Who are the ahl al-bayt? Allah, the most Glorified and High says: “Allah wishes to remove all impurity from you, O members of the household, and to purify you completely” (33:33). The ahl al-sunna wa’l-Jama’a maintain that this verse was revealed for the wives of the Prophet (S.A.W.). They derive their proof from the context of the preceding and following verses. According to their claims, Allah therefore removed impurity from the wives of the Prophet and purified them completely. Among them are those who add to the [list of the] wives of the Prophet, ‘Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn. But the truth, according to what has been transmitted, as well as according to reasoning, logic and history, refutes this explanation. [This is] because the ahl al-sunna narrate in their Sahihs that the verse was revealed regarding five people namely: Muhammad, ‘Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and that the Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.) identified them and his noble self as being referred to by the noble verse when he gathered ‘Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan and al-Husayn with him under the cloak. He said: “O Allah! These are my household, so cleanse them of all impurity and purify them completely”. This narration has been reported by a large majority of Sunni scholars. [some of] them: 1. Muslim in his Sahih, in “The Chapter on the Merits of the Prophet’s household”: Vol. 2, p. 368. 2. Al- Tirmidhi in his Sahih; Vol. 5, p. 30. 3. Al-Musnad, Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal; Vol. 1, p. 330. 4. Al-Mustadrak, al- Hakim; Vol. 3, p. 123. 5. Al-Khas’ais, Imam al-Nasa’i; p. 49 6. Talkhis, al-Dhahabi; Vol. 2, p. 150. 7. Mu’jam, al-Tabrani; Vol. 1, p. 65. 8. Shawahid al-Tanzil, Hakim al-Haskani; Vol. 2, p. 11. 9. Al-Bukhari in his Greater History; Vol. 1, p. 69. 10. Al-Isaba, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani; Vol. 2, p. 502. 11. Tadhkira al-Khawas, Ibn al-Jawzi; p. 233. 12. Tafsir of al-Fakhr al-Razi; Vol. 2, p. 700. 13. The Fountains of Love, al-Qanduzi al-Hanafi; p. 107. 14. Manaqib of al-Khawarizmi, p. 23. 15. Al-Sira of al-Halabi, Vol. l3, p. 212. 16. Al-Sira of al-Dihlaniya; Vol. 3, p. 329. 17. Asad al-Ghaba, Ibn al-Athir; Vol. 2, p. 12. 18. Tafsir of al-Tabari; Vol. 22, p. 6. 19. Al-Dur al-Manthur, al-Suyuti; Vol. 5, p. 198. 20. Ta’rikh of Ibn Asakir; Vol. 1, p. 185. 21. Tafsir al-Kashshaf , al-Zamakhshari; Vol. 1, p. 193 22. Ahkam al-Qur’an , Ibn al-Arabi; Vol. 2, p. 166. 23. Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 14, p. 182. 24. Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa of Ibn Hajar, p. 85. 25. Al-Isti’ab, Ibn Abd al-Barr; Vol. 3, p. 37. 26. Al-‘Aqd al-Farid, Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih; Vol. 4, p. 311 27. Muntakhab Kanz al-‘Ummal; Vol. 5, p. 96. 28. Masabih al-Sunna, al-Baghawi, Vol. 2, p. 278. 29. Asbab al-Nuzul, al-Wahidi; p. 203. 30. Tafsir of Ibn Kathir; Vol. 3, p. 483 Let us, by way of example, take the case of the mother of the believers, ‘A’isha, who alleged that she was the most beloved wife of the Prophet (P) and the closest one to him, to the extent that the rest of the wives envied her and sent [a delegation] to the Prophet (P) imploring him to show justice regarding the daughter of Abu Quhafa, as previously discussed. The verse then seems discordant. None of her aides or those who loved her, neither from the earlier generations nor the later ones, can dare to claim that ‘A’isha was under the cloak on the day the verse was revealed. How great Muhammad (S.A.W.) was in his sayings and actions and how truly sagacious he was when he gathered the members of his ahl al-bayt with him under the cloak, and even when the mother of the believers, Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet (P), sought to enter with them under the cloak and asked the Prophet of Allah’s (S.A.W.) permission, he prevented her and said: “You are on the right path “.]]>