The Verse of Purification (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
:آية التطهير) refers to verse 33:33 of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical 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 in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
about the status of purity of the
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...
(). The last passage of this verse reads:
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
disagree as to who belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt and what political privileges or responsibilities they have.
Shia Islam
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, m ...
limits the Ahl al-Bayt to the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, his daughter
Fatima
Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, th ...
, her husband
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 their two sons,
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", " ...
. There are various views in
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
, though a typical compromise is to include also Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt. The Verse of Purification is regarded by the Shia as evidence of the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt.
What is ?
According to
Nasr et al., (spiritual) defilement () encompasses all evil deeds and false beliefs that arise from the "sickness of the heart," another Quranic expression that appears for instance in verse 9:125. The Verse of Purification can thus be interpreted as God’s wanting to remove any incorrect action or belief from the Ahl al-Bayt and to provide them with infallibility (
), that is, the innate protection against all false beliefs or evil deeds. is viewed as a God-given consciousness that overrides all other human faculties. As such, a person endowed with is completely protected from going astray and committing sins.
Shia view
The Shia
al-Tusi Al-Tusi or Tusi is the title of several Iranian scholars who were born in the town of Tous in Khorasan. Some of the scholars with the al-Tusi title include:
* Abu Nasr as-Sarraj al-Tūsī (d. 988), Sufi sheikh and historian.
*Aḥmad al Ṭūsī ( ...
() notes that the article in the Verse of Purification grammatically limits the verse to the Ahl al-Bayt. He then argues that here cannot be limited to disobedience because God expects obedience from every responsible person () and not just the Ahl al-Bayt. The verse must therefore refer to the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt.
The argument of the Shia
Sharif al-Murtaza
Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (Arabic: أبو القاسم علي بن الحسين الشريف المرتضى ) (commonly known as: Sharīf Murtaḍā, Sayyid Murtaḍā, (Murtazā instead of Murtaḍā in non-Ara ...
() is similar. He argues that God's desire in the Verse of Purification cannot be a mere desire because God desires the spiritual purification of every responsible person. Therefore, God's desire in this verse must have been followed by action, that is, the action of purifying the Ahl al-Bayt and ensuring their infallibility. Another argument in this vein is presented by the Shia
Sobhani.
Who are the Ahl al-Bayt?
Inclusion of the Ahl al-Kisa
The majority of the traditions quoted by
al-Tabari
( ar, أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير بن يزيد الطبري), more commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Muslim historian and scholar from Amol, Tabaristan. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari ...
() in his exegesis identify the Ahl al-Bayt with the
Ahl al-Kisa
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, and his two grandsons Ha ...
, namely, Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn. 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
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti ( ar, جلال الدين السيوطي, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī) ( 1445–1505 CE),; (Brill 2nd) or Al-Suyuti, was an Arab Egyptian polymath, Islamic scholar, historian, Sufi, and jurist. From a family of Persian or ...
(), al-Hafiz al-Kabir, and
Ibn Kathir
Abū al-Fiḍā’ ‘Imād ad-Dīn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Qurashī al-Damishqī (Arabic: إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير القرشي الدمشقي أبو الفداء عماد; – 1373), known as Ibn Kathīr (, was ...
(). Similarly, the canonical Sunni collection
''Sunnan al-Tirmidhi'' holds that Muhammad limited the Ahl al-Bayt to Ali, Fatima, and their two sons when the Verse of Purification was revealed to him.
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 prayed, "O God, these are my and my closest family members; remove defilement from them and purify them completely." The accounts of the Sunni Ibn Kathir and al-Suyuti and the Shia
Tabatabai () continue that Umm Salama asked Muhammad, "Am I with thee, O Messenger of God?" but received the negative response, "Thou shalt obtain good. Thou shalt obtain good." There exists a version of this hadith in Sunni sources where Umm Salama is also included in the Ahl al-Bayt. In another Sunni version, Muhammad's servant Wathila bint al-Asqa' is counted in the Ahl al-Bayt.
Muhammad is said to have 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. In 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 ...
, Muhammad is also believed to have gathered Ali, Fatima, and their two sons under his cloak and referred to them as the Ahl al-Bayt, 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 bo ...
'' and
''Sunan al-Tirmidhi''.
This makeup of the Ahl al-Bayt is echoed by
Veccia Vaglieri and unanimously reported in Shia sources. In Shia theology works, the Ahl al-Bayt often also includes the remaining Shia Imams. The term is sometimes loosely applied in Shia writings to all descendants of Ali and Fatima.
Inclusion of Muhammad's wives
Possibly because the earlier injunctions in the Verse of Purification are addressed at Muhammad's wives, some Sunni authors (such as al-Wahidi) have exclusively interpreted Ahl al-Bayt as Muhammad's wives. Others have noted that the last passage of this verse is grammatically inconsistent with the previous injunctions (masculine plural versus feminine plural pronouns). Thus the Ahl al-Bayt is not or is not limited to Muhammad's wives.
Ibn Kathir
Abū al-Fiḍā’ ‘Imād ad-Dīn Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Qurashī al-Damishqī (Arabic: إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير القرشي الدمشقي أبو الفداء عماد; – 1373), known as Ibn Kathīr (, was ...
, for instance, also includes Ali, Fatima, and their two sons.
Some Sunni hadiths, including some by
Ibn Abbas
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās ( ar, عَبْد ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن عَبَّاس; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Qur'an ...
and
Ikrima, support the inclusion of Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt. Alternatively,
Leaman holds that marriage to a prophet does not guarantee inclusion in his . He argues that, in verse 11:73, Sara is included in Abraham's only after receiving the news of her imminent motherhood to two prophets,
Isaac
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...
and
Jacob
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...
. Likewise, Leaman suggests that Moses' mother is classed as a member of in verse 28:12, not for being married to Imran, but for being the mother of Moses.
In support of their bid for inclusion in the Ahl al-Bayt, the
Abbasids
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
argued that women, noble and holy as they may be, could not be considered a source of pedigree (). They also claimed that Muhammad's paternal uncle
Abbas was equal to the father after the death of Muhammad's father.
Broader interpretations
As hinted above, some Sunni authors have broadened the application of the term to include in the Ahl al-Bayt the clan of Muhammad (
Banu Hashim
)
, type = Qurayshi Arab clan
, image =
, alt =
, caption =
, nisba = al-Hashimi
, location = Mecca, Hejaz Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa
, descended = Hashim ibn Abd Manaf
, parent_tribe = Qu ...
), the Banu Muttalib, the descendants of Muhammad's uncle
Abbas (
Abbasids
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
), and even the descendants of
Hashim's nephew
Umayya (
Umayyads Umayyads may refer to:
*Umayyad dynasty, a Muslim ruling family of the Caliphate (661–750) and in Spain (756–1031)
*Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)
:*Emirate of Córdoba (756–929)
:*Caliphate of Córdoba
The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خ ...
). In particular, there exists an
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
version of the Hadith al-Kisa in Sunni sources that might be intended to strengthen Abbasid claims to inclusion among the Ahl al-Bayt. This assertion was in turn the cornerstone of Abbasid claims to the caliphate. Similarly, a Sunni version of 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 ...
identifies the Ahl al-Bayt with the descendants of Ali and his brothers (
Aqil and
Jafar), and Muhammad's uncle,
Abbas.
![آیه_تطهیر](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/%D8%A2%DB%8C%D9%87_%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%B1.jpg)
Abu Bakr and Umar have also been included by some in the Ahl al-Bayt by their supporters as they were both fathers-in-law of Muhammad. These and the accounts about the inclusion of the Umayyads in the Ahl al-Bayt might have been later reactions to Abbasid claims to inclusion in the Ahl al-Bayt and their bid for legitimacy, according to Brunner. The term has also been interpreted as the tribe of Quraysh or the whole Muslim community by some. For instance, Paret identified () in the Verse of Purification with
Kaaba
The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...
, though his theory has found few supporters, notably
Sharon
Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname.
In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...
.
Conclusion
According to Howard, a typical Sunni compromise is to interpret Ahl al-Bayt as the Ahl al-Kisa (Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn) together with Muhammad's wives, which might reflect the majority opinion of medieval Sunni exegetes. This view is shared by
Goldziher and his coauthors, and mentioned by Sharon, though
Madelung also includes the Banu Hashim in the Ahl al-Bayt in view of their blood relation to Muhammad.
In contrast, Shia limits the Ahl al-Bayt to Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn, pointing to authentic traditions that can be found in Sunni and Shia sources. Their view is supported by Veccia Vaglieri and
Jafri.
Significance in Shia Islam
The Verse of Purification has long been regarded by the Shia as evidence of the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt. As quoted by Madelung, Hasan ibn Ali referred to verse 33:33 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:Infallibility (
) is considered in
Twelver Shia
Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
a necessary trait for the
Imams
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...
, as the divine guides after the prophet. In addition to logical arguments, the textual basis for the infallibility of the Imams includes the Quranic verse, "My covenant embraceth not the evildoers." This notion was included in Shia teachings as early as the Shia Imam
Muhammad al-Baqir
Muḥammad al-Bāqir ( ar, مُحَمَّد ٱلْبَاقِر), with the full name Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, also known as Abū Jaʿfar or simply al-Bāqir () was the fifth Imam in Shia Islam, succee ...
().
See also
*
Ahl al-Kisa
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, and his two grandsons Ha ...
*
Verse of Mawadda
The Verse of Mawadda (Arabic: آية الْمَوَدَّة, ) refers to verse 42:23 of the Quran, the interpretation of which is disputed. This verse is often cited in Shia sources to support the elevated status of the family of the Islamic prop ...
*
Verse of Ikmal al-Din
The Verse of Ikmal al-Din ( ar, إِکْمَال الدِّيْن) or the Verse of Ikmal is verse 5:3 of Islam's central religious text, the Quran, which includes the passage
The interpretation of the Verse of Ikmal is disputed between the ...
*
Verse of Wilaya
The Verse of Wilāya () refers to verse 5:55 of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. This verse specifies three authorities as the only sources of for believers. In Sunni Islam, in this verse means friendship and support, whereas ...
*
Warning Verse
The hadith of warning ( ar, يوم الإنذار , translit=yawm al-inzar), also known as the invitation of the close families of Muhammad ( ar, دعوة ذو العشیرة, translit=da'wat dhul-ashira), is an Islamic tradition (hadith) that de ...
*
Verse of Brotherhood
The Verse of Brotherhood ( ar, آیة الاخوة, Āyat al-Ukhuwwah) is the tenth verse of the Quranic chapter "Al-Hujurat" ( Q49:10). The verse is about the brotherhood of believers with each other; which says: "the believers are but brothers, ...
*
Muhammad in the Quran
The Quran enumerates little about the early life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or other biographic details, but it talks about his prophetic mission, his moral excellence, and theological issues regarding him. According to the Quran, Muhammad i ...
*
Verse of Obedience
The Verse of Obedience ( ar, آيَة ٱلطَّاعَة) refers to verse 4:59 of the central religious text in Islam, the Quran, which reads
In Sunni Islam, "those in authority" () in this verse variously refers to Caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar, ...
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Verse Of Purification, The
Quranic verses
Islamic ethics
Shia Islam
Sunni Islam
Sharia