PART I
THE IMAM
DURING THE ERA
OF THE PROPHETHOOD
1.
The House
of the Prophet Mohammad
All Muslims glorify the Members of the House
of the
Holy Prophet Mohammad who are called Aal Mohammad
or Ahl Beit Mohammad. This attitude is in accord with the
instructions of the Holy Prophet who commanded Muslims
to pray simultaneously for the members of his House when-
ever they pray for him. By so commanding them, he actually
required the Muslims to reserve a place for them next to
his. The Holy Qur'an made it mandatory to offer prayers
for Mohammad and to greet him:
"Certainly, God and His Angels honor the Prophet
(Mohammad).
O believers, pray (God to honor) him and greet him
repeatedly." 1
Many companions asked the Prophet to teach them how to
comply with this command. Many highly respected hadith-
recorders (including Al-Bukhari and Muslim) reported
in their "Sahihs" (authentics) that Kaab Ibn Ujrah stated
that the Prophet said:
"Say: God, bestow honor on Mohammad and the mem-
bers of the House of Mohammad, as Thou bestowed
honor on the members of the House of Abraham, Thou
Art praised and Glorious. God bless Mohammad and
the members of the House of Mohammad as Thou had
blessed the members of the House of Abraham. Cer-
tainly Thou Art Praised and Glorious." 2
When instructing his followers on a religious matter, the
Messenger of God did not speak out of his human desire.
The Qur'an testifies that he only said what was revealed to
him.:
"Nor does he (Mohammad) say (aught about religion)
of (his own) desire. It is not but a revelation sent to
him." 3
IS THE HONOR
DUE TO THE RELATIONSHIP?
It may appear that inclusion of the members of
the
House of Mohammad in prayers for him is due to their
blood-relationship. If so, it would not be in accord with the
spirit of the Islamic teachings. To bestow on them such a
unique honor because of their relationship to Mohammad
is to advocate a family supremacy and is in conflict with the
following principles:
1. All people in the eyes of God are equal, for the Holy
Qur'an declared:
"Surely, the noblest among you in the sight of God is
the most righteous of you." 4
2. God does not penalize or reward a servant of His for
the sins or good deeds of his parents or his close or distant
relatives. From the Holy Qur'an:
"And beware a day on which no parent avails his
child; nor will a child avail his parent." 5
3. God does not penalize nor reward a human being for
what is beyond his ability and without his choice.
Being related or unrelated to the Prophet is not a matter
of personal choice. None of us chose before our birth to be
related or unrelated to a particular family, nationality or
race.
Therefore, it would be very difficult for Muslims to
believe that they should include Mohammad's relatives in
their prayers simply because they are his relatives.
It Is Due to Their Merits,
Not Their Inheritance
To dispel this apparent conflict, it is
important to know
that the word, "Aal Mohammad," which is repeatedly men-
tioned in the daily prayers, does not include all his relatives.
Only a very small number of them are included. Had they all
been included, it would be a clannish or a tribal discrimina-
tion because many of them did not walk in the path of
Mohammad, and to place them above others is to advocate
a clannish supremacy.
Kinship to the Prophet Mohammad does not mean ac-
ceptance by God; nor does it secure for his relatives a place
in Paradise or insure them against Divine punishment. God,
according to Islamic teachings, has created Paradise for
whoever obeys Him and the place of punishment for who-
ever disobeys Him, regardless of family affiliation, nation-
ality, or race. The Holy Qur'an even contains a chapter
defaming Abu Lahab who was an uncle of the Prophet
Mohammad.
"Perish the two hands of the Father of Flame and per-
ished he. His wealth and whatever he gained did not
avail him.... " 6
The truth is that the word Aal Mohammad means only the
"chosen" relatives of Mohammad. These chosen individuals
are not chosen nor honored because of their relationship to
Mohammad, but because of their virtues. They lived the true
Islamic life, followed the instructions of the Holy Qur'an
and the Messenger, and never parted with them in word or
deed. When God informs us in His Book that the noblest
among His human creatures are the most righteous, and His
Messenger commands us to honor the members of his house
when we honor him, we infer that they are the most righ-
teous after the Prophet.
Had they not been so, they would not deserve such a
unique honor, and the Prophet would not have instructed us
to honor them whenever we honor his name. To do other-
wise would not be in accord with the Holy Qur'an. Thus,
by commanding us to pray for them whenever we pray for
him, the Prophet was actually informing us of their high
merit, being the most obedient to God and His Messenger.
THE RECORD
ATTESTS TO THEIR MERIT
All Muslims agree that Ali, the Prophet's
cousin whom
the Prophet "brothered" and his wife Fatimah (the Lady of
Light), the dearest child of the Messenger, and their two
children, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein, are from the chosen
members of the House of Mohammad and that they are
included in our prayers for him. The high qualifications of
the chosen relatives of Mohammad is the main reason for
the very unique honor bestowed upon them.
Imam Ali stood above all others, after the Prophet. He
was the strongest supporter of the Messenger of God. He
never hesitated to give his life for the promotion of Islam.
The readers of history can easily know that Imam Ali was
the top defender of Islam and the most adherent to its rules.
Imam Ali's attitude towards personal power and prestige
was unique. Whenever he had to choose between adherence
to his ideals and the pleasures of the earthly life, he unhesi-
tatingly chose the former. History testifies that he preferred
to lose the leadership of the Muslim World rather than to
accept a condition in which he did not believe. He was
offered this leadership contingent on his pledge to follow
the Book of God, the instructions of the Messenger, and the
traditions of the first two Caliphs in the absence of the
Quranic and the Messenger's instructions. He replied:
"(I shall follow the Book of God and the instructions of
His Messenger; and in the absence of specific teachings
of the two sources,) I shall endeavor to the best of my
knowledge and ability." 7
His knowledge was amazing in its depth and extensiveness.
His sermons, lectures, and the words contained in Nahjul-
Balaghah (Path of Eloquence) testify to the authenticity of
the reported statement of the Messenger:
"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate; so,
whoever wants to enter the city should come through
the gate." 8
The record of the other three distinguished members of the
House of Mohammad, Fatimah and her two children Al-
Hassan and Al-Hussein, shows that they were the most sin-
cere servants of Islam.
The authentic hadiths spoke of their distinctions and
qualifications as permanent allies of justice and truth. Zeid
Ibn Arqam reported that the Messenger of God said to Ali,
Fatimah, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein:
"I am at peace with whomever you are at peace; and I
am at war with whomever you are at war." 9
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of God said:
"Whoever loves Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein loves me;
and whoever hates them hates me." 10
Hubshi Ibn Janadah said that he heard the Messenger say-
ing:
"Ali is from me and I am from Ali and no one repre-
sents me but Ali." 11
The Messenger did not intend to distinguish Ali simply be-
cause he was related to him. Al-Abbas (his uncle) and the
rest of the Hashimites, including Jaafar (the brother of Ali)
are all related to the Messenger. All of them would have
been qualifed to represent him. But he said, "No one repre-
sents me but Ali."
At one time Muaweyah was criticizing Ali in the pres-
ence of Saad Ibn Abu Waqass. Saad said to him: "I heard
the Messenger of God saying to Ali: `You are to me like
Aaron to Moses. But there shall be no Prophet (of God)
after me.' " 12
Thus, the Messenger gave Ali a position next to his
own, for the position of Aaron was next to that of Moses.
Al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih that the Messenger
said: "Fatimah is the leader of the women of Paradise." 13
No one enters Paradise but through righteousness, and
whoever enters Paradise is noble in the sight of God. If
Fatimah is the leader of the women of Paradise, she must be
the most righteous and the noblest woman in God's view.
Al-Hakim recorded in his Mustadrak, that Abu Tharr
(a famous companion of Mohammad whose truthfulness
is known to the Muslims) said that the Messenger said:
"The example of the members of my House is like that
of Noah's ark. Whoever embarked on it was safe, and
whoever failed to embark was drowned.... " 14
The Messenger of God commanded the Muslims to fol-
low his chosen relatives. Therefore, the relatives of Mo-
hammad are considered to be the party of truth, distin-
guished because of their merit and work as they rank among
the most righteous servants of God.
WHY WERE THEY SO MERITORIOUS?
Why did the members of the House of Mohammad
sur-
pass other Arabs or non-Arabs in righteousness?
Precedents in History
To understand the reason, we ought to remember
that
what took place in the House of Mohammad was not un-
precedented in the history of Prophethood. There are many
similar precedents. The Almighty God made Aaron a part-
ner to his brother Moses in his heavenly mission. He did
not bestow this honor on any other person from the Israel-
ites. This was due to the high qualification of Aaron and in
response to the prayer of Moses, as mentioned in the Holy
Qur'an:
"He (Moses) said: My Lord, Open my mind, and
loosen a knot from my tongue; that they may under-
stand my word. Appoint for me a minister from my
folk Aaron, my brother. Confirm my strength by him,
and let him share my task..." 15
The Prophet Abraham prayed to the Lord to make some of
his offsprings imams of the people. God responded to his
prayer and promised to make imams from his good off-
springs, without allowing any of their wrong doers reach
that high rank. From the Holy Qur'an:
"And We gave (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, and We
made recipients of Prophethood and revelation from
among his progeny, and We granted him his reward
in this life, and he was in the Hereafter of the company
of the righteous." 16
God also has chosen, along with the relatives of Abraham,
the relatives of Imran and preferred them above others.
"God chose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham,
and the family of Imran above all people. Offsprings
related to each other, and God hears and knows all
things." 17
Zakaria prayed to the Almighty to grant him a righteous
child. God answered his prayer, and the angels gave him
good tidings:
"There did Zakaria pray to his Lord, saying: O my
Lord, grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure;
for Thou Art He that hears prayer."
"While he was standing in prayer in chamber, the angels
called unto him: God doth give thee glad tidings of
Yahya (John), witnessing the truth of a word from
God, and (besides) noble, chaste, and a Prophet of
the (goodly) company of the righteous." 18
According to these verses the Prophethood which pre-
ceded that of Mohammad took the same course. From
among the offspring and kinsmen of these Messengers there
were chosen persons who reached the highest degree of
piety, and therefore deserved to be commissioned by God.
Why Did God Give Those Prophets
Such Distinguished Children and Relatives?
The Almighty God created persons among the
kinsmen
and offspring of these Messengers in response to their pray-
ers or as a reward to them for their endeavors in spreading
the Message of God.
Like other prophets, Mohammad was given unusual rel-
atives and offspring as a reward for his endeavor in the
service of God and in response to his prayers.
He commanded us to say: "God, honor Mohammad and
the members of his House," and he prayed for the purity of
these members on various occasions.
Al-Hakim reported that the Prophet covered Ali, Fa-
timah, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein with a garment and pray-
ed, saying:
"God, these are my family. I ask Thee to honor Mo-
hommad and the family of Mohammad."
In response to his prayer the following revelation came:
"God wants only to keep abomination away from you
and make you, members of the family of Mohammad,
spotless." 19
Thus, it was not unusual to have in the kinsmen and off-
spring of Mohammad distinguished men and women of the
highest degree of righteousness. On the contrary, if such
persons did not exist among the relatives of the Prophet, it
would have been very unusual. God honored Abraham,
Moses, Zakaria and other Prophets, by creating in their
progeny and relatives distinguished persons, preferring them
above other people. Why should He not honor His final and
most important Prophet by creating in his offspring and rel-
atives some people with highest distinction?
The Prophet's Reward
The Holy Qur'an makes it explicity clear that
the love
of relatives of Mohammad is an Islamic duty. God com-
manded Mohammad to ask the Muslims to reward him for
his fulfillment of the heavenly mission, by loving his close
kins.
"That is (the bounty) whereof God gives glad tidings
to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say:
No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of
(my) near kins. And if any one earns good deeds, We
shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof,
God is Oft-Forgiving. Most ready to appreciate (serv-
ice). " 20
God is telling Mohammad to inform all Muslims that
the only reward he wants for fulfilling his Heavenly mis-
sion is that the Muslims love his relatives.
This is only because those members are the most obedi-
ent to God and his most beloved servants among the
Muslims.
By commanding His Messenger to do so, He actually
commanded the Muslims to glorify the chosen relatives of
Mohammad, place their confidence in them, and walk in
their path.
In compliance with this heavenly command, the Holy
Prophet asked all his followers to love them. He stated that
he is at peace with whomever they are at peace, and that
he is at war with whomever they are at war. He considered
them to be similar to the ark of Noah. Whoever embarked
on it was safe, and whoever failed to be on it was drowned.
The House of Mohammad can be a means of unity to
the Muslims. This unity can be realized when Muslims
take the attitude which God and His Messenger wanted
them to take toward these people. It would be erroneous
for the Muslims to separate Mohammad from the Members
of his House while he himself wanted to be united with
them. This is clearly evident by his instruction that his
followers couple his name with his chosen relatives when-
ever they pray for him, whether within or outside their
daily prayers.
1 The Holy Qur'an. Chapters 33, 57.
2 Of these hadith-recorders are the following:
A Al-Bukhari, "Sahih Al-Bukhari" (Authentic of Al-Bukhari),
Part 6, p. 101 (in the Book of the interpretation of the
Holy Qur'an).
B Muslim, Sahih Muslim, Part 4, (in the Prayer on the
Prophet after the declaration of the Faith) p. 136.
C Mohammad Ibn Majah, Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, hadith
No.904.
D Al-Termathi, hadith No. 483, Part No.1. Other hadiths are
reported by Abu-Sa-eed, Abu Mas-ood, Talhah and Ibn
Mas-ood. All Acoord with the above-mentioned hadith of
Kaab Ibn Ujrah.
3 Chapter 53, verse 4-5.
4 The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 49, verse 13.
5 The Qur'an, Chapter 31, verse 33.
6 The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 111.
7 Ibn-Atheer, Al-Kamil (the complete history), Part 3, p. 35.
8 Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, Part 3, p.26.
9 Ibn Majah, Sunan Ibn Majah, hadith No.145.
10 Ibid., hadith No.143.
11 Ibid., hadith No.119.
12 Ibn Majah, hadith No.121.
13 Al-Bukhari, Sahih Al-Bukhari, Part 5, (Chapter of distinction
of relatives of the Messenger) p. 25.
14 Al-Hakim, Sahih Al-Musradrak, Part 3, p.151.
15 The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 20, verses 25-32.
16 The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 29, verse 27.
17 The Qur'an, Chapter 3, verses 33 and 34.
18 The Qur'an, Chapter 3, verses 38 and 39.
19 Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, Part 3, p. 148.
20 The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 42, verse 23.