about) Jerily I ad ice you not to be of the ignorant ones#" !&uran //:4<-45" Abul Ala Maududi wrote in his commentary of the abo e erse that: "If a %art of the body of a %erson becomes rotten and the surgeon decides to cut it off, he will not com%ly with the re:uest of the %atient, who says '?o not cut because it is a %art of my body'# The surgeon will re%ly, 'It is no longer a %art of your body because it is rotten#' Gikewise when a righteous father is told that his son

is a worthless act, it means to im%ly that the efforts that you made to bring him u% as a good son ha e gone waste for the work is s%oilt and ended in utter failure#" (eference: Hommentary of &uran by Abul Ala Maududi !%ublished by the Islamic 9ublications !9 t" Gimited", %150, under erse //:4<-45 9ro%het Aoah !a" was %leading for his own son and the re%ly was that the lad was not worthy of being his son# It is made crystal clear by this erse that though one might be of the same blood and flesh, born through the same %arents, but if the issue doesn't %ossess the good :ualities of the %arents then he or she is not of his %arents' stock !as said in the second erse"# Aoah had three other sons, Aam, ;am and Dafas who were belie ers and who with their wi es entered the Ark and were sa ed and 2anan was Aoah's son by his OT.I( wife who was a disbelie er and %erished along with her son# It can be concluded that if any one does not hold the goodness of the correct faith in Allah, be he the son of the A%ostle, he is not to be of the stock of his %arentage) .is ery birth through his own %arents is denied to him, e en the right to be on Kod's earth is withdrawn from him, and he is to be destroyed# Thus, e en one is to be the son of a %ro%het of Allah, the lack of righteousness gets him disowned from the %rogeny !Itrat" of the a%ostolic family# It is for this reason that the term Ahlul-Bayt is restricted to the deser ing members of the .ouse of the 9ro%het and doesn't co er all of those who are born from his blood# Ahlul-Bayt are only the indi iduals among 9ro%het's descendants who also had close affinity in character and utmost s%iritual attainment with 9ro%het !s"#

In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent

Ayat al-Tat'hir: "Jerily Allah intends to kee% off from you e ery kind of uncleanness O' 9eo%le of the .ouse !AhlulBayt", and %urify you with a %erfect %urification"# !&uran, 11:11" Aarrated Aisha: One day the 9ro%het !s" came out afternoon wearing a black cloak !u%%er garment or gown) long coat", then al-.asan Ibn Ali came and the 9ro%het accommodated him under the cloak, then al-.usain came and entered the cloak, then *atimah came and the 9ro%het entered her under the cloak, then Ali came and the 9ro%het entered him to the cloak as well# Then the 9ro%het recited: "Jerily Allah intends to kee% off from you e ery kind of uncleanness O' 9eo%le of the .ouse !Ahlul-Bayt", and %urify you a %erfect %urification !the last sentence of Jerse 11:11"#" (eference: /# ;ahih Muslim, Hha%ter of irtues of com%anions, section of the irtues of the Ahlul-Bayt of the 9ro%het !s", />@B Idition 9ub# in ;audi Arabia, Arabic ersion, 4, %/@@1, Tradition O5/# One can see that the author of ;ahih Muslim confirms that: /# Imam Ali, *atimah, al-.asan, and al-.usain are the Ahlul-Bayt, 7# The %urification sentence in &uran !the last sentence of Jerse 11:11" was re ealed for the irtue of the abo e-mentioned indi iduals# .e !Muslim" did not %ut any other tradition in this section !section of the irtues of AhlulBayt"# If the author of ;ahih Muslim belie ed that the wi es of the 9ro%het were included in

Ahlul-Bayt, he would ha e :uoted some traditions about them in this section# It is interesting to see that Aisha, the wife of the 9ro%het !s" is the narrator of the abo e tradition, and she herself is testifying that Ahlul- Bayt are the abo e-mentioned indi iduals !i#e#, Imam Ali, *atimah, al-.asan, and al-.usain" 1# ;ahih al-Tirmidhi, <, %% 1</,551 Another ersion of the "Tradition of Hloak" is written in ;ahih al-Tirmidhi, which is narrated in the authority of 3mar Ibn Abi ;alama, the son of 3mm ;alama !another wife of 9ro%het", which is as follows: The erse "Jerily Allah intends to ### !11:11"" was re ealed to the 9ro%het !s" in the house of 3mm ;alama# 3%on that, the 9ro%het gathered *atimah, al-.asan, and al-.usain, and co ered them with a cloak, and he also co ered Ali who was behind him# Then the 9ro%het said: "O' Allah8 These are the Members of my .ouse !Ahlul-Bayt"# 2ee% them away from e ery im%urity and %urify them with a %erfect %urification#" 3mm ;alama !the wife of 9ro%het" asked: "Am I also included among them O A%ostle of AllahC" the 9ro%het re%lied: "Dou remain in your %osition and you are toward a good ending#" 4# al-Mustadrak, by al-.akim, 7, %4/5 <# Musnad Ahmad Ibn .anbal, 5, %% 171,7>7,7>@) /, %% 11B-11/) 1, %7<7) 4, %/B0 from Abu ;a'id al-2hudri 5# *adha'il al-;ahaba, by Ahmad Ibn .anbal, 7, %<0@, Tradition O>0@ 0# al-Mustadrak, by al-.akim, 7, %4/5 !two traditions" from Ibn Abi ;alama, 1, %% /45-/4@ !fi e traditions", %% /<@,/07 @# al-2hasa'is, by an-Aisa'i, %% 4,@ ># al-;unan, by al-Bayha:i, narrated from Aisha and 3mm ;alama /B#Tafsir al-2abir, by al-Bukhari !the author of ;ahih", /, %art 7, %5> //#Tafsir al-2abir, by *akhr al-(a+i, 7, %0BB !Istanbul", from Aisha /7#Tafsir al-?urr al-Manthoor, by al-;uyuti, <, %% />@,5B< from Aisha and 3mm ;alama /1#Tafsir Ibn =arir al-Tabari, 77, %% <-@ !from Aisha and Abu ;a'id al-2hudri", %% 5,@ !from Ibn Abi ;alama" !/B traditions" /4#Tafsir al-&urtubi, under the commentary of erse 11:11 from 3mm ;alama /<#Tafsir Ibn 2athir, 1, %4@< !Hom%lete ersion" from Aisha and 3mar Ibn Abi ;alama /5#3sdul Khabah, by Ibn al-Athir, 7, %/7) 4, %0> narrated from Ibn Abi ;alama /0#;awa'i: al-Muhri:ah, by Ibn .a,ar al-.aythami, Hh# //, sec# /, %77/ from 3mm ;alama /@#Tarikh, by al-2hateeb Baghdadi, /B, narrated from Ibn Abi ;alama />#Tafsir al-2ashshaf, by al-Famakhshari, /, %/>1 narrated from Aisha 7B#Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, /, %% 117-115 !se en traditions" 7/#?hakha'ir al-3:ba, by Muhibb al-Tabari, %%7/-75, from Abu ;a'id 2hudri 77#Ma,ma' al-Fawa'id, by al-.aythami, >, %/55 !by se eral transmitters" #### and more #### The fact that the gender in later %art of Jerse 11:11 is switched from feminine to masculine, has led the ma,ority of ;unni commentators to belie e that the last %art was re ealed for Imam Ali, *atimah, al-.asan and al-.usain, as Ibn .a,ar al-.aythami indicated: Based on the o%inion of the ma,ority of commentators, the saying of Allah :"Jerily Allah intends to ### !the last sentence of the erse 11:11"" was re ealed for Ali, *atimah, al-.asan, and al-.usain, because of the usage of masculine gender in the word "Ankum" and after that# (eference: al-;awa'i: al-Muhri:ah, by Ibn .a,ar, Hh# //, section /, %77B#

Ayat al-Eilaya:

"Hertainly your Master is Allah and .is Messenger and those who belie e who eshtablish %rayer and gi e charity while they bow# And who e er takes Allah and .is Messenger and those who belie e as a guardian, so surely the %arty of Allah will be ictorious#" !&uran <:<<-<5" It is unanimous that the erse descended about Imam Ali when he ga e away in charity his ring while he was in a state of kneeling in his %rayer# Many ;unni commentators of the &uran confirm the fact that the abo e erse descended on the honor of Imam Ali and many ;unni scholars ha e also mentioned the unanimity or consensus of o%inion in their books# .ere are some references: /# Tafsir al-2abir, by Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al-Tha'labi, under Jerse <:<< 7# Tafsir al-2abir, by Ibn =arir al-Tabari, 5, %% /@5,7@@-7@> 1# Tafsir =amiul .ukam al-&uran, by Muhammad Ibn Ahmad &urtubi, 5, %7/> 4# Tafsir al-2ha+in, 7, %5@ <# Tafsir al-?urr al-Manthoor, by al-;uyuti, 7, %% 7>1-7>4 5# Tafsir al-2ashshaf, by al-Famakhshari, Igy%t /101, /, %% <B<,54> 0# Asbab al-Au+ool, by =alaluddin al-;uyuti, Igy%t /1@7, /, %01 @# Asbab al-Au+ool, by al-Eahidi, on the authority of Ibn Abbas ># ;harh al-T,rid, by Allama &ush,i /B#Ahkam al-&uran, al-=assas, 7, %% <47-<41 //#Musnad Ahmad Ibn .anbal, <, %1@ /7#2an+ul 3mmal, by al-Mutta:i al-.indi, 5, %1>/, Tradition O<>>/ /1#al-Awsat, by Tabarani, narrated from Ammar Dasir /4#Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Ibn Abbas Allama al-Tabarsi, while commenting on this erse in Ma,ma' al-Bayan states: "The %lural form has been used for Ali, Hommander of the faithful, in order to e$%ress his honor and eminence#" And masters of the Arabic language use the %lural form for an indi idual to show res%ect# Allama al-Famakshari in his Tafsir al-2ashshaf, /, %54>, has mentioned another nice %oint which is as follows: If you in:uire how this %lural word is a%%licable to Ali, may Allah be gracious to him, who is an indi idual, I shall say that though this erse is about Ali, an indi idual, the %lural form is used in order to %resuade others to act similarly and to gi e alms as readily as Ali did# There is also an im%lied instruction that the faithful should kee% themsel es always on the look out for occasions of acts of sym%athy, bene olence and charity to the %oor and the needy, and readily do the needful without waiting till the com%letion of e en so im%ortant a duty as saying a %rayer#

Ayat Ahl Al-?hikr: "####then, Ask A.G AG-?.I2( if Dou do not know" &/5:71 and &7/:0 This noble erse instructs the Muslims to refer to the %eo%le who know and their knowledge is dee%ly rooted and they know the inter%retation of the &ur'an# This erse was re ealed to introduce the ahl al-bayt# They are Muhammad, 'Ali, *atima, al-.asan and al-.usayn# whom the 9ro%het of Kod !;" designated on many occasions and he called them the Imams of guidance, light of those in darkness, "the %eo%le who know", "those dee%ly embedded in knowledge, and those ha e the knowledge of the book"# These narrations are well established, true and re%eatedly narrated by the muslims# (eferences: /# Al-Imam al-Tha'labi in his Tafsir al-2abir on the meaning of cha%ter /5 !al-Aahl"# 7# Tafsir al-&ur'an of Ibn 2athir in the 7nd olume, %# <0B# 1# Tafsir of al-Tabari in olume /4, %# /B>#

4# <# 5# 0# @#

Tafsir al-Alusi called (uh al-Ma'ani in olume /4, %# /14# Tafsir al-&urtubi in olume //, %# 707# Tafsir al-.akim, called ;hawahid al-Tan+il, olume /, %# 114# Tafsir al-Tustari called Ih:a: al-.a::, in olume 1, %# 4@7 Danabi' al-Mawadda of al-&undu+i al-.anafi, %# </ and %# /4B#

Ayat al-Mawaddah: The Muslims in Madina com%rised of the Ansar !original residents of Madina" and the Muha,irin !migrants from Makka"# Once, the Ansar argued that they were su%erior to the Muha,irin# The .oly 9ro%het !;" heard their words and addressed them with disa%%ro al of their %ride# .e reminded them that his %resence amongst them was a great blessing for them# The AnsPr were ashamed at their conduct, and said, "O 9ro%het of AllPh, if you command us we will gi e you e erything we own !in re%ayment"#" At this time the following Ayat was re ealed: ";ay !O Muhammad", I do not ask any recom%ense for it !my work as a messenger", e$ce%t the lo e of my near relati es !Ahlul Bayt"# And whosoe er earns good, Ee !AllPh" increase for him good therein# Jerily, Allah is Most *orgi ing, Most Krateful#" !&uran, 47:71" Ehen asked who his near relati es were, the .oly 9ro%het !;" re%lied that they were -Ali !A", *atimah !A" and their two sons, .asan and .usein# Thus the lo e of the Ahlul Bayt !A" is the way a Muslim shows his gratitude to the .oly 9ro%het !;" for his teachings# To obey him is to obey Allah as the .oly &ur'an says: ";ay !O Muhammad", If you lo e Allah, then follow me, Allah will lo e you and forgi e you your sins# Jerily, Allah is *orgi ing, Merciful# !&uran, 1:1/" It has been widely re%orted by the ;unni commentators of the .oly &uran that: Ibn Abbas narrated: Ehen the abo e erse !47:71" was re ealed, the com%anions asked: "O' the Messenger of Allah8 Eho are those near kin whose lo e Allah has made obligatory for usC" 3%on that the 9ro%het !s" said: "Ali, *atimah, and their two sons#" .e !s" re%eated this sentence thrice# (eferences: /# Tafsir al-2abir, by *akhr al-?in al-(a+i, 9art 70, %% /5<-/55 7# Tafsir al-Tha'labi, under the commentary of erse 47:71 of &uran 1# Tafsir al-Tabari, by Ibn =arir al-Tabari, under erse 47:71 4# Tafsir al-&urtubi, under commentary of erse 47:71 of &uran <# Tafsir al-2ashshaf, by al-Famakhshari, under commentary of erse 47:71 5# Tafsir al-Baidhawi, under the commentary of erse 47:71 of &uran 0# Tafsir al-2albi, under commentary of erse 47:71 of &uran @# al-Madarik, in connection with erse 47:71 ># ?hakha'ir al-3:ba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, %7< /B#Musnad Ahmad Ibn .anbal, //#al-;awa'i: al-Muhri:ah, by Ibn .a,ar .aythami, Hh# //, section /, %7<> /7#;hawahid al-Tan+eel, .akim .asakani, al-.anafi, 7, %/17 /1#Many others such as Ibn Abi .atam, al-Tabarani, etc#

Ayat al-Mubahala: The incident of "Mubahala" !which means im%recation, or in oking the curse of Allah u%on the liar", which took %lace in the >th year of .i,rah# In that year a delegation consisting of /4 Hhristian

%riests came from Aa,ran to meet the 9ro%het !s"# Ehen they met the 9ro%het they asked him what is his o%inion about =esus !%"# The Messenger of Allah !s" said: "Dou may take rest today and you will recei e the re%ly afterwards#" The ne$t day, 1 erses of &uran !1:<>-5/" about =esus were re ealed# Ehen Hhristians did not acce%t the words of Allah, The 9ro%het recited the last re ealed erse: But whoe er dis%utes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Home let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and our sel es and your sel es) then let us be earnest in %rayer and in oke the curse of Allah u%on the liars# !&uran 1:5/"# In this way, the 9ro%het !s" challenged the Hhristians# The ne$t day the Hhristian %riests came out on one side of the field# Also on the other side, the 9ro%het came out of his house carrying al-.usain in his arm with al-.asan walking along with him while he was holding his hand# Behind him was *atimah al-Fahra, and behind her was Imam Ali, %eace be u%on them all# Ehen the Hhristians saw the fi e %ure souls, and how determined the 9ro%het is in his idea that he %ut the closest %eo%le to him at risk, the Hhristians were terrified and abstained from the %ro%osed malediction !Mubahala" and submitted to a treaty with the 9ro%het !s"# al-;uyuti who was a great scholar, wrote: In the abo e erse !1:5/", according to what =abir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari !the great com%anion of the 9ro%het" said, the word "sons" refers to al-.asan and al-.usain, the word "women" refers to *atimah, and the word "our sel es" refer to the 9ro%het and Ali# Thus Ali is referred as "the self" of the 9ro%het !Aafs of the 9ro%het"# (eference: al-?urr al-Manthoor by al-.afidh =alaluddin al-;uyuti, 7, %1@ Muslim and al-Tirmidhi both confirm the abo e incident, and recorded the following tradition in their authentic collections of traditions: Aarrated ;a'd Ibn Abi Ea::as: ###And when the erse 1:5/ was re ealed, the 9ro%het called Ali, *atimah, al-.asan, and al-.usain# Then the 9ro%het said: "O Gord8 These are my family members !Ahli"#" (eferences: /# ;ahih Muslim, Hha%ter of irtues of com%anions, section of irtues of Ali, />@B Idition 9ub# in ;audi Arabia, Arabic ersion, 4, %/@0/, the end of tradition O17# 7# ;ahih al-Tirmidhi, <, %5<4 1# al-Mustadrak, by al-.akim, 1, %/<B, who said this tradition is authentic based on the criteria set by two ;haikhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim# 4# ?hakha'ir al-3:ba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, %7<

&uran, 7:7B0 : "And among men there is one who selleth his self !soul" seeking the %leasure of Kod) and erily, Kod is affectionate unto .is !faithful" ser ants#" It is held unanimious by the ;cholars of the two Islamic schools, that this erse was re aled for Imam Ali, when he readily sle%t in the bed of the 9ro%het !s", when the latter to the will of Kod had to migrate from Mecca to Medina# And it was on this ery occasion that the abo e erse was re ealed# (eferences:

/# 7# 1# 4# <# 5# 0# @#

Tafsir al 2abir, by *akhr ad ?in al (a+i, 7 % /@> ! for the abo e narrt " .akim al Mustadrak, 1 % 4 Tafseer e &urtubi, 1 % 140 Asadul Khaiba fe Marifatil As ;ahaba, 4 % 7< Tafseer Aisha%oori ! Allama Aisha%ori " , / % 7@/ 2ifyatul Talib, % //4 ?hakhiar al-3:ba, % @@ Aoor ul-Absar, % @5

&uran, 7:75> : ".e granteth wisdom to whomsoe er .e willeth, and he who ha e been granted wisdom hath been gi en abundant good) and none shall mind it sa e those endowed with wisdom#" In the abo e erse the word "Eisdom" im%lies the best knowledge seeking to act with fullness and soundness of one's own conscience# True knowledge is s%iritual illumination or di ine guidance worked through the grace of Kod as and when the necessity occurs# This being the acti e result of the constant seeking for it by those who obtained nearness to the Allmighty8 It is held by many ;unni scholars, that this erse was re ealed for Imam Ali# (eferences: /# ;hawahid al-Tan+eel !Allama .askani", / % /B5 7# al-Bidahiya wa al-Aihayiah, 0 % 1<> with a tradition from the .oly 9ro%het !s" Eisdom has been di ided into /B !ten" %arts, and > !nine" of these are %ossessed by Ali, and the remaining has been di ided among the rest of the %eo%le# 1# 2an+ al-3mmal, 5 % /<4 4# Asadul-Bilagha, 4 % 77 and / % 77 <# 2itabul ;agheer, % /< 5# Mana:ib 2hawari+mi, % 4> 0# ?hakhair al 3:ba, % 0@ @# Musnad of Ahmed .anbal, / %ages /4B and /@< ># Ma:tal .ussain, / % 41

&uran, 1:/B1: "And hold ye fast by the (o%e of Kod All together and be not di ided ! among yoursel es " ###"# ;ome ;unni scholars and commentators agree that the abo e erse reflects on the Ahlul-Bayt: /# Thalabi records on his Hommentary Tafsir al 2abir from Aban ibn Tabligh that he heard Imam =afar al-;adi: say: Ee are the (o%e of Allah about whom Allah has said: .old fast to the (o%e of Allah ### 7# ;hafi'i is re%orted by Abu Bakr ibn ;habah al ?in in (ishfaht al ;adi to ha e said: Ehen I saw 9eo%le carried off Their de%arture to the sea of error and ignorance In the name of Allah I boarded the shi% of ;al ation That is the Ahl al Bayt of Mustafa, the ;eal of 9ro%hecy And I caught hold of the (o%e of Allah, that is their Go e As .e commanded us to hold fast to the (o%e8

.adith al-Tha:alayn
;ome ;ahih Jersions of the .adith

/# ;ahih Muslim, %art 0, 2itab fada'il al-;ahabah MMaktabat wa Matba-at Muhammad -Ali ;ubayh wa Awladuhu: HairoN %%# /77-/71#

7# al-Imam al-.afi+ Abu -Abd Allah al.akim al-Aaysaburi, al-Mustadrak -ala al-;ahihayn

1# al-Imam al-.afi+ Abu -Abd Allah al-.akim al-Aaysaburi, al-Mustadrak -ala al-;ahihayn M?ar al-Ma-rifah li al-Tiba-ah wa al-Aashr: BeirutN, ol# iii, %%# /B>-//B

4# al-Imam al-.afi+ Abu -Abd Allah al-.akim al-Aaysaburi, al-Mustadrak -ala al-;ahihayn

<# Al-Tirmidhi in his ;unan ! , 557, no# 10@5" records the following tradition

5# Al-Aasa'i in his al-;unan al-kubra, >5, Ao# 0>, records the following tradition in the cha%ter "2hasa'is -Ali":

0# Ibn -Atiyyah in the introduction of his tafsir, al-Muharrar al-wa,i+, i, 14 records the following narration:

@# Ibn Abi ;haybah, as cited by Al--Isami in ;imt al-nu,um al-'awali, ii, <B7, no# /15, has narrated the following tradition:

*or More ?etails About .adith al-Tha:alayn Hlick .ere#

Ehy ;chool of Ahlul-BaytC

The %ur%ose of this article is merely to demonstrate that ;hia iews about the s%ecial im%ortance and the leadershi% of Ahlul-Bayt do not come out of the blue# In this way, I ho%e to contribute to better understanding among Muslims and hence hel% to reduce some %eo%le's hostility against the followers of the Members of the .ouse of the 9ro%het !s"# The fact that we !;hia" ha e ado%ted a creed which differs from that of the Ash'arites as far as the fundamental beliefs are concerned, and differs from the four schools of ;unni ,urists as far as the laws, rites, and obser ances are concerned, is not due to any sectarianism or %re,udice# It is rather the theological reasoning which has led us to ado%t the creed of those Imams who belong to the Ahlul-Bayt of the .oly 9ro%het, the Messenger of Allah !s"# Ee ha e, therefore, wholly and solely bound oursel es to them in our obser ances as well as our beliefs) in the deri ations of our knowledge of the &uran and the ;unnah of the 9ro%het) and in all our material, moral and s%iritual alues on the grounds of theological and logical %roofs# Ee ha e done this in obedience of the .oly 9ro%het and in submission to his ;unnah# .ad we not been con inced by these %roofs to disallow all Imams e$ce%t the Ahlul-Bayt, and to seek to draw near to Allah only through them, we might ha e inclined towards the creed of the ma,ority for the sake of unity and fraternity# But incontro ertible reasons command a belie er to follow the truth regardless of all other considerations# The ma,ority of the Muslims are unable to %roduce any argument to show which of their four different ,urists is the best# It is im%ossible to follow all of them, and therefor, before one can say that it is "com%ulsory" to follow them, one has to %ro e which one must be followed# Ee ha e %ondered o er the arguments of the .anafis, the ;hafi'is, the Malikis and the .anbalis with the eyes of a seeker of truth and we ha e searched far and wide, but we ha e found no answer to this, e$ce%t they were all acclaimed as ery great ,urists and honest and ,ust men# But you are fully aware that ,urist's ca%acity, honesty, ,ustice and greatness are not mono%oly of these four %ersons only# Then, how can it be "com%ulsory" to follow them onlyC Ee do not think that anyone can hold that these four Imams are in any way better than our Imams, the %ure and holy descendants of the 9ro%het !s", the Ark of ;al ation, the Kate of (e%entance, through whom we can attain %rotection against disagreement in religious matters) for they are the emblems of guidance, and the leaders towards the straight %ath# But alas, after the demise of the .oly 9ro%het !s", %olitics began to %lay its %art in the affairs of religion and you know what took %lace in the heart of Islam as a result# ?uring all these %eriods of trials, the ;hia continued to hold fast to &uran and the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt whom the .oly 9ro%het left among us as the two most weighty things !al-Tha:alain"# There ha e been some e$tremists sects !al-Khulat" which a%%eared e ery now and then in course of the history of Islam) nonetheless, the main body of the ;hia ha e ne er de iated from this %ath since the time of Imam Ali and *atimah !%eace be u%on them" u% to the %resent day# The ;hia e$isted when Ash'ari and all the four ;unni Imams were unborn and unheard of# 3% to the first three generations since the .oly 9ro%het's time, Ash'ari and the ;unni Imams were unknown# Ash'ari was born in 70B A. and died in 17B A.) Ibn .anbal was born in /54 A. and died in 74/ A.) ;hafi'i was born in /<B A. and died in 7B4 A.) Malik was born in >< A. and died in /5> A.) Abu .anifa was born in @B A. and died in /<B A.# The ;hia, on the other hand, follow the %ath of Ahlul-Bayt which include Imam Ali, *atimah, al-.asan and al-.usain !%eace be u%on

them all" who were all contem%oraries of the .oly 9ro%het !s" and raised in his .ouse# As far as the knowledge of the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt is concerned, it is sufficient to say that Imam =a'far al-;adi: was the teacher of the two ;unni Imams, i#e#, Abu .anifa al-Au'man , and Malik Ibn Anas# Abu .anifa said: "I$ce%t for the two years Au'man would ha e star ed," referring to the two years he had benefited from the knowledge of Imam =a'far al-;adi:# Malik also confessed straightforwardly that he had not met anyone learned in Islamic =uris%rudence better than Imam =a'far al-;adi:# The Abbasid Hali%h, al-Mansoor, commanded Abu .anifa to %re%are for Imam =a'far al-;adi: a number of hard :uestions concerning the Islamic Gaw and to ask the Imam those :uestions in the %resence of al-Mansoor# Abu .anifa %re%ared forty difficult :uestions and asked Imam =a'far about them in al-Mansoor's %resence# The Imam not only answered all the :uestions but also informed about the o%inions of the Ira:i as well as the .i,a+i ;cholars# Abu .anifa commented on this e%isode saying: "Hertainly, the most knowledgeable among %eo%le is the most knowledgeable of their different o%inions#" (eference:

;haikh Muhammad Abu Fahrah in his book "al-Imam al-;adi:", %70

Abu .anifa described his feelings !when he entered the %alace of al-Mansoor and found Imam =a'far al-;adi: sitting with him" by saying: "Ehen I saw Imam =a'far, I felt his %ersonality commands more res%ect than that of the Hali%h himself# Det the Hali%h was ruling the Muslim Eorld, and Imam =a'far was a %ri ate citi+en#" (eference:

;haikh Muhammad Abu Fahrah in his book "al-Imam al-;adi:", %70

Malik !the other ;unni Imam" said: "I used to come to =a'far Ibn Muhammad and went to him for a long time# Ehene er I isited him, I found him %raying, fasting, or reading the &uran# Ehene er he re%orted a statement of the Messenger of Kod, he was with ablution# .e was a distinguished worshi%%er who was unconcerned with the material world# .e was of the Kod fearing %eo%le#" (eference:

;haikh Muhammad Abu Fahrah in his book "al-Imam al-;adi:", %55

;haikh Muhammad Abu Fahrah who was one of the outstanding ;unni contem%orary ;cholars said: "The Muslim ;cholars of arious Islamic ;chools ne er agreed unanimously on a matter as much as they agree on the knowledge of Imam =a'far and his irtue# The ;unni Imams who li ed during his time were his students# Malik was one of them and those who were as contem%orary as Malik such as ;ufyan al-Thouri and many others# Abu .anifa also was his student in s%ite of their being close in age, and he considered Imam =a'far the most knowledgeable in the Muslim Eorld#" (eference:

;haikh Muhammad Abu Fahrah in his book "al-Imam al-;adi:", %55

The ties of unity and fraternity can be strengthened and disagreement ended if all Muslims agree that to follow the Ahlul-Bayt is a must# In fact many grand ;unni scholars ha e acknowledged the ;hia school as one of the richest Islamic schools for they ery reason that the knowledge of the ;hia school of thought is deri ed from the Ahlul-Bayt of the 9ro%het !s" whose su%reme knowledge and %urity are confirmed in &uran# These ;unni scholars ha e e en issued *atwa that the ;unnis are allowed to follow the Twel er ;hi'ite =uris%rudence# Among these grand scholars are ;haikh Mahmood ;haltoot, the head of al-A+har 3ni ersity !in /><B's and 5B's"# Moreo er, disagreement between the arious schools of ;unni thought is by no means less than the lack of conformity between the ;hia and the ;unnis# A large number of writings of scholars of both sides will bear this out# ;ince based on the tradition of Two Eeighty things Ahlul-Bayt carry as much weight in the eyes of Allah as the .oly &uran, the former ha e the same :ualities as the latter# =ust as the &uran is true from beginning to end without any shadow of doubt, and ,ust as it is incumbent u%on e ery Muslims to obey its commandments, so are Ahlul-Bayt %erfect and sincere guides whose commands must be followed by all# Therefore there can be no e$cuse to esca%e from acce%ting their leadershi% and following their creed and their faith# The Muslims are bound by these sayings of the .oly 9ro%het to follow them and no one else# =ust as it is im%ossible for any Muslims to turn away from the .oly &uran or to ado%t any set of rules which is at ariance with it, so when the Ahlul-Bayt ha e been une:ui ocally described as e:ual in weight and im%ortance to the .oly &uran, the same attitude has to be ado%ted with regard to their orders, and it cannot be %ermissible to turn away from them in order to follow any other %ersons# After mentioning the tradition of Two Eeighty Things, Ibn .a,ar holds that: "These words show that those members of the Ahlul-Bayt who %osed these distinctions were su%erior to all the %eo%le#" (eference: al-;awa'i: al-Muhri:ah, by Ibn .a,ar, %/15 The Messenger of Allah said: "Ehosoe er wishes to li e and die like me and enter that hea en !after death", which my lord has %romised me, namely, the e er lasting hea en should acknowledge Ali as his %atron after me, and after him he should acknowledge the sons of Ali, because they are the %eo%le who will ne er lea e you outside the door of guidance nor will they let you enter the door of misguidance#" (eferences:

2an+ al-3mmal, by al-Mutta:i al-.indi, 5, %/<<, Tradition O7<0@ Also abridged 2an+ al-3mmal on the margin of Musnad of Ahmad Ibn .anbal <, %17

Again the significance of leadershi% of Ahlul-Bayt has been confirmed by the following beautiful analogy of the messenger of Allah: The Messenger of Allah said: "(egard the Ahlul-Bayt among you as the head to the body, or the eyes to the face, for the face is only guided by the eyes#" (eferences:

Is'af al-(aghibeen, by al-;aban al-;haraf al-Mua'abbad, by ;haikh Dusuf al-Aabahani, %1/, by more than one authority

Also:The Messenger of Allah said: "My Ahlul-Bayt are the %rotected %lace of refuge about the dis%ute in religion#" !Mustadrak .akim"

These traditions, therefore, lea e no room for any doubt# There can be no other way e$ce%t to follow the Ahlul-Bayt and gi e u% all o%%osition to them# The Messenger of Allah said: "Acknowledgment of Aale-Muhammad !the family of Muhammad" means sal ation from the fire, and lo e for them is a %ass%ort for crossing the bridge of the ;iraat, and obedience to them is a %rotection from di ine wrath#" (eferences:

2itab al-;hafa, by &adhi 'Ayadh, %ublished in /17@ A., 7, %4B Danabi al-Mawaddah, al-&undoo+i al-.anafi, section 5<, %10B

Abdullah Ibn .antab related: The Messenger of Allah addressed us at =uhfa saying: "?o I not ha e authority o er you more than yoursel esC" They all said, "Des of course#" Then he said: "I shall hold you answerable for two things, namely, the Book of Allah and my descendants#" (eference:

Ihyaa al-Mayyit, by al-.afidh =alaluddin al-;uyuti Arba'in al-'Arbain, by Allamah al-Aabahani

Therefore the reason we ha e ado%ted the faith of the Ahlul-Bayt to the e$clusion of all others is that Allah himself has gi en %reference to them only# It is sufficient to :uote the %oem of al-;hafi'i !one of the ;unni Imams" about Ahlul-Bayt which goes as follows: Members of the .ouse of the 9ro%het, your lo e is a ?i ine duty on mankind# Kod re ealed it in .is &uran# It is enough among your great %ri ileges that whoe er does not bless you, his %rayer is oid# If the lo e of the members of the .ouse of the 9ro%het is (afdh !re,ection", let mankind and the =inns testify that I am a (afidhi !re,ector"# The abo e %oem of ;hafi'i are too well known among the Arabic s%eaking %eo%le to re:uire any reference# But for the benefit of those who insist on reference see:

Tafsir al-2abir, by *akhr al-?in al-(a+i, 70, %/55, under the commentary of erse 47:71 of &uran# al-;awa'i: al-Muhri:ah, by Ibn .a,ar, %@@, in connection with the erse 11:11 of &uran#

Brother6;ister in our %rayers, and I am sure that in your %rayers also, we say: "I declare that Muhammad is the ser ant of Kod and .is Messenger# O Gord, send Dour blessings u%on Muhammad and his family" The I ent of The Blanket !.adith Al 2isa"

M;hakir 11:11N And stay in your houses and do not dis%lay your finery like the dis%laying of the ignorance of yore) and kee% u% %rayer, and %ay the %oor-rate, and obey Allah and .is Messenger#

Allah only desires to kee% away the uncleanness from you, O %eo%le of the .ouse8 and to %urify you a !thorough" %urifying# M9ooya6Ali Hommentary 11:11N Obedience to Allah's law sums u% all duties# (egular %rayer !seeking nearness to Allah" and regular charity !doing good to fellow-creatures" are mentioned as s%ecially symbolical of the religion of Allah, Islam# The first command in this erse "stay in your houses" was iolated by A-isha when she went to Ira: to organise a mischie ous cam%aign against Ali about whom the .oly 9ro%het said: "O Ali, you are to me as .arun was to Musa# Dou are my brother in this world and the hereafter# Dour flesh is my flesh, your blood is my blood# Dou and me are from one and the same light#" In his sermon at Khadir 2hum !see commentary of Ma-idah: 50" he in oked Allah to be a friend of those who lo ed Ali and be an enemy of those who o%%osed Ali# Bukhari has recorded in the cha%ter "Ehat ha%%ened in the houses of the 9ro%het's wi es" in the book "=ihad and Tra el" of his ;ahih, ol# 7, %# /7<, that while deli ering an address from the %ul%it, the .oly 9ro%het %ointed towards A-isha's house and said: ".ere lies the scandal) here lies the scandal) here lies the scandal, where the horn of ;haytan would be rising#" In the words of ;ahih Muslim: "The 9ro%het came out of the house of A-isha and remarked: ".ere is the head of infidelity where the horn of ;haytan will rise#" (efer to ;ahih Muslim, ol# 7,B#<B7# "Jerily Allah intends to kee% off from you uncleanness, O you Ahl ul Bayt and %urify you with a thorough %urification" is a se%arate erse re ealed on a %articular occasion but %laced here# 9lease refer to A:a Mahdi 9uya's note in the commentary of erses 7@ to 17# The time, occasion and %eo%le concerned in connection with the re elation of the abo e noted erse ha e been discussed and made known in many authentic books of the Muslim scholars# The one and only reference a ailable to the commentators is the e ent of the blanket !.adith al 2isa"# The "e ent of the blanket" has been written by the following authors whom the Muslim 3mmah acclaim with one oice# !/" Ahmad bin Muhammad bin .anbal !74/ ." "Musnad" !Igy%t: /1/ ." %ages 7<>, 7@<, 7>7# !7" Muslim bin .a,,a, Aaysha%uri !75/ ." ;ahih Muslim" !Igy%t: /14>" ol# 4, %age //5# !1" Abi Isa Muhammad Tirmidhi !70< or 70> ." ";ahih Tirmidhi" !;harah ibnul Arabi" !Igy%t: /1<7 ." ol# /1 %ages 7BB, 74@# !4" Ahmed ibn ;hu-ayb Aisa-i !1B1 ." "2hasa-is" !Igy%t: /14@ ." %age 4# !<" Ibn =arir Tabari !1/B ." "Tafsir Tabari" !=ama ul Bayan fi Tafsir il &uran" !Igy%t: /11/ ." ol#77, %age <# !5" ;ulayman bin Ahmad Al Tibrani !15B ." "Al Mu-,am Al ;aghir" !?ehli: /1// .", %age 14, 0<# !0" .akim Aaysha%uri !4B< ." "Al Mustadrak" !.yderabad ?eccan: /114 .", %ages /45, /40, /4@# !@" Dusuf bin Abdullah ibni Abdul Birr !451 ." "Al Isti-ab" !.yderabad ?eccan: /145 .",

ol# 7, %age 45B# Ali bin Ahmad Al Eahidi !45@ ." "Asbab ul Au+ul" !Igy%t: /1/< ." %ages 755, 750# Tirmidhi, Ibn =arir Tabari, .akim and Tibrani ha e related from 3mmi ;alima that when this erse was re ealed the .oly 9ro%het was under a blanket or mantle along with Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn, and he declared that his family consisted of only these %ersons# 3mmi ;alima, his wife, within whose :uarters the re elation came, asked %ermission to be included in the grou% under the blanket, but she was %olitely refused %ermission# The grou% is known e er since with the e%ithet "%an,tan %ak" or "the holy grou% of fi e"# These are the %ersons who were com%ared by the .oly 9ro%het with the ark of Auh wherein those who embarked were sa ed, while those who sought shelter elsewhere were drowned# (efer to Tafsir A+i+i by ;hah Abdul A+i+ and Tafsir ?urr al Manthur by =alal al ?in al ;uyuti# In Danabi al Mawaddat, %age @0, ;haykh al Islam writes that Aisha said: "Ayah al Tat-hir refers only to the .oly 9ro%het, Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn# Ao wife of his is included#" On %age 7@B of olume two of ;harah Auwi of ;ahih Muslim it is written that when Fayd bin Ar:am was asked whether the wi es of the .oly 9ro%het are included in the Ahl ul Bayt, he said: "By Allah the wi es of the .oly 9ro%het cannot be included in the Ahl ul Bayt at all, because after the %ronouncement of di orce the wi es are re erted to their %arent) and, moreo er, sad:ah !charity" is %rohibited to be gi en to the Ahl ul Bayt#" Also %lease refer to the commentary of ;hura: 47 and Ali Imran : 5/ for further confirmation and %roofs# ;ome commentators re%ort this tradition through A-isha who says that this e ent took %lace in her house# ;o two wi es of the .oly 9ro%het ha e confirmed that they both were not gi en %ermission by the .oly 9ro%het to come under the blanket, so they could ne er be described as Ahl ul Bayt# Thalabi re%orts that when A-isha was asked as to why she iolated the command of Allah "to stay in your houses" by going to the battle of =amal against Ali, she said: "It was my fate# I saw the .oly 9ro%het taking Ali, *atima, .asan and .usain under his mantle and heard him saying: 'O Allah, these are my Ahl ul Bayt# 2ee% off im%urity from them#' I asked him: 'Am I not of your Ahl ul BaytC' .e said: 'Ko away from here# Dou are not of my Ahlul Bayt#'" Abu ?awud and Malik relate from Anas that for si$ months after the re elation of this erse e ery morning, while going for fa,r salat, the .oly 9ro%het used to recite this erse at the door of *atimah's house# In erse 01 of .ud ;ara is addressed as Ahli Bayt, not as the wife of Ibrahim but as the mother of %ro%het Is-ha:, because the state of being a wife of a %ro%het gi es no %ri ilege to a woman as stated abo e and clearly indicated by the .oly 9ro%het himself, and decisi ely %ro ed by the condemnation of the wi es of Auh and Gut# Innama im%lies the determined decision or will of Allah# Although the decision of a created being may not take effect at all, but the will of Allah takes immediate effect# There cannot be a slightest ga% of time or s%ace in the will of Allah taking effect# Ehen .e commands: "Be") it becomes# (efer to Ba:arah: //0) Aahl: 4B Maryolm: 1<) Da ;in @1) Mumin: 5@ and &amar <B# It is not only the will of Allah but the declaration of its effect# ;ince the Ahl ul Bayt ha e been thoroughly %urified, they remain thoroughly %urified for e er# The %rayer of Ibrahim in Ba:arah: /70 to /7> is %rayed to continue the e$cellence in themsel es and in their descendants mentioned in Ba:arah: /74# Ehen a :uality or attribute is described or mentioned in indefinite sense it refers to the %erfect %ossibility# The %urity in this erse is absolute %urity# 9olytheism !shirk" is described in the &uran as im%urity and also the greatest ini:uity !refer to Gu:man : /1"# (efer to the commentary of Ba:arah: /74 for the condition that imamah is not bestowed on those who ha e e er !e en once in their li es" worshi%%ed any ghayrallah# All the com%anions of the .oly 9ro%het and his wi es were %olytheists before embracing Islam# Only the .oly 9ro%het, Ali, *atimah, .asan and .usayn were at that time free from the dirt of shirk, therefore they alone could be throughly %urified# Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

(i) Innama (verily or only) signifies exclusive distinction. To emphasise this exclusiveness the second o!"ect of the ver! yudh#hi!a ($eep off)#the phrase an$um (from you)#has !een put !efore the first o!"ect ri"s (uncleanness)% and for further emphasis the phrase Ahl ul &ayt has !een mentioned to explain the pronoun an$um (from you). The grammatical structure of the 'hole clause indicates that this a unique privilege or distinction granted to the Ahl ul &ayt only excluding all others. (ii)The ver! yuridu implies that the continuous 'ill or intention of Allah is (is creative 'ill or intention not legislative. To interpret the 'ill as the legislative 'ill as in Ma#idah: ) distorts the 'hole fa!ric of the verse and renders meaningless the exclusive particle and the constructional arrangement. *ven then it means that only the Ahl ul &ayt exclusively achieved the standard. (iii) This verse is a preface to verses ++ to +, of al -aqi#ah: ./erily this is an honoura!le (0arim) 1uran in a hidden (preserved) !oo$ 'hich no one can touch save the purified.. (2efer to page 3.) (iv) The excellences of Ahl ul &ayt have !een openly demonstrated in the event of mu!ahilah (refer to the commentary of Ali Imran : )4). (v) The Ahl ul &ayt had only !een thoroughly purified !y Allah !ecause of their total su!mission to Allah5s 'ill and their state of !eing al'ays in communion 'ith Allah. The e ent of re elation of this erse as re%orted by =abir bin Abdullah Ansari, one of the most reliable com%anions of the .oly 9ro%het has been mentioned in "Awalim al 3lum" by ;haykh Abdullah bin Aurullah Al-Bahrayni and is re%roduced here:In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful# It is re%orted by =abir bin Abdullah Ansari that *atimah Fahra said)One day my father, the messenger of Allah, came into !my house",and said "*atimah8 9eace be on you#" "9eace be on you too#" I re%lied# "I am not feeling well#" .e said# "May Allah kee% you safe from weakness, O my father#" I %rayed# "*atimah8 9lease bring the Damani blanket and co er me with it#" .e said# ;o I brought the Damani blanket and co ered him with it# I turned my eyes u%on his face# It was shining bright like a full moon in its full glory and s%lendour# Then, not a moment %assed before my son, .asan, walked in and said: "9eace be on you, mother#" "9eace be on you too, my dearest darling" I answered# "I breathe the %ure aroma of the messenger of Allah, my grandfather, coming from you8" .e obser ed# "True) your grandfather is under the blanket#" I confirmed# .asan went near his grandfather !co ered with the blanket" and said: "9eace be on you, grandfather, the messenger of Allah, may I ,oin you under the blanketC" "9eace be on you, my son, my com%anion at the s%ring of 2awthar, come in#" .e went inside the blanket#

Then, not a moment %assed, before my son, .usayn, walked in and said: "9eace be on you, mother#" "9eace be on you too, my dearest darling" I answered # "I breathe the %ure aroma of the messenger of Allah, my grandfather, coming from you8" .e obser ed # "True, your grandfather and your brother are under the blanket#" I confirmed# .usayn went near the blanket !under which his grandfather was resting with his brother" and said: "9eace be on you grandfather, the choice of Allah, may I ,oin you both under the blanket C" "9eace be on you, my son, the sa iour of my %eo%le, come in#" .e went inside the blanket# In that instant Abul .asan# Amir al Muminin, Ali ibn abi Talib, ste%%ed in and said: "9eace be on you, O the daughter of the messenger of Allah8" "9eace be on you too, Abul .asan, Amir al Muminin#" I answered# "*atimah, I breathe the %ure aroma of my brother, the son of my uncle, the messenger of Allah, coming from you8" .e obser ed# "True, he is under the blanket with your sons" I confirmed# Ali went near the blanket and said: "9eace be on you, the messenger of Allah, may I ,oin you !all" under the blanketC" "9eace be on you, my brother, the e$ecutor of my will, my successor, my standard bearer, come in#" Ali went inside the blanket# Then I went near the blanket and said: "9eace be on you, my father, the messenger of Allah, may I ,oin you !all", under the blanketC" "9eace be on you) my daughter my darling, come in#" I went inside the blanket# As soon as all of us united under the blanket, my father, the messenger of Allah, held the two ends of the blanket and raised his right hand toward the hea en and said: "O Allah8 These are my Ahl ul Bayt, ery s%ecial to me, my near and dear ones, my own flesh and blood) whoso annoys them disturbs me) whoso makes them sad makes me unha%%y# I make war on those who carry on hostilities against them) I am well dis%osed towards those who make their %eace with them) I o%%ose those who run counter to them) I fa our those who lo e them# They are from me and I am from them# ;o send Thy blessings, benefits, mercy, %rotection and fa ours on me and on them, and kee% off from them uncleanliness, and %urify them with a thorough %urification#" Thereu%on The Almighty and the Klorious Allah said: "O My angels and the dwellers of the hea ens, erily I ha e not created the indeclinable sky, the le elled earth, the bright moon, the res%lendent sun, the rotating cosmic system, the flowing seas, and the sailing shi%, but for the sake

of and in the lo e of the fi e souls lying underneath the blanket#" The trusted =ibrail asked: "O Gord8 Eho are underneath the blanketC" The Almighty and the Klorious re%lied: "They are the 'Ahl ul Bayt' of the 9ro%het, the custodians of the message) they are-*atimah, her father, her husband and her sons#" =ibrail !submissi ely" asked: "O Gord8 May I descend on the earth and be the si$th with themC" "Des# I gi e you %ermission," said Allah# The trusted angel, =ibrail, came down !on the earth", and said: "9eace be on you, O the messenger of Allah# The .ighest .igh says: "9eace be on you# And distinguishes you with greetings and blessings# .e tells you: 'In the name of My ma,esty and glory, erily, I ha e not created the indeclinable sky, the le elled earth, the bright moon, the res%lendent sun, the rotating cosmic system, the flowing seas, and the sailing shi%, but for your sake and in your lo e#' And .e has also gi en me %ermission to be with you# ;o may I ha e your %ermission O the messenger of Allah#" The messenger of Allah re%lied: "9eace be on you, O the custodian of Allah's re elation, come in and ,oin !us"#" =ibrail came in and ,oined us under the blanket# .e told my father: "Jerily, Allah has sent a re elation to you# .e said: 'Jerily Allah's wish is but to kee% off from you uncleanness, O Ahl ul Bayt, and to %urify you !with" a thorough %urification#'" Ali asked my father: "O messenger of Allah, tell us that which makes our assembly under this blanket an e ent of sur%assing e$cellence before Allah#" The 9ro%het re%lied: "In the name of .e who sent me as a truthful %ro%het, and chose me as a redeemer to con ey .is message, I declare that no assembly of our followers and de otees, on the earth, where this e ent is narrated shall s%end a single moment but the mercy of Allah will en elo% them, then and there) and countless angels of Allah shall %ray for the remission of their sins till the grou% of the faithful dis%erse#" Ali declared: "Eell then, by the Gord of the 2a-bah, we ha e attained our end, and ha e been rendered successful, so also our followers8"

The .oly 9ro%het said again: "O Ali8 In the name of .e who sent me as a truthful 9ro%het, and chose me as a redeemer to con ey .is message, I declare that in any of the assemblies of our followers and de otees, on the earth, where this e ent is narrated, there would not be a grief-stricken among them, but Allah dis%els his worries) nor there would be a downcast, among them, but Allah dis%erses his sorrows) nor would there be a needy, among them, but Allah meets his demands#" Then Ali obser ed: "In this case then, by Allah, we ha e attained our end, and found our ha%%iness) and likewise our followers ha e attained their end and found their ha%%iness in this world and in the hereafter, in the name of the Gord of the 2a-bah#" In iew of the concluding discourse of the .oly 9ro%het and the conclusi e declaration of Imam Ali ibn abi Talib, :uoted in the "e ent of the blanket", it is but natural that the "followers and de otees of Muhammad and ali Muhammad", recite the te$t of the tradition e ery day, or at least, once in a week, on the night %receding e ery *riday#

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

All %raise is for Allah, the Gord of the uni erse# May the best of blessings and greetings be u%on our leader and master Muhammad, who was sent as a mercy to the uni erse, he is the master of the foremost ones and the last ones, he was %urified from all disgraces# May Allah's choicest blessings and greetings also be u%on the illustrious and %urified ahlul-bayt, the standards of guidance, light of those in darkness and the Imams of the Muslims#

Ask Ahl al-?hikr if Dou ?o Aot 2now

"#### Ask ahl al-dhikr if you do not know"# !&uran /5:41" "#### Ask ahl al-dhikr if you do not know"# !&uran 7/:B0" The Meanings of Ahl al-dhikr: Those who know The %eo%le of al-dhikr !the Book" The followers of the (emembrance The followers of the (eminder M ;ee the translations of the .oly &uran# N

Eho Are Ahl al-?hikr C

This noble erse instructs the Muslims to refer to the %eo%le who know in all things which %er%le$ them so that they may discern the %ath to the truth, because Allah, ha ing taught them, has nominated them for that %ur%ose# Their knowledge is dee%ly rooted and they know the inter%retation of the &uran#

This erse was re ealed to introduce the ahlul-bayt# They are The .oly 9ro%het Muhammad !s", Imam Ali, *atima, Imam .asan and Imam .usain# This occurred in the time of %ro%hecy, since, after the 9ro%het and u% to the coming of the hour of reckoning, the aforementioned fi e are the %eo%le of the blanket, in addition to them are nine Imams from the %rogeny of Imam .usain whom the .oly 9ro%het !s" designated on many occasions and he called them the Imams of guidance and light of those in darkness and "the %eo%le who know"# .e also called them "those dee%ly embedded in knowledge and those to whom Allah, Klory be to .im, has bestowed the knowledge of the book"# These narrations are well established, true and re%eatedly narrated !mutawatir" by the ;hias since the time of the .oly 9ro%het !s" and some ;unni scholars and commentators ha e also re%orted them, confirming that they were re ealed concerning the ahlul-bayt# I cite from these ;unni scholars by way of e$am%le: /# 7# 1# 4# <# 5# 0# @# Tafsir al-2abir of al-Tha'labion in the meaning of cha%ter /5 !al-Aahl"# Tafsir al-&uran of Ibn 2athir in the 7nd olume, %# <0B# Tafsir of al-Tabari in olume /4, %# /B># Tafsir (uh al-Ma'ani of al-Alusi in olume /4, %# /14# Tafsir al-&urtubi in olume //, %# 707# Tafsir al-.akim, called ;hawahid al-Tan+il, olume /, %# 114# Tafsir al-Tustari called Ih:a: al-.a::, in olume 1, %# 4@7 Danabi' al-Mawadda of al-&undu+i al-.anafi, %# </ and %# /4B#

The a%%arent meaning of the erse suggests that the ahl al-dhikr refers to the %eo%le of the book, i#e# =ews and Hhristians# It therefore becomes necessary for us to make it clear that they are not the ones intended in the noble erse#

*irstly: Because the noble &uran has mentioned in a number of erses that they altered the word of Kod and they wrote the book with their hands, claiming that it was from Kod so as to %urchase a small %rice# It also bore witness to their lies and turning the truth u%side down# Ki en this state of affairs, it is not %ossible for it !the &uran" to instruct the Muslims to refer to them on issues which they do not know about# ;econdly: Al-Bukhari has re%orted in his ;ahih in "The Book of Testimony" under the cha%ter "The ahl al-shirk !%olytheists" aren't to be asked", olume 1, %# /51# The 9ro%het !s" said: '?o not belie e the %eo%le of the book and do not consider them as liars but say: 'Ee belie e in Kod and what was re ealed'# This means we should not to refer :uestions to them, rather, we should abandon and ignore them because the command not to belie e them nor to consider them as liars would nullify the goal of :uestioning, i#e#, awaiting the correct re%ly#

Thirdly: Al-Bukhari has re%orted in his ;ahih in "The Book of 3nity" in the cha%ter: "I eryday .e is concerned with matters" olume @, %# 7B@, Ibn Abbas said: "O Muslims8 .ow come you ask the %eo%le of the scri%tures, although your book which was re ealed to .is 9ro%het has the most recent information from Allah and you recite it, a book which has not been distortedC Allah has re ealed to you that the %eo%le of the scri%tures ha e changed with their own hands what was re ealed to them and they ha e said: 'This is from Allah' in order to get some worldly benefit thereby"# Ibn 'Abbas added: "Isn't the knowledge re ealed to you sufficient to %re ent you from asking themC By Allah, I ha e ne er seen any one of them asking !Muslims" about what has been re ealed to you"#

*ourthly: Among the %eo%le of the book, if we ask the Hhristians today they will claim that =esus is Kod whilst the =ews will consider them to be liars and will not acce%t him e en as a 9ro%het# Both of them belie Islam and the 9ro%het of Islam and they call him a liar and an antichrist# Bearing this in mind, it is incom%rehensible that Allah would command us to ask

them if we acce%t that the ahl al-dhikr from the a%%arent meaning of the erse refers to the %eo%le of the book amongst the =ews and Hhristians# This does not contradict the iew that it was re ealed for the household of the 9ro%het as is established amongst the ;hi'as and ;unnis from authentic re%orts# It is understood from this that Allah, Klory be to .im, the Most I$alted, bestowed the knowledge of the book, which does not neglect anything in it, to these Imams whom .e has chosen among .is sla es so that %eo%le can refer to them on the commentary and inter%retation of the &uran# Therein lies their guidance - if they obey Kod and .is Messenger# As Allah, Klory be to .im, and sublime is .is wisdom, wished the %eo%le to submit to the selected ones amongst them, .e chose them and taught them the knowledge of the book so that the leadershi% could be facilitated and the affairs of the %eo%le organi+ed due to that# If they were absent from the li es of the %eo%le, the o%%ortunity would be o%en for !false" claimants and ignorant ones# I eryone would then follow his ain desires and the matter would be confusing for the %eo%le since e eryone could claim to be the most learned#

The Twel e Imams

&3I;TIOA: Ehere did the twel e Imams come fromC Ehy should the number of Imams be twel e and twel e onlyC AA;EI(: IA *AHT, the answer is right inside the ;ihah ahadith books !like al-Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad Ahmad, ;unan Abu ?awud, al-Tirmidhi, ### etc#"# There are numerous ;unni collections of traditions which all recorded the following authentic traditions from the .oly 9ro%het Mohammad !s"#

"There will be twel e commanders !Amir"" ### "All of them will be from &uraish#"M/N "The matter !life" will not end, until it is %assed by twel e Hali%hs" ### "All of them will be from &uraish#" M7N "The affairs of %eo%le will continue to be conducted !well" as long as they are go erned by the twel e men#" M1N "Islam will continue to be trium%hant until there ha e been twel e Hali%hs#" M4N "The Islamic religion will continue until the .our !day of resurrection", ha ing twel e Hali%hs for you, all of them will be from &uraish#" M<N "There shall be twel e Hali%hs for this community, all of them from &uraish#" M5N "Twel e Hali%hs, !like" the number of the Hhiefs of Bani Israel#" M0N "There will be after me twel e Amir !9rince6(uler", all of them from &uraysh#" M@N "This religion remains standing until there are twel e icegerents o er you, all of them agreeable to the nation, all of them from &uraysh#" M>N

"Islam will continue to be trium%hant until there ha e been twel e Hali%hs" ### "All of them are from &uraysh#" M/BN "This nation will always remain straight in its affairs, and trium%hant against the enemies, till twel e Hali%hs will be among them) all of them from &uraysh# Then there will be discord and confusion#" M//N "There will be twel e u%right Imams for this nation# Those who try to disgrace them will not succeed) all of them shall be from the &uraysh#" M/7N "The affair of the %eo%le will continue as long as twel e men rule o er them#" M/7N "This religion will remain till twel e Imams from &uraysh !will %ass", then when they e$%ire the earth will swallow its inhabitants#"M/7N "The affair of this nation will always be a%%arent till the twel e Imams will rise, all of them from the &uraysh#" M/7N "There will be Hali%hs after me, whose number is like those of the com%anions of Musa#" M/1N

*or Inglish ersions a ailable on the internet:

Translation of ;ahih Muslim: Book 7B, Ahadith Aumber 4400, 440@, 44@B, 44@/, 44@1 ;earch the Ahadith of al-Bukhari, Muslim, Mutta and Abu ?awud# ;ahih Bukhari: Jolume >, Book @>, Aumber 17> ;ahih Muslim: Book />, Aumber 4441 ;unan Abu ?awud: Book 15, Aumber 4755

The Meaning of this Tradition: In some Traditions, the %ower of Islam is referred to as being a %awn in the twel e cali%hs and in others, the sur i al and life of religion are in the hands of a grou% of them until the ?ay of (esurrection and all are from the &uraysh# In some, all of them are mentioned as being of the Bani .ashim# .owe er, this Tradition does not conform to any sect e$ce%t the ;hia !Twel ers" sect because its e$%lanation is ery clear according to ;hi'ism where the ;unnis ulama are at an im%asse trying to e$%lain it# ?oes it refer to the first four cali%hs and then the 3mayyid and Abbascid cali%hsC Ehereas we know that the number of the first cali%hs were twel e, but they did not end with the 3mayyids or the Abbascids and the number twel e does not conform to anything# In addition, among the 3mayyid there are %eo%le like Da+id and among the Abbascids, %eo%le like Mansur ?awani:, .arun al-(ashid, the o%%ression, arrogance and crimes of whom no one can deny and it is not %ossible that they be considered to be the cali%hs of the 9ro%het and among the honor of Islam# Ao matter how much we sim%lify the criteria, they clearly do not include them# And beyond these, the number twel e only can a%%ly to the ;hia's Imams# The famous scholar, ;ulayman ibn Abrahim al-&adu+i al-.anafi said in his book Danabi'a alMuwaddah: ";ome of the scholars ha e said that, 'The Tradition which mentions the rule of the cali%hs after the 9ro%het are twel e %eo%le is famous and it has been recorded in many %laces# That

which we can surmise is that, after the %assing of time, what the 9ro%het of Allah was referring to was twel e successors from the ahl al-bayt and his family because it is not %ossible that this Tradition refer to the first cali%hs because they are only four %eo%le and it does not conform to the 3mayyids because they were more than twel e %eo%le and all of them, other than Amr ibn Abdal A+i+ were o%%ressors and also, they were not from the Bani .ashim and the .oly 9ro%het said, "All twel e are from the Bani .ashim#" Ehen Abdal Malik ibn 3mar records from =abir ibn ;ahrah and how the 9ro%het :uietly said who they were from, he bore witness to what he said because some %eo%le were not ha%%y about the cali%hate of the Bani .ashim and the Tradition does not conform to the Bani Abbas, either, because they were more than twel e %eo%le and beyond this, they did not conform to the erse, "Ao reward do I ask of you e$ce%t the lo e of those near of kin###" !47:71" Thus, the Tradition only can relate to the twel e Imams of the ahl al-bayt and the family of the 9ro%het# It refers to those whose knowledge is higher than that of any others, whose %iety is un:uestioned and from all %oints of iew, are more knowledgeable and who gained their knowledge from the 9ro%het of Islam# That which confirms this iew is the Tradition of Tha:alayn and many other Traditions which ha e come from the 9ro%het# M/4N I would like to remind you that "Hali%h" means successor6de%uty# The successor of the 9ro%het !or the %receding Hali%h" should come immediately after the demise of the 9ro%het !or the %receding Hali%h"# If there is any ga% between the successors, the word "successor" does not make any sense# ;o successors should come right after the other without any ga%# Also as the 9ro%het !s" suggested in the abo e traditions, those twel e Hali%hs will co er till the day of resurrection# As you may know, the *ollowers of Ahlul-Bayt of the .oly 9ro%het !s" refer to these /7 Hali%hs as of their /7 Imams starting with Imam Ali !a" and ending with Imam al-Mahdi !a" the leader of our time# They are Hali%hs because Allah made them Hali%hs !They are ice-regents of Allah on the earth"# Eith the %assage of time and through historical e ents, we know that by the abo e traditions the .oly 9ro%het !s" meant the twel e Imams from his Ahlul-Bayt who are the descendants of the 9ro%het since we ha e no other /7 %ure candidates in the history of Islam u%on whose righteousness all Muslims agree# It is interesting to know that e en the enemies of ;hia ha e AOT been able to find any fault in the irtues of the twel e Imams of ;hia# Moreo er these twel e Imams came one after another without any ga%# It is now clear that the only way to inter%ret the %re iously mentioned traditions which are narrated in ;ihah Books is to acce%t that it refers to the Twel e Imams from the 9ro%het's Ahlul-Bayt, because they were, in their times, the most knowledgeable, the most illustrious, the most Kod-fearing, the most %ious, the best in %ersonal irtues, and the most honored before Allah) and their knowledge was deri ed from their ancestor !the 9ro%het" through their fathers# These are the Ahlul-Bayt whose sinlessness, flawlessness, and %urity is confirmed by the holy &uran !the last sentence of erse 11:11"# Also the abo e mentioned traditions of the 9ro%het !s" which are considered to be authentic by the ;unnis, %ro es beyond doubt that the conce%t of "Twel e Imams" can AOT be a Twel er ;hi'a concoction8 It is ama+ing that des%ite the acknowledgment of al-Bukhari and Muslim and other %rominent ;unni scholars about the twel e Imams, the ;unnis always sto% at the four Hali%hs8 More interestingly, there are ;unni re%orts in which the Messenger of Allah named these twel e members of his Ahlul-Bayt one by one starting with Imam Ali !a" and ending with Imam al-Mahdi !a"#

The Aame of The Twel e Imams It should be noted that in some of the Traditions which ha e reached us from the ;unnis, the names of the twel e Imams ha e clearly a%%eared and their names s%ecified8 Al-=uwayni M/<N re%orts that Abdullah ibn Abbas remarked that the Messenger of Allah !s" said: "I am the chief of the 9ro%hets and Ali ibn Abi Talib is the chief of successors, and after me my successors shall be twel e, the first of them being Ali ibn Abi Talib and the last of them being Al Mahdi#" Al-=uwayni has also mentioned another tradition from Ibn 'Abbas that he narrates from the Messenger of Allah !s": "Hertainly my Hali%hs and my legatees and the 9roofs of Allah u%on his

creatures after me are twel e# The first of them is my brother and the last of them is my !grand" son#" .e was asked: "O Messenger of Allah, who is your brotherC" .e said, "Ali ibn Abi Talib" Then they asked, "And who is your sonC" The .oly 9ro%het !s" re%lied, "Al Mahdi, the one who will fill the earth with ,ustice and e:uity like it would be brimming with in,ustice and tyranny# And by the One Eho has raised me as a warner and a gi e of good tidings, e en if a day remains for the life of this world, the Almighty Allah will %rolong this day to an e$tent till he sends my son Mahdi, then he will make (uhullah 'Isa ibn Maryam to descend and %ray behind him !Mahdi"# And the earth will be illuminated by his radiance# And his %ower will reach to the east and the west#" Al=uwayni also narrates from his chain of narrators that the Messenger of Allah !s" informed: "I and Ali and .asan and .usayn and nine of the descendants of .usayn are the %urified ones and the infallible#" M/5N ;haykh ;ulayman al-&andu+i, a famous ;unni scholar, in his book Danabi'a al-Muwaddah said: "A =ewish man named Aa'thal, went to the 9ro%het !s" and among the :uestions he asked who woul d succeed him# The 9ro%het !s" said, s%ecifying them, "After me, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and then my two sons, .asan and .usayn and after .usayn, nine Imams will follow from his children#" The =ewish man said, Aame them# The 9ro%het !s" said: "Ehen .usayn lea es this world, his son, 'Ali, and after him, his child Muhammad and after Muhammad, his son =a'far and after =a'far, his son Musa and after Musa, his son 'Ali and after 'Ali, Muhammad# After Muhammad, his child, 'Ali and after 'Ali, .asan and after .asan, his child Muhammad al-Mahdi# These are the twel e Imams#" M/0N Another Tradition M/@N is :uoted from 2itab Mana:ib with their titles and it indicates that Imam Mahdi is in occultation and then he will arise and re%lace the o%%ression and tyranny which e$ists u%on the earth with ,ustice#

(eferences M/N;ahih al-Bukhari >:17> !Arabic-Inglish ersion" M7N ;ahih Muslim, Arabic ersion, 2itab al-Imaarah, />@B Idition 9ub# in ;audi Arabia, 1, %/4<7, Tradition O< ;ahih Muslim, Inglish ersion, Hha%ter ?HHGIJ !titled: The 9eo%le are subser ient to the &uraish and the Hali%hate is the (ight of the &uraish", 1, %/BB>, Tradition O4400# M1N Ibid %/B/B, Tradition O440@ M4N Ibid %/B/B, Tradition O44@B M<N Ibid %/B/B, Tradition O44@1 M5N Musnad Ahmad Ibn .anbal, < %/B5: M0N Ahmad b# .anbal, Musnad, / %1>@ and %4B5# Al-.akim al-Aisaburi, Mustadrak , 4:<B/ Al?hahabi, Talkhis 4:<B/# Ibn .a,ar al-'As:alani, *ath al-Bari /5:11># Ali b# Abu Bakr al-.aythami, Ma,ma' al-Fawa'id <:/>B# Ibn .a,ar al-.aythami, Al-;awa'i: al-Muhri:a, ol /7# Al-;uyuti, Tarikh al-2hulafa, Jol /B# =ami' al-;aghir /:0<# Al-Mutta:i al-.indi, 2an+ al-'3mmal, /1:70# M@N ;unan al-Tirmidhi !Arabic" Hha%ter of *itan, 7:4< !India" and 4:<B/ Tradition O 777< !Igy%t" M>N ;unan Abu ?awud !Arabic" 7:47/, 2itab al-Mahdi# ;unan Abu ?awud !Arabic" 1:/B5, 2itab alMahdi# M/BN ;unan Abu ?awud !Arabic" 7:47/, 2itab al-Mahdi# ;unan Abu ?awud !Arabic" 1:/B5, 2itab al-Mahdi# Ibn .a,ar al-'As:alani, *ath al-Bari /5:11@# Al-.akim al-Aisaburi, Mustadrak al;ahihayn 1:/50#

M//N Muntakhab 2an+ al-'3mmal <:17/# Ibn 2athir, Ta'rikh, 5:74># Al-;uyuti, Tarikh al-2hulafa, Jol /B# Al-Mutta:i al-.indi, 2an+ al-'3mmal ,/1:75# Ibn .a,ar al-.aythami, Al-;awa'i: alMuhri:a Jol 7@# M/7N Al-Mutta:i al-.indi, 2an+ al-'3mmal , /1:70 M/1N Ibn 2athir, Ta'rikh, 5:74@# Al-Mutta:i al-.indi, 2an+ al-'3mmal, /1:70# Al-.askani, ;hawahid al-Tan+il, /:4<<, Tradition Ao# 575# M/4N Danabi'a al-Muwaddah, %# 445 M/<N Al-?hahabi says in Tadhkirat al-.uffa+, ol# 4, %# 7>@, that ;adruddin Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin al-.amawayh al-=uwayni al-;hafi'i was a great scholar of .adith# Also see his biogra%hical note in Ibn .a,ar al-'As:alani, al-?urar al-kaminah, ol# /, %# 50# M/5N Al-=uwayni, *ara'id al-;imtayn, %g /5B# M/0N Danabi'a al-Muwaddah, %# 41/# M/@N Danabi'a al-Muwaddah, %# 447#

The Twel e Imams

M/N

Taken *rom A ;hi'ite Anthology By Allamah M# .# Tabatabai#

The word "imam" in Arabic means "leader"# In Islamic terminology it generally refers to any %erson who leads others in %rayer# According to the early ;unni theologians, the Imam is the leader of the Islamic community, and his function is to enforce the re ealed Gaw or ;hari'ah# As such the term is e:ui alent to "cali%h"# In ;unnism it may also be an honorific term, gi en to certain im%ortant religious leaders, such as Imam ;hafi'i, founder of one of the four ;unni schools of law# In Twel e-Imam ;hi'ism it has two im%ortant meanings# As in ;unnism, the leader of others in %rayer is called an "imam", es%ecially the %erson who %erforms this function on a regular basis in a mos:ue# But more s%ecifically, an Imam is one of the twel e successors of the 9ro%het listed below# The s%ecific meaning gi en to the word "imam" in ;hi'ism can not be understood until one gras%s the basic difference between the ;unni and ;hi'ite branches of Islam# The roots of this difference are to be found in the differing iews held by the com%anions of the 9ro%het concerning the nature of his successor or cali%h# The 9ro%het himself %erformed three basic functions: .e acted as the means whereby a celestial book, the &uran, was re ealed by Kod to mankind# Thus he was the founder of a world religion# .e was also the ruler of the early Islamic community, which means that he enforced the ;hari'ah which Kod had re ealed through the &uran# *inally he was the %ossessor of s%iritual illumination and ision, and as such he could inter%ret the inner meaning of the (e elation and guide men u%on the ascending stages of the %ath of s%iritual %erfection# According to the ma,ority of Muslims, the ;unnis, the successor of the 9ro%het must fulfill only one of these functions, i#e#, he should enforce the ;hari'ah# Muhammad !s" had been the last 9ro%het, so there could be no %ro%het after him# And there was no way the community could guarantee that his successors would %ossess s%iritual ision and illumination, for like %ro%hecy, these things are di inely bestowed !although unlike %ro%hecy, they could still be %ossessed by men"# But undoubtedly, the 9ro%het's successor could act as a ruler and enforce the ;hari'ah# In fact, the earthly e$istence of Islam largely de%ended u%on this function being fulfilled, %articularly at its beginning# *inally, the ;unnis held that the 9ro%het had not a%%ointed a successor during his lifetime, so it was u% to them to choose one#

But the minority grou%, known as the ";hi'ites" !the "%artisans" of 'Ali", maintained that the 9ro%het's successor must not only enforce the ;hari'ah, he must also %ossess di inely illuminated wisdom and be the s%iritual guide of men# ;ince this latter function is bestowed by Kod and cannot be ,udged by the ma,ority of men, the 9ro%het's successor must be di inely a%%ointed, as e$%ressed in the 9ro%het's wishes# And the ;hi'ites hold that the 9ro%het had in fact a%%ointed 'Ali as his cali%h#M7N This difference in iew between the ;hi'ites and ;unnis was often e$%ressed in %olitical terms, resulting in a good deal of strife in the early centuries of Islam between certain ;hi'ite grou%s and the 3mayyad and Abbasid cali%hs# *or, as far as the ;hi'ites were concerned, the Imams were the only com%letely legitimate successors to the 9ro%het# The first, 'Ali, was a%%ointed by the 9ro%het himself, and each in turn was a%%ointed by his %redecessor according to di ine decree#

*atimah al-Fahra
The belo ed daughter of the 9ro%het from 2hadi,ah, *atimah was born in Mecca fi e years before the beginning of the 9ro%het's mission# ;he was so lo ed by the 9ro%het that he called her "a %art of me#" In 76574 she married 'Ali ibn Abi Talib from whom she bore three sons, .asan, .usayn and Muhsin !who died stillborn", and two daughters, Faynab and 3rnm 2ulthum# ;he was at the 9ro%het's bedside at the moment of his death and fought for her husband's succession to the cali%hate# ;he died si$ months after her father in the year II6511 and is buried in the Ba:'i cemetery in Medina# It is said that when she was born the whole sky became illuminated) therefore she is called al-Fahra the "(adiant#" ;he is the mother of the ;hi'ite Imams and is considered the most holy of Muslim women#

The Twel e Imams

I# The *irst Imam, 'Ali al-Murtada !b# A#?# 5BB, d# A#.# 4B6A#?# 55/" .e was the son of the 9ro%het's %aternal uncle, Abu Talib, who had raised the 9ro%het like his own son and %rotected him after he declared his mission# According to the ;hi'ites, 'Ali was the first to acce%t the new religion at the hands of the 9ro%het, at the age of ten# .e was the greatest warrior of early Islam, and according to his %artisans was a%%ointed by the 9ro%het as his successor at a %lace known as ''Khadir al-2humm"# .e became the fourth ;unni cali%h, the last of the "(ightly-Kuided Hali%hs", after the death of '3thman# .e was finally assassinated by followers of the 2hawari, !an early schismatic sect", after fi e years as cali%h# .e is buried in Aa,af in Ira:# M(ead: Aah,ulBalaghah N II# The ;econd Imam, al-.asan al-Mu,taba !1657 -<B650B" .e was the elder son of 'Ali by the 9ro%het's daughter *atimah# .e laid claim to the cali%hate for some si$ months after the death of his father, but was finally forced to surrender it to Mu'awiyah# *or the rest of his life he li ed in Medina in seclusion# .e is buried in the Ba:'i cemetery in Medina# III# The Third Imam, al-.usayn ;ayyed al-;huhada !4657 -5I65@B" The younger son of 'Ali by *atimah, like his brother he li ed most of his life :uietly in Medina under the watchful eyes of the cali%h's officials and s%ies# Ehen Mu'awiyah's son Da+id became cali%h, he demanded allegiance from al-.usayn, who refused to gi e it# *inally al-.usayn felt it necessary to go into battle against Da+id to %rotest against the in,ustices which were being carried out in the name of Islam# .e and a small grou% of followers including most of his immediate family were cruelly massacred at 2arbala The day of his martyrdom !"'Ashura"" has become the most solemn day of the ;hi'ite calendar, marked by %rocessions and uni ersal mourning# Its celebration symboli+es the whole ethos of ;hi'ism# .e is buried in 2arbala in Ira:#

IJ# The *ourth Imam, 'Ali Fayn al-'Abidin, al-;a,,ad !1@65<@><60I7" The son of Imam al-.usayn by the daughter of Da+digird, the last ;assanid king of Iran, he was not able to carry arms at 2arbala because of illness, and thus he was sa ed the fate of his three brothers# *or most of his life he li ed in seclusion in Medina, ha ing contact with only a few select followers# .is %iety-which is reflected in his collected %rayers, al-;ahifah al-;a,,adiyyah is %ro erbial# .e is buried in the Ba:i' cemetery in Medina# J# The *ifth Imam, Muhammad al-Ba:ir !<0650<II46017" The son of the fourth Imam, he was %resent at 2arbala at a young age# Because of changing %olitical and religious conditions, among them the general re ulsion following the e ents at 2arbala, many %eo%le came to Medina to learn the religious and s%iritual sciences from him# .e trained numerous well-known men of religion, and mainly for this reason is the first Imam after 'Ali from whom large numbers of traditions are recorded# .e is buried in the Ba:i' cemetery in Medina# JI# The ;i$th Imam, =a'far al-;adi: !@160B7-/4@605<" The son of the fifth Imam, he li ed in an increasingly fa orable climate and was able to teach o%enly in Medina# Garge numbers of scholars gathered around him to learn, including such famous ;unni figures as Abu .anifah, the founder of one of the four ;unni schools of law# Towards the end of Imam =a'far's life se ere restrictions were %laced u%on his acti ities, as a result of growing ;hi'ite unrest# More traditions are recorded from him than from all the other Imams together# .e is so im%ortant for Twel e-Imam ;hi'ite law that it is named the "=a'fari ;chool" after him# .e is buried in the Ba:i' cemetery in Medina# JII# The ;e enth Imam, Musa al-2a+im !/7@6044-/@160>>" The son of the si$th Imam, he was contem%orary with such Abbasid cali%hs as al-Mansur and .arun al-(ashid# .e li ed most of his life in Medina with se ere restrictions %laced u%on him and finally died in %rison in Baghdad# After him, the Imams were often not able to li e in their traditional home of Medina, but were forced to remain near the cali%h in Baghdad or ;amarra# .e is buried in 2a+imayn in Ira:# JIII# The Iighth Imam, 'Ali al-(ida !/4@605<-7B16@/0" The son of the se enth Imam, he li ed in a %eriod when the Abbasids were faced with increasing difficulties because of ;hi'ite re olts# *inally the cali%h al-Ma'mun thought he would sol e the %roblem by naming the Imam as his own successor, ho%ing thus to ensnare him in worldly affairs and turn the de otion of his followers away from him# After finally being able to %ersuade al-(ida to acce%t, al-Ma'mun reali+ed his mistake, for ;hi'ism began to s%read e en more ra%idly# *inally he is said to ha e had the Imam %oisoned# Al-(ida is buried in Mashhad in Iran# IQ# The Ainth Imam, Muhammad al-=awad !/><6@B>-77B6@1<" The son of the eighth Imam, he was gi en the daughter of the cali%h al-Ma'mun in marriage and for a time was ke%t by the cali%h in Baghdad# But he was able to return to Medina until the end of al-Ma'mun's reign# The new cali%h, al-Mu'tasim, summoned him back to Baghdad where he died# .e is buried in 2a+imayn in Ira:# Q# The Tenth Imam, 'Ali al-.adi !7/76@70-7<46@5@" The son of the ninth Imam, he remained in Medina teaching the religious sciences until 7416@<0, when he was summoned to ;amarra by the cali%h al-Mutawakkil# There he was treated harshly by the cali%h and his successors until he died# .e is buried in ;amarra#

QI# The Ile enth Imam, al-.asan al-'Askari !7176@4<-75B6@07" The son of the tenth Imam, he li ed in close confinement in ;amarra under the watchful eye of the cali%h, es%ecially since it was known that the ;hi'ites were awaiting his son, the twelfth Imam, who was to be the %romised Mahdi or "guided one", destined to remo e in,ustice from the world# The ele enth Imam married the daughter of the By+antine em%eror, Aargis 2hatun, who, following instructions gi en her in a dream, had sold herself into sla ery to become his wife# .e is buried in ;amarra# QII# The Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi !b# 7<56@5@" The twelfth Imam li ed in hiding under the %rotection and tutelage of his father until the latter's death# Then he went into "occultation"# In other words, he became hidden from the eyes of ordinary men and a%%eared only to his ?e%uties# In the year 17>6>1> his "greater occultation" began# It will continue as long as Kod wills, but when he does a%%ear once again, he will erase e il and in,ustice from the world# Aotes: M/N *or a detailed account, see ;hi'ite Islam# M7N *or a %rofound and illuminating e$%lanation of the basic difference in %ers%ecti e re%resented by ;unnism and ;hi'ism see *# ;chuon, Islam and the 9erennial 9hiloso%hy, Gondon, />05, ch# <#

/4 al-Masoomeen !as"

The .oly 9ro%het The Twel e Imams 2hadi,ah, The 9ro%het's Eife *atimah al-Fahra

Imam Ali al-Murtada Imam .asan al-Mu,taba Imam .ussain al-;hahid Imam Ali al-;a,,ad Imam Mohammad al-Ba:ir Imam =a'far al-;adi: Imam Musa al-2a+im Imam Ali al-(ida Imam Mohammad al-=awad Imam Ali al-.adi Imam .asan al-Askari Imam Mohammad al-Mahdi

Imam Ali Imam .assan Imam .ussain Imam Ali ibn al-.ussain

Imam Mohammad ibn Ali Imam =afar ibn Mohammad Imam Musa ibn =afar Imam Ali ibn Musa Imam Mohammad ibn Ali Imam Ali ibn Mohammad Imam .assan ibn Ali Imam al-Mahdi

9ro%het Mohammad !s" *atimah al-Fahra !a" Imam Ali !a" Imam .assan !a" Imam .ussein !a" Imam Fayn al-Abidin !a" Imam Muhammad al-Ba:ir !a" Imam =affar al-;adi: !a" Imam Musa al-2a+im !a" Imam Ali al-(ida !a" Imam Muhammad al-Ta:i !a" Imam Ali al-Aa:i !a" Imam .assan al-Askari !a" Imam al-Mahdi !a"

9ro%het Mohammad !s" Imam Ali !a" *atimah al-Fahraa !a" Imam .asan !a" Imam .usain !a" Imam Fainul-'Abedeen !a" Imam al-Ba:ir !a" Imam al-;adi: !a" Imam al-2a+im !a" Imam al-(ida !a" Imam al-=awad !a" Imam al-.adi !a" Imam al-'Askari !a" Imam al-Madi !a"

The *ourteen Infallibles 9ro%het Muhammad al-Mustafa !s" Amir al-Mu'minin Imam Ali .a+rat *atima al-Fahra Imam .asan al-Mu,taba Imam .usain al-;hahid Imam Ali Fainul-Abedeen Imam Mohammad al-Ba:ir Imam =afar al-;aadi: Imam Musa al-2a+im Imam Ali al-(ida Imam Muhammad al-Ta:i

Imam Ali al-Aa:i Imam .asan al-Askari Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi

Imam Ali al-Murtada

Introduction The (ising of the ?awn The *irst Belie er Tasks After Imigration Islamic 9ers%ects of Imam Ali The Hali%hs' 9eriod Introduction The Imam and the Hali%h 9rogram of (eformation 9olicy of (eaction To The 2ingdom of Allah Aotes

Imam .asan al-Mu,taba

Introduction Klorious .ouse Ehat a Baby8 9ro%het's Krandson in the Book and ;unnah Imam .asan's Hharacters Imam .asan's (ole in Islamic Gife =ustifications of the Treaty with Mu'awiyah and its Term 9ost-Treaty Ira Indnotes

Imam .ussain al-;hahid

9ublisher's Eord Introduction .ow Islam Immortali+ed Imam .ussein : The Blessed Infant The ;tatus of Imam .ussein As%ects of his Hharacter /# .is (elationshi% Eith Allah 7# .is (elationshi% Eith 9eo%le A# .is .umbleness B# .is *orgi eness of the Erongdoers 1# As%ects of .is Thought Imam .ussein's (ole In (e i ing Islam: 9rologue 9ost-9eace Treaty I ents The 3%rising: EhyC Eind of The 3%rising 2ufan's (egression An (oute To Ira: Imam .ussein In 2arbala' 2arbala'

The ?ay of Ashura' (ole of Eomen In The 3%rising (esults of The 3%rising Indnotes

Imam Ali Fainul-'Abedin

9reface Hhildhood Adulthood Gife in Medina After Tragedy of 2erbala .is Hharacter and 9ersonality ;ome Miracles of Imam Ali Bin .usain Imam Ali Bin .usain's ;ermons, ;u%%lications !?uas" and ;ayings .is *amily The 9olitical ;ituation in which the Imam Gi ed, and .is Martyrdom

Imam Musa al-2a+im

Introduction Imam al-2a+im .is ;chool and 2nowledge 9olitical and ;ocial Hoditions ?uring Imam's Time The Imam and .aroon al-(asheed Imam Hali%h Ali bin Musa al-(ida The Iternal Beacon Indnotes

Imam Ali al-(ida .istorical and Biogra%hical (esearch

Introduction 9reface .istorical as%ect of the Imam's Biogra%hy .is ?istinctions and Hharacteristics Imam and the Ea:fis Imam and the 'Hali%hs' The (egency Imam's (ole in eliminating al-*adl ibn ;ahl The Tragic Inding Imam and Alawide (e olts Intellectual As%ects of the Imam's Gife .is Eorks Altercations Basic Beliefs I$egesis ;hari'a !Islamic Gegislati e ;ystem" ;elect .adith of the Imam .is Morals and Hounsels ;u%%lement (egency ?ocument

Imam Ali al-(ida

Introduction Birth and Iarly Dears Geadershi% !Imamate" The Imam's Hharacter 2nowledge and ;chools of Thought in Imam Al-(ida's Time ;ocial Honditions under Abbasside (ule 9olitical Honditions 9o%ular Goyalty to Ahlul-Bayt (e olts and 3%risings March to 2hurasan The Imam and the Ied 9rayer (eactions to the 9ledge of Allegiance The Imam's Martyrdom Indnotes

al-Islam I3A Aet The &uran, 9ro%het, Ahlul-Bayt al-Ma'soomeen al-Ma'soomeen Aida al-Tha:alayn Islamic Books Gife of Imam Ali Imam Ali Imam al-Mahdi

9ro%het Mohammad !s" *atimah al-Fahraa Ali al-Murtada Al-.asan al-Mu,taba Al-.usayn al-;hahid Ali al-;a,,ad Muhammad al-Ba:ir =afar al-;adi: Musa al-2a+im Ali al-(ida Muhammad al-=awad Ali Ibn al-.adi Al-.asan al-Askari Muhammad al-Mahdi

;ayings of The .oly 9ro%het Muhammad !s" ;ayings of *atimah al-Fahra

Imam

Gife

;ayings

Ali al-Murtada .asan al-Mu,taba .usain al-;hahid Ali Fainul-'Abedin Mohammad Ba:ir =afar al-;adi: Mousa al-2a+im Ali al-(ida Mohammad al-=awad Ali al-.adi .asan al-'Askari Mohammad al-Mahdi

RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR

RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LIVES OF THE TWELVE IMAMS R

Allamah ;ayyid Muhammad .usayn Tabataba'i R The *irst Imam The Third Imam The *ifth Imam The ;e enth Imam The Ainth Imam The Ile enth Imam The ;econd Imam The *ourh Imam The ;i$th Imam The Iighth Imam The Tenth Imam The Twelfth Imam

On the A%%earance of the Mahdi The ;%iritual Message of ;hiSism More Ginks About .oly 9ro%het !s" and .is Ahlul-Bayt !a" T.I EA.ABIA MOJIMIAT ### /7 Imams ### *AB

al-;ahabah ### M/N ### M7N ### M1N ### M4N ### M<N ### M5N ### M0N ### M@N ### M>N Abu ?har ### Ammar ### ;alman ### Bilal ### .am+ah Abu Talib ### Abu Talib ### =afar ### A:eel Mu'awyia ### Abu .uraira ### Ibn ;aba T 2a'ab Islamic Books: M/N ### M7N ### M1N Gight of Islam ### Islamic Books ### Islamic Articles

Islamic Books: M/N #### M7N #### M1N #### M4N #### M<N #### M5N #### M0N #### M@N #### M>N #### M/BN M//N #### M/7N #### M/1N #### M/4N #### M/<N #### M/5N #### M/0N #### M/@N M/N #### M7N #### M1N #### M4N #### M<N #### M5N #### M0N #### M@N #### M>N #### M/BN M//N #### M/7N #### M/1N #### M/4N #### M/<N #### M/5N #### M/0N #### M/@N

Islamic Books

;eal of the 9ro%hets and .is Message M/N - M7N by ;ayyid Mu,taba Musa i Gari About the Author 9ro%hethood: Ac:uaintance with the ;chool of the 9ro%hets To whom belongs the right to legislateC A (ich and *ruitful ;chool of Thought Miracles: An Iffecti e and Ilo:uent 9roof The Answer of the 9ro%hets !%" to the Illogical ?emands of the 9olytheists Ehat is re elationC The ?ifference Between 9ro%hets and ;cholars of Kenius The Inerrancy of the 9ro%hets The ;%lendor of the 9ro%het of Islam Beginning of the Mission The Beginning of Migration Get 3s 2now the &uran Better The ?emand of the &uran for a ?irect Honfrontation The (elationshi% of the &uran to Modern ;cience: 9 / The (elationshi% of the &uran to Modern ;cience: 9 7 9rediction of the ?efeat of a Kreat 9ower 3nity and Multi%licity in the Themes of the &uran

The Ine$haustibility of the ?ifferent ?imensions of the &uran The 9roclamation by =esus of the Mission of the 9ro%het of Islam The ;ealing of 9ro%hethood An Answer to the Materialists Aotes

Mohammad The Messenger of Allah !s"

Introduction 9ro%het's Gife Before .is 9ro%hethood (ise To 9ro%hethood 9ro%het Begins Hall To Islam Beginning of Bitter ;truggle Miracle of Al-Isra' Klim%ses of .o%e The Kreat Immigration The Muha,irin's Afflictions In The ;tate of Madinah 2ey *orces In Madinah Hommunity 9ro%het's Military 9olicy The Homming of Allah's .el% And Jictory (enouncing The 9olytheists The Jaledictory .a,, The Blessed 9ledge of Al-Khadir The 9ro%het's An$iety O er The *uture ?a'wah The Gast Eill *ootnotes

The (e ealer, The Messenger, The Message by Mohammad Ba:ir al-;adr

9reface Author's *oreword The (e ealer /# Belief in Kod, the I$alted 7# The ;cientific argument for the e$istence of Kod, the I$alted ?efinition of the Method and ?elineation of its ;te%s: I aluation of the Method 1# .ow to a%%ly the method to %ro e the e$istence of the Hreator 4# The %hiloso%hical argument An I$am%le of the 9hiloso%hical Argument for the I$istence of the Hreator The Materialist 9osition to ward this Argument <# The Attributes of Kod, I$alted be .e .is =ustice and (ectitude ?i ine =ustice as Argument for (eward and 9unishment The Messenger A" Introduction: The general %henomenon of 9ro%hethood B" ?emonstration of the 9ro%hethood of the greatest Messengers, Muhammad, Kod's Blessings and 9eace be u%on him and his houshold H" The (ole of outside factors and influences The Message Islam Aotes

Klossary

Imam .usain's (e olution !Analytical (e iew" by .adi Al-Modaresi

*oreword Introduction The Islamic Message Eho is Imam .usainC Eho is Da+idC Origins of ?e iation Imam Ali's (eform Muawiya's (eign Imam .asan's 9olicy Da+id's Hlaim The (e olution's Moti es The (e olution's 9rocedure The (e olution's (esults

The (e olution of al-.usain Its Im%act on the Honsciousness of Muslim ;ociety

Introduction The Fiyarat The Gamentation %oetry (ites of remembrance of al-.usain Eee%ing

Imam al-;adi: !a" by Mohammed al-.usayn al-Mu+affar

9reface Eho Are Ahlul-BaytC Eho were the OmayyadsC BAA3 AG-'ABA; !The Abasids" E.AT EA; T.I H(IMI of A.G3G-BADTC T.I (IGIKIO3; ;H.OOG; AA? ;IHT; The Origin of the Islamic Krou%ings The I$tremists and Those who ha e disagreed with Islam on some Beliefs The ;us%icions of Atheists T.I IMAMATI E.O EA; AG-;A?I&C T.I 9(OTIHTIOA !Ta:iyyah6.iding one's religion in time of danger" AG-;A?I& AA? T.I A?JI(;ITII; AG-;A?I&'; ATTIT3?I; EIT. AG-MAA;3( AA? .I; KOJI(AO(; AG-;A?I& IA I(A& .I; ;HIIATI*IH GI*I Ithics I$egesis Theology I$istence and Oneness of Allah Al-Ihlil,a !myrobalan" .is Brief 9roofs on the I$istence and Oneness of Allah Aegation of Body

The &ualities of Occurrence Iyes Attain .im not Medicine Al-=afr !?i ination" Hhemistry and =abir bin .ayyan Other ;ciences .OE ?I? AG-;A?I& BIHOMI A ;H.OOGC .I; ?IBATI; .is ?ebates on Oneness of Allah !al-Tawhid" The Outstanding Merit of the 9ro%het, may Allah bless him and his family Treating the Eomen with =ustice The Mu'ta+elites during the Aomination of Mohammed .is ?ebates on (eligious ?e otion .is ?ebate on Truthfulness .I; GI*I AA? .I; KOO? MAAAI(; .is ;ocial Manners .is Giberality .is ;ecret Kifts .is Hlemency .is 2indness .is 9atience .is 9restige .is worshi% .is Bra ery .is (eligious ?e otion .I; MI(AH3GO3; AHT; .I; H.O;IA EO(?; .I; O(ATIOA; .I; ;I(MOA; Belief in Allah *ear and .o%e 9iety and ?e otion (eligious ?e otion Gife in this world .y%ocrisy In,ustice The Belie er .is ;ermons on Jarious Matters .I; HOMMAA?MIAT; ;ome of .is aluable Hommandments ;ocial (elations .astening toward Kood Things ;tudying (eligious =uris%rudence Kratefulness of Boons Kood *riendshi% *riendshi% during Tra el Kood Aeighborhood Acce%ting Ad ice Honsultation Making Many Brothers *orgi ing Brothers The (ights of Brothers .el%ing the Brothers Treating the Brothers 2indly Truthful Talk and Ki ing the Trust .I; ;ADIAK;

.I; BI(T. AA? .I; ?IAT. .is Birth .is ?eath ?uring ?eath After ?eath .is 2unya and .is ;urname .is Hharacteristics .is Jisitations .I; H.IG?(IA .I; AA((ATO(; T.I ;.I'ITI *AMO3; (IGIABGI AA((ATO(; of AG-;A?I& .I; (IGIA;I? ;I(JAAT; TO T.I KIATGI (IA?I( AOTI;

Gight Eithin Me - M / N - M 7 N

9reface Allamah .usayn Tabatabai 9art One: by ;haheed Murtada Mutahhari An Introduction to Irfan 9art Two: by Allamah .usayn Tabatabai ;tages of a ;%iritual =ourney The Twel e Eorlds ;eeking Allah's Kuidance (ules of Attaining ;%iritual 9erfection 9art 1: by Ayatullah 2homeini Inter%retation of ;urah al-.amd The ?ifference between the &ismillah of each ;urah (elationshi% between Allah and .is Hreation Allah and .is Klory A%%endi$: The In ocation of ;ha'baniyah

Douth and Morals

*oreword Introduction Ill Aature O%timism 9essimism Gying .y%ocrisy ;lander *ault-*inding In y Honceit O%%ression Inmity and .atred Anger Breach of 9romise Treachery Miserliness

Kreed ?is%uting

A Hhronological Table of the .oly 9ro%het !s", his ?aughter !a" and the Twel e Imams !a"

?esignation

2unyah

Aame

*ather Aame

Title

?ate of Birth

?ate of ?eath

9lace of burial

The Gast 9ro%het of Allah

Abu al&asim

Muhammad 'Abdullah

(asul Allah, Aabiy Allah#

/0th (abi' I, 7@th ;afar, Madina alin the Dear of // A.# Munawwarah, the Ile%hant# <67<6517# Arabia# @67<6<0B# 7Bth =umada II, in the <th Dear after the declaration of 9ro%hethood# /6765/<# /1th (a,ab, /B years before the declaration of the 9ro%hethood# <67<65BB#

---

3mm Abiha *atimah

al-Fahra', al;iddi:ah, Muhammad al-Batoul, ;ayyidatu al-Aisa

1rd =umada II, --// A.# @6756517#

/st Imam

Abu al.asan, Abu Ali al.asanayn

Abu Talib

Amir almu'minin , al-Easi, alMurtada, .aydar

7/st (amadhan, al-Aa,af, Ira:# 4B A.# /67@655/#

7nd Imam

Abu al-.asan Muhammad

'Ali

alMu,taba, /<th 0th ;afar, as-;ibt (amadhan, 1 <B A.# !alA.# 16/657<# 165650B# Akbar" ;ayyidu al1rd ;ha'ban, ;huhada', 4 A.# as-;ibt /6@6575# !alAsghar"

Madina, Arabia#

1rd Imam

Abu 'Abdillah

al-.usayn

'Ali

/Bth Muharram, 2arbala', Ira:# 5/ A.# /B6/B65@B#

4th Imam

Abu Ali Muhammad

al-.usayn

FaynulAbidin, <th ;ha'ban, ;ayyidu 1@ A.# al/6565<># ;a,idin, al-;a,,ad#

7<th Muharram, Madina, >< A.# Arabia# /B67B60/1#

<th Imam

Abu =a'far

Muhammad 'Ali

al-Ba:ir

0th ?hi'l1rd ;afar, <0 hi,,ah, //4 A.# A.# /76/56505# /67@6011# 7<th /0th (abi' I, ;hawwal, @1 A.# /4@ A.# 467B60B7# /76/4605<#

"

5th Imam

Abu 'Abdillah, Abu Musa

=a'far

Muhammad al-;adi:

"

0th Imam

Abu al.asan alMusa Awwal, Abu Ibrahim

=a'far

al2adhim, al-'Abd al-;alih, al-'Alim

0th ;afar, /7> A.# /B67@6045#

7<th (a,ab, al-2a+imiyyah, /@1 A.# Ira:# >6/60>>#

@th Imam

Abu al.asan alThani

'Ali

Musa

al-(ida

//th ?hi'l:i'dah, /4@ A.# /767>605<#

/0th ;afar, Mash'had, 7B1 A.# Iran# @6746@/@#

>th Imam

Abu =a'far al-Thani

Muhammad 'Ali

/Bth (a,ab, al-Ta:i, />< A.# al-=awad 46@6@//#

1Bth ?hi'l:i'dah, 77B al-2a+imiyyah, A.# Ira:# //67<6@1<# 1rd (a,ab, 7<4 A.# ;amarra', Ira:# 567@6@5@# @th (abi' I, 75B A.# " /6/6@04#

/Bth Imam

Abu al.asan alThalith

'Ali

al-Aa:i, Muhammad al-.adi

7nd (a,ab, 7/7 A.# >6706@70#

//th Imam

Abu al-.asan Muhammad

'Ali

@th (abi' II, al-Askari 717 A.# /7616@45#

/7th Imam

Abu al&asim

Muhammad al-.asan

al-Mahdi, /<th ;till ali e --al-&a'im, ;ha'ban, 7<< but in alA.# 067>6@5># occultation .u,,ah, al-Kha'ib, ;ahibu alFaman, ;ahibu

al-Amr#

A Hhronological Table of the .oly 9ro%het !s", his ?aughter !a" and the Twel e Imams !a"

The Ealaya !lo e and guardianshi%" of Ahl al-Bayt !A#;#" The Ealaya !lo e and guardianshi%" of Ahl al-Bayt !A#;#" Fayd-ibn Ar:am: Ehen the Messenger of Allah !;#A#E#" returned from his "*arewell 9ilgrimage'" "and sto%%ed at Khadir 2hum, he ga e an order to swee% the ground under the trees then he said "Jerily Allah is my benefactor and I am the guardian of e ery belie er) he then held 'Ali's hand, raised it and said: "Ehoe er that I am his guardian, this man is his %rotector# Oh Allah lo e whoe er lo es him and be the enemy of those who are his enemies# The Messenger of Allah !;#A#E#": Ehoe er likes to li e and die like me and enter the %aradise to which I ha e been %romised, should acce%t 'Ali ibn Abi Talib's guardianshi% status and those of his immaculate inheritors who shall be guiding the %eo%le after me, and are as light in the darkness, as they will ne er let you go astray# The .oly 9ro%het !;#A#E#" addressing Ali !A#;#" said: whoe er would be glad to see Almighty Allah %urified and secure, and be free from the big horror, should acce%t the guardianshi% of you, your two sons, al-.asan!A#;#" and al-.usayn!A#;#", and 'Ali ibn al-.usayn!A#;#" and Muhammad ibn 'Ali!A#;#" and =afar ibn Muhammad!A#;#" and Musa ibn =afar!A#;#" and Ali ibn Musa!A#;#" and Muhammad!A#;#" and 'Ali!A#;#" and al-.asan!A#;#" and *inally al-Mahdi!A#;#" the last one# The .oly 9ro%het !;#A#E#": Go e and de otion to me and my Ahl al-Bayt make one immune from the .ell *ire# The Messenger of Allah !;#A#E#": Ehat is the matter with some %eo%le that when they hear about Ibrahim's !A#;#" family, they become ha%%y, but when they hear about Muhammad's !;#A#E#" family they become annoyedC8 I swear to the One who has got Muhammad's !;#A#E#" soul in .is hand) if on the (esurrection ?ay a belie er who has good actions of se enty 9ro%hets is %resented before Allah his good actions will not be acce%ted if those are de oid of the lo e of me and my family# Imam al-Ba:ir!A#;#": Islam has been based on fi e foundations: %erforming daily %rayers, gi ing the Fakat, fasting in the holy month of (amadan, %ilgrimage to Makkah and acce%ting the lo e and guardianshi% of Ahl al-Bayt# Abu .am+a: Imam al-Ba:ir !A#;#" told me: Jerily only those who know Allah worshi% Allah truly, but those who do not know Allah, worshi% .im like the ignorant# I asked him: May I be sacrificed to you8 Ehat is the sign of knowing AllahC .e re%lied: Belie ing in Allah and .is Messenger and acce%ting the lo e and guardianshi% of Imam Ali!A#;#" and following him and following the Kuided Imams!A#;#" and taking refuge in Allah the Klorious and the .igh this is understanding of Allah the Klorious and the .igh# Muhammad ibn Ali al-.alabi: Imam al-;adi: !A#;#" concerning the following erse: "O my Gord, forgi e me, my %arents, and him who enters my abode as a belie er" !0/:7@" said that it means the lo e and guardianshi%, whoe er acce%ts the lo e and guardianshi% enters the house of the %ro%hets, and what is meant by the erse: "Jerily, Allah intends to kee% off from you !e ery kind of" uncleanness O you the %eo%le of the house and %urify you !with" a thorough %urification" !11: 11" is the .oly Imams !A#;#" and their lo e) whoe er embodies the lo e Mof Ahl al-Bayt!A#;#"N has entered into the house of the .oly 9ro%het!;#A#E#"# Imam al-.adi !A#;#" in =ami'a ;u%%lication: "And the earth lit u% with your light and those who were sa ed reached this state because of you and stri ed to reach Allah's a%%ro al# Erath of Allah is u%on whoe er denies your guardianshi%"# ;ource: Ahl al-Bayt !A#;#" in The &ur'an and .adith