Ahl Al Bait

Society Religion & Philosophy
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Salam all,

Just wondering that Shias, Ismailis keep talking about the Ahl al Bait. And in it they say are Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Fatima, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Hussain. (Radhi Allahu taa’ala unhum)…

Hazrat Fatima was not the only daughter of Rasool Allah (Sallalahu alaiheewasallam) so then why are they only considered the family of Rasool… why not his other daughters ?

and if the argument is that she married Hazrat Ali and he was of the same family as Rasool Allah (Sallalahu alaiheewasallam) weren’t their other cousins of Rasool Allah (Sallalahu alaiheewasallam).

My only thing is that if Allah wanted there to be a successor or imamat as we hear then why not just let the sons of Rasool Allah live (Sallalahu alaiheewasallam) ??

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Re: Ahl Al Bait

Good question and all the best for this thread.

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Re: Ahl Al Bait

1) may b Allah SWT wants us to keep on talking about the Ahlay Bayt....that is why He SWT has made it obligatory to send blessings on Prophet SAWW along with his progeny in each of the prayers, everyday..........in sawahiqul muhariqa, Allama ibn hujr haythami notes a hadith where Prophet said that a blessing sent on me is incomplete unless it includes my progeny.....

2) Hazrat Fatima is the one thru who the progeny of the Prophet SAWW continued.........and the enemies of the Prophet SAWW who mocked him and called him 'abtar' were destroyed........

3) Hazrat Ali is called 'nafs' of Rasool Allah in Quran........see verse 3:61 for the event of Mubahila.........he was declared the master for all the believers including Bani Hashim.....his own father Abu Talib was mocked by Abu Lahab saying that Mohammad SAWW was ordering him to follow his own son!

4) "And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah." (Aal e Imran: 54)

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IF progeny is through daughters then why don't we desis apply what we apply to Rasool Allah (Sallalahu alaihee wassalam) and keep wanting sons so that khandaan kaa naam aagey chaley. I thought it was the son's through which direct lineage continues.

Also just because some historians paid attention to Hazrat Fatima's family doesn't mean that the rest of the grandchildren of Rasool Allah (Sallalahu alaihee wassalam) are not a part of his progeny.

And Hazrat Hasan and Hussain were important coz they were the kids the of Hazrat Fatima and Hazrat Ali but what about Hazrat Ali's kids from his second marriage? Also did Hazrat Hussain stay in the family of Quraish if not then why are his kids considered to be rightful imams?

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Re: Ahl Al Bait

Who were the other prominent grand children of Prophet (SAW). I read somewhere that most of other grand children of Prophet (SAW) died in infancy.

Moreover, what should be our reply when non Muslims ask that when Islam came to eradicate all the differences created due to relationship with a particular clan or tribe and Islamic teachings [referring to Ayah in Surah e Hujraat or even last sermon of the Prophet (SAW)] say 'In God's eyes, no one is superior than others. Its your deeds and Taqwa that make you dearer to God' then why so much emphasis on being Syed, etc.

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1) Automne77......your questions show that u think abt these issues.....and that is a very good thing and must be appreciated........there r many history books and resources available that if you go through then u will u get an understanding of these subjects.........anyway, I will show u the theological reasoning behind it through a dialogue that took place in the history and is narrated by Allama Jalaluddin Soyuti ...........

“One day the hajjaj sent for (Yahya bin ya’mur) and said to him:

“ It was reported to me that you believe that Hassan and Hussien are the sons of the Prophet (p) and that you have found this in God’s book, whilst I have already read the whole book from the beginning to the end but could not find any evidence relating to that which you claim.”

Yahya replied:

“Haven’t you recited the verse of sura An’am that states, “And We gave to him Ishaq and Yaqoub; each did We guide, and Nuh did We guide before, and of his descendants, Dawood and Sulaiman and Ayub and Yusuf and Haroun; and thus do We reward those who do good (to others). And Zakariya and Yahya and Isa and Ilyas; every one was of the good." (Anaam:84-85)

He answered,

“yes.” Then added,

“was not Jesus the offspring of Abraham while he didn’t have a father (and is related to Abraham through his mother).

Hajjaj answered:

“What you say is correct!”

There are many exceptions in Islamic laws that apply for the Prophet SAWW.......such as more than 4 marriages, charity to him and his family is forbidden, he leaves no inheritence (though we disagree with that one but Sunnis believe this).....

2)Please go ahead and tell us abt these other grandchildren of Rasool Allah........what do u know abt them?

3)Hazrat Ali's other kids like Mohammad Hanafia and Abbas Ibn Ali called their brothers "Imam", "Master" and not once called them by their name...........as famous narration read that the last thing Imam Hussain said to his brother Abbas was to ask him to address him for once as "my brother".........I will narrate u one story from the battle of Siffein where a man said to Mohammad Hanafia son of Imam Ali that "Why does Ali keep Hasan and Hussain at the back while always pointing at u to go forward and attack the enemy?"...........Imam Ali heard that and said to the man "because he is my son and Hassan and Hussein r the son of the Prophet".........then he said to Mohammad Hanafia, "Hasan and Hussein are my eyes....and u are Al Abbas r my hands......verily if something is to happen to the eyes then it is the hands that protect it"............

by the way in history u will see all the great companions to common ppl address Hasan and Hussein as "Ibne Rasool Allah".....i.e. "Son of the Prophet of Allah".......see the verse of Mubahila because that is where Allah SWT addresses them in the same way.....

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this notion is misunderstood by many.......there is distinction between "equality" and "equity"........Very long and interesting discussion but I will just give them 1 verse.......

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ
"Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people,-" (Aal Imran:33)

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But that chosen also raise questions. What we say that chosen refers to chosen as prophets or what. If we further consider this, all the human beings are family of Hazrat Adam (AS) and Aalmaeen may refer to all the creatures.

And chosen does not mean all the children of the prophets were chosen (I'm referring to Hazrat Noah's son who was drowned and couldn't be saved even his father wished for so). That again stand us at the same position that in Allah's eyes no one is superior except for his good deeds.

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I'll answer your question with quotes of the Prophet himself. And you can choose to argue against them if you so wish.

**Who are included in the Ahlul Bait?

It has been shown that the Family of the Prophet (s) – interchangeably referred to as the **Ahl al-Bayt, ‘Itrah and Aal - included his daughter Fatima al-Zahra’, her husband Imam ‘Ali, and their children Imams al-Hasan and al-Husayn (‘a).

The members of this Family of five, with the Prophet Muhammad (s) at its head, were the ones alive at the time the Qur’anic verses regarding their virtue were being revealed to the Prophet (s). However, nine other Imams from the descendants of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) are also in this chosen Family, the final one being Imam al-Mahdi (‘a).

When the verse
[QUOTE]
"(O Muhammad) Say, 'I do not ask for any reward for this (bringing of Allah's message) except the love for the near kinship.'" (42:23)
[/QUOTE]
was revealed, muslims asked the Prophet (SAW)
[QUOTE]
"Who are these near kin of yours whose love is obligatory upon us?"
[/QUOTE]
He replied :

[QUOTE]
"'Ali, Fatima, and their two sons."
[/QUOTE]

*REFERENCES : *
alHakim alNaysaburi, alMustadrak `ala al-Sahihayn, volume 2, page 444
al-Qastallani, Irshad al-Sari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 7, page 331
al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, volume 6, pages 6-7
al-Alusi al-Baghdadi, Ruh al-Ma’ani, volume 25, pages 31-2

When the verse was revealed,
[QUOTE]
"But whoever disputes 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 people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars." (3:61)
[/QUOTE]
the Prophet (s) called ‘Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn and said:
[QUOTE]
O Allah, these are my Family (Ahli)’.
[/QUOTE]

*REFERENCES:
*Muslim, al-Sahih, (English translation), book 031, number 5915
alHakim alNaysaburi, alMustadrak `ala al-Sahihayn, volume 3, page 150. He states that it is sahih in accordance with the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim
Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 7, page 60
al-Tirmidhi, al-Sahih, kitab al-manaqib, volume 5, page 596
Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, volume 1, page 185
al-Suyuti, History of Khalifas Who Took The Right Way, (London, 1995), page 176

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In the verse 33 of Aal Imran you c that Adam and Nuh are mentioned by their names........Ibrahim and Imran are mentioned with reference to their 'Aal' or family..........the reason that family of Adam and Nuh have not been included is because there were several ungodly and wicked persons in their lineage ( such as Qabeel in the case of Adam, and son of Noah in the other case)...........where in the immediate family of Ibrahim there were Ismael and Ishaaq...........and in Imran's family there were Musa and Haroon AS...........the chosen guides of Allah........pay close attention to the following set of verses as they highlight these principles........the last verse confirms that had one from the progeny deviated even to a small degree then they will be deprived of the special blessings of Allah SWT``......

"And Zakariya and Yahya and Isa and Ilyas; every one was of the good;
And Ismail and Al-Yasha and Yunus and Lut; and every one We made to excel (in) the worlds:
And from among their fathers and their descendants and their brethren, and We chose them and guided them into the right way.
This is Allah's guidance, He guides thereby whom He pleases of His servants; and if they had set up others (with Him), certainly what they did would have become ineffectual for them." (6:85-88)

Very clearly the Quran, descendants and close kin of the prophets are their heirs in respect to kingship (mulk), rule (hukm), wisdom (hikma), the book and the imamate.......yet Allah SWT puts forward a clear benchmark as to who Allah SWT graces with the gift of divine leadership such as in the case of Talut and Imams from Bani Israel.........

"....They said: How can he hold kingship over us while we have a greater right to kingship than he, and he has not been granted an abundance of wealth? He said: Surely Allah has chosen him in preference to you, and He has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique, and Allah grants His kingdom to whom He pleases, and Allah is Amplegiving, Knowing." (Baqarah:247)

"....And We made of them Imams to guide by Our command when they were patient, and they were certain of Our communications." (Sajda:24)

The following verse outlines the concept of Imamat....when Ibrahim AS was made an Imam and his progeny was promised to inherit this provided they are not unjust........

"And when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, he fulfilled them. He said: Surely I will make you an Imam of men. Ibrahim said: And of my offspring? My covenant does not include the unjust, said He." (Baqarah:124)

People were ready to concede that the prophets were given Books and Wisdom, but they became jealous and inimical when the kingdom remained with the prophets........

“Are they envious of what We in our generosity bestowed on the progeny of Ibrahim? We gave the Book and Wisdom to the family of Ibrahim, and also gave them kingship and rule.” (SAjda:24)

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Another important point to note is how Islam made it so that importance of a daughter was seen. Progeny line continued through the daughter and not the father, for the Prophet (saw) did not have any sons. This was an important element in a society mainly dominated by males, much reflective of society today.

Another famous saying of the Prophet at the same time became synonymous with the name of his grandson Hussain.

How a grandfather was from his grand son needs to be explained. Prophets of God speak spiritually rather than materially. He was talking about Islam the Deen he was assigned by God to propagate God’s religion.. He was for Islam and his whole life was for Islam and its establishment on earth. Any break in this mission would subvert this mission which was the purpose of his creation. **The message of the Holy Prophet in this saying was that Hussain will, in some near future save this mission from destruction, hence the very purpose of his being will be saved by the sacrifice of his grandson.

The Holy Prophet had shown affection and love for his grandson as any grandfather should show,but there was something more positive and profound in this love. Several times when Hussain entered the mosque as a small child the Holy Prophet will put him in his lap and tell his companions that this is Hussain, look at him and remember him. The Prophet’s insistence to remember Hussain shows that those who will forget this event will cause trouble in Islam.

****beyond this it would do you good to read up on “Hadith of the CLOAK”

Sunnis tend to view this as Sahih and have included it in Sahih Muslim[SUP][1]](http://www.paklinks.com/gs/#cite_note-0)[/SUP]

**

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Wonderful example Nussairee, was going to include it but you preempted me :)

At the end of the day, it is who Allah has chosen to be spiritual guides and leaders for us. The Holy Prophet (saw) when listing the 12 imams and the family of five, had Allah's permission to do so. Who are we to question that?

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*Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) about Imam Hasan (a.s.), and his high status in the world of Islam, and in the sight of the leading Prophet (s.a.w.): *
1. Al-Bukhari and Muslim report on the authority of al-Bara', that he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) carrying Hasan bin Ali (a.s.) on his shoulder. He was saying: **
[QUOTE]
'O Lord! I love him, so love him'
[/QUOTE]
**

  1. Al-Tirmidhi reports from bin Abbas as saying: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w ) was carrying Hasan bin Ali'(a.s.), when a man said: 'What an excellent mount you are riding, lad.'
    [QUOTE]
    'What an excellent rider he is'
    [/QUOTE]
    the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) replied."

  2. Al-Hafid Abu-Na'im reports on the authority of Abu Bakr, who said: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) was leading us in prayer. Hasan, who was still a child, would come to him while he was in prostration, and sit on his back or sometimes on his neck. The Prophet (s.a.w.) would lift him tenderly. When the prayer was finished, they (the Muslims) asked him: 'O Messenger of Allah! You are doing to this boy what you do not do to another person?'

[QUOTE]
'He is my basil'
[/QUOTE]
he replied."

  1. Anas bin Malik said: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) was asked: 'Who is most loved by you from among your family?'
    [QUOTE]
    'Hasan and Hussein,'
    [/QUOTE]
    he answered."

  2. A'ishah reports that "the Prophet would pick up Hasan and embrace him and say:
    [QUOTE]
    *'O Lord! This is my son, and I love him. Move him, and love who loves him' *
    [/QUOTE]

  3. Jabir bin Abdullah says: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said:
    [QUOTE]
    *'He who pleases to look at the Lord of the Youths of Paradise, let him look at Hasan bin Ali.'" *
    [/QUOTE]

7 Ya'la bin Murrah says: "We went with the Prophet (s.a.w.) to a feast, to which we were invited. We ran into Hasan (a.s.) who was playing near the road. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) went ahead of the people hurriedly, and put out his hand to the boy. Then he pretended to pass by Hasan one time on his right hand, and another time on his left hand, to make the boy laugh. Then he approached him. He put one hand on his neck and the other on his head. Presently he embraced and kissed him. Then he said:
[QUOTE]
*'Hasan is from me and I am from him. Allah loves whoever loves him.
[/QUOTE]
' *

  1. Al-Ghazali in his book, Al-Ihya' (Revival), reports that the Prophet (s.a.w.) had said to Hasan: [QUOTE] 'You resemble me in my appearance and disposition. [/QUOTE]

This is only a small number of the narratives about Imam Hasan (a.s.). He who wants more should refer to:

Yanabee' al-Muwaddah (Springs of Love), by al-Qandoozi al-Hanafi,
Fada'il al-Khamasah min al-Sihah al-Sittah (Outstanding Merits of the Five Persons from the Six Authentic Books of Hadith), by al-Firoozabadi,
Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Tadhkirat al-Khawas (Reminder of the Pious), by Sibt Bin al-Jawzi, etc

Through the Holy Qur'an, the Prophet's sunnah, and the many books of authentic hadiths, the exalted position of the Prophet's beloved grandson, Imam Hasan, becomes undeniable.

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^ I can relate to all this, but this explanation will lead the Non Muslims (who are alien to these concepts) to raise queries like: When certain people were already chosen by God to be the leaders then what was the need for mentioning Taqwa as the basis for superiority (if any) in Quran and opening paras of last sermon by Prophet (SAW) where he mentioned that Arabs are not superior to non- Arabs and vice verse.

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I will try to give u some more evidence from Quran and then give u some logical reasoning......

at least the ppl of the Abrahamic scriptures r familiar with these concepts of all the Might and Kingdom belonging to none other than Allah........that is the first lesson God gives us when mentions the story of Adam in relatively greater details.......and when He chooses to make him his 'Khalifa' on earth......angels including shaitan object to this.......and ultimately shaitan disobey...........and Allah says; "...He said: Surely I know what you do not know"(Baqarah:30)

not a single representative or guide of Allah SWT is chosen by the people "Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide," (Lail:12)..............Quran very clearly states that it is Allah SWT who chooses and people have no choice in this, "And your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is not theirs; glory be to Allah, and exalted be He above what they associate (with Him)." (Qasas:68)..........

that was some textual evidence for u........I will try to briefly work outside the text using our own mind and experience.......
u r right that Ilm and taqwa are benchmarks int he sight of Allah SWT and the speech of the Prophet in Hujjatul Widda said that no Arab is equal to non Arab and no white is superior to non white.........and Prophet SAWW showed by his ways that he was the best example of this............however this is in no conflict with the fact that in Hujjatul Widda too he raised the hand of Imam Ali and declared him the master of all the believers.........this is in no conflict with the fact that all Muslims r equal!!!!!!.......a very simple example will be that lets say....... a given country's constitution states that all the subjects in that country r equals and all have the same basic rights and so on..........but saying that does it mean that the president of that country, or the ministers, and the judiciary will have the same authority as the common man?..........obviously no!............the same constitution will grant a certain sector of the population power to rule over others and implement the law and so on........
yes it is true that in Islam everybody is equal and in the sight of Lord everybody is equal but what does this equality mean?.........for example, if we walk into a garden and see 100 of types of flowers.......all of them r equally called flowers, yet can u deny that rose is what is blessed with more beauty than the other flowers?...........or in the gems it is the diamond, or in the animals it is the lion, or in the stones the aqeeq and so on...........that is why we say that God is Just.......i.e. He has given everything and everybody its due since he is the Knower of all and he is the Creature of all............

notice how there is 3 groups on the day of judgement......

"Then (as to) the companions of the right hand; how happy are the companions of the right hand!
And (as to) the companions of the left hand; how wretched are the companions of the left hand!
And the foremost are the foremost,
These are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah)," (Waaqia:9-11)

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I'm more concerned if that question is asked by Hindus and when they relate that superiority thing with their caste system. I mean to say Brahman v/s syed confusion. How could I convince them that in Allah's eyes Syeds and Non Syeds are equal and one who is more muttaqi is the superior to God, when we have to follow all this Qureshi- Non Qureshi, Ibn e this, Ibn e that things.

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[Shakir 2:124] And when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, he fulfilled them. He said: Surely I will make you an Imam of men. Ibrahim said: And of my offspring?** My covenant does not include the unjust, said He.**
[Yusufali 2:124] And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He said: "I will make thee an Imam to the Nations." He pleaded: "And also (Imams) from my offspring!" *He answered: "But My Promise is not within the reach of evil-doers.
*

Allah did pick Ibrahim a.s's Progney but still standard was Taqwa.

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Allah knows the "taqwa" of the chosen people. In taqwa they are obviously higher than others, hence they are the leaders chosen by Allah.

That's the explanation.

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first of all it is necessary to make a distinction b/w deen VS religion as practiced by ppl........deen is complete and perfect whereas people twist it and tweak it for their own selves........so plz do not say that in Pakistan ppl do this and that on the name of Syed and non Syed b/c that is something they follow on their own.........in Pakistan they go around blowing ppl on the name of religion too yet the book of Allah SWT can not be more clear as to wht repercussions of taking a single innocent life are.......how wud u explain that to a hindu?

try to understand the concepts properly so not only we may explain them if asked and so that we can practice them ourselves........there r thousands of examples from the lives of our Prophet and his purified family as to how they treated ppl.........Imam Ali said that every person is either ur brother in faith or ur brother in humanity........they were the complete manifestations of the deen of Allah SWT.........

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^ Exactly that is the point I wanted to hilight and IMO this aspect of keeping Taqwa above all other discrimination (Be it Syed/Non Syed, Arab /Non Arab or Banu Hashim / Banu Ummaya) to convey the true message of Islam, which didn't come to privilege a particular group, but as a guidance for all the human beings of that era and times to come.