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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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... Answered 3 years ago

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. 

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 3 years ago

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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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 3 years 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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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 3 years ago

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.

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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... Answered 3 years ago

Assalaamu alaykum

Here are some versions of salat al-hajat from Shi'i sources:

https://www.duas.org/hajaat.htm

https://www.duas.org/hajatsalatsr.htm

Best wishes

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You will find much material on this site on the topic of the Ahl al-bayt (a).

Check out this link to see a list of books, articles and videos:

https://www.al-islam.org/tags/ahl-al-bayt

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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 3 years ago

It is allowed to do so as far as there is no celebration on the day or night of the martyrdom of any Ma'soom.

It is Makrouh to do any business or worldly work on the day or night of Ashura.

Wassalam.

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Islamic Shariah contains rules to organize the Muslim society in

all the dimensions starting from the personal life to the family life

to the social life and to the whole humankind relationship. Rules in

Islam do not mean insult but it means organizing the society in the

best way for the interest of everyone.

Illegitimately born child has got rules in Islam which aim to keep

him/her away from the public criticism. As the child did not commit a sin

and he/she should not pay for the sin of his/her parents.

The illegitimate child in Islam is kept away from leading the public

because that will make him a target of criticism and abuse from people

who will say that he was born from illegitimate act.

Islam also does not want to legitimise any illegitimate act. That is

why the child born from an illegitimate relationship cannot be a

leader in the community because that will encourage some people to go

for illegitimate sexual relationships.

An illegitimate child is not allowed to be Marja’ of Taqleed. He can

be a highly educated scholar but he cannot be Marja’ of Taqleed.

That also is not only for him but also for other respected persons in

the community like our respected ladies.

If a pious and highly educated female Islamic scholar becomes a

Mujtahidah, her own son or brother cannot follow her in Taqleed

because one of the conditions of Marja’ of Taqleed is to be a man.

And also for leading the Jamaat prayers, the congregation prayer, one

of the conditions is that the leader of the congregation prayer must

be a man and must be born from a legitimate marriage.

Islam does not allow us to pray behind pious ladies like our own

mothers. So that  does not mean any insult to our mothers but it is part of

organisation which must be followed, and that is similar when we are not allowed to pray behind a person who was born from an illegitimate relationship.

That does not mean that we are punishing him but Allah SWT wants the

organisation of the society to go on to avoid pointing the fingers to

such persons and also a way from legitimising an illegitimate sexual

act which took place.

An illegitimate person can be a lover of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) and will

get his full reward for all his good deeds because it is very clear in

the Holy Qur’an that (لا تزر وازرة وزر أخرى) “No one will carry the burden of

the act of others”. So the child who was born from an illegitimate

relationship will never carry the burden of the sinful acts committed

by his parents. He will get the reward of his good deeds like any

other person.

In fact Islam has kept the respect of such persons to keep them away from

the public leadership and observation so that their life can go on like any other person

and they will get the reward of their good deeds like any other

person.

Wassalam.

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It is widely known that the Qur'an as recorded in writing is not in the order of its revelation. However, a common misunderstanding is that any single numbered verse would have been revealed at the same time as a single unit. That has not always been the case.

Before looking at 33:33 we can examine the famous verse of 5:3 to see an example of this phenomenon.

  • You are prohibited carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and what has been offered to other than Allah, and the animal strangled or beaten to death, and that which dies by falling or is gored to death, and that which is mangled by a beast of prey—barring that which you may purify —and what is sacrificed on stone altars [to idols], and that you should divide by raffling with arrows. All that is transgression. 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. But should anyone be compelled by hunger, without inclining to sin, then Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.

The first and last parts of this verse, discussing food law, were revealed a year or so earlier to the highlighted portion that was revealed in 10 AH. It is commonly called the Ikmal verse, which, as you can see, is actually a part of the Qur'anic verse 5:3 rather than the entirety of it.

So in a similar manner 33:33 is also made up of parts that were not all revealed together.

  • Stay in your houses and do not flaunt your finery like the former [days of pagan] ignorance. Maintain the prayer and pay the zakat, and obey Allah and His Apostle. Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.

The Qur'anic commentaries from all schools of thought in Islam demonstrate that the second part, famously called Ayat al-Tathir, was revealed separately and distinctly from the previous portion of 33:33 and also the subsequent verses.

Just like the mention of food law in 5:3 shows the continuity of the food law theme before and after the completion of religion theme, so also here the use of the all-feminine gender in the grammar of the part of 33:33 before the Ayat al-Tathir and afterwards in 33:34 onwards shows that those sentences were on the theme addressing the wives of the Prophet (s).

The Ayat al-Tathir part, on the other hand, uses the masculine gender that is grammatically appropriate when addressing a set of people that contains at least one male.

The reference to the Ahl al-Bayt in 33:33, therefore, is not a continuation of the address towards the wives of the Prophet (s), but an independent theme addressing 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn, on them all be peace, as the chosen Family of the Prophet Muhammad (s).

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... Answered 4 years ago

There is also a lengthy treatment of this subject in this section of _The Shi'ite Encyclopedia_ (still after all these years a helpful resource!).

https://www.al-islam.org/shiite-encyclopedia/who-are-ahlul-bayt-part-2

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 4 years ago

Allah (SWT) has ordered us to take the meanings of Quran from the Prophet (SAWA) as he is responsible to explain to the people what was been revealed to guide them ( 16:44).

The Prophet himself has clearly stated that  the purified persons meant in Quran 33:33 are Ahlul Bayt who are Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain (AS). (Saheeh Muslim, Hadeeth 4450, Tirmithi; Hadeeth 3129 and 3719). 
'The Prophet (SAWA) did not allow any of his wives to join the purified who are Ahlul Bayt only.  (Tirmithi: Hadeeth 3806)

Wassalam.

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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... Answer updated 4 years ago

The prophets and their successors are infallible and they are the most humble servants of Allah (SWT). Their life is not limited to this world but continues as we read in Quran ( and don't think that those who were martyred in the way of Allah are dead, nay, they are alive with their Lord getting sustenance. (Sura 3, Verse 169). Prophets and their successors are higher in degree than the martyrs, so, they are alive with Allah.

Every Muslim salutes the Prophet in every Salaah ( ASSALAMU ALAYKA AYYUHAN NABIYYU WA RAHMATULLAH WA BARAKATUH) which means that the Prophet is alive.

We have many authentic Hadeeths that the Prophets are alive in their graves. ( الانبياء أحياء في قبورهم يصلون)

Seeking help from them after their demise is just like seeking help from them before their demise, as Allah (SWT) grants them the ability to help sincere believers by His permission.

Wassalam.