PROPHET MOHAMMAD AND HIS HOUSEHOLD

(AHLAL BAYT)
By: Ustad Abdus Samad

Muslims around the world have to pray at least five times a day; and in every prayer they
have to recite Salawat Ibrahimiyya (Tashah-hud), this way:

Allahom-ma Sal-li Alaa Moham-madin wa Alaa Aaali Moham-madin, Kama Sal-laita

Alaa Ibrahi-ma wa Alaa Aali Ibrahim, fil Aalamina; In-na-ka Hamidom Majeed!

O, Allah! Bless Thee Mohammad and Aali Mohammad (his Household) as Thou Hath
Blessed Ibrahim and his Household, amongst the peoples of the world; Verily Thou Art most
Praiseworthy, most Gracious.

But . . . .

Surprisingly enough, very few Muslims know, or even try to know, the Aali Mohammad
(A.S.)or the people for whom they ask Allahs blessings, so many times a day!

Who are the Aali Mohammad (A.S.)? What is their role in Islam and in the Islamic
Society? Why do we have to include them in our daily prayers (Namaz)? And why without
including them in the Salat Wajiba, our prayers are not accepted by Allah (S.W.T.)?*

Historical Background

To know more about Prophet Mohammads Household, who are also known as the Ahlal
Bayt, or Aali Mohammad, we have to go back into the history; and to reduce the chances of any
doubt, we shall try to get light, straight from the Holy Quran, which is the foundation of the
Islamic faith:

And when Allah tested Prophet Ibrahim by some Words and he completed (the test),
Allah said: Now I appoint thee Imam of the people. (Prophet Ibrahim) Said and how about my
children? (Allah) Said My Promise wont be for the sinners (among them). Holy Quran:
(2:124).

As we have seen, here Allah granted the request of patriarch Abraham to bestow Imamah
(Imamhood or Leadership) on his righteous descendants, too. (Not the sinners, because the
sinful people cant become the Authorized Imams of the Ummah, or the Olil Amr, as we shall see
later. So the Imams of the Abrahamic Religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, must be
impeccable and infallible)

Who are They?

 But who are the righteous descendants of Abraham (A.S.)? Well, those who, according to
the Holy Quran, were granted Imamah or the Leadership of the People of the Book, namely:
Ismail, Is-haq, Yaqub, Yusuf, Dawoud, Solaiman, Moses, Jesus, and finally the last Prophet of
Allah - - our very own beloved Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H).

They are the righteous children of Prophet Abraham or Aali Ibrahim, who received the
Imamah or the God given leadership over the believers (= Olil Amr i.e. Those with
Authorization.) Now, there are two very important questions to be answered, here:

1. Who are the Aali Mohammad for whom we pray together with Aali Ibrahim,
saying:

O Allah! Bless Thee (also) the Aali Mohammad (the same way) as Thou Hath Blessed Aali
Ibrahim? (At-ta-hiyyaat, Daily Salats).

2. How did Allah (S.W.T.) bless Aali Ibrahim that we ask Him to Bless the Aali
Mohammad in the same manner?

The second question has been answered by Allah (S.W.T.) in this verse from the Holy
Quran, that says:

Are they (?) jealous of the people (?) for what Allah Hath given them from His Grace?
While We Gave Aali Ibrahim the Book and the Wisdom and We Gave them a Great Possession!

Holy Quran (4:54).

So what was given by Allah (S.W.T.) to Aali Ibrahim, was The Book, The Wisdom and a
Great Possession! (Both material as well as spiritual - - the leadership of the Ummah or the Olil
Amr).

Who are the Aali Mohammad?

With regard to the first question, i.e. Who are the Aali Mohammad? Some people have
tried, in vain, to interpret the Aali Mohammad as the followers of Prophet Mohammad
(P.B.U.H.)!

The answer is that every Aali Mohammad is also a follower of the Prophet Mohammad,
but not every follower of the Prophet Mohammad, is necessarily an Aali Mohammad, too!

Specifically the following points should be considered very carefully:

a) If we go to the Arab tribesmen and ask them what do they mean by Aali so and
so, when they refer to a clan or a tribe, we will see that Aal refers only to the
children of a certain chieftain.
 b) In the Quranic terminology also, except for one or two negative cases, like Aali
Firaon (Pharoas clan/followers), the term Aal is used to mean the children or the
descendants of a person. Examples are: (1) Aali Ibrahim, (2) Aali Is-haq, (3) Aali
Yaqub, (4) Aali Dawoud, (5) Aali Imran, (6) Aali Yasin, (7) Aali Nooh, (8) Aali
Musa, (9) Aali Haroon, etc., etc.

In the Hadith and the Islamic prayers, also, the terms Aali Taha, Aali Yasin, Aali
Mohammad have always had this particular meaning. (Even in the history of Islam such terms
as Aali Mohammad, Aali Ali, Aali Fatimah, Aali Abbas, etc, refer to the descendants of those
respectable personalities).

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today (Do we have any Kingdom in Islam?) there are
two top ruling classes 1) The Aali Saud, the children of King Saud, who export their
Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam throughout the world, with their Arab-American or ARAMCO
Dollars, and 2) The Aali Sheikh, the children of Sheikh Abdul Wahhab, who started Wahhabism
in 18th century in Saudi Arabia. So, even to the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia today, Aal means
descendants; then why do their blind followers still claim that Aal Mohammad (S.A.W.) means
his followers, not his descendants? A double standard, even in the dictionary?

Prophet Mohammad Left No Son

Some people say: But Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) left no male child after him,
because his two sons Ibrahim and Qasim both died in their early childhood; then where are the
children of the Prophet to become Aali Mohammad?

Well, that was exactly what some unbelievers of Mecca said during the lifetime of the
Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.). According to their calculations, the Holy Prophet had no son to
carry his name after him, and that he was an Abtar or without a descendant.

But Allah answered them back in a very short, yet strongly worded Sura of the Holy
Quran, this way:

In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful.* Verily We have given thee (O
Mohammad!) the Ever Increasing One. Then pray to thy Lord and sacrifice. Surely thy
enemys tail is cut off! (childless). Holy Quran (108:1-3).

Though Allah (S.W.T.) took the sons of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), yet He left for
him a blessed daughter Fatimah Zahra (Kauthar or Ever Increasing One) who is known as
the Sayyidato Nisa-il Aalamin (The Lady of all Women of all Ages).

Thus, Prophet Mohammads descendants or the Aali Mohammad continued not through a
male child, but through Sayyida Fatimah and her beloved husband Imam Ali. (Just like Prophet
Eisa (A.S.) or Jesus, who is the son of Prophet David A.S. through Sayyida Maryam A.S.).
 To know how the children of Imam Ali and Fatimah Zarha are also called Children of
Prophet Mohammad, we have to refer to the Holy Quran, once more.

Mubahala Or the Spiritual Confrontation

When the Christian leaders of Yemen came to Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), and after
long debates they did not want to accept the truth of Islam, Allah (S.W.T.) ordered the Prophet to
do Mubahala or the spiritual confrontation with them!

Say (OMohammad!) lets call our sons and your sons, our women and your women,
ourselves and yourselves and then lets ask Allah to destroy (curse) the liars! Holy Quran
(3:61).

All Muslim historians, without exception, say that in that spiritual confrontation of Islam
vs. Christianity there were only five people present: They were Prophet Mohammad himself,
Imam Ali, Fatimah Zahra, Imam Hassan and Imam Hosain (A.S.).

(From this very Ayah we also understand that whenever there is a confrontation between
the family of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) and others, the opposite camp belongs to the
unbelievers and the liars upon whom is the curse and the Anger of Allah (S.W.T.)! So, what will
you say now about the battle of Karbala, between Imam Hosain and Yazid? How about Imam
Ali vs. Moawia? Or Imam Hassan vs. Moawia? Etc.?).

Here, some interesting questions arise. For instance, that Allahs order was let us bring
our sons, and you bring your sons, we will bring our women and you bring your women, and you
come yourselves and we shall come ourselves!

Question No. 1. Who were the sons that Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) brought with
him?

Answer: Imam Hassan and Imam Hosain. (Does that answer our opponents question,
fairly enough?)

Question No. 2. Who represented the women on the side of Islam?

Answer: Fatimah Zarha.

(Now why the Holy Prophet did not include any of his own wives in that crucial
confrontation of Islam vs. Kufr? The best answer would be that he was carrying out the Order of
Allah S.W.T.)*

Question No. 3. Who represented the selves in Allahs command, aside from Prophet
Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) himself?
 Answer: The man who slept in place of Prophet Mohammad when he migrated from
Mecca to Madinah; He who represented the Holy Prophet as the governor of Yemen and he who
took the Prophets place when he left Madinah to fight the Romans. He was none but Imam Ali.

Now, we have the complete picture of the first generation of the Aali Mohammad or the
Household of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.).

And what is the position of this Household or the Ahlal Bayt in the Eyes of Allah
(S.W.T.)? Well, lets ask Him.

In the Holy Quran Allah reminds:

Truly, Allah wants to keep away (all kinds of) impurities from You, O, Household (of
the Prophet) and to purify You perfectly. Holy Quran (33:33)

Some people argue that this verse includes the wives of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) also;
But as we saw before, they were not present at the Mubahala or the confrontation of Prophet
Mohammads Household vs. the Christians of Nadjran. The Prophet should know Allahs orders
better than anyone else.

(Of course, all Muslims must respect the wives of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) as their
spiritual mothers, but here we are searching for the Aali Mohammad/Descendants/Kins of the
Prophet and not his wives may Allah bless them all). **

The Role of Aali Mohammad (A.S.)

After knowing the Aali Mohammad or the Ahlal Bayt, now the next question will be: So
what if they are the Aali Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)?

The answer is that: If they are the Aali Mohammad, then they will have some
responsibilities over their shoulders as did Aali Ibrahim, Aali Dawoud, etc. And we also, as the
followers of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) will have some obligations to them, in the same
manner that the followers of Ibrahim, Dawoud, (A.S.) etc. had in the previous ages. This belief
is confirmed in the following verses of the Holy Quran:

Such has been the way Allah dealt with the people before, and you wont ever see Allah
change His Way! Holy Quran (33:62).

This is the way of those Prophets We sent before you, and you wont find any changes in
Our Way Holy Quran (17:77).

Allahs way will never change, Allahs way wont alter. Holy Quran (35:43), etc.

Their Role is Imamah

 Every Muslim believes that the Holy Quran is the last of the Heavenly Books, and that
the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) is the last Prophet or the Khatamon Nabiy-yin.

In the same manner, the necessity of Imamah or the spiritual leadership of the Muslims
after the death of Prophet Mohammad, cannot be denied by anyone who knows Islam even a
little.

For centuries, all Muslims have agreed (Ijmaa) that a Muslim has to have a Madh-hab,
with which he will follow the Fiqah or the Islamic Jurisprudence, and the head of that Madh-hab
is called Imam (= Leader).

Thats why in Islam, we have the following Madh-habs and their respective Imams:

1) Madh-hab Hanafi, which is headed by Imam Abu Hanifa Bin Thabit Bin Marzban
whose origin is from Iran, and who is the greatest of all Imams (Imam Azam); * (Born 80 A.H.
Died 150 A.H.).

Imam- e Azam, Abu Hanifa (699 to 767 A.D.): Iranian by blood, he was born at Kufa (or
Koppah in Persian, meaning Hills, now situated in present day Iraq) in 80 A.H. and he died in
150 A.H. in Baghdad. (the winter capital of the Sassanid Empire of Persia; Actually the name
Baghdad itself comes from two Persian words of Bagh = god, like Baghwan, and Dad = given,
meaning God Given City, which is now the capital of modern day Iraq).

(see Namaz and Islamic Essentials by the Sunni Muslim Scholar of India, Haji
Moinuddin Ahmed I.A.S. (Retd.), Kitab Bhavan Publishers, New Delhi, India, 1992, p. 80)

2) Madh-hab Maaliki, lead by Imam Maalik, (Born in Medina in 95 A.H. and died in
179 A.H.).

3) Madh-hab Shafe-iy, lead by Imam Shafe-iy, (Born in Palestine in 150 A.H. and died in
203 A.H.).

4) Madh-hab Hanbali, lead by Imam Ahmad Hanbal, (Born in Baghdad (another

Persian?) in 163 A.H. and died in 230 A.H.).

The Imams of Aali Mohammad (A.S.)

As we have Imams in the Sunni School of Fiqah (Four Imams that were mentioned
above), we have also Imams of the Ahlal Bayt or the Aali Mohammad (A.S.).

The Imams of the Ahlal Bayt are as follows:

(1) Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib, (2) Imam Hasan Bin Ali, (3) Imam Hosain Bin Ali, (4) Imam
Zainol Abidin, (5) Imam Mohammad Baqir, (6) Imam Jafar Saadiq (the teacher of the first Imam
of the Sunni Madh-hab, who is Imam Abu Hanifa, also known as the Great Imam, as well as
another Sunni Imam named Imam Maalik), (7) Imam Musa Al-Kazim, (8) Imam Ali Riza, (9)
Imam Mohammad Taqiy, (10) Imam Ali Hadiy, (11) Imam Hasan El-Askary, (12) Imam Mahdi
(The World Reformer who is to appear in the future, with Allahs permission). **

However there are some differences between the two concepts of Imamah, upheld by the
Aali Mohammad and the non-Ahlal Bayt Imams.

Take note of the following instances:

1. The Imams who were not from the Aali Mohammad, started the Fiqah or
Jurisprudence some 100 to 200 years after the death of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), while the
Ahlal Bayt started Imamah (Spiritual leadership), immediately after the Prophets passing away.

2. The second difference between the two groups of Imams is that the Imams of Aali
Mohammad all claimed to have Authority (Olil Amr) from Allah (S.W.T.) through their
appointment by Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), *** one after the other; the non-Ahlal Bayt
Imams never claimed to have such an authority from anyone at anytime, and they had no
legitimate Authority, indeed.

The Right Number of Imams

After knowing the Ahlal Bayt and the non-Ahlal Bayt Imams (12 versus 4) it is also
important to ask Allah (S.W.T.) and His Prophet (P.B.U.H.) about the right number of Imams.
After all, thats what Allah (S.W.T.) has ordered, when He commanded us to do so, by saying:

O, ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those who are Authorized
(by whom? Of course by Allah, through His Messenger) amongst you (the Olil Amr or the
Imams that you must follow); and if you dispute in anything (including those who are
Authorized/Imams) then take it to Allah and to His Messenger (ask them) if you believe in Allah
and the Day of Judgment. This is a better and much agreeable judgment. Holy Quran (4:59).

This Ayah expresses two things very clearly, namely:

a) Obedience to those who are Authorized, is actually obedience to Allah and His
Messenger and vice versa, meaning disobedience to those who are Authorized is also a
disobedience to Allah and His Messenger (P.B.U.H.).

This means that those who are AUTHORIZED are spotless and pure (See the Holy
Quran 33:33) and they are also infallible and impeccable, as is the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) that
they represent, otherwise, how could Allah order us to obey someone who himself is a sinner, or
a wrong doer and impure? (see Holy Quran: 2/124).

b) In all disputes (especially regarding those who are Authorized) a believer should refer
the matter to Allah and to His Messenger (and not to anyone else, as some people tried to do by
putting the matter to some individuals decision, not to Allah and His Messengers) see The Holy
Quran 3:154, etc.

The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) Says 12

According to a very popular Hadith from the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), the number
of the Rightful Leaders or Emirs after him shall be 12 (no more no less!) and all of them shall
come from Qoraish. (Ref. (1) Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9, p. 250; (2) Sahih Muslim Vol 4, p. 482; (3)
Mosnad Ahmad, Vol. 1, p. 398, etc.).

This Hadith could not be about the Khalifahs, because they were not twelve. It also could
not be about the non-Ahlal Bayt Imams, because they are not twelve, either.

The only twelve Leaders/Emirs in the history of Islam that we know, are the Holy Imams
of the Ahlal Bayt i.e. Imam Ali, Imam Hassan, Imam Hosain up to the last Imam, namely,
Imam Mahdi. These are the only twelve personalities who perfectly fit the descriptions of the
Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.), regrading his rightful successors, after him. This, plus the fact that the
last will of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) clearly stated that:

I leave behind for you (Muslims) the two very Important Things 1) The Book of Allah,
and 2) My Household, the Ahlal Bayt (as the teachers of the Book). As long as you hold on to
these two, you shall never go wrong . . . see Sahih Muslim volume 4 p. 1286 etc.

Previous Religions (Ahlal Kitab) and their 12 Leaders

Considering that the people of the Book (followers of Prophets Musa and Eisa (A.S.) also
proclaim the same Source of Truth that Islam comes from i.e. God Almighty, many things are
similar or even common among these three Godly religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

In fact, the Holy Quran very often talks about those religions, their Prophets, as well as
their history and law. It also declares many times that the Holy Prophet of Islam Has come with
the BOOK, confirming what (other books) went before it, and He (Allah) revealed the Taurah
and the Gospel before. Holy Quran (3:3).

Taking into account such closeness between these three Heavenly religions, it will be
very interesting to see the leadership style as well as their numbers among them, too.

The Holy Quran says the number of The Chieftains appointed by Allah among the
People of Israel, was 12.

And We appointed Twelve Chieftains among them. Holy Quran (5:13). (Note the
word appointed by Allah not chosen by the people!).
 And when Muslims asked the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) about the number of his
successors he said: Twelve people, just like the chieftains of Bani Isra-il, see Mosnad Ahmad
Vol. 1, p. 398.

Even in the Old Testament it states that from Ismael there shall come a Great Nation
with Twelve Princes. See, for example, this verse from that Book:

As for Ismael, all right, I will bless him also, just as you (Prophet Abraham) have asked
me to. I will cause him to multiply and become a great nation. Twelve Princes shall be among
his posterity. Genesis (17:20).

Now, who are those 12 Princes in the family of Ismael who is the forefather of Prophet
Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)? We dont know of any, except the 12 Holy Imams of the Ahlal Bayt of
the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) just like the 12 Chieftains of Bani Isra-il. Do you know any
other?

Next is the number of the Apostles of Jesus (A.S.) which is also 12. (Also the 12 Gates
of Jerusalem, 12 Angels, with the names of 12 Apostles, etc.).

What is the reason that the number of Princes/Leaders/Imams/Khalifahs after Prophets

Musa, Eisa and Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) are 12? We dont know, but there are some other 12
Phenomena in this universe that may explain the mystery behind this number:

a) Allah in the Holy Quran says:

Verily the number of the months of the year with Allah is 12, so ordained by Him, the
day He created the heavens and the earth.
Holy Quran (9:36)

b) According to the scientists, a big number of the natural elements are also composed
of 12 parts.

c) The Zodiac signs which are based on the ancient science of astrology are also 12
(something to think about).

Despite these quotations, still the instructions of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)
are the only reliable foundations of our belief in following his 12 progeny, as he told us to do so,
upon the order of Allah (S.W.T.). (see the Holy Quran: 5/67 and 5/58, etc. plus the historic
event of Ghadir Khom, as well as the last will of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) in Sahih Muslim
Vol. 4 p. 1286, and Sahih Bukhari vols. 5 and 9, p. 346, etc.)

Are the Imams Necessary?

There are some new groups and sects (like the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, that appeared
in the 18th century) who preach that there is no need for any Imam. They believe that everybody
should read the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) and follow them as
he understood them to mean! (We shall discuss this later, but first let us see if we need any
Imam to guide us in Islam). In order to grasp the question of Do we really need Imams? better,
we may put it this way: Do we really need the Prophets at all?

The answer to the second question is: Definitely yes, because we need a messenger to
bring us the Message of Allah (S.W.T.) and to guide us according to His laws and
commandments.

Then you may ask, after the messenger delivered the message, and himself passed away,
do we still need any teacher of the Book, who will explain its true meanings and will interpret
the difficult parts of it, and who will answer the questions that may arise, long after the
messenger had left? * (In other words, to lead the Muslim Ummah, as the Holy Prophet S.A.W.
did?)

The Holy Quran says yes. Please take note of the following verses:

(1) And what We have sent to thee (OMohammad) from the Book, is the Truth,
supporting the revelations before it; Verily Allah knoweth all about people. Then We gave the
Book as inheritance to those servants of Us whom we chose. . . . That is a Great Giving! Holy
Quran (35:31-32).

(2) The unbelievers say: Why no sign is revealed from his God (to support his claim)?
Well, the truth is that you (OMohammad) are a Warner; And for every nation there is a Guide
(Imam) Holy Quran (13:7).

(3) He (Allah) is Who revealed unto you (OMohammad) the Book, some verses of
which are clear; Those are the fundamentals of the Book, and some are not so clear (thus need
clarification). Holy Quran (3:7).

Now, how shall we clarify those verses which are not so clear? Again the Holy Quran
tells us what to do:

(4) Then you ask those who are familiar with the Note (Reminder or the Quran) if you
dont know. Holy Quran (16:43)

(5) (And on Ibrahim) We bestowed Es-haq, also Jacob as a grandson and We made all
of them righteous. And We appointed them Imams who guided (the people) in accordance with
Our Orders . . . Holy Quran (21:72-73).

(6) And verily We sent Noah and Abraham (as our messengers) and assigned
Prophethood and the Book amongst their children. Holy Quran (57:26).

(7) This is the way of those Prophets We sent before you, and you wont find any
changes in Our Way! Holy Quran (17:77)
 (8) Such has been the way Allah dealt with the people before, and you wont see Allah
change His Way! Holy Quran (33:62)

(9) Allahs Way will never change, Allahs Way wont alter! Holy Quran (35:43)
etc.

(10) Verily Allah chose Adam and Noah and families of Ibrahim as well as Imran above
all people. Offspring, one of the other; And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. Holy Quran
(3:33-34) (And we Muslims pray to Allah five times a day to bless the family of the Prophet as
He did to the family of Abraham).

(11) One day (day of Judgment) We shall call every people with their Imam. Holy
Quran (17:71).

(12) O, Ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those who are
Authorized (certified by Allah and His Messenger) amongst you; And if you dispute in anything
(regarding the Authority, etc.) then take it to Allah and to His Messenger (ask them) if you
believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment; This is a better and much agreeable judgment. Holy
Quran (4:59).

And what kind of Authority is that? Again the Holy Quran guides us:

They ask you (OMohammad!) do we have any share in that Authority? Tell them (No!)
the Authority, all of it, belongs to Allah (and those whom He has Authorized).
Holy Quran (3:154).

Through all these verses we got the following messages: (1) Every people have an Imam
(Quran 13:7) with whom they shall come in the Day of Judgment (Quran 17:71); (2) The Book
has been given as inheritance (after the Prophets) to those servant of Allah who were chosen by
Him - - i.e. the Children of the Prophet Noah, Ibrahim, etc. (Quran 57:26); (3) The Holy Quran
has some points which are not clear to everyone; (4) We have to ask those who are
knowledgeable about this Book; (5) There are some Imams who guide people in accordance with
the Orders of Allah versus those who dont; (6) We have to obey Allah and His Messenger and
those who are Authorized; (7) The whole Authority comes from Allah and not from men, and
finally, (8) Allahs way of dealing with the people, the Prophets and their successors and the
religion of Islam as a whole, from Prophet Aadam (A.S.) up to the Last Prophet, namely the Holy
Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) will never change!

But Why The Household?

One may ask: Why such an Authority or Imamah is limited to the Household of Prophet
Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)? Why not free for all? After all, Islam is the religion of the people and
for the people (though not by the people) and Allah is the God of the people? (= Malikin Nas,
Ilahin Nas).
 The answers are as follows:

(1) That is the Sunnat-Allah (or Allahs way) throughout history (among all nations and
after every Prophet) and Allahs way does not change (see Holy Quran 33:62 and 17:77, etc.).

As He decided for Aali Ibrahim, Aali Nooh, Aali Imran and other Prophets families, the
same way He did for Aali Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) See Holy Quran 57:27 also 3:33-34, 11:73,
etc. plus the Islamic Wajib Daily Prayer.

(O Allah Bless Aali Mohammad as You Blessed Aali Ibrahim . . .)

(2) The Holy Quran points out some specific Houses that are chosen by Allah (S.W.T.)
to do His work (like the Houses of the Prophets):

The Light of Allah shineth . . . in those Houses that Allah has allowed (chosen) to rise
high/grow, and to mention His Name, in which, He is praised in the morning as well as in the
evening by (those) men whom no business or buying (and selling) will prevent from
remembering Allah and establishing the prayer and giving charity (sharing) and who are fearing
The Day in which the hearts and the eyes shall tremble (Day of Judgment). Holy Quran
(24:36).

(3) Allah says: None shall touch (handle or explain) this Book except the Purified
Ones! Holy Quran (56:79).

(And the Holy Prophet left for Muslims the Holy Quran and his Ahlal Bayt).

And who are the Purified People in the eyes of Allah? Again the Holy Quran
identifies them:

Verily Allah wants to keep away all impurities from you OAhlal Bayt (Aali
Mohammad) and to purify you perfectly. Holy Quran (33:33).

In another verse, as we noted earlier, the Holy Quran further emphasizes that some
people are chosen by Allah to Inherit the Book:

Then We Gave the Book as an inheritance to some of Our Servants whom we Chose
() This is a Great Blessing! Holy Quran (35:31-32).

(Also look at the Hadith of the Holy Prophet regarding the Two Important Valuables he
left for the Muslims after him, namely 1) The Book of Allah, and 2) His Ahlal Bayt, as teachers
of the Book. See Sahih Muslim, Vol. 5, p. 272 and Sahih Tirmidi, vol. 2, p. 308, etc.)

I am leaving behind for you (Muslims) two important things: The Book of Allah, and
my Descendants, my Ahlal Bayt . . . The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
The Wahhabi Saudi Concept of Imamah

In recent years, the Saudi royal family and its twin brother, the Wahhabi sect, who are
both by-products of the infamous Lawrence of Arabia, the British Secret Agent (please read the
book of the same title or see the movie called Lawrence of Arabia to know the truth better)* are
spreading a new concept of Islam in general and Imamah in particular.

The money they are using to propagate this idea is the American Petro-Dollar and the
company that pays for its propagation is the so-called Arab-American Oil Company
(ARAMCO). The agency that orchestrates all this American Islam is the Satanic Organization
of the CIA, which is the evil instrument of the U.S. imperialism to destroy Islam and all other
Godly and human values that may stand against their Satanic plots. (No wonder, Imam
Khomeini called America, the Great Satan)!

Among the many tools that they use for their unholy purposes are the so-called Ulama
or preachers (Tabligh/Taliban/Shabab, etc.) who receive their monthly salaries in U.S. dollars
coming from those suspicious sources.

What Is the Concept?

The Saudi-American Islam preaches that there is no need for any Imam, and every
Muslim should read the Holy Quran and follow what he understands from the Holy Book.
(This is exactly the same concept that the CIA-backed American missionaries preach in the name
of Protestantism -- Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, etc. in the Christian world). They are telling
the people to read the Holy Quran and the Hadith (without a teacher) and to understand Islam
(without a guide or Imam) while they know very well that 60% of Saudi Arabians are no read
no writes! Also a big percentage of the Muslim population in the Middle East or elsewhere
(especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan of the Taliban), either dont know how to read and to
understand the Holy Quran and the Hadith or they are simply illiterate. (Note:70% of the
Afghan population are illiterate, and even those who can read and write, do not necessarily
understand Arabic or the Quranic terminology. Pakistan is no better than Afghanistan in this
regard!)

What Is The Purpose?

Apparently, this plan, or plot, is pretending to believe that the Book of Allah is complete
(which is true) and that every believer can understand all that is revealed in the Book (which is
not true). See Holy Quran (3:7).

But the real intention of its advocates is to prevent the formation of any Islamic
Organization under the leadership of an spiritual Muslim leader or Imam that can unite the
Muslim Ummah and to stand against the Satanic forces of Imperialism and to declare Jihad
against America and its puppets in the world, namely Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.
 Just to know how successful this Anti-Islam, Anti-Imamah scheme has been in the
Muslim world, its enough to note that for many centuries, all Islamic movements in the Muslim
world have failed to establish an Islamic rule. (Look at the Ikhwan Al-Muslimin in Egypt, Syria,
Jordan, Palestine, etc. or those Islamic movements in countries like Pakistan, Malaysia,
Indonesia, the Philippines, etc. and you will see failures after failures of such Islamic
Organizations or Fronts).

The only successful Islamic movement that was able to establish an Islamic government
in a Muslim country so far has been the Islamic Revolution of Iran under the leadership of Imam
Khomeini; and the major factor for this successful Islamic Revolution was Imamah or the
spiritual leadership rising up against the corrupt regime of the Shah of Iran, in 1979.

(I cant see any other spiritual leader in any other Muslim country that dont believe in
Imamah, as the Shi-ah Muslims do, to be able to repeat what the Shi-ah Muslims of Iran did.
Compare the Shi-ah leader of Lebanon, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah with the Muftis of Egypt,
Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc. to see the difference).

This phenomenon Imamah vs. the corrupt governments, is what the Saudi royal family
and the rest of the corrupt regimes in the Muslim world and their mother the U.S. imperialism,
are so afraid of. Thats why they spend so much money and use so many Ulama as a tool just
to preach that there is no need for Imams and that everyone is an Imam for himself! (Thus there
are no united fronts against Imperialism and there is no Ummah, no Jihad and nothing at all!)
But as Muslims, we should know better that if there were no Imam, who else then shall declare
Jihad (which is emphasized in more than 200 places in the Holy Quran)? We cant even have a
Friday prayer, Id-Al-Adha, Id Al-Fitir prayers, etc. without an Imam; how then do we expect
that the Muslim Ummah could march forward (both spiritually and materially) without an Imam?
Thats a wishful thinking, aside from being un-Islamic, too!

Do you think that all Muslims for many centuries have been wrong by following the
rightful Imams? Are we to accept that only the newly established Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and
its new Wahhabi sect (that started only in the 18th century), are right and the rest of the Muslim
world is wrong? Can you believe that?

But The Holy Quran Says It Differently

The Holy Quran tells us a different story. It teaches us that we need an Imam or a
spiritual leader who will follow the footsteps of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) and will
implement the Commandments of Allah (S.W.T.) (not the dictates of the U.S.) in the Muslim
society. It does not allow the community to be without a spiritual guide or Imam, even just for a
day!

When Prophet Musa (A.S.) was called by Allah (S.W.T.) to Mount Sinai (for 30 days),
the Holy Quran says: He appointed his brother Aaron as his Khalifah and leader (Imam) of the
people. Inspite of this, some people did not want to follow him and they started worshipping a
calf (!). This is the case which proves that you cant follow what you think is right - - certainly
you need a guide or an Imam to follow.

The Holy Quran tells it better:

And We (Allah S.W.T.) invited Moses for thirty days; then We (testing the people)
increased it by ten more days; thus making it forty nights; And Moses told his brother (Aaron)
take my place among my people (lead them), improve the situation and follow not the ways of
the corrupt men! Holy Quran 7:142. (See, corrupt men even among the followers and
companions of Moses and Aaron)!

In the history of Islam the same event was repeated. When Prophet Mohammad
(P.B.U.H.) left Madinah to fight the oppressive government of Rome, he assigned Imam Ali to
run the Islamic City State of Madinah during his absence for a few days. But some people did
not want to follow Imam Ali. (The same story of Musa and Aaron. No wonder the Prophet
Mohammad said: O, Ali you are to me like Aaron to Musa (A.S.) except the fact that there is no
Messenger after me. Sahih Bukhari, vol. 5, p. 492). *

So, the Imam is needed in a Muslim society, not only for a long period of time, but for
every single day in the life of the Ummah. (To our opinion, the basic reason why the Muslims of
the Philippines could not achieve their goals despite 400 years of Jihad, is the lack of a united
front under the leadership of a qualified Imam, acceptable to the majority of the Muslims in this
country).

The Love of Aali Mohammad

Allah in the Holy Quran says:

Tell them (OMohammad) I dont ask any compensation for it (preaching Islam to you)
except (that you) love the loved ones! (of the Holy Prophet). Holy Quran (42:23).

According to the Islamic historians, a group of Sahaba (companions of the Holy Prophet)
came to him and they wanted to offer him some material things as a token of their appreciation
of what Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) had done in guiding them towards Islam, and bringing
them out of the Jahiliyyah and Ignorance. But Allah (S.W.T.) told the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) to tell
them that he needed nothing of their material possessions! However, if they wanted to repay the
Holy Prophet, they would better be kind to his relatives and descendants. Unfortunately, many
so-called Muslims did the exact opposite!

(They also massacred the children of the Holy Prophet, as the Jews did to the Children of
Prophet Abraham!).

The Biggest Tragedy in Islam

 Inspite of the Holy Prophets repeated recommendations and clear instructions, all the
Imams of Aali Mohammad and a big number of Prophets children and grandchildren were either
killed by sword or poisoned, starting immediately after the death of Prophet Mohammad
(P.B.U.H.).

Fatimah Zahra, the only child that Prophet Mohammad left behind him, and wife to
Imam Ali, mother of Imams Hassan and Hosain, and the lady whom all Muslims remember
during the Khotbah of Friday prayer and other Salats, was critically wounded by a mob who
attacked and burned her house. They injured her physically and killed the fetus in her womb!
This tragic event took place even as the body of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) was left
unburied. Because some people thought that the election of a Khalifah or a successor to the Holy
Prophet was more urgent than the burial of the body of Prophet Mohammad! (Leadership of the
Ummah seemed so important to the Sahaba; then why did the Prophet say nothing about such an
important issue? Or did he say, but some people did not want to listen!)

Fatimah Zahra was injured severely and died of the complications six months after her
father passed away. She was only 18 years old at the time of her tragic death. She requested
Imam Ali to bury her secretly as a sign of protest against those ungrateful followers of her
father!

Until now, no Muslim knows exactly where is the tomb of Fatimah, the beloved daughter
of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)!

Imam Ali, the husband of Fatimah, and the cousin of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)
was disobeyed, hurt, and finally martyred inside the Kufa Mosque, during a morning prayer in
the holy month of Ramadhan.

Imam Hassan, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad, (son of Fatimah and Ali) was
disobeyed and dastardly poisoned by Moawia, the governor of Damascus, who was also a
former companion of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.).

Imam Hosain, the second grandson of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) was beheaded by
Khalifah Yazid, son of Moawia! Along with Imam Hosain, 72 other Muslims (some Aali
Mohammad and some Sahaba of Prophet Mohammad) were killed by Yazids soldiers, in
Karbala, Iraq.

His sisters, Zainab and Ummi Kolthoum, the granddaughters of the Holy Prophet, and
Imam Hosains own daughters (Sakina and Roqayya) were taken as captives, and were
introduced to the people of Iraq and Syria as non-Muslims! (And today the followers of Yazid
and Moawia call the followers of the Ahlal Bayt as non-Muslims. Is it amazing? Like father,
like son!)

All other Imams of the Aali Mohammad, except for Imam Mahdi, have been jailed (Imam
Musa Al-Kazim for 14 years) and killed through poisoning by the Khalifahs of their times, both
the Umayyads as well as the Abbasids.
 This is how the so-called Muslims returned the services of Prophet Mohammad
(P.B.U.H.) after his death.

And now, the Saudi government and its Wahhabi rulers have destroyed even the tombs of
four of those Imams of the Ahlal Bayt of the Holy Prophet, namely: Imam Hassan, Imam
Zainol Abidin, Imam Mohammad Al-Baqir, and Imam Jafar As-Saadiq. They argue that,
according to the Wahhabi / Salafi Islam, construction of any tomb for anybody is a Bid-ah (!)
or un-Islamic.

(What about the tombs of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) in Medinah or Prophet Ibrahim
(A.S.) in Palestine, and other Prophets)?

How come building palaces with golden faucets for the Saudi royal family is not a Bid-ah
and contrary to the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad? Why the re-establishment of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not a Bid-ah and against the teachings of Prophet Mohammad; but
having a tomb built upon the burial ground of a good Muslim or an Imam, whom we are all
supposed to remember, love and follow, is a Bid-ah? **

The truth of the matter is that, as the Munafiq people in the early days of Islam hated the
Holy Family of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.) and massacred them, their children today (lead
by the Saudi royal family) are doing the same; as also did the Jews with the descendants of
Abraham or Aali Ibrahim A.S. (See the Holy Quran 3:112, etc.).

The Saudi-American unholy alliance knows very well that even the tombs of Aali
Mohammad can inspire Muslims in uprising against the corrupt regimes in the Muslim world
just like what Imam Hosain did when he and his followers fought against Yazid, and his anti-
Islamic rule, in the tragic battle of Karbala, in 61 A.H. (= 680 A.D.).

If these regimes were allowed to continue their crimes against Islam and the Ahlal Bayt,
maybe one day, they would remove even the name of Aali Mohammad from the prayer:
Allahom-ma Salli Ala Mohammad wa Ala Aali Mohammad, Kama Sal-laita Ala Ibrahim wa Ala
Aali Ibrahim.*

May Allah forbid it! Insha Allah!