Love for Ahl al-Bayt

Bismillah.

Assalamu alaikum.

One of the most important peoples in Islam, to revere, to emulate, and love are the Ahl al-Bayt, the People of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is unfortunate that there are some who accuse the lovers of Ahl al-Bayt to be Shi’a or deviant Sunnis who have Shi’a leanings. What these individuals do not realize is that the love for Ahl al-Bayt is a Sunnah, or the Way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). In his commentary on Aqeedah al-Tahawiyyah, Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy states:

“It is important to love Ahlul Bayt, respect them, support them and be loyal to them (Ninowy, pg. 29)”.

First, one may ask, who is the Ahl al-Bayt? Ahl al-Bayt refers to the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), his wives, his children, his foster children, his step children, and servants. But mainly, it refers to Sayyidina Ali, Sayyidatina Fatima, Imam Hasan, Imam Hussain, and their offspring (may Allah bless and honor them always), as will be shown later. Sidi Jinnzaman writes wonderfully about the Ahl al-Bayt on his blog, also breaking down an outline of who is Ahl al-Bayt:

1. His Descendants:

a. ‘Ali

b. Fatima

i. Hasan

1. Zayd

2. al-Qasim

3. Abu Bakr

4. ‘Abd Allah

5. ‘Umar

6. ‘Abd al-Rahmah

7. al-Husayn

8. ‘Amr

9. Muhamad

10. Ya’qub

11. Ja’far

12. Hamza

13. Talha

ii. Husayn

1. Abu Bakr

2. ‘Abd Allah

3. ‘Ali al-Kabir

4. ‘Ali Zayn al-Abidin

5. ‘Umar

6. Fatima

7. Sukayna

8. Zaynab al-Sughra

9. Umm Kulthum al-Sughra

                                                    i. Muhassan

                                                    ii. Zaynab

                                                    iii. Umm Kulthum

2. His Wives

a. Khadija bin Khuwaylid

                            i. Al-Qasim

                            ii. ‘Abd Allah

                            iii. Zaynab

                            iv. Fatima al-Zahra

                            v. Ruqiyya

                vi. Umm Khulthu

b. Sawda bint Zam’a

c. ‘Aisha bint al-Siddiq

d. Hafsa bint ‘Umar

e. Zaynab bint Khuzayma

f. Umm Salama (Hind bint Umayya)

g. Zaynab bint Jahsh

h. Juwayriyya bint al-Harith

i. Safiyya bint Huyayy

j. Umm Habiba bint Abi Sufyan

k. Maymuna bint al-Harith

l. Marya al-Qibtiyya (concubine)

                            i. Ibrahim

3. Banu Hashim and Bau al-Muttalib

Source: “The Status of the Sahaba and Ahl ul Bayt” by Jinnzaman

The one who follows the example left by the Ahl al-Bayt knows that one is on the right and safe path to Allah (Glorified is He and Exalted). Imam Muslim (may Allah be well pleased with him) narrates the following hadith as stated by the Companion Zaid bin Aqram (may Allah be well pleased with him):

“One day Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) stood up to deliver sermon at a watering place known as Khumm situated between Mecca and Medina. He praised Allah, extolled Him and delivered the sermon and. exhorted (us) and said: Now to our purpose. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah’s call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.”

Source: Sahih Muslim

This hadith is showing us that the two things that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is leaving behind for the believers are the Book of Allah and the noble People of his Household. These are the two sources that we are to turn to for guidance. Thus, it obvious that no one can be misguided adhering to the Book of Allah and the Ahl al-Bayt.

But this does not mean that the Sunnah, of the Way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is not important, as some ignorant people may conclude. The Sunnah is a central part of our faith. As Shaykh Ninowy states, some will go far to state that the authority of Ahl al-Bayt nullifies the Sunnah (Ninowy, pg. 29). Following the Way of the Beloved (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is mandated by the Holy Qur’an:

“Whosoever obeyed the Prophet, obeyed Allah (4:80).”

and

“Whatever the Prophet gives, shows, or commands you, then do. And whatever he forbade, then avoid (59:7).”

Along with many other verses in the Qur’an, these verses confirm the importance of the Sunnah. And one aspect of the Sunnah is to have love for the Ahl al-Bayt.

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah (Glorified is He and Exalted) states:

“Allah only wants to remove all abomination from you, you members of the household, and to make you pure and honorable (33:33).”

This verse, along with the hadith collected by Imam Muslim, show once again the importance of the Ahl al-Bayt. Allah (Glorified is He and Exalted) has made the People of the Household pure in body and spirit, thus, they are truly noble and worthy to emulate. Furthermore, this ayah is also used to define who the Ahl al-Bayt are. Shaykh Ninowy states in his commentary of Aqeedah al-Tahawiyyah:

“They are called Ahlul Qisa’a, because according to the Hadeeth Saheeh narrated by (Imam Muslim in his Saheeh 2424, 4/1883 by way of Aisha, and by Imam At-tirmithiy in his Saheeh #3787, 5/663 by way of Amro bin abi Aalama, and by Imam Ahmad in his “musnad” 6/292,298,304 by way of Umm Salama, and by Imam Tabarani 3/54, and by Imam Al Hakem 3/147, and by Imam Ibn Habban 15/433 and by Imam Al Bayhaqi 2/152, and by many others.) when this Ayah was revealed “the Prophet was in Ummu Salama’s house, he, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called Fatima, Hasan and Husayn in front of him, and Imam Ali behind him, then he covered them all with apiece of cloth and said; O’Allah, these are the members of my family, O’Allah remove all their abomination and make them pure and honorable. Then, Ummu Salama, may Allah be pleased with her, said: can I come with them O’ Prophet of Allah. The Prophet replied: “you stay where you are, and you are deemed to goodness”. Thus, Ahlul Bait, are sayyidina Ali, the Lady Fatima, Hasan, Husayn and their descendents including Aal Ali, Aal Ja’far, Aal Aqeel, Aal Abbas and their offspring (Ninowy, pg. 28-9).”

Furthermore, there is a hadith in which Prophet Muhammad stated:

“None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children, and all humankind (Bukhari).”

In addition, as narrated by Imam Tirmidhi, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“When I am loved, then my family members, whom I love should also be loved (Sahih al-Tirmidhi).”

Therefore, if we love our Beloved (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we must love the Ahl al-Bayt. If we love Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) more than our family, we have faith, thus, if we love Ahl al-Bayt, we will also have faith.

As we can see, the love of Ahl al-Bayt, the People of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is very important in the lives of the adherents of the successful sect of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’a. Having love for Ahl al-Bayt does not make one a Shi’a or a deviant Sunni. Loving Ahl al-Bayt does not negate the importance of the Sunnah nor the authority and example of the noble Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and may Allah be well pleased with his Companions). Sayyidi Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy mentions that having love for Ahl al-Bayt will shield them on the Day of Judgment, protecting them. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah be well pleased with him) narrates that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him once said:

“Amongst you my family is like Noah’s ark and whosoever boards it, he shall be saved and whosoever remains, he shall be killed (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal).”

May Allah (Glorified is He and Exalted) grant us the ability to truly love the Household of our Beloved (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) so that we can truly be safe when we stand before the Most High on the day in which there is no doubt. Ameen.

And Allah knows best.

Ma’salama.

Sufyan Yunus

~ by Sufyan Yunus on November 21, 2007.