Ahl al-Bayt (a): Difference between revisions

[[File:اهل بیت علیهم السلام.jpg|thumbnail|Ahl al-Bayt (a)]]

'''Ahl al-Bayt (a)''' is a special title for some members of the family of the noble [[The Prophet (s)|Prophet (s)]] who are referred to in the [[verse of Tathir]] and [[verse of Mawadda|Mawadda]] and include [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], [[Lady Fatima (s)]], [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] and the nine [[infallible Imams (a)]] who were the children of Imam al-Husayn (a).

From the Shi'a viewpoint, Ahl al-Bayt (a) are [[infallible]] and superior to all other [[companion]]s of the Prophet (s) in regards to [[Taqwa]] and divine supports and loving them is mandatory upon all Muslims. According to Shi'a teachings, Ahl al-Bayt (a) have [[Wilaya]] and leadership upon Muslims and Muslims must regard them as their own authorities and refer to them in their religious issues.

== Lexical Analysis of "Ahl al-Bayt" ==

In Arabic lexical references, the word "Ahl" implies a kind of relation and connection between a person with another. For example, in Arabic, wife is known as the "Ahl" of her husband, people of every prophet is known as his "Ahl" or the residents of a city are the "Ahl" of that city. Also, followers of a religion are the "Ahl" of that religion.<ref>Ibn Faris, ''Mu'jam maqayis'', vol.1 p.93; Fayuli, ''al-Misbah al-munir'', vol.1 p.37; Ibn Mamzur, ''Lisan al-'arab'', vol.1 p.186</ref> Ahl al-Bayt (a) means the people of the house of [[the Prophet (s)]]; however, this title has a special meaning among Muslims.<ref>Raqhib, ''al-Mufradat'', p.29</ref>

The word "آل" ["Al"] has also been "اهل" ["Ahl"] the letter "h" in it has first turned to hamza and then to alif.<ref>Ibn Mamzur, ''Lisan al-'arab'', vol.1 p.186</ref> The usage of the word "Al" is narrower than the usage of "Ahl" because "آل" has never been added to an adverb of place, time, etc. and collocates only with human being, and even to certain people such as Abraham (a) in Al Abraham (a), 'Imran in Al 'Imran and to Pharaoh in Al Pharaoh.<ref>Raqhib, ''al-Mufradat'', p.30</ref>

== Ahl al-Bayt in the Qur'an ==

# [[Verse]] 73 of [[Surah Hud]], where it refers to [[prophet Abraham (a)]] and his wife, "They said, 'Are you amazed at [[Allah]]'s dispensation? [That is] Allah's mercy and His blessings upon you, members of the household. Indeed He is all-laudable, all-glorious.'" (11:73)

# Verse 12 of [[Surah Qasas]] which refers to the people of [[prophet Moses (s)]], "We had forbidden him to be suckled by any nurse since before. So she1 said, 'Shall I show you a household that will take care of him for you and will be his well-wishers?'" (28:12)

# Verse 33 of [[Surah Ahzab]] which is known as the [[verse of Tathir]], where God addresses [[the Prophet (s)]] and his family, "Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification." (33:33)

About the question over who is meant in this verse by the "Ahl al-Bayt", there are different opinions. An opinion agreed by [[Shi'a]] and many [[Sunni]] scholars is that it refers to the [[Ahl al-Kasa']], i.e. the Prophet (s), [['Ali (a)]], [[Fatima (s)]], [[al-Hasan (a)]] and [[al-Husayn (a)]].

== Ahl al-Bayt (a) in Hadiths ==

=== In Hadiths of the Prophet (s) ===

Ahl al-Bayt (a) is mentioned in the [[hadith]]s of [[the Prophet (s)]] with four different usages which can be called overly general, general, special and very special.

# Its overly general usage which includes those who have no kinship with the Prophet (s). Those are the Muslims who have been resolute and sincere in following the Prophet (s). [[Salman the Persian]],<ref>Ibn al-Maghazili, ''Manaqib'', vol.1 p.85; Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.281</ref> and [[Abu Dhar]]<ref>Tabrisi, ''Makarim al-akhlaq'', p.459</ref> have been mentioned among the Ahl al-Bayt, as examples of it's overly general usage . Also, in some other traditions, other people have also been referred to as Ahl al-Bayt , such as [[Usama b. Zayd]]<ref>Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.281</ref> and [[Wathila b. Aslaq]].<ref>Tabari, ''Tafsir'', vol.22 p.12</ref>

# The general usage which include all relatives of the Prophet (s), giving [[Zakat]] to them is prohibited.<ref>Niyshaburi, ''Sahih'', vol.4 p.1873</ref> In another hadith, [['Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib|'Abbas]], the uncle of the Prophet (s) and his children have been Ahl al-Bayt.<ref>Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.281</ref>

# The special usage of Ahl al-Bayt is about the wives of the Prophet (s). Undoubtedly, the Prophet's (s) wives are the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (a) according to the lexical and common meaning of the Ahl al-Bayt and here "Bayt" refers to the house, not kinship or prophethood.

# The very special usage of Ahl al-Bayt refers to those in the family of the Prophet (s) who are infallible, whom have been referred to in the [[verse of Tathir]], [[verse of Mubahala|Mubahala]] and the people of [[Kasa']] as [['Ali (a)]], [[lady Fatima (a)|Fatima (a)]], [[Hasan (a)]] and [[Husayn (a)]].<ref>Tahawi, ''Mushkil al-athar'', vol.1 p.332-339; Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.281</ref> Some hadiths such as [[hadith of Thaqalayn]], [[hadith of Safina|Safina]], etc. imply the existence of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) at all times who are the people of Kasa' as well as the infallible Imams (a) among the children of Imam Husayn (a).

=== In Hadiths of Imams (a) ===

# General usage which includes true believers as [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] says, "Anyone who is pious and righteous is one of us the Ahl al-Bayt (a)."<ref>Nu'man b. Muhammad, ''Da'a'im al-islam'', vol.1 p.62</ref> Imam (a) mentions two [[verse]]s of the [[Qur'an]] as the evidences of his statement, "Any of you who allies with them is indeed one of them." (5:51) and "So whoever follows me indeed belongs to me." (14:36)

# The special usage of that is about the family of [[the Prophet (s)]] as Imam 'Ali (a) said, "whenever the war with enemies of [[Islam]] became difficult and people avoided fighting, the Prophet (s) would send his Ahl al-Bayt (a) to battle, so that [['Ubayda b. Harith]] was martyred in [[the battle of Badr]], [[Hamza]] was martyred in [[the battle of Uhud]] and [[Ja'far al-Tayyar]] was martyred in [[the battle of Muta]]."<ref>''Nahj al-balagha'', letter. 9</ref>

# The very special usage of Ahl al-Bayt in Imams' (a) [[hadith]] refers to those relatives of the Prophet (s) who had special position and their speech and behavior makes the standard and guide to the truth. Imam 'Ali (a) says, "Look at the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of the Prophet (s) and adhere to their direction and follow them, since they never distract you from the path of guidance or return you to ignorance. Do not walk ahead of them so that you may go astray and do not stay far behind them so that you would perish."<ref>''Nahj al-balagha'', sermon. 97</ref> Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a) addressed the people of Iraq and said, "We are the Ahl al-Bayt (a) about whom God revealed the verse of Tathir."<ref>Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir'', vol.5 p.458</ref> There are many traditions about this.

== Infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) ==

The most distinguished merit of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is their [[infallibility]] which can clearly be understood from the [[verse of Tathir]], since in this verse, Ahl al-Bayt (a) are referred to as those whom [[God]] desired to repel all impurity from. The word "إنما" ["Innama"] in this verse [Tathir] and the narrations about the [[occasion of revelation|cause of its revelation]] shows that this [being free from all impurities] is among the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and it is unique to them.

[[Hadith of Thaqalayn]] is also among [[Mutawatir]] [frequently narrated] hadiths which has no doubt in its reference<ref>Milani, ''Nafahat'', vol.1</ref> and it proves the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of [[the Prophet (s)]] (in its very special usage), because in this hadith, Ahl al-Bayt (a) have come as Thiql Asghar [the smaller weight] together with the Qur'an which is Thiql Akbar [the greater weight] and they have been considered as the two legacies of the Prophet (s) which would never be separate from each other and if Muslims adhere to them, they will never be misguided. Indeed the noble [[Qur'an]] is the word of God and no error is in it, "falsehood cannot approach it, from before it nor from behind it." (41:42) Therefore, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of the Prophet (s) who are with the Qur'an, and adhering to them prevents going astray from the right path.

According to some [[Sunni]] scholars, there is no doubt in the moral and practical infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) who include [[lady Fatima (a)]] and the twelve Imams (a) of Shi'a and only an ignorant person who rejects [[Islam]] would have doubt in it's truth. Instead, what is disagreed upon is their practical infallibility;<ref>Hafiz Muhammad, ''al-Nibras'', p.532</ref> however because the hadith of Thaqalayn regards adherence to the Ahl al-Bayt (a) in religion as keeping one safe from ignorance and going astray, their practical infallibility can easily be understood, per the Shia view.

== Superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) ==

From the hadith of Thaqalayn, superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) over others can easily be understood, because [[the Prophet (s)]] put them beside the [[Qur'an]], called the Qur'an as "Thiql Akbar" and Ahl al-Bayt (a) as "Thiql Asghar" and never put another person beside the Qur'an. Therefore, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are superior to others the same way as the noble Qur'an is superior over other books.

The verse of Mubahala implies the superiority of [[Ahl al-Kasa']] over other [[companion]]s of the Prophet (s) as well; since, according to this verse, [[God]] has given the Prophet (s) mission to choose some people from among children, Muslim men and women to accompany him in Mubahala with the Christians of [[Najran]]; and the Prophet (s) chose [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], [[Lady Fatima (a)]] and [[Hasan (a)]] and [[Husayn (a)]].

There is no doubt that those are chosen for Mubahala have great position in faith and closeness to God.<ref>Hilli, ''Nahj al-haqq'', p.179,215-216; Fadil Miqdad, ''al-Lawami' al-ilahiyya'', p.515; Muzaffar, ''Dala'il al-sidq'', vol.2 p.132-133</ref>

Abu Riyah, the servant of [[Umm Salama]] narrated from the Prophet (s): "If there were other people more honorable than 'Ali (a), Fatima (s), Hasan (a) and Husayn (a), God would have ordered me to do Mubahala with their help; and they are the best of people."<ref>Qunduzi, ''Yanabi' al-mawadda'', p.287</ref>

Superiority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) can also be understood from other traditions and [[verse]]s such as the [[verse of Mawaddah]] (42:23), [[hadith of Safina]], [[hadith Bab al-Hitta]], [[hadith Nujum]], etc.

Most of Shi'as believe that infallible imams are superior to previous prophets except [[the Prophet Mohammad (s)]]. Many [[hadiths]] support this belief. The Qur'an considers [[imamate]] superior to [[prophethood]],<ref>Q 2: 124</ref> as [[Ibrahim (a)]] first was a prophet and then after [[The Trials of Ibrahim (a) Verse|some trials]], God assigned him as Imam.

== The Knowledge Authority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) ==

=== In the Hadith of Thaqalayn ===

Hadith of Thaqalayn implies the knowledge authority of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), because [[the Prophet (s)]] asked Muslims to adhere to the [[Qur'an]] and his Ahl al-Bayt (a) so that they do not go astray.

The first and most essential knowledge reference and authority of Muslims is the glorious Qur'an and after that the tradition of the Prophet (s). Regarding this, the role of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is that they are interpreters of the Qur'an, guardians and transmitters of the tradition of the Prophet (s). Surely, the Prophet (s) explained a great part of the facts and teachings of the Qur'an for people, but he (s) left another part the conditions for explaining which were not provided or it was more appropriate for them to be explained later for his [[infallible]] Ahl al-Bayt (a).<ref>Kashif al-Ghita', ''Asl al-shi'a'', p.162</ref> Thus, full guardianship of what the Prophet (s) had explained and what was not explained yet was given to the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

The [[Sunni]] scholar Mulla 'Ali Qari said, "Ahl al-Bayt [people of the house] are usually more knowledgeable about the owner of the house and his state; therefore, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are the most knowledgeable ones to the conduct of the Prophet (s), his manner, his rules and wisdom and that is why they deserve to stand beside the Book of God, the Almighty."<ref>Qari, ''al-Mirqat'', vol.5 p.600</ref>

Also, [[Ibn Hajar]] said, "The Prophet (s) called the Qur'an and 'Itra [Ahl al-Bayt (a)] as Thiql [weight]; since, a valuable and important thing is called Thiql and the Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bayt (a), because both of them are mines of divine knowledge, great secrets and wisdom and religious rulings; therefore, adherence to them and learning knowledge from them has been encouraged and emphasized. This emphasis about the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is about those who know the Book of God and the conduct of the Prophet (s) and they are those who will never separate from the Qur'an until [[the Day of Judgment]]."<ref>Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.189</ref>

=== In the Verse of Tathir ===

{{main|Verse of Tathir}}

In the verse of Tathir (33:33), the glorious [[Qur'an]] introduces the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as those whom [[God]] has desired to repel all impurity from and also has mentioned that sublime facts and teachings hidden in the Qur'an cannot be found expect by those purified from all impurity. Just the same way that the physical purity is required for touching the text of the Qur'an, purity of the soul from vices is required for understanding the teachings of the Qur'an and the more delicate and deeper the teachings of the Qur'an are, the higher purity of souls are needed to understand them and the greatest of them require [[infallibility]].<ref>Tabataba'i, ''al-Mizan'', vol.19 p.137</ref> Therefore, teachings of the Qur'an are not fully and deeply known by anyone other than the Prophet (s) and the Infallible ones (a) and thus to learn them, one needs to refer to them.

[[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] said, "The facts about the past and future and rulings which distinguish the truth and falsehood about the life of human being are mentioned in the Qur'an and we know them."<ref>Kulayni, ''al-Kafi'', vol.1 al-radd 'ala al-kitab wa al-sunna h.9</ref> There are many hadiths narrated from Imams (a) in this regard.

== The Necessity of Following the Ahl al-Bayt (a) ==

=== In the Hadith of Thaqalayn ===

The necessity of following the Ahl al-Bayt (a) can be understood from the [[hadith of Thaqalayn]], because there, salvation of the Muslim word from ignorance is bound to adherence to the Book of God and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of [[the Prophet (s)]]. Adherence to the Qur'an is in fact knowing its instructions and following them. Adherence to the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is the same; i.e. first their orders need to be learned and then they need to be obeyed.

=== In the Verse of Uli al-Amr ===

{{main|Verse of Uli al-Amr}}

In the verse of Uli al-Amr, it is made obligatory for anyone to obey [[God]], His messenger Uli al-Amr, "O you who have faith! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those vested with authority among you." (4:59) Since, Uli al-Amr is added to [[al-Rasul]] without repetition of the verb Ati'u ["obey"], it can be understood that the criteria for obligation of obeying Uli al-Amr are the same as the criteria for obligation of obeying the Prophet (s) and obeying the Prophet (s) is because of his God-given leadership and his infallibility and if he (s) was not infallible, obeying him would not become obligatory without any conditions. The same justification is true about Uli al-Amr, and because of their infallibility, their obedience has been mentioned as absolutely obligatory.

Therefore, the verse of Uli al-Amr implies the [[infallibility]] of those who take the leadership of the Islamic society after [[the Prophet (s)]] and also the obligation of their obedience.

=== In the Hadith of Safina ===

{{main|Hadith of Safina}}

The hadith of Safina Noah implies the obligation of following the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as well, since in this hadith, the Prophet (s) has resembled his Ahl al-Bayt (a) the Arc of Noah (a) which anyone who entered it rescued and anyone refused was perished.

Ibn Hajar al-Makki has said that, "the point of resembling them [the Ahl al-Bayt (a)] to the Arc of Noah (a) is that anyone who, for the sake of praising the one who has given them such an honor, loves them, respects them and benefits from their guidance and applies it will be saved from darkness and anyone who opposes them will be perished in the sea of ingratitude and gorges of disobedience."<ref>Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.191</ref> About the origin of the hadith of Safina, he said, "This hadith has been narrated from different ways, some of which support some others."<ref>Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.191</ref>

There is no doubt about the love of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of the Prophet (s).

In the [[verse of Mawadda]], ["Say, 'I do not ask you any reward for it except love of [my] relatives.'" (42:23)], the love of the Prophet's (s) relatives is mentioned as the reward for his mission. Qurba [relatives] in this verse refers to those about whom the [[verse of Tathir]] has been revealed.

After quoting the narrations about the necessity of the love of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), Ibn Hajar al-Makki says, "From previous narrations, the necessity of the love of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and great prohibition of having grudge towards them can be learned. Al-Bayhaqqi, al-Baghawi and others have expressly mentioned the necessity of loving them and in some verses quoted from him, [[al-Shafi'i]] also has mentioned it as he has said, 'O Ahl al-Bayt (a) of the Messenger of [[Allah]]! Your love is an obligation from Allah revealed in the [[Qur'an]].'"<ref>Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ''al-Sawa'iq'', p.217</ref>

[[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]] has explained the necessity of the love of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), "There is no doubt that the Prophet (s) loved 'Ali (a), Fatima (a), Hasan (a) and Husayn (a). Therefore, it is obligatory for all the Muslims to do so because God has said, 'and follow him so that you may be guided' (7:158). And also the Prophet (s) said, 'If you love God, follow me so that God loves you. And God says, 'In the Apostle of Allah there is certainly for you a good exemplar.'" (33:21)<ref>Razi, ''al-Tafsir al-kabir'', vol.27 p.166</ref>

From all the verses about the reward of the Prophet's (s) mission we understand that he (s) asked for no material or non-material rewards from Muslims for himself. Instead, he (s) asked people to love the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the reward for his mission which actually benefited themselves, "Say, Whatever reward I may have asked you is for your own good. My [true] reward lies only with Allah, and He is witness to all things." (34:47)

== Wilaya and Leadership of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) ==

There are many intellectual and traditional reasons for the [[Wilaya]] and leadership of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). From the viewpoint of intellect and according to the philosophy of [[Imamate]], [[infallibility]] is one of the most important requirements of an [[Imam]] (a). [[Verse]]s from the [[Qur'an]] also support this issue (Cf. the [[verse of Uli al-Amr]] and the [[verse of Sadiqin]])

On the other hand, Ahl al-Bayt (a) are infallible, thus imamate and leadership of the Islamic world after [[the Prophet (s)]] is upon them. Moreover, obeying the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is obligatory. The reasons of the obligation of following the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are absolute and includes all obligations and prohibitions of the lives of Muslims and does not make any difference between worshiping, economic, political and cultural issues. For example, in the verse of Uli al-Amr, obeying the Uli al-Amr has the very same position and wide usage which obeying the Prophet (s) has. As it was explained, Uli al-Amr are infallible as this quality only belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt (a) of the Prophet (s).

From the discussions about the love of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), it can be understood that such a love has an introductory role and the ultimate goal is that people find the path of truth and by following it, they reach happiness. Finding and walking the path of truth includes all individual, social, worship and political aspects of life.

The important point in this regard is that, in many reports of the [[hadith of Thaqalayn]], both adherence to the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and the [[Wilaya]] of [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] have been mentioned. In other words, in the occasion of [[Ghadir Khumm]], the Prophet (s) talked both about his Ahl a-Bayt (a) and advised Muslims to follow them and introduced Imam 'Ali (a) as the [[Wilaya|Wali]] and leader of the Islamic Umma after himself.<ref>Qunduzi, ''Yanabi' al-mawadda'', p.36-40</ref> Doing so, the Prophet (s) showed that Wilaya and leadership of Imam 'Ali (a) is the first step for actualizing the message of hadith of Thaqalayn.

Another point is that in some reports of the hadith of Thaqalayn, the [[Qur'an]] and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) have been referred to as Khalifatayn, "Indeed, I have left among you two caliphs: the Book of God and my Ahl al-Bayt (a)."<ref>Ibn Hanbal, ''al-Musnad'', vol.5 p.181; Haythami, ''Majma' al-zawa'id'', vol.9 p.163; Manawi, ''Fayd al-qadir'', vol.3 p.14; Muttaqi al-Hindi, ''Kanz al-'ummal'', vol.1 p.166; Milani, ''Nafahat'', vol.2 p.284-285</ref> According to this hadith, Ahl al-Bayt (a) are successors of the Prophet (s) and their rule is overall and encompassing.

In another hadith, after mentioning that the Prophet (s) introduced the Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the two important legacies he left for the Islamic world, it is mentioned that, "the earth will never be empty of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), otherwise, it will become furious over its dwellers." Then he (s) said "O God! You will never leave the earth empty from Your ''hujjah'' [proof]. They are few in numbers and great in position before You."<ref>Qunduzi, ''Yanabi' al-mawadda'', p.27</ref> Therefore, Ahl al-Bayt (a) are the hujjah [proofs] of God on earth, and imamate and leadership belongs them.

Another evidence for the fact that hadith of Thaqalayn implies the [[imamate]] of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) is that Imam 'Ali (a) has referred to it as proof and evidence in different occasions, one of which is was on [[the Day of Shawra]].<ref>Ibn Maghazili, ''Manaqib'', p.112</ref>

Evidence further referring to this point is the hadith when debating with [[Talha]], [['Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf]] and [[Sa'd b. Waqqas]]. Also, the hadith at the time of the caliphate of [['Uthman]] in [[Masjid al-Nabi|the mosque of the Prophet (s)]] in front of a gathering of [[companion]]s of the Prophet (s).<ref>Qunduzi, ''Yanabi' al-mawadda'', p.137</ref>

[[Ahmad b. Hanbal]] narrated from [[Abu Hurayra]] that the Prophet (s) looked at 'Ali (a), Fatima (a), Hasan (a) and Husayn (a) and said, "I am at war with anyone who wars with you and at peace with anyone who is at peace with you."<ref>Ibn Hanbal, ''Fada'il al-sahaba'', vol.2 p.767</ref> From this narration, it can be understood that obeying them is obligatory.

* [[Verse of Tathir]]

* [[Verse of Mawadda]]

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