Ahl al-Bayt

Template:Transliteration (Template:Langx) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law Ali, and their two sons, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. A common Sunni view adds the wives of Muhammad to these five.Template:Sfn

While all Muslims revere the Ahl al-Bayt,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Shia Muslims assert that members of the Ahl al-Bayt are spiritual successors to Muhammad, possessing divine knowledge and infallibility. The Twelver Shiʿa also believe in the redemptive power of the pain and martyrdom endured by the members of the Ahl al-Bayt, particularly Husayn.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Sunni Muslims, who do not believe in spiritual succession to Muhammad, only hold the Ahl al-Bayt in high regard.

Definition

When Template:Transliteration (Template:Langx) appears in construction with a person, it refers to his blood relatives. However, the word also acquires wider meanings with other nouns.Template:Sfn In particular, Template:Transliteration (Template:Langx) is translated as 'habitation' and 'dwelling',Template:Sfn and thus the basic translation of Template:Transliteration is '(the) inhabitants of the house'.Template:Sfn That is, Template:Transliteration literally translates to '(the) people of the house'. In the absence of the definite article Template:Transliteration, the literal translation of Template:Transliteration is 'household'.Template:Sfn

Other prophets

The phrase Template:Transliteration appears three times in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, in relation to Abraham (11:73), Moses (28:12), and Muhammad (33:33).Template:Sfn For Abraham and Moses, Template:Transliteration in the Quran is unanimously interpreted as their families.Template:Sfn Yet merit is also a criterion of membership in a prophet's family in the Quran.Template:Sfn That is, pagan or disloyal members of the families of the past prophets are not excluded from God's punishment.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In particular, Noah's family is saved from the deluge, except his wife and one of his sons, about whom Noah's plea was rejected according to verse 11:46, "O Noah, he [your son] is not of your family (Template:Transliteration)."Template:Sfn Families of the past prophets are often given a prominent role in the Quran.Template:Sfn Therein, their kin are selected by God as the spiritual and material heirs to the prophets.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Muhammad

Template:Multiple image The household of Muhammad, often referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt, appear in verse 33:33 of the Quran,Template:Sfn also known as the verse of purification.Template:Sfn The last passage of the verse of purification reads, "God only desires to remove defilement from you, O Template:Transliteration, and to purify you completely."Template:Sfn Muslims disagree as to who belongs to Muhammad's Template:Transliteration and what privileges or responsibilities they have.Template:Sfn

Inclusion of the Ahl al-Kisa

File:کتیبه پنج تن.jpg

Names of the Ahl al-Kisa, inscribed in the shrine of Abbas ibn Ali, located in Karbala, Iraq

The majority of the traditions quoted by the Sunni exegete al-Tabari (Template:Died in) identify the Ahl al-Bayt with the Ahl al-Kisa, namely, Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons, Hasan and Husayn.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Such reports are also cited in Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn all canonical Sunni collections of hadith, and by some other Sunni authorities, including al-Suyuti (Template:Died in), al-Hafiz al-Kabir,Template:Sfn al-Hakim al-Nishapuri (Template:Died in),Template:Sfn and Ibn Kathir (Template:Died in).Template:Sfn

In possibly the earliest version of the [[Ahl al-Kisa|hadith of the Template:Transliteration]],Template:Sfn Muhammad's wife Umm Salama relates that he gathered Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn under his cloak and prayed, "O God, these are my Template:Transliteration and my closest family members; remove defilement from them and purify them completely."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Some accounts continue that Umm Salama then asked Muhammad, "Am I with thee, O Messenger of God?" but received the negative response, "Thou shalt obtain good. Thou shalt obtain good." Among others, such reports are given in Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration,Template:Sfn and by Ibn Kathir, al-Suyuti, and the Shia exegete Muhammad H. Tabatabai (Template:Died in).Template:Sfn Yet another Sunni version of this hadith appends Umm Salama to the Ahl al-Bayt.Template:Sfn In another Sunni version, Muhammad's servant Wathila bint al-Asqa' is also counted in the Ahl al-Bayt.Template:Sfn

Elsewhere in Template:Transliteration, Muhammad is said to have recited the last passage in the verse of purification every morning when he passed by Fatima's house to remind her household of the morning prayer.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In his Template:Transliteration (Template:Lit) with a delegation of Najrani Christians, Muhammad is also believed to have gathered the above four under his cloak and referred to them as his Template:Transliteration, according to Shia and some Sunni sources,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn including Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration.Template:Sfn This makeup of the Ahl al-Bayt is echoed by the Islamicist Laura Veccia Vaglieri (Template:Died in),Template:Sfn and also reported unanimously in Shia sources.Template:Sfn In Shia theology works, the Ahl al-Bayt often also includes the remaining Shia imams.Template:Sfn The term is sometimes loosely applied in Shia writings to all descendants of Ali and Fatima.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Inclusion of Muhammad's wives

File:Alahzab 01.jpg

Verse of purification in a folio of the Quran, dating to the late Safavid period

Perhaps because the earlier injunctions in the verse of purification are addressed at Muhammad's wives,Template:Sfn some Sunni authors, such as al-Wahidi (Template:Died in), have exclusively interpreted the Ahl al-Bayt as Muhammad's wives.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Others have noted that the last passage of this verse is grammatically inconsistent with the previous injunctions (masculine plural versus feminine plural pronouns).Template:Sfn Thus the Ahl al-Bayt is not or is not limited to Muhammad's wives.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Ibn Kathir, for instance, includes Ali, Fatima, and their two sons in the Ahl al-Bayt, in addition to Muhammad's wives.Template:Sfn Indeed, certain Sunni hadiths support the inclusion of Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt, including some reports on the authority of Ibn Abbas and Ikrima, two early Muslim figures.Template:Sfn

Alternatively, the Islamicist Oliver Leaman proposes that marriage to a prophet does not guarantee inclusion in his Template:Transliteration. He argues that, in verse 11:73,Template:Sfn Sara is included in Abraham's Template:Transliteration only after receiving the news of her imminent motherhood to two prophets, Isaac and Jacob. Likewise, Leaman suggests that Moses' mother is counted as a member of Template:Transliteration in verse 28:12, not for being married to Imran, but for being the mother of Moses.Template:Sfn Similarly, in their bid for inclusion in the Ahl al-Bayt, the Abbasids argued that women, noble and holy as they may be, could not be considered a source of pedigree (Template:Transliteration). As the descendants of Muhammad's paternal uncle Abbas, they claimed that he was equal to Muhammad's father after the latter died.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Broader interpretations

As hinted above, some Sunni authors have broadened its application to include in the Ahl al-Bayt the clan of Muhammad (Banu Hashim),Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn the Banu Muttalib,Template:Sfn the Abbasids,Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn and even the Umayyads, who had descended from Hashim's nephew Umayya.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Indeed, another Sunni version of the hadith al-kisa is evidently intended to append the Abbasids to the Ahl al-Bayt.Template:Sfn This Abbasid claim was in turn the cornerstone of their bid for legitimacy.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Similarly, a Sunni version of the [[Hadith of the thaqalayn|hadith al-Template:Transliteration]] defines the Ahl al-Bayt as the descendants of Ali and his brothers (Aqil and Jafar), and Muhammad's uncle Abbas.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The first two Rashidun caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, have also been included in the Ahl al-Bayt in some Sunni reports, as they were both fathers-in-law of Muhammad. Nevertheless, these and the accounts about the inclusion of the Umayyads in the Ahl al-Bayt might have been later reactions to the Abbasid claims to inclusion in the Ahl al-Bayt and their own bid for legitimacy.Template:Sfn The term has also been interpreted as the Meccan tribe of Quraysh,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn or the whole Muslim community.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn For instance, the Islamicist Rudi Paret (Template:Died in) identifies Template:Transliteration (Template:Lit) in the verse of purification with the Kaaba, located in the holiest site in Islam. However, his theory has only found few supporters, notably Moshe Sharon, another expert.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Conclusion

A typical Sunni compromise is to define the Ahl al-Bayt as the Ahl al-Kisa (Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn) together with Muhammad's wives,Template:Sfn which might also reflect the majority opinion of medieval Sunni exegetes.Template:Sfn Among modern Islamicists, this view is shared by Ignác Goldziher (Template:Died in) and his coauthors,Template:Sfn and mentioned by Sharon,Template:Sfn while Wilferd Madelung (Template:Died in) also includes the Banu Hashim in the Ahl al-Bayt in view of their blood relation to Muhammad.Template:Sfn In contrast, Shia limits the Ahl al-Bayt to Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn, pointing to authentic traditions in Sunni and Shia sources.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Their view is supported by Veccia Vaglieri and Husain M. Jafri (Template:Died in), another expert.Template:Sfn

Place in Islam

In the Quran

Families and descendants of the past prophets hold a prominent position in the Quran. Therein, their descendants become spiritual and material heirs to keep their fathers' covenants intact.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Muhammad's kin are also mentioned in the Quran in various contexts.Template:Sfn

Verse of the Template:Transliteration

Known as the verse of the Template:Transliteration (Template:Lit), verse 42:23 of the Quran contains the passage, "[O Mohammad!] Say, 'I ask not of you any reward for it, save affection among kinsfolk.'"Template:Sfn The Shia-leaning historian Ibn Ishaq (Template:Died in) narrates that Muhammad specified Template:Transliteration in this verse as Ali, Fatima, and their two sons, Hasan and Husayn.Template:Sfn This is also the view of some Sunni scholars, including al-Razi (Template:Died in), Baydawi (Template:Died in),Template:Sfn and Ibn al-Maghazili.Template:Sfn Most Sunni authors, however, reject the Shia view and offer various alternatives,Template:Sfn chief among them is that this verse enjoins love for kinsfolk in general.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In Twelver Shia, the love in the verse of the Template:Transliteration also entails obedience to the Ahl al-Bayt as the source of exoteric and esoteric religious guidance.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Verse of the Template:Transliteration

A Christian envoy from Najran, located in South Arabia, arrived in Medina circa 632 and negotiated a peace treaty with Muhammad.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn During their stay, the two parties may have also debated the nature of Jesus, human or divine, although the delegation ultimately rejected the Islamic belief,Template:Sfn which acknowledges the miraculous birth of Jesus but dismisses the Christians' belief in his divinity.Template:Sfn Linked to this ordeal is verse 3:61 of the Quran.Template:Sfn This verse instructs Muhammad to challenge his opponents to Template:Transliteration (Template:Lit),Template:Sfn perhaps when the debate had reached a deadlock.Template:Sfn

And to whosoever disputes with thee over it, after the knowledge that has come unto thee, say, "Come! Let us call upon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us pray earnestly, so as to place the curse of God upon those who lie."Template:Sfn

The delegation withdrew from the challenge and negotiated for peace.Template:Sfn The majority of reports indicate that Muhammad appeared for the occasion of the Template:Transliteration, accompanied by Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn.Template:Sfn Such reports are given by Ibn Ishaq,Template:Sfn al-Razi,Template:Sfn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (Template:Died in), Hakim al-Nishapuri,Template:Sfn and Ibn Kathir.Template:Sfn The inclusion of these four relatives by Muhammad, as his witnesses and guarantors in the Template:Transliteration ritual,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn must have raised their religious rank within the community.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn If the word 'ourselves' in this verse is a reference to Ali and Muhammad, as Shia authors argue, then the former naturally enjoys a similar religious authority in the Quran as the latter.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Khums

The Quran also reserves for Muhammad's kin a fifth ([[Khums|Template:Transliteration]]) of booty and a part of Template:Transliteration. The latter comprises lands and properties conquered peacefully by Muslims.Template:Sfn This Quranic directive is seen as compensation for the exclusion of Muhammad and his family from alms ([[sadaqah|Template:Transliteration]], [[zakat|Template:Transliteration]]). Indeed, almsgiving is considered an act of purification for ordinary Muslims and their donations should not reach Muhammad's kin as that would violate their state of purity in the Quran.Template:Sfn

In hadith literature

Hadith of the Template:Transliteration

The hadith of the Template:Transliteration (Template:Lit) is a widely-reported prophetic hadith that introduces the Quran and the progeny of Muhammad as the only two sources of divine guidance after his death.Template:Sfn This hadith is of particular significance in Twelver Shia, where the Twelve Imams, all descendants of Muhammad, are viewed as his spiritual and political successors.Template:Sfn The version that appears in Template:Transliteration, a canonical Sunni hadith collection, reads,

I [Muhammad] left among you two treasures which, if you cling to them, you shall not be led into error after me. One of them is greater than the other: The book of God (Quran), which is a rope stretched from Heaven to Earth, and [the second one is] my progeny, my Ahl al-Bayt. These two shall not be parted until they return to the pool [of abundance in paradise, [[kawthar|Template:Transliteration]]].Template:Sfn

Hadith of the ark

The hadith of the ark is attributed to Muhammad and likens his household to Noah's ark. Reported by both Shia and Sunni authorities, the version presented in Template:Transliteration, a Sunni collection of prophetic traditions, reads,Template:Sfn "Truly the people of my house (Ahl al-Bayt) in my community is like Noah's ark: Whoever takes refuge therein is saved and whoever opposes it is drowned."Template:Sfn

In Muslim communities

The sanctity of a prophet's family was likely an accepted principle at the time of Muhammad.Template:Sfn Today, all Muslims venerate the household of Muhammad,Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn and blessings on his family (Template:Transliteration) are invoked in every prayer.Template:Sfn In many Muslim communities, high social status is granted to people claiming descent from Ali and Fatima. They are called [[sayyid|Template:Transliterations]] or [[sharif|Template:Transliterations]].Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Several Muslim heads of state and politicians have also claimed blood descent from Muhammad, including the Alawid dynasty of Morocco, the Hashimite dynasty of Iraq and of Jordan, and the leader of the Iranian revolution, Khomeini.Template:Sfn

Sunnis too revere the Ahl al-Bayt,Template:Sfn perhaps more so before modern times.Template:Sfn Most Sufi Template:Transliterations (brotherhoods) also trace their spiritual chain to Muhammad through Ali and revere the Ahl al-Kisa as the Holy Five.Template:Sfn It is, however, the (Twelver and Isma'ili) Shias who hold the Ahl al-Bayt in the highest esteem, regarding them as the rightful leaders of the Muslim community after Muhammad. They also believe in the redemptive power of the pain and martyrdom endured by the Ahl al-Bayt (particularly by Husayn) for those who empathize with their divine cause and suffering.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Twelver Shias await the messianic advent of Muhammad al-Mahdi, a descendant of Muhammad, who is expected to usher in an era of peace and justice by overcoming tyranny and oppression on earth.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Some Shia sources also ascribe cosmological importance to the Ahl al-Bayt, where they are viewed as the reason for the creation.Template:Sfn

References

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