Ahl al-Bayt

Ahl al-Bayt (أهل البيت‎, Persian: اهلِ بیت‎), also Āl al-Bayt or Ahlul Bayt, is a phrase meaning, literally, "People of the House" or "Family of the House". Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.In Shia Islam the Ahl al-Bayt are central to Islam and interpreters of the Quran and Sunnah. Shias believe they are successors of Muhammad and consist of Muhammad, Fatimah, Ali, Hasan, and Husayn (known collectively as the Ahl al-Kisa, "people of the mantle") and the rest of the Imams from The Fourteen Infallibles.

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Imamah . Ahl al-Bayt . Prophet Muhammad

Is it true that the 12 Imams are all considered just like Prophet Muhammad (s)? If so, what is the rational reason for it?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 3 days ago

The 12 Imams are not exactly like the Prophet Muhammad in that each of them were separate individuals and had his own life, experiences, personality, features, etc. (That is, they did not share the same soul.)

However, they all shared the same teachings of the Prophet (S). This is the job of the Imams (A) is to correctly explain the teachings of the Prophet (S). According to dominant Twelver Shi'i belief, knowledge of the correct Prophetic teachings is a divine gift transferred to one Imam after the death of the previous Imam; therefore, they do not make mistakes in the teachings or disagree about what the Prophet (S) taught.

Also, the Prophet and 12 Imams are all considered sinless. They all obviously also shared a strong commitment to Islam.

Maybe this is one reason that they tend to appear the same - it is our flaws and faults that oftentimes distinguish us the most from each other!

The rational reason for this is that Allah appointed them to preserve and expand upon the message as was necessary. If you think about it, most Muslims came to Islam in the latter part of the Prophet's life. Many of them really didn't have enough time to learn much about the religion at all, especially because the Muslims were busy fending off attackers and dealing with a lot of practical things. And after the Prophet, not all the Companions agreed on everything. So it makes sense that if Allah is going to appoint a prophet with the final message that Allah would be sure that message is protected; this is done through the imamate.

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Qur'anic Exegesis (Tafsir) . Ahl al-Bayt

Where can I find Quranic commentaries composed by the Shia Imams?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 1 week ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. While the Imams (as) commented on verses of the Qur'an and conveyed a world view which is based on Qur'anic principles they did not compose works of tafsir. There are a couple of commentaries attributed to certain Imams (as) but there are not reliably composed by them (as). But there is a genre of tafsir that focuses on the narrations from the Family of the Prophet (as) known as tafsir al-riwa'i or tafwir bil ma'thur which includes many works composed by scholars and ith this style of commentary.

May you always be successful

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Earth . Ahl al-Bayt . Dinosaurs

Did any of the Imams talk about dinosaurs living on Earth before the advent of Adam (as)?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 weeks ago

We have narrations about creatures lived on this earth before the creation of Adam (AS). Many of our Ulama thought that the response of the Angles when Allah (SWT) informed them : I am creating a Human being on the earth, when they said: Do you want to create on the earth a creature who will do wrong and shed blood? It seems that the angles have witnesses creatures on the earth who used to do wrong and shed blood.

Wassalam.

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Imamah . Ahl al-Bayt

Where is it mentioned the identities of the 12 Imams who got their Imamah?

1. The Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) has mentioned that his successors will be twelve, all of them from Quraish (Bukhari, Hadeeth 6682) and from Bani Hashim (al-Qondoozi, in Yanabee' al-Mawaddah, Vol.2, Hadeeth 908).

2. The Prophet (SAWA) informed about the names of the twelve Imams starting with Imam Ali (AS), them Imam Hasan, then Imam Husain, then Imam Ali Zainul Abideen, then Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir, then Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS), then Imam Musa Al-Kadhim, then Imam Ali Al-Redha, then Imam Muhammad Al-Jawad, then Imam Ali Al-Hadi, then Imam Hasan Al-Askari, then Imam Al-Mahdi (Peace and blessings upon all of them).

3. Every Infallible Imam has informed his sincere followers about the next Imam after him. These statements are studied and been confirmed by all our most prominent scholars.

4. It is impossible for any one to claim that he is the Imam if he is not the real Imam, as the Shia in every age have seen from the Imam of their time the maximum knowledge and maximum piousness and miraculous phenomena which prove that he is one of the the twelve successor of the Prophet (SAWA).

5. There is a very good book in this regard called Ethbaat al-Hudaat إثبات الهداة complied by Al-Hurr Al-Aamily in five volumes, containing authentic Hadeeths about the Imamate of the twelve Imams (AS).

Wassalam.

85530

Mosque . Ahl al-Bayt . Turkey

What is the perspective from the teachings of Ahlul Bayt (as) on the conversion of the Hagia Sophia in Turkey to a mosque?

1. Islam does not change the religious places of non Muslims. Thousands of religious places of non Muslims all over the Muslim world remained unchanged and unchangeable.

2. If the people of the area opt willingly to become Muslims and use the place as Masjid for them, they have that right. The people of Istanbul have willingly become Muslims and decided to use that place as Masjid for them. The place was used by people of the area as a Masjid for centuries till a ruler ( Mustafa Kamal) issued an order to stop Muslims from using the Masjid and announced it as a museum.

3. The Turkish court examined that order of Mustafa Kamal and found it illegal.

4. When a place is made a Masjid, it remains Masjid till the Day of Judgement.

No one is allowed to change a Masjid.

Wassalam.

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Cousin . Ahl al-Bayt . Imam Ali

Does Imam Ali (a) get included within the Aal-e-Mohammad (pbuh)? If yes, how is it so when he is the cousin of the Prophet (s) rather than his descendant?

The Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) himself declared the names of his Ahlul Bayt who are Aal-e-Mohammad (AS) as Ali, Fatima , Hasan and Husain (AS).

The names of Ahlul Bayt are in many authentic Hadeeths narrated in Shia and Sunni books e.g. Saheeh Muslim , Hadeeth number 4450 narrated from A'ysha that the Prophet covered himself , Ali, Fatima , Hasan and Husain and declared that they are his Ahlul Bayt. It is also mentioned in Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal , Hadeeth number 2903 and in Tirmithi , Hadeeth number 3129, and Sunan al-Kubra by al-Nasaa'ee, Haddeth number 7169, and Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi , Hadeeth number 2665 and many other main Sunni books.

Wassalam.

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Locusts . Halal . Insects . Food . Ahl al-Bayt

Is it true that locusts are Halal to eat but other insects are forbidden? If so, why is that so and did any of the Ahlulbayt eat locusts?

It is not true to say that every locust is Halal to eat. Locusts which die in the water or on the earth are not Halal at all. The Hadeeth from Ali Ibn Jafar, the brother of Imam Musa Ibn Jafar (AS): I asked Abul Hasan (AS) (Imam Musa Ibn Jafar): About the locusts found dead in the water or in the desert, can it be eaten? Imam said: Do not eat it. (Wasaa'il Al-Shia, Hadeeth number 30067).

Only locusts which are taken alive then die are Halal (Hadeeth number 30068 in Wasaa'il Al-Shia).

The people in Arabia used to eat all types of locusts and many of them still eat it, but Islam forbade eating the dead locusts and the small locusts as well till it Fly.

Usually, non Arab Muslims do not eat and even do not like the idea of eating locusts, while many Arabs specially those wo live in the desert, do.

It is not necessary for the Imam (AS) himself to eat every thing which is allowed to eat or to do every thing which allowed to do. Imam (AS) is the Best and Most humble servant of Allah (SWT) and he does only the best deeds and not every deed which is allowed for general public who have their their own needs and circumstances.

Wassalam.

80830

Sunni . Ahl al-Bayt

I love the Ahulbayt and I have studied their biographies and weep for their tragedies. I believe that all their enemies shall face punishment. Does the fact that I am a Sunni make me any less of a Muslim?

Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb, Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb has a BA in Law from Guilan University, Iran and has also undertaken Hawzah studies in Qom. He is a Cultural Affairs director of Ethics Group of Al-Mustafa Open... Answered 2 months ago

Assalaamu alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
If we want to be realistic we need to know that "love" brings "obedience".
No doubt that you and all our Sunni brethren love Ahlul Bait (a.s) and you all really get sad when hearing the calamities and oppressions that went to them.
Insha Allah this love will make you read more about the realities of the history.
Just as a clue I want you to have a research about:
1.The Verse of Wilayah i.e. 5:55 :
إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ
Your guardian is only Allah, His Apostle, and the faithful who maintain the prayer and give the zakat while bowing down.
Who gave zakat while boing down?
2. The verse of Ikmal i.e. 5:67 :
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
O Apostle! Communicate that which has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not, you will not have communicated His message, and Allah shall protect you from the people. Indeed Allah does not guide the faithless lot.
3. The verse of Iblagh i.e. 5:3 :
الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ ۚ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
Today the faithless have despaired of your religion. So do not fear them, but fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion.
See the interpretations and see the context for revelation of this verse+ have a search about Ghadir Event and what our beloved Prophet s.a.w.a did on that event.
4.See verse of Mubahala i.e. 3:61 :
فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وَأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتَ اللَّـهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ
Should anyone argue with you concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our souls and your souls, then let us pray earnestly, and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.’
What was the importance of this incident?

Insha Allah Ta'ala you will find meany new things

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Horse . Makruh . Women . Karbala . Ahl al-Bayt . Saddle

Why is riding a horse Makruh for women? Don't we have several examples of the women of the Ahlulbayt riding horses on saddles such as when they travelled to Karbala?

Further explanation: In some cultures, dating back to ancient or mediaeval times (including parts of Europe/Britain as well as Greece), it was considered inappropriate or immodest for respectable women to ride horses in the normal way, especially if they were wearing long dresses that might not stay in place, so women were expected to ride side-saddle or, as Sayyed mentions, in a litter atop the animal. (I am not saying that no women ever rode horses the normal way, just that this was considered more mannerly.) It seems that women riding horses the normal way may have been seen as suggestive, although, nowadays, in much of the world, there is no stigma attached to it.

If they rode bare horses or regularly saddled horses during that time, it could be taken as a sign of them being treated harshly by the enemy.

Horse . Makruh . Women . Karbala . Ahl al-Bayt . Saddle

Why is riding a horse Makruh for women? Don't we have several examples of the women of the Ahlulbayt riding horses on saddles such as when they travelled to Karbala?

Muslim women used to sit on Hawdaj which is like a seat put on the animal and not directly on the animal. Sitting directly on the animal or on saddles is Makrouh for women.

Wassalam.

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Sunni-Shi'a . Zaydiyya . Twelver . Ahl al-Bayt

Is it true that the first three Shia states were all Zaydi? How do the Twelvers respond to the views of Imam Zayd and his followers, the Zaydis, who claim to be true followers of the Ahlul Bayt?

Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi went to the Hawza-e ‘Ilmiya-e Qum, Iran where he attended the dars-e kharij lectures of Ayatullah Wahid Khurãsãni. He also obtained an MA degree in History in 1991 from Simon... Answer imported 2 months ago

1. Zayd bin 'Ali ash-Shahid:

Among the children of Imam 'Ali Zaynul 'Abidin (a.s.), after Muhammad al-Baqir, Zayd was the most outstanding and the most learned. Shaykh Mufid describes him as "a devout worshipper, pious, a jurist, God-fearing and brave." (al-Irshad, p. 403) It is worth mentioning that he is also the first narrator of the famous as-Sahifah as-Sajjădiyya of Imam Zaynul 'Abidin (a.s.).

Zayd led an armed rebellion against the Marwanid (the Umayyid clan which came to power after Yazid) ruler, Hisham bin 'Abdul Malik; and was calling people towards "the accepted person from among the descendants of the Prophet". He led the uprising in Kufa but was killed on 2nd Safar in 120 A.H. at the age of forty-two by Yusuf bin 'Amr ath-Thaqafi (the Umayyid governor), his body was taken out of the grave, put on a cross for four years, then it was burnt and his ashes were spread in the wind. (See al-Mufid, al-Irshad, p. 404; al-Mas'udi, Muruj adh-Dhahab; al-Qummi, Muntahal Amăl, p. 36).

Because of his jihad and his claim for the Ahlul Bayt, some Shi'as, however, thought that Zayd was claiming imamate for himself and therefore started believing in him as the Imam.

The Ithna-'Ashari sources do not believe that Zayd claimed imamate for himself. For example, Shaykh Mufid, one of the earliest Shi'a theologians says, "However that was not his intention because he knew of the right of his brother, peace be on him, to the Imamate before him, and of his bequest of trusteeship (wasiyya) at his death to Abu 'Abd Allăh (i.e., Ja'far as-Sadiq), peace be on him." (al-Irshad, p. 404).

Even the way Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) reacted to Zayd's martyrdom shows the uprightness of the latter in his faith in the Imams of Ahlul Bayt. When Imam as-Sadiq was informed about Zayd's martyrdom, "he was very sad...and he set apart a thousand dinars of his own money for the families of those of (Zayd's) followers who were killed with him." (al-Irshad, p. 405) For other such narrations by Shaykh as-Saduq, see Muntahal Amăl, p. 36.

In conclusion, we can say that Zayd bin 'Ali was an outstanding Shi'a, a mujăhid and a shahid who was loyal to the line of the Imams of Ahlul Bayt, including his own brother, Muhammad al-Baqir, and, his nephew, Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.). This leaves us with no choice but to reject the statement made by the late 'Allamah Tabătabă'i that Zayd himself "considered the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, as their Imams." (Shi'a Islam, p. 77)

2. The Zaydiyya Sect:

Among the three sub-sects of the Zaydiyya, al-Jărudiyya is extinct. The other two sub-sects, the Sulaymăniyya and the Batariyya, cannot be technically considered as "Shi'a". Both believe that the Prophet did not appoint anyone as his successor; both believe in the caliphate of Abu Bakr and 'Umar but not in the caliphate of 'Uthman; they do not believe in the infallibility of the Imams; they believe that it is possible to have two imams at the same time but in two different regions.

According to the Zaydiyya, any descendant of the Prophet (i.e., a sayyid) who is a jurist (faqih, mujtahid), pious, courageous, and calls people towards Allăh by the "sword" (i.e., jihad) can be the imam. (On this account, the late Ayatullah al-Khumayni was definitely fulfilling all these requirements for the imamate of the Zaydis! I wonder what the Yemeni Zaydis have to say about this? But, on the other hand, they might say that this would apply to the Zaydis in Iran only!!)

All historians of religion, Shi'ahs and Sunnis, say that the Zaydis follow the Mu'tazila school in their beliefs, and the Hanafi school in their laws. As such, the Zaydis are more closer to the Sunnis than the Shi'as. (For details, see S.S. Akhtar Rizvi, "Shi'a Sects" published in The Light, and also reprinted in The Right Path [Toronto] in 1995).

3. Zaydi States:

It is true that one of the earliest states founded by the descendants of Imam 'Ali (a.s.) was a Zaydi state, but it was not necessarily a Shi'a state for the reasons mentioned above. Năsir al-Utrush, a descendant of the brother of Zayd ash-Shahid, arose in Khurasan. After being pursued by the 'Abbasids, he fled to Mazandaran (Tabaristan) whose people had not yet accepted Islam. "

After thirteen years of missionary activity in that region he brought a large number of people into the Zaydi branch of Islam. Then in the year 301/913 with their aid he conquered the region of Mazandaran, becoming himself Imam." (Tabătabă'i, Shi'a Islam, p. 77) The Zaydi rule in Tabaristan continued until 1126 C.E.

The Idrisi dynasty (from 788-985 C.E.) in Morocco was not a Zaydi dynasty. It was founded by Idris bin 'Abdullah, a great-grandson of Imam Hasan bin 'Ali (a.s.).

4. What is our response?

Since the Zaydiyya believe in the caliphate of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, our response and arguments with them should not be any different from our arguments for the Sunnis.

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Tawassul . Shirk . Ahl al-Bayt

Is Tawassul to the Prophet (s) or the Ahlulbayt (a) a form of Shirk?

Tawassul is in fact a form of worshiping Allah and sincere Tawheed, that is why Allah (SWT) ordered the believers to do Tawassul to get forgiveness. In Sura Annisaa' verse 64: (Had they when they did injustice to themselves (committed sins) come to you then seek forgiveness and the messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would have found Allah accepting repent and Merciful.

Allah (SWT) has ordered the believers to do Tawassul ( Sura 5, verse 35).

Tawassul does not mean worshiping other than Allah ( to be looked at as Shirk by some ignorant Wahabis) but it means seeking the blessings of the most humble servants of Allah to seek from Allah (SWT).

We believe that no wish can be granted through Tawassul but only by Allah (SWT).

In Quran we read in Sura Yousuf when his brothers requested their father (Prophet Yaqoob) to seek forgiveness from Allah for them and he accepted and said: I will seek forgiveness for you. (Sura Yousuf, verse 97). If it was wrong, the prophet Yaqoob should have told them when they did Tawassul through him.

Wassalam.