Ahl al-Kisa ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْكِسَاء, ʾAhl al-Kisāʾ, lit=people of the cloak, '), also known as the Aal al-Aba (, ), are the
Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter
Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
, and his two grandsons
Hasan and
Husayn
Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...
. The name has its origins in the Hadith of Kisa and the
Event of Mubahala
The Event of Mubahala () was a meeting between the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a Christian delegation from Najran (present-day Saudi Arabia), in the month of Dhu'l-Hijja, 10 AH (October 631, October 631–32, October 632–33), where Muhamm ...
, both widely reported by
Sunni and
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
authorities. While all Muslims revere the family of Muhammad, it is the (non-
Zaydi
Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...
) Shia who regard the Ahl al-Kisa as infallible and believe in the redemptive power of their pain and martyrdom, particularly Husayn's. In Shia Islam, the
Ahl al-Bayt of Muhammad is limited to the Ahl al-Kisa. A common Sunni view also includes Muhammad's wives, though there are other Sunni opinions too about the Ahl al-Bayt.
Origins of the name
Hadith of Kisa
Muhammad's wife
Umm Salama
Hind bint Abi Umayya ( ar, هِنْد بِنْت أَبِي أُمَيَّة, Hind ʾibnat ʾAbī ʾUmayya, 580 or 596 – 680 or 683), better known as Umm Salama ( ar, أُمّ سَلَمَة, link=no) or Hind al-Makhzūmiyah ( ar, هِنْد ...
relates in possibly the earliest version of the Hadith al-Kisa that Muhammad gathered Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn under his cloak, and these five are thus known as the Ahl al-Kisa (). The hadith continues that Muhammad prayed, "O God, these are my () and my closest family members; remove defilement from them and purify them completely," thus making a reference to verse 33:33 of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
, known also as the
Verse of Purification
The Verse of Purification (Arabic:آية التطهير) refers to verse 33:33 of the Quran about the status of purity of the Ahl al-Bayt (). The last passage of this verse reads:
Muslims disagree as to who belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt and what ...
. Among others, this hadith is reported by the Sunni
Ibn Kathir () and
al-Suyuti () and the Shia
Tabatabai ().
Event of Mubahala
After an inconclusive debate about
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
with a
Christian delegation from
Najran, it was decided to engage in , where both parties would pray to invoke God's curse upon whoever was the liar. This is when Muhammad is reported to have received verse 3:61 of the Quran, also known as the
Verse of Mubahala, which reads
On the day of , Muhammad was accompanied by Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn, according to Shia and some Sunni authors, including
al-Razi () and al-Suyuti. This view is shared by
Madelung and Lalani.
Momen and Algar add that these five stood under Muhammad's cloak, hence the name Ahl al-Kisa. In contrast, most Sunni accounts by
al-Tabari () do not name the participants of the event.
Place in Islam
In the Quran
Families and descendants of the past prophets hold a prominent position in the Quran. In particular, after the past prophets, their descendants become spiritual and material heirs to keep their fathers' covenants intact.
Jafri further suggests that the sanctity of a prophet's family was an accepted principle at the time of Muhammad, while Madelung believes that Muhammad's kin are mentioned in the Quran in various contexts.
Verse of Mubahala
Madelung writes that the participation of the Ahl al-Kisa in the significant ritual of and its sanction by the Quran (3:61) must have raised their religious rank. A similar view is voiced by Lalani. In its Shia interpretation, the Verse of Mubahala refers to Ali as the self of Muhammad and thus the former enjoys the same authority as the prophet.
Verse of Purification
The last passage of verse 33:33, also known as the
Verse of Purification
The Verse of Purification (Arabic:آية التطهير) refers to verse 33:33 of the Quran about the status of purity of the Ahl al-Bayt (). The last passage of this verse reads:
Muslims disagree as to who belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt and what ...
, reads:Muslims disagree as to who belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt () and what political privileges or responsibilities they have. Shia Islam limits the Ahl al-Bayt to the Ahl al-Kisa, namely, Muhammad, Fatima, Ali, Hasan and Husayn. The Verse of Purification is thus regarded in Shia Islam as evidence of the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt. There are various views in Sunni Islam, though a typical compromise is to also include Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt.
In particular, the majority of the traditions quoted by al-Tabari in his exegesis identify the Ahl al-Bayt in the Verse of Purification with the Ahl al-Kisa. These traditions are also cited by some other early Sunni authorities, including
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal al-Dhuhli ( ar, أَحْمَد بْن حَنْبَل الذهلي, translit=Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal al-Dhuhlī; November 780 – 2 August 855 CE/164–241 AH), was a Muslim jurist, theologian, ascetic, hadith traditionist, and ...
(), al-Suyuti, al-Hafiz al-Kabir, and Ibn Kathir. Similarly, the canonical Sunni collection
''Sunnan al-Tirmidhi'' reports that Muhammad limited the Ahl al-Bayt to Ali, Fatima, and their two sons when the Verse of Purification was revealed to him. Veccia Vaglieri writes that Muhammad recited the last passage of the Verse of Purification every morning when he passed by Fatima's house to remind her household of the
prayer. At the Event of Mubahala, Muhammad defined the Ahl al-Bayt as Ali, Fatima, and their two sons, according to Shia and some Sunni sources, including the canonical ''
Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim ( ar, صحيح مسلم, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim), group=note is a 9th-century ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued b ...
'' and ''Sunan al-Tirmidhi''.
Verse of Mawadda
Verse 42:23 of the Quran, also known as the
Verse of Mawadda, includes the passage
The word kinsfolk () in this verse is interpreted by the Shia as the Ahl al-Bayt.
Ibn Ishaq () narrates that the prophet specified as his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons, Hasan and Husayn. As quoted by Madelung, Hasan ibn Ali referred to the Verse of Mawadda in his inaugural speech as the
caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
after the assassination of his father in 661, saying that he belonged to the Ahl al-Bayt "whose love He
odhas made obligatory in His Book
uran
Uran is a coastal town and part of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It lies in the Raigad district, east of Mumbai across the Dharamtar Creek. Uran is primarily a fishing and agriculture village, which has developed into th ...
.."
The Verse of Mawadda is often cited by the Shia about the elevated status of the Ahl al-Bayt. In
Twelver Shia, the affection in this verse also entails obedience to the Ahl al-Bayt as the source of exoteric and esoteric guidance. This obedience is believed to benefit the faithful first and foremost, citing the following passage of verse 34:47, which contains the passage, "Say, 'I ask not of you any reward; that shall be yours ().'"
Some Sunni commentators agree with the Shia view, including
Baydawi, al-Razi, and Ibn Maghazili. Most Sunni authors, however, reject the Shia view and offer various alternatives. The view preferred by al-Tabari is that the Verse of Mawadda instructs Muslims to love the prophet because of their blood relations to him. Alternatively, Madelung suggests that the Verse of Mawadda demands love towards relatives in general.
In the hadith literature
Widely reported by Sunni and Shia authorities is the
Hadith al-Thaqalayn
The Hadith al-Thaqalayn () refers to a hadith () attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad that introduces the Quran and his progeny as the only sources of divine guidance after his death. Widely reported by both Shia and Sunni authorities, the ...
. In particular, the version of this hadith that appears in
''Musnad Ibn Hanbal'', a canonical Sunni source, is as follows:There are several slightly different versions of this hadith in Sunni sources, suggesting that Muhammad might have repeated this statement on multiple occasions. In particular, the version that appears in ''
as-Sunan al-kubra'', another canonical Sunni source, also includes the warning, "Be careful how you treat the two
reasuresafter me." In some Sunni versions of this hadith, the word
appears instead of .
Another instance is the
Hadith of the Ark, attributed to Muhammad and reported by Shia and Sunni sources in various forms, according to
Momen. One version of the Hadith of the Ark reads, "The likeness of the people of my house is the ship of Noah: whoever boards it is safe, and whoever abandons it is drowned." Also ascribed to Muhammad is the hadith, "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, faith will never enter a person's heart until he loves them
uhammad's familyfor the sake of God and for the fact that they are my kin."
In Muslim communities
In many Muslim communities, high social status is given to people claiming descent from Ali and Fatima. They are called
s or
s. Campo writes that Sunnis revere the family of Muhammad, though Brunner suggests that this was the case until modern times. Most
Sufi s (brotherhoods) trace their spiritual chain to Muhammad through Ali and revere the Ahl al-Kisa as the Holy Five. It is, however, the (non-Zaydi) Shia who regard the Ahl al-Kisa as infallible and believe in the redemptive power of their pain and martyrdom (particularly Husayn's) for those who empathize with their suffering and divine cause.
See also
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Ahl al-Bayt
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Hadith al-Thaqalayn
The Hadith al-Thaqalayn () refers to a hadith () attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad that introduces the Quran and his progeny as the only sources of divine guidance after his death. Widely reported by both Shia and Sunni authorities, the ...
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Hadith of Pen and Paper
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Hadith of the Twelve Successors
The Hadith of the Twelve Successors ( ar-at, حَدِيْث ٱلْإِثْنَي عَشَر خَلِيْفَة, ḥadīth al-ithnā ʿashar khalīfah) is a widely-reported prophecy, attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, predicting that the ...
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Sayyidat Nisa' al-Alamin
Notes
Sources
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* {{cite thesis , author-last= , author-first= , title=The Image of Fatima in Classical Muslim Thought , publisher=Princeton University , year= , last=Soufi , first=Denise Louise , date=1997 , degree=PhD , url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/304390529?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true
External links
Hadees-e-KisaAyat ut Tathir
Fatimah
Hadith
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Islamic terminology