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Ahl al-Bayt; Ark of Salvation

The pure souls of Ahl al-Bayt and their light were created before other creatures; they were
placed around Allah’s Throne. They were engaged in glorifying Allah so that He will put each
of those pure souls in a body at the proper time and reveal them among people for their
guidance as a favor:

ْ‫هللا أن‬
ُ َ‫وتٍ أذِن‬--‫ُم فِي ُب ُي‬ ْ ‫ج َعلَك‬ ْ ‫ا بِك‬--‫ن َعلَ ْي َن‬
َ ‫ُم َف‬ َّ ‫ح َّتى َم‬
َ ‫ين‬
َ ِ‫ ِدق‬-‫ح‬
ْ ‫ه ُم‬
ِ -‫ش‬
ِ ‫ُم بِ َع ْر‬ َ ‫ َواراً َف‬- ‫هللا أ ْن‬
ْ ‫ج َعلَك‬ ُ ‫م‬ ُ ‫خلَ َق ُك‬
َ
‫م ُه‬ُ ‫اس‬ْ ‫ع َو ُيذْ َك َر فِي َها‬
َ ‫ ُت ْر َف‬.
Allah created you in the form of light; He then kept you closely attached with his
Throne until you were sent down to this world as a favor to us. He allowed you to
pronounce and praise His Name aloud in the Houses of Allah. [1]
O Ahl al-Bayt, you were like Noah’s Ark from the time you were placed around Allah’s Throne
to save those who have fallen into the whirlpool of tribulation:

‫ين‬
َ ‫س ِل‬ ُ ‫ت ا ْل‬
َ ‫م ْر‬ ِ ‫جا‬ َ ‫أر َف‬
َ ‫ع َد َر‬ ْ ‫ين َو‬ ُ ‫ل ا ْل‬
َ ِ‫مق ََّرب‬ ِ ‫أعلَى َم َن‬
ِ ‫از‬ ْ ‫ين َو‬ َ ‫م‬
َ ‫ك َّر ِم‬ ُ ‫ل ا ْل‬
ِّ ‫ح‬ َ ‫أش َر‬
َ ‫ف َم‬ ْ ‫ُم‬
ْ ‫هللا بِك‬
ُ ‫غ‬ َ َ‫ َفبَل‬.
Allah made you reach the noblest position of glory, the highest station nearest to
Him, and the loftiest status of the Messengers.[2]
O Ahl al-Bayt, you have attained such spirituality through knowledge, faith and offering help
to people in this world that you have reached the position of the most honorable prophets.

Authentic books of ¦ad¢th have reported Imam °as¡n `Askar¢ as saying: When Adam fell
from heaven, deprived of associating with the angels and losing a garment of dignity which
covered his private parts, he said to Allah,

‫ول‬--
ِ ‫ت بِق َُب‬ َ ‫ ْل‬--‫ض‬ َّ َ‫م ل‬
َّ ‫ما تَ َف‬ ْ ‫ن آلِ ِه‬ َ ‫ن َوالطَّيِّ ِب‬
ْ ‫ين ِم‬ ِ ‫ ْي‬--‫س‬َ ‫ح‬ ُ ‫ن َوا ْل‬
ِ --‫س‬ َ ‫ َة َوا ْل‬--‫م‬
َ ‫ح‬ ِ ‫ي َو َفا‬
َ ‫ط‬ ٍّ ِ‫م ٍد َو َعل‬
َّ ‫ح‬
َ ‫ا ِه ُم‬--‫ج‬ َّ ‫أللَّ ُه‬
َ ِ‫م ب‬
‫ك إلَى َم ْرتَبَتِي‬ َ ِ‫ن َك َرا َمات‬ َ ‫ن َزلَّتِي َو‬
ْ ‫إعا َدتِي ِم‬ ِ ‫تَ ْوبَتِي َو ُغ ْف َرا‬.
“O Allah! By the honor of Mu¦ammad, `Al¢, F¡§imah, °asan and °usayn and the
purified ones of Ahl al-Bayt, do me a favor by accepting my repentance, forgiving my
sin and giving back my dignity.”
Allah answered, “Verily, I accept your repentance, turn to you with pleasure, send my
bounties and blessings to you, restore your position by My grace, and make perfect for you
your share of My mercy.” This is the meaning of Allah’s words,

“Then Adam received some words form his Lord, So He turned to him mercifully;
surely He is oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. (2:37)”
Ab£-Dharr, touching the door of Ka`bah said: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying:

َ َ‫هل‬
‫ك‬ َ َّ‫خل‬
َ ‫ف َع ْن َها‬ َ َ‫ن ت‬
ْ ‫ َو َم‬،‫جا‬
َ َ‫ن َركِبَ َها ن‬
ْ ‫ة ُنوحٍ؛ َم‬
ِ ‫س ِفي َن‬
َ ‫ل‬
ُ ‫ُم َم َث‬
ْ ‫ل بَ ْيتِي فِيك‬
ِ ‫أه‬
ْ ‫ل‬َ ‫أأل إنَّ َم َث‬.
Beware! The parable of my Ahl al-Bayt among you is like Noah’s Ark. Whoever enters
it will be saved and whoever refuses to enter it will suffer perdition. [3]
Imam `Al¢ (a.s) is reported as saying:

Were it not for saving and guiding people, Allah would not send us to this world. We
were engaged in glorifying Him around His throne. We are not people of the world;
rather, we have been sent to rid you of atheism, carnal desires and ignorance, and
to promote you to the zenith of humanity. We have come here to lead you from
darkness to guidance. Now that the situation is like that, put your hands in our hands
and promise loyalty so that we will save you from this tumultuous sea to the shore of
safety.
The Holy Prophet has said:

‫أل‬
ْ ‫س‬ ْ َ‫ة َف ْلي‬ٌ ‫ج‬
َ ‫حا‬َ ِ‫ن َكانَ لَ ُه إلَى هللا‬
ْ ‫م‬ َ َ‫هل‬
َ ‫ َف‬.‫ك‬ َ ‫حا َد َع ْن َها‬
َ ‫ن‬
ْ ‫ َو َم‬،‫جا‬ َ َّ‫ن تَ َعل‬
َ َ‫ق بِ َها ن‬ ْ ‫جا ِة؛ َم‬
َ ‫س ِفي َن ُة ال َّن‬
َ ‫ن‬
ُ ‫ح‬
ْ َ‫ن‬
‫ت‬
ِ ‫ل البَ ْي‬َ ‫أه‬ْ ‫بِ َنا‬.
We are the boat of salvation. Whoever catches hold of it will be saved, and whoever
keeps aloof from it will meet perdition, whoever has a request from Allah should ask
for it through us, the Ahl al-Bayt.[4]
Addressing Kumayl, Imam `Al¢ (a.s) says:

‫ن‬ ْ ‫ف ِم‬ ِ -‫ص‬ْ ِّ‫م الن‬

َ ‫ ْو‬-َ‫ ِر ي‬-‫ص‬ْ ‫ َد ا ْل َع‬-‫ون يَ ْوماً بَ ْع‬ -َ ‫ار ُم َت َوافِ ُر‬ ُ ‫ص‬ َ ‫ج ُرونَ َواأل ْن‬ ِ ‫م َها‬ ُ ‫ ـ َوا ْل‬ ً ‫ َق ْوال‬ 3  ِ‫ول هللا‬ ُ ‫س‬ ُ ‫ل َر‬ َ ‫ل! َقا‬ُ ‫م ْي‬
َ ‫يَا ُك‬
‫م‬ ‫ه‬ ‫و‬
ُ ُ َ ْ ُ ْ،‫م‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ن‬ ‫م‬
ِ ‫ا‬-
- ‫ن‬
َ َ‫أ‬ ‫و‬ ،‫ي‬ ِّ‫ن‬‫م‬ِ ‫ون‬-
-
َ -‫ب‬ُ ِّ ‫ي‬َّ ‫ط‬‫ال‬ ‫ه‬ -‫ن‬‫م‬ِ
ُ ْ َ َْ َ ‫اي‬- -‫ن‬‫ب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬
ٌّ ‫ل‬
ِ ‫ع‬
َ : ‫ه‬
ِ ‫ر‬--
ِ َ ْ‫ب‬‫ن‬‫م‬ِ َ
‫ق‬ ‫و‬
ْ َ
‫ف‬ ‫ه‬ِ ‫ي‬ ‫م‬
َْ َ‫د‬ َ
‫ق‬ ‫ى‬ َ ‫ل‬‫ع‬َ ً ‫ا‬‫م‬‫ِئ‬ ‫ا‬‫ق‬َ ‫ـ‬ َ‫َان‬‫ض‬ ‫م‬
َ َ ِ ‫ش ْه‬
‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ َ
‫ة‬ َ ‫جي فِي ا ْل‬
ِ ‫ج َّن‬ ِ ‫ َوى؛ ال َّنا‬--‫ه‬ َ ‫ا‬--‫ف َع ْن َه‬ َ َّ‫خل‬ َ َ‫ن ت‬ ْ ‫ا َو َم‬--‫ج‬ َ َ‫ا ن‬--‫ن َركِبَ َه‬ ْ ‫ة َم‬ ٌ ‫ ِفي َن‬--‫س‬َ ‫م‬ ْ ‫ه‬
ُ ‫ َو‬،‫م‬ ‫ُأ‬
ْ ‫ َد ِّم ِه‬--‫ونَ بَ ْع‬--‫الطَّيِّ ُب‬
‫اوي فِي لَظَى‬ ِ ‫ َوا ْل َه‬.
O Kumayl! One day, when Allah’s Messenger was standing on his pulpit and
surrounded by the Helpers (An¥¡r) and the Immigrants (Muh¡jir£n) who were
following him the Afternoon Prayer in mid-Rama¤¡n, he said:
`Al¢ and his two purified sons are from me and I am from them. They are like a
ship; whoever enters it will be saved and whoever refuses will drown. The saved one
is in heaven and the drowned will be in Hellfire. [5]
Imam `Al¢ (a.s) has also said:

َ ‫س ِفي َن ِت َنا غَ ِر‬

‫ق‬ َ ‫ب َغ ْي َر‬
َ ‫ن َر ِك‬
ْ ‫ َم‬،‫ق‬
َ َ‫سب‬
َ ‫ع أ ْم َرنَا‬
َ َ‫ن اتَّب‬
ِ ‫ َم‬.
Whoever follows our command will be successful and whoever enters any ship other
than ours will be drowned.[6]
As we know, stars help those traveling by sea to come to the shore of safety. In a narration,
the Holy Prophet compares Ahl al-Bayt with stars in terms of safety:

‫ة‬ٌ - َ‫ا َقبِيل‬--‫خالَ َف ْت َه‬

َ ‫إذَا‬--‫ َف‬-‫ألف؛‬
ِ ِ‫اإلخت‬ ْ ‫ن‬
َ ‫ان ُِأل َّمتِي ِم‬-
ٌ -‫ل بَ ْيتِي أ َم‬
ُ ‫أه‬
ْ ‫ َو‬،ِ‫ن ال َغ َرق‬
َ ‫ل األ ْرضِ ِم‬ ِ ‫ه‬
ْ ‫ان ِأل‬
ٌ ‫جو ُم أ َم‬
ُ ‫ال ُّن‬
‫يس‬َ ‫ل‬
ِ ‫ب‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ب‬
ْ َ ْ ‫ز‬ ‫ح‬
ِ ‫وا‬ ‫ار‬
ُ َ‫ص‬‫ف‬َ ‫وا‬ ‫ف‬
ُ ََ ‫ل‬‫ت‬ ‫اخ‬
ْ ‫ب‬
ِ ‫ر‬
َ ‫ع‬
َ ْ
‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬
َ ‫م‬
ِ .
Stars are a source of guidance for those living on the earth and my Ahl al-Bayt are a
source of safety from differences. So, if an Arab tribe challenges them, it will be
engaged with discrepancies with each other hence becoming party of Satan. [7]
‫خلَ ُه ُغ ِف َر لَ ُه‬ َ ‫ن َد‬ ْ ‫ل؛ َم‬ َ ‫إس َراِئي‬ ْ ‫ة فِي بَنِي‬ ٍ َّ‫حط‬
ِ ِ‫َل بَاب‬
ُ ‫ُم َمث‬
ْ ‫ل بَ ْيتِي فِيك‬
ِ ‫أه‬ْ ‫ل‬ ُ ‫ما َم َث‬
َ َّ‫إن‬.
Verily, the parable of my Ahl al-Bayt is like the gate of °i§§ah (forgiveness) for the
children of Israel. Whoever goes through it will be forgiven.[8]
Imam `Al¢ (a.s) says:

‫ه َوى‬ َ ‫ف َع ْن ُه‬ َ َّ‫خل‬

َ َ‫ن ت‬ ْ ‫ َو َم‬،‫جا‬ َ َ‫خلَ ُه ن‬َ ‫ن َد‬ْ ‫ َم‬،‫السأل ِم‬ َّ ‫اب‬
ُ َ‫ه َو ب‬ ُ ‫ َو‬،‫ة‬ ٍ َّ‫حط‬ ِ ‫اب‬
ُ ‫ن َب‬ ُ ‫ح‬ ْ َ‫ن‬.
We are the gate of °i§§ah which is the gate of peace and safety. Whoever enters
through it will be saved and whoever refuses will meet perdition. [9]
‫م‬
ِ َ‫ات‬--‫خ‬
َ ‫ َر ِة‬-‫ع ْت‬ِ ‫ين فِي‬ َ ِّ‫م ال َّن ِبي‬ َ ‫ُّون إلَى‬
ِ َ‫ات‬--‫خ‬ -َ ‫ه ال َّن ِبي‬ ِ -ِ ‫ت ب‬ ْ َ‫ل‬-‫ُض‬
ِّ ‫ا ف‬--‫ع َم‬ َ -‫مي‬
ِ ‫ج‬َ ‫ه آ َد ُم َو‬ ِ -ِ‫هبَطَ ب‬
َ ‫م الَّ ِذي‬ َ ‫أأل إنَّ ال ِع ْل‬
‫اب‬
ُ َ‫م ب‬ ْ ‫ه‬
ُ ‫ َو‬،‫ة‬ َّ
ٍ ‫حط‬ ِ ‫اب‬ ُ َ‫م ب‬ ْ ‫ َو َم َث ُل ُه‬،‫ف‬ َ ْ
ِ ‫حابِ الك ْه‬ َ ‫ص‬ َ
ْ ‫ُم كأ‬ ْ ‫م فِيك‬ ْ ‫ه ُبونَ ؟ َوإنَّ ُه‬َ ْ‫ن تَذ‬ َ ‫ُم؟ َوأ ْي‬ َ ‫ َفأ ْي‬-،‫ين‬
ْ ‫ن ُي َتا ُه بِك‬ َ ِّ‫ال َّنبِي‬
‫ه تَ َعالَى‬ِ ِ‫م فِي َق ْول‬ ِ ْ
‫ل‬ ‫الس‬:
ِّ
Beware, the knowledge that Adam brought with him and the knowledge of all
Prophets are with Ahl al-Bayt. So why are you bewildered and where are you bound
to go? Ahl al-Bayt among you are like the People of the Cave and like the Gate of
°i§§ah. They are the gate to peace and safety mentioned in the words of Allah: O
you who believe! Enter into submission one and all, and do not follow the footsteps
of Shaitan (2:208)[10]
Addressing Imam `Al¢, the Holy Prophet said:

ِ‫ ذَاب‬-‫ن َع‬ ْ ‫اً ِم‬-‫ُم َكانَ آ ِمن‬ْ ‫ُم َو َواألك‬

ْ ‫حبَّك‬َ ‫نأ‬ َ ‫ َف‬.ً‫خلَ ُه َكانَ آ ِمنا‬
ْ ‫م‬ َ ‫ن َد‬ْ ‫ح َرا ِم؛ َم‬ َ ‫ت هللاِ ا ْل‬ِ ‫ل بَ ْي‬ ُ ‫ي َم َث‬ ُّ ِ‫ُم َيا َعل‬ ْ ‫َم َث ُلك‬
‫ه ُعذْ ٌر‬-ُ َ‫ان ل‬ -َ ‫ن َك‬
-ْ ‫ َو َم‬-.‫ ﯕ‬ ‫ ﯔ‬ ‫ ﯓ‬ ‫ ﮱ‬   ‫ ﮰ‬ ‫ ﮯ‬  ‫ ﮮ‬ ‫ ﮭ‬ ‫ﮬ‬ :ُّ‫ يَا َعلِي‬.‫ار‬ ِ ‫ي فِي ال َّن‬ ‫ُأ‬
َ ‫ُم ْل ِق‬ ْ ‫ضك‬ َ ‫ن أ ْب َغ‬
ْ ‫ َو َم‬.‫ار‬ِ ‫ال َّن‬
ً َ ً
‫يرا َوأل‬--‫هللا أل يَ ْع ُذ ُر َغنِيّا َوأل ف ِق‬َ َ َ ً
َّ‫ إن‬.‫ن كانَ َم ِريضا فل ُه ُعذْ ُر ُه‬ َ َ َ ً َ
ْ ‫ َو َم‬.‫ن كانَ ف ِقيرا فل ُه ُعذْ ُر ُه‬ َ ْ ‫ َو َم‬.‫َفلَ ُه ُعذْ ُر ُه‬
‫ُم‬ْ ‫حبَّتِك‬َ ‫ُم َو َم‬ْ ‫ه فِي ُم َواألتِك‬ ِ ‫صيراً فِي تَ ْف ِري‬
ِ ‫ط‬ ِ َ‫مى َوأل ب‬ ْ ‫حيحاً َوأل‬
َ ‫أع‬ َ ‫ َم ِريضاً َوأل‬.
ِ ‫ص‬
O `Al¢! The parable of you, Ahl al-Bayt, is like the sacred House of Allah. Whoever
entered it was safe. So whoever loves you will be immune from Hellfire and whoever
harbors grudge against you will be thrown into it. O `Al¢! Based on the Holy Qur’¡n,
“… and pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon everyone who is able to
undertake the journey to it (3:97)”, there is however an excuse for one who is poor
or sick. Nevertheless, Allah will not accept the excuse of neither the poor nor the rich
nor the sick nor the healthy who fail to love you, Ahl al-Bayt. [11]
The Holy Prophet (a.s) has also said:

‫ َد أل‬- ‫س‬
َ ‫ج‬ َ ‫إنَّ ا ْل‬--‫ َف‬.ِ‫ َّرأس‬- ‫ن ال‬ َ ‫ن ِم‬ ِ ‫انَ ا ْل َع ْي َن ْي‬--‫ك‬
َ ‫ ِد َو َم‬- ‫س‬ َ ‫ن ا ْل‬
َ ‫ج‬ َ ‫ُم َم‬
َ ‫ َّرأسِ ِم‬- ‫انَ ال‬--‫ك‬ ْ ‫ل بَ ْيتِي ِم ْنك‬
َ -‫أه‬
ْ ‫وا‬--‫إج َع ُل‬
ْ
‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬‫ي‬
ِ ََْْ ِ‫ع‬ ْ
‫ل‬ ‫ا‬‫ب‬ ‫إأل‬ ‫أس‬
ُ َّ ‫ر‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ي‬ ‫د‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ي‬ ‫أل‬ ‫و‬
ِ َ ْ َ َ ِ َّ ِ‫أس‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ال‬ ‫ب‬ ‫إأل‬ ‫ي‬ ‫د‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ه‬
ِ َ ْ َ ‫ي‬.
Consider my Ahl al-Bayt as the head to the body and the two eyes to the head. The
body cannot find the way except by the head and the head cannot find the way
except by the eyes.[12]
It now becomes clear as to why the companions of Ahl al-Bayt during their lives considered
them as head and eyes without whom life was nothing but blindness, bewilderment and
perdition.

Although at the Night of `ªsh£r¡’, Imam °usayn (a.s) gave his companions the choice to
revoke allegiance to him and leave him, they unanimously decided to stay with him.

Beyond doubt, if a person loves them truly and invokes them from the bottom of the heart,
the Ahl al-Bayt too will respond lovingly and accept him with open arms because they are
the manifestation of Allah’s Attributes. They love people and favor them permanently.

It was due to the same love and favor that on the Day of `ªsh£r¡’, Imam °usayn (a.s) was
trying to delay his martyrdom so as to have a chance to save a human being from atheism,
ignorance, and bewilderment. It was for the same reason that he would kindly address the
enemies in the battlefield with his heart broken and his body injured. Impressed by the
Divine nature of the Imam, two brothers named Ab£’l-°ut£f ibn °arth and Sa`d who had
been in the line of the Khaw¡rij in the Battle of Nahraw¡n and in the army of Yaz¢d, joined
Imam °usayn’s camp, fought against the enemies and were martyred

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bayt-%60a-its-meaning-and-origin&catid=312&Itemid=262
people of the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying (33:33)." ("Al-Durr al-
Manthur" 198/5 and 199; "Fadail al-Khamsah"; 226/1). 
Another tradition has it that from the fortieth day after the consummation of the
marriage of `Ali (`a) and Fatimah (`a), the Prophet (s) every morning went to their
house and said: "Peace be upon you, O members of the House and the mercy and
blessings of Allah. I will fight with whoever fights with you and I will be reconciled with
whoever is reconciled with you." He then recited the "tathir verse". 
Ibn `Abdul-Bar in "al-isti`ab" 598/2; Abu Dawud Tialisi in "Sahih" 274/8; and
Firoozabadi in "Fadail al-Khamsah" 236/1 have put at forty the number of mornings
when the Prophet (s) went to the house of `Ali (`a) and Fatimah (`a). In the "Jami al-
Bayan" interpretation, Tabari has said that this was done for seven months. Siyuëi (in
"Al-Durr al-Manthur", 199) has quoted Ibn `Abbas as saying that after the verse "And
enjoin prayer on your household ..." (20:132) was revealed, the Holy Prophet (s) for
nine months went to the house of `Ali (`a) five times a day at the time of daily prayers
and called on the members of the house to keep up the prayer. Each time, he recited
the "tathir verse". 
This is possible because the Holy Prophet's house was close to that of `Ali (`a). Its
door opened inside the mosque. So whenever the Messenger (s) of Allah wanted to
go to the mosque, he had to pass the house of `Ali (`a) and Fatimah (`a).

2. In the Kisa' tradition, it has been stipulated that after placing `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan
and Husayn (peace be upon all) under his cloak, the Prophet (s) said: "O Allah, these
are the members of my Household." This means that no one else apart from these is
viewed as the "ahl al-bayt". 
3. In response to Ummu Salama who asked whether she was also a member of the
Household, the Prophet (s) said: "You have your own place, you are virtuous." He
said no more than this. If Ummu Salama, in whose house the "tathir verse" was
revealed, is not a member of the Household of the Holy Prophet (s), the verse will
surely not apply to the Messenger's other wives. 
4. Some traditions state that based on a request from Ummu Salamah, the Prophet
(s) allowed her to come under the cloak but did so after saying, "Allah these are the
members of my Household" and reciting the "tathir verse". 
5. `Akramah Bariri (d 105 A.H.) and Urwat bin Zubayr (d 93 A.H.) are among the
people who have related that the "tathir verse" has been exclusively revealed about
the wives of the Prophet (s). Of course, Akramah subscribe to Khawarij ("Al-`a'lam"
Zarkali, 42/5) and Urwat ("`Ayan al-Shi`ah", 309/1). Also the pronoun in the said
verse is masculine not feminine. Such a narration cannot contrdict the famous
tradition related by `Aishah, Ummu Salamah, and Abu Saeed Khidri, who have
considered the "ahl al-bayt" to be exclusively five people. They have said that the
verses coming before and after the "tathir verse" are related to the wives of the
Prophet (s), so this verse should also be relevant to them. 
Qur'anic verses are not classified based on the order of their revelation or contents.
In addition, Zayd bin Arqam who has related the authenticated Thaqalayn tradition,
has stated that the wives of the Holy Prophet (s) are not regarded as the members of
his Household). He was asked: "Aren't the wives of the Holy Prophet (s) considered
as the members of the Household?" He replied: "The wives of the Prophet reside in
the Prophet's house but the Prophet's "ahl al-bayt" are those to whom the grant of
"sadaqah" is religiously unlawful." Another tradition has it that Zayd was asked to
name the members of the Household of the Holy Prophet (s). He was asked whether
the Prophet's wives were among his "ahl al-bayt". He replied: "No, a wife lives with a
husband for a while and then might be divorced and go back to her parents." 
6. After citing the "tathir verse", `Ali Qari in the "Annotation to Qazi Ayaz's Shifa" (as
related in "`Ayan al-Shi`ah", 309/1) has mentioned that according to a tradition
narrated by Ibn `Abbas, the Prophet's "ahl al-bayt" include his wives as well.
According to Abu Saeed Khidri and some followers, the "ahl al-bayt" include `Ali,
Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon all). He says: "There is no problem if
we gather these traditions together and consider both groups to be members of the
Household of the Holy Prophet (s). But It would go against the Shia idea that the
"tathir verse" applies only to `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn and that they are
immaculate . Even the fact that they regard the consensus of Imamiyyah `Ulama as
proof to the veracity of thiswould be rejected. Abu Saeed Khidri's tradition only shows
that these four are members of the Prophet's Household and does not indicate that
no one else is among the "ahl al-bayt". 
But Akramah's traditions explicitly quotes Ibn `Abbas as saying that verily the "ahl al-
bayt" refers to the wives of the Prophet. On the other hand, Khidir's tradition says that
the Prophet said: "Only these (i.e. `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn) are the
Members of my Household." This indicates exclusive membership. How then can
these two traditions be combined? For this reason, the Imamiyyah `Ulama have
consensus on following the traditions of the immaculate Imams (peace be upon them
all) and the distinguished disciples to the effect that the "ahl al-bayt" of the Prophet
(s) are only the five people known as the "Al-e-Aba" and "Ashab Kisa'".