Wives Of Rasoolallah {Sallalahu Alayhi Was'salam} Are Ahli Bayt.

[MuhammedAli]

Intorduction:

Ahli Bayt, literally means people of the house, but in termonolgy of Sharia, and Quran it means people of the house of Prophet Muhammed {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} Shia Rawafiz, as well Shia Tafzili-Rawafiz {i.e. Abdul Qadir Jilani and the party} are of the beleife that only the four, Honourable, Ali, Fatimah, Hassan, Hussain {radiallah tallah anhuma ajmaeen} as well as RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} is reffered as Ahli Bayt in the Quran. Where as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat's aqeedah is that wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are reffered as Ahli Bayt primarily in Quran al kareem, and RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} used his ikthiyar {i.e. 'authority' bestowed by Allah subhana wa tallah} to initiate Hazrat; Ali, Fatimah, Imam; Hassan, Hussain, {radiallah tallah anhuma ajmaeen} into the honourable maqam of Ahli Bayt.

Part One: Allah's Declared Ahli Bayt Are Wives Of RasoolAllah.

Allah subhana wa tallah states in Quran al kareem:

Surah Al Azaab {33} Verses: {32} "Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear (Allah), be not too complacent of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is) just. {33} And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you o people of the house, and to make you pure and spotless. {34} And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes, of the Signs of Allah and His Wisdom: for Allah understands the finest mysteries and is well-acquainted (with them).”

It should be apparent to those who read that the one's adressed in this verse are wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}, but for sake of detailed analysis I will explain these verses in their context.

- Wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are instructed: 'And stay quietly in your houses, ...' Since the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} were instructed to stay home, and Allah {subhana wa tallah} knew that wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} will abide by the hokam of Allah {subhana wa tallah}, also women in general are the ones who stay at home, and are not permitted to go out unnessecrily. Their association with house, and their staying in house, was the reason for which they were addressed as ahli bayt in verse: 'And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you o people of the house {i.e. ahli bayt} ...'

- Allah {subhana wa tallah} says: "O wives of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women:", implication is that you are no more ordinary women you have been married to a Prophet, therefore your status is high. And due to their status Allah {subhana wa tallah} says to them:"if ye wives do fear ((Allah)), be not too complacent of speech ...", Allah {subhana wa tallah} instructs the wives of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} that they should not be careless of the manner in which they converse with strangers, and Allah {subhana wa tallah} gives the reason for this; "... lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye wives in a speech (that is) just." and Allah {subhana wa tallah} gives reason why He wants the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} to not too be complacent;"... Allah only wishes to remove all Ar'rijs{abomination} from you WIVES, o members of the Family, and to make you WIVES pure and spotless." Context reveals that ar'rijs is refference to a males whos character, piety, beleife is not worthy of consideration i.e. munafiqeen. And only one way of possiable contact with such filthy, dispickable people was possiable: "And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes, of the Signs of Allah and His Wisdom ..." {waz'kurna, recite, teach, narrate,} that Prophet's {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} wives were teachers of Sahabah {radiallah tallah anh ajma'een}, and munafiqeen would have taken this oppurtunity to harm the holy, pious, pure reputation of Prophet's {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} wives.

- "And stay quietly in your houses, and uncover { i.e. face, body, etc ...} not like the uncovering of Jahiliyah {Ignorance} ... " Allah {subhana wa tallah} instructs the wives of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} that they should not un-cover their bodies like the people of Jahiliyah did. Note Jahiliyah is period prior to Islam in which strict rules of segregation for male and female was not in place, nor the polytheist women covered their bodies adequetly, rather they displayed their phisical ornamental parts of their body with pride. Then Allah {subhana wa tallah} commands these wives of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}: "... and continue to perform regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger." And the reason for both set of commands is stated by Allah subhana wa tallah: "And Allah only wishes to remove all Ar'rijs from you members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless." Ar'rijs in the context of the ayaat means impurities with in ones own self resulted because of not performing Salah, personel short commings, unlawful earnings, not living life according to Sunnah of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}. In short everything which is haram, kuffr, comes into this meaning of ar'rijs and Allah {subhana wa tallah} wished to purify the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} from all kuffr, shirk, haram, and make them pure, spotless.

The above Tafsir in according to the context makes it abundatly clear that wives of RasoolAllah are the only ones being reffered directly by Allah {subhana wa tallah}, and no one apart from them is intended.

Grametical Analysis:

Any body who is familiar with the basics of Arabic grammar or grammar of any language will know that word 'and' {i.e. 'wa'} is used for two purposes:

- 'and' Explainatory
- 'and' Coordinating Conjunctive

- 'and' Explainatory: To put it simply 'and' {i.e. explainatory} is some times used to explain, to clarify, to elaborate even further on something, and its used in meaning of, also, in addition to, as well as. Example would be 'Mango was sweet and {i.e. as well as} yellow.'

- 'and' Coordinating Conjunctive: Serves to join two sentences togather without the need of full-stop, but in Arabic rules are slightly different, the full-stop can be inserted but the next sentence will begin with 'and', indicating the previous sentence and next sentence are linked.

- Allah {subhana wa tallah} states:

Surha Al Ahzab {33} Verse :32 "Ya Nisa'an Nabiyee las'tun'na qana hadim min'ni'saa'e e'nitta'qaytunna fala takhzahna bil'qauli fa yat'mallazi fi qalbihi maraduv wa qulna qau'lam maroofa. {33} Wa qarna fi biyuti'qunna wala tabar'ragna tabar'rujal jahiliyatil aula wa a'qim'nas salata wa a'tinaz zakata wa a'tihnallaha wa Rasooluh, in'nama yureedullahu liyuzhiba ankumur rijsa ahlal bayti wa yutah'hiraqum tathira. {34} Waz'qurna ma yutla fi biyuti'qunna min ayaatillahi wal hikmat, in'nallaha qana latifan khabira.”

Verse 32 ends with: "wa qulna qau'lam maroofa" {"but speak ye {wives} a speech (that is) maroof [i.e. good, just]"} verse 33 begins with: "Wa'qarna fi biyuti'qunna" {And stay quietly in your houses} also . The verse 33 ends with: "wa'yutah'hiru qum tatheera" {"and to make you pure and spotless."} and verse 34 begins with: "wazqurna ma yutla fi biyuti'qunna"{"And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes"}

The above are example of how 'Wa' Coordinating Conjunctive is used to connect two sentences togather. This proves that verses 31, 32, 33, 34 all are connected with each other. The second usage type of 'Wa' explainatory is demonstrated by the usage: "maraduv wa qulna qau'lam" ... "Wa"la tabar'rajna, ... "Wa" a'qim nas'salata Wa a'teenaz zakata Wa a'tihnallhi Wa Rasoolih", ... "Wa yutah'heera qum tatheera" ... "min ayatillahi wal hikmat" , in addition to this, verse 35 is a classic example of such usage.

The principle of Arabic grammar is that when "Wa" comes at the beginning of a sentence, it connects the previous sentence with it self. When "Wa" is used in the middle of sentence, then its used in the meaning of also, plus, as well as, in addition to.

The conclusion derived is that the verses 32, 33, and 34 are inter connected with each other, and wives of RasoolAllah are the most definitely the reffered as Ahli Bayt in the Quran.

Rawafiz & Their Objections:

The Rawafiz attempt to reffute the above explainations by taking the verse 33 out of its context and argue due to the use of masculine plurals ankum {i.e. 'from you'}, and yuta'hiruqum {i.e. purify you} in the verse can not be reffering to the wives. The Rawafiz argue if verse 33, part of Tatheer was reffering to the wives the feminine pronoun an'kun'na {i.e. from you} would have been used. They argue that due to masculine plurals being used in ayaat Tatheer, it must reffer to male majority, and female minority otherwise the Quran would contradict the established rules of Arabic grammar, thus it would indicate error in Quran, and Allah is free from error. They nominate Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Hassan, Hazrat Hussain, {radiallah tallah anhuma ajma'een} in their male majority, and Hazrat Fatimah in minority to female/s.

Before the point is directly adressed, khadam will explain that, some times the accuracy of grammar is ignored to convey a meaning. In Surah An Nisa {4} Verse 23, Allah {subhana wa tallah} states: "Hur'rimat Alayqum Umma'hatu'qum ..." {"prohibited unto you are your mothers ..."} and in Surah Noor {24} Verse 10: "Wa Lau'la faz'lullahi alayqum wa rahmatuh ..." {"If it were not for Allah's grace and mercy on you ..."}, are masculine words but used for females. And Surah Al Ahzaab verse 30:"... May'yaqnut minkun nallahi wa rasoolihi..." , minkum is used in verses 29, 31, again is masculine word used for females {i.e. wives of RasoolAllah}, and in Surah At-Tahrem {66} Verse 5 minqum has been used in general meaning, reffering to both females and males. Therefore to argue that grametically the use of masculine must be for males is wrong, neither are the rules of grammar violated due to use of masculine words for females, because Quran is the text book on which Arabic grammar is based, the book which establishes the rules for grammar and is source for Arabic grammar can not be wrong.

The word ankumu masculine is used in:

Surah Az-Zukhruf {43} Verse 5: "Shall We then take away the Message from you {i.e. ankum} and repel (you), for that ye are a people transgressing beyond bounds?"

Ankumu, has been used in this verse to reffer to mix gender male and female, those people who had hardened their hearts from deen of Allah subhana wa tallah.

The word yutahiruqum have been used in:

Surah Al Maiddah {5} Verse 6: "O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty,but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful."

Allah {subhana wa tallah} uses a masculine word "... yureedu Li'yutahiru qum, ..." to adress, male and female, to tell them that purpose of Tayamum is to purify them and complete his favour on them.

Conclusion arrived is that Allah {subhana wa tallah} uses the masculine words while reffering to females, and this is not against the Arabic grammar rules, nor the use of masculine words denotes that adressed must be males, but on contrary Allah {subhana wa tallah} uses masculine words for females. Thus the argument based on grammar to deny the pure wives of Messenger of Allah {subhana wa tallah} their rightful maqam of Ahli Bayt, can not be supported with this argument, rather the masculine word usage compliments the context and supports their being Ahli Bayt because these masculine words have been used to reffer to females as well in other verses of Quran.

Ahli Bayt Reffers To Women In Termonolgy Of Quran:

Allah {subhana wa tallah} narrates the story of Musa {alayhis salam}:

- Surah Al Qasas {28} Verses 10: "But there came to be a void in the heart of the mother of Moses: She was going almost to disclose his (case), had We not strengthened her heart (with faith), so that she might remain a (firm) believer. {11} And she said to the sister of (Moses), "Follow him" so she (the sister) watched him in the character of a stranger. And they knew not. {12} And we ordained that he refused at first, until (His sister came up and) said: "Shall I point out to you the {AHLE BAYT} people of a house that will nourish and bring him up for you and be sincerely attached to him?" {13} Thus did We restore him to his mother, that her eye might be comforted, that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true: but most of them do not understand.

- Tafsir Ibn Abbas Verse 12: “(And We had before forbidden foster-mothers) the milk of foster-mothers (for him) for Moses, (so she said) the sister of Moses said to the entourage of Pharaoh: (Shall I show you a household who will rear him) Moses (for you and take care of him?) and she directed them to her mother.”

The word ahli baytin in verse twelve has been used to reffer to mother of Musa {alayhis salam}, and the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are Ummahat ul Momineen {i.e. Mothers of pious beleivers}:

Surah Al Ahzab {33} Verse 6: The Prophet is closer to the pious believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah.”

Therefore the natural conclusion derived is Surah Ahzab verse 33 also reffers to Ummahat Ul Momineen, the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}.

- Allah subhana wa tallah states:

- Surah Hud {11} Verse 69: "And verily, there came Our Messengers [Angles] to Ibraheem with glad tidings. They said: Salam, He answered, Salam and he hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. {70} But when he saw their hands went not towards it (the meal), he felt some mistrust of them [Angles], and conceived a fear of them [Angles]. They said: "Fear not, we have been sent against the people of Lout (Lot)." {71} And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed. But We gave her glad tidings of Ishaque, and after him, of Yaqoob. {72} She said (in astonishment): "Woe unto me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman, and here is my husband, an old man? Verily! This is a strange thing!" {73} They said: "Do you wonder at the Decree of Allah? The Mercy of Allah and His Blessings be on you O the family {i.e. ahli bayti}. Surely, He is All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious."

Angles come to Ibrahim {alayhis salam}, and inform him in the presence of his wife Hajrah {alayhis salam}, that she will bare him two sons, Ishaaq {alayhis salam}, and Yaqoob {alayhis salam}. Knowing that she is too old to bare children she is surprised, and the angle address her directly and says: "... rehmatullahi wa barakatu'h alayqum ahli bayti inna'hu ..." {"The mercy of Allah, and his blessings be on you O ahli bayt ..."} Therefore Allah {subhana wa tallah} too is adressing the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} in Surah Ahzab verse 33: "... in'nama yureedullahu liyuzhiba ankumur rijsa ahlal bayti wa yutah'hiraqum tathira..." {... verily Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you ahli bayt {people of the house, and to make you pure and spotless …"}.

Ahli Bayt In Light Of Hadith.

There are numerous Ahadith which prove that wives of RasoolAllah {salalahu alayhi was'salam} are reffered as ahli bayt in Quran, and the verse was revealed concerning the pious wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}.

Ahadith In Commentaries Affirm Wives Are Part Of Ahli Bayt:

Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir quotes:

- Ibn Jarir recorded that `Ikrimah used to call out in the marketplace: "... Allah wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs from you, O members of the family, and to purify you with a thorough purification.”This was revealed solely concerning the wives of the Prophet.'

- Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn Abbas said concerning the Ayah: “Allah wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs from you, O members of the family,..”It was revealed solely concerning the wives of the Prophet .'' `Ikrimah said: "Whoever disagrees with me that it was revealed solely concerning the wives of the Prophet , I am prepared to meet with him and pray and invoke the curse of Allah upon those who are lying.'

In Tafsir Asbab Un Nuzul, by Al Wahidi:

- Abu Al-Qasim abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Sarraj informed us: Muhammad ibn Yaqub from al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Affan from Abu Yahya al-Hamani from Salih ibn Musa al-Qurashi from Khusayf from Saad ibn Jubayr from Ibn Abbas who said: 'This verse was revealed about the wives of the Prophet {Allah bless him and give him peace}: “Allah wish is but to remove uncleanness far from you, O Folk of the Household, and cleanse you with a thorough cleansing”*

- Aqil ibn Muhammad al-Jurjani informed us (through a verbal authorisation) from al-Mu fa ibn Zakariyya al-Qadi from Muhammad ibn Jarir from Ibn Humayd from Yahya ibn Wadih from al-Asbagh from Alqamah from Ikrimah who said, regarding the words of Allah, exalted is He: “Allah wish is but to remove uncleanness far from you, O Folk of the Household.”This verse was not revealed about whom you think it was revealed. Rather, it is about the wives of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. Ikrimah used to proclaim this in the marketplace.*

* Note: 'from' inserted.

The context of ayaat of purity makes it absolutely clear that it was specificly revealed for the wives of Prophet Muhammed {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}. And these Ahadith narrated by mufassireen are in accordance with the Quranic facts, hence the authenticity of these Ahadith might be challenged, but the content of these ahadith is in absolute accordance with Quran. If there were any defects in the isnaad of these ahadith, then these defects can not be used to discredit the matan {i.e. text} of the ahadith quoted.

Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} Reffers To His Wives As Ahli Bayt:

- Imam Bukhari {rahimullah alayhi tallah} in his Sahih narrates Hadith from Hazrat Anas {radiallah tallah anh} about the marriage of Hazrat Zainab bint Jahsh {radiallah tallah anha} to Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}. In this important Hadith it is stated that Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}: visited each of his and greeted them:

* Sahih Bukhari , Book 60, Number 316: Narrated Anas: A banquet of bread and meat was held on the occasion of the marriage of the Prophet to Zainab bint Jahsh. I was sent to invite the people (to the banquet), and so the people started coming (in groups); They would eat and then leave. Another batch would come, eat and leave. So I kept on inviting the people till I found nobody to invite. Then I said, "O Allah's Prophet! I do not find anybody to invite." He said, "Carry away the remaining food." Then a batch of three persons stayed in the house chatting. The Prophet left and went towards the dwelling place of Aisha and said, "Peace and Allah's Mercy be on you, O the people of the house!" She replied, "Peace and the mercy of Allah be on you too. How did you find your wife? May Allah bless you. Then he went to the dwelling places of all his other wives and said to them the same as he said to Aisha and they said to him the same as Aisha had said to him. Then the Prophet returned and found a group of three persons still in the house chatting. The Prophet was a very shy person, so he went out (for the second time) and went towards the dwelling place of 'Aisha. I do not remember whether I informed him that the people have gone away. So he returned and as soon as he entered the gate, he drew the curtain between me and him, and then the Verse of Al-Hijab was revealed.

* Sahih Muslim, Book 8, Number 3328: “Anas reported: ... I said: Aba Hamza, did Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) really fall down? He said: Yes, by Allah, he in fact fell down. Anas said: I also saw the wedding feast of Zainab, and he (the Holy Prophet) served bread and meat to the people, and made them eat to their heart's content, and he (the Holy Prophet) sent me to call people, and as he was free (from the ceremony) he stood up and I followed him. Two persons were left and they were busy in talking and did not get out (of the apartment). He (the Holy Prophet) then proceeded towards (the apartments of) his wives. He greeted with as-Salamu 'alaikum to every one of them and said: Members of the household { i.e. ahli bayt}, how are you? They said: Messenger of Allah, we are in good state 'How do you find your family? He would say: In good state. When he was free from (this work of exchanging greetings) he came back, and I also came back along with him. And as he reached the door, (he found) that the two men were still busy in talking. And when they saw him having returned, they stood up and went out; ...”

The greeting of Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} is worthy of note, he adressed all of his Hazrat Aysha {radiallah tallah anha} as well as rest of his wives with the greeting: "Peace and Allah's Mercy be on you, O the people of the house!" and they the wives whom he adressed as ahli bayt in turn replied to the Messenger of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} with the answer: "Peace and the mercy of Allah be on you too."
Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} Reffered To Aysha {radiallah tallah anha} As Ahli Bayt:

Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul {may Allah disgrace him in aakhira} slandered the pious mother of momineen Hazrat Aysha As'Sadiqah {radiallah tallah anha} by accusing her of illicit act. After a thorough investigation, Messenger of Allah {subhana wa tallah} climbed the pulpit and asked the members of congregation:

Sahih Bukhari, Book 60, Hadith 274: “Narrated Aisha: … By Allah Who has sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything regarding Aisha which I would blame her for except that she is a girl of immature age who sometimes sleeps and leaves the dough of her family unprotected so that the domestic goats come and eat it." So Allah's Apostle got up (and addressed) the people an asked for somebody who would take revenge on 'Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul then. Allah's Apostle, while on the pulpit, said, "O Muslims! Who will help me against a man who has hurt me by slandering my family {i.e. ahli bayti}? By Allah, I know nothing except good about my family, and people have blamed a man of whom I know nothing except good, and he never used to visit my family except with me," Sad bin Muadh Al-Ansari got up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! By Allah, I will relieve you from him. If he be from the tribe of (Bani) Al-Aus, then I will chop his head off; and if he be from our brethren, the Khazraj, then you give us your order and we will obey it." On that, Sad bin ...”

Sahih Bukhari, Book 48, Hadith 829: Narrated Aisha ... Did you ever see anything which roused your suspicions about her?' Buraira said, 'No, by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth, I have never seen in her anything faulty except that she is a girl of immature age, who sometimes sleeps and leaves the dough for the goats to eat.' On that day Allah's Apostle ascended the pulpit and requested that somebody support him in punishing 'Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul. Allah's Apostle said, 'Who will support me to punish that person ('Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul) who has hurt me by slandering the reputation of my family {i.e. ahli bayti}? By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good, and they have accused a person about whom I know nothing except good, and he never entered my house except in my company.' Sad bin Mu'adh got up and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! by Allah, I will relieve you from him. If that man is from the tribe of the Aus, then we will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, the Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.' On that Sad bin 'Ubada, ...”

Sahih Bukhari, Book 92, Hadith 462: “Narrated 'Aisha: After the slanderers had given a forged statement against her, Allah's Apostle called 'Ali bin Abi Talib and Usama bin Zaid when the Divine Inspiration was delayed. He wanted to ask them and consult them about the question of divorcing me. Usama gave his evidence that was based on what he knew about my innocence, but 'Ali said, "Allah has not put restrictions on you and there are many women other than her. Furthermore you may ask the slave girl who will tell you the truth." So the Prophet asked Barira (my salve girl), "Have you seen anything that may arouse your suspicion?" She replied, "I have not seen anything more than that she is a little girl who sleeps, leaving the dough of her family (unguarded) that the domestic goats come and eat it." Then the Prophet stood on the pulpit and said, "O Muslims! Who will help me against the man who has harmed me by slandering my wife {i.e. ahli bayt}?By Allah, I know nothing about my family except good." The narrator added: Then the Prophet mentioned the innocence of 'Aisha.”

Note that context of these Ahadith reveals that our beloved Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} was investigating about Umm Ul Momineen Hazrat Aysha {radiallah tallah anha}, and in this context he reffered to her as Ahli Bayt. The narrator made it clear in Hadith of Bukhari that by ahli bayt our beloved Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} meant: “… Then the Prophet mentioned the innocence of 'Aisha.”

Hazrat Aysha {radiallah tallah anha} Reffers Of Wives As Ahli Bayt:

Nabidh a fruit beverage which was commonly made from dates, grapes, raisin, and Sunan Abu Dawood records Hadith narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira {radiallah tallah anh} in which he made Nabidh from a pumpkin. Nabidh is forbidden because it has intoxicating effect depending on how long it has been left to ferment. Our beloved Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} prohibited his wives from making it:

* Sahih Muslim, Book 23, Hadith 4918: “Ibrahim reported: I said to Aswad if he had asked the Mother of the Believers (in which utensils) he (the Holy Prophet) disapproved the preparation of Nabidh. He (Aswad) said: Yes. I said: Mother of the Believers, inform me about the utensils in which) Allah's Apostle forbade to prepare Nabidh. She (Hadrat 'A'isha) said: He forbade us, the members of his family {i.e. ahli bayt}, to prepare Nabidh in gourd, or varnished jar. I said to him: Do you remember green pitcher, and pitcher? He said: I narrated to you what I have heard; should I narrate to you which I did not hear?”

Hazrat Aysha As'Sadiqah {radiallah tallah anha} reffers to the wives of Rasoolallah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} as well as her own self as ahli bayt in the above Hadith.

Prophets Wives In Salawat {Darood Shareef}:

Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} taught the fallowing darood shareef to Sahabi:

* Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Number 804: Ibn Abi Laila reported: Ka'b b. 'Ujra met me and said: Should I not offer you a present (and added): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to us and we said: We have learnt how to invoke peace upon you; (kindly tell us) how we should bless you. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Say: "O Allah: bless Muhammad and his family { i.e. A'ale} as Thou didst bless the family of Ibrahim. Verily Thou art Praiseworthy and Glorious, O Allah."

* Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Number 807: Abu Humaid as-Sa'idi reported: They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: Apostle of Allah, how should we bless you? He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Say:" O Allah! bless Muhammad, his wives and his offspring as Thou didst bless Ibrahim, and grant favours to Muhammad, and his wives and his offspring as Thou didst grant favours to the family of Ibrahim; Thou art Praiseworthy and Glorious."

The second Hadith makes explicit mention of wives of Rasoolallah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}, his offsprings, and then ends with: “... as thou didst grant favours to the family of Ibrahim; ...” indicating that wives, and offsprings of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are A'ale {i.e. family} of Prophet Muhammed {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}. Note being part of ahle bayt, and A'ale e Muhammed means one and the same.

Zaid Bin Arqam {radiallah tallah anh} Wives Are Part Of Ahli Bayt:

Hazrat Zaid bin Arqam {radiallah tallah anh} was questioned about who ahli bayt are:

Sahih Muslim Book 31, Number 5920: "... Now to our purpose. O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger (the angel of death) from my Lord and I, in response to Allah's call, (would bid good-bye to you), but I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family. He (Husain) said to Zaid: Who are the members of his household? Aren't his wives the members of his family? Thereupon he said: His wives are the members of his family (but here) the members of his family are those for whom acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. And he said: Who are they? Thereupon he said: 'Ali and the offspring of 'Ali, 'Aqil and the offspring of 'Aqil and the offspring of Ja'far and the offspring of 'Abbas. Husain said: These are those for whom the acceptance of Zakat is forbidden. Zaid said: Yes.”

* Sunan Thirmidi, Volume 6, Chapter 31, Hadith No. 3788: "Zaid bin Arqam narrated that Muhammed said: "Indeed, I am leaving among you, that which if you hold fast to them, you shall not be misguided after me. One of then is greater than the other: (First is) The book of Allah is a rope extended from the sky to the earth, and (the second is) my family, the people of my house (ahlul bait), and they shall not split until they meet me at the hawd, so look at how you deal with them after me."

* Sunan Thirmidi, Volume 6, Chapter 31, Hadith No. 3786: Jabir bin Abdullah said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah during his Hajj, on the Day of Arafah (on his last pilgramage). He was upon his camel Al-Qaswa, giving a Khutbah, so he said: O People! Indeed, I have left among you, that which if you hold fast to it, you shall not go astray: The Book of Allah (Quran) and my Family, the People of my House (Ahlul-Bait).

- He is told that wives of Rasoolallah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are ahli bayt, but not the ahli bayt reffered in the fallowing narration of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}: "The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family." The ones reffered in that are on whom the zakat is forbidden, i.e. Hazrat Ali radiallah tallah anh and his progeny, and Hazrat, Aqil, Ja'far, Abbas, {radiallah tallah anhuma ajmaeen} and their offsprings. As far as the Sahih Muslim's affirmation of Prophet's {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} wives, and Hazrat Ali, Aqil, Ja'far, Abbas, {radiallah tallah anhuma ajmaeen} and their familys being part of Ahli bayt, the Hadith is reliable, and trust worthy.

The commentary that only Hazrat Ali, Aqil, Ja'far, Abbas, and their familys {radiallah tallah anhuma ajmaeen} are only intended by the hadith of Prophet Muhammed {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} in: "The second are the members of my household." is contradicting Quran, when the commentary is seen in light of ahadith from Tirmadhi Shareef. The Ahadith of Tirmadhi Shareef make connection between adhering to Quran, Ahli Bayt, and how the Muslims deal with the ahli bayt and give them their due respect, fullfil their rights duties toward ahli bayt after RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} enters heavenly resting place. Where as if commentary of Hazrat Zaid Bin Arqam {radiallah tallah anh} is accepted as valid, it means that Muslims are under no obligation to adhere to the teachings of Sunnah of Prophet (sallalahu alayhi was'salam) which are passed to wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}, nor do the Muslims have any obligation to respect, honour the Ummahat Ul Momineen.

- Quranic verse 34: “Waz'qurna ma yutla fi biyuti'qunna min ayaatillahi wal hikmat, ..." {“And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes of the Signs of Allah and His Wisdom: ...”} because in context of: "... in your homes of the Signs of Allah”waz'qurna means rememberance of Allah {subhana wa tallah} and aakhira by reciting the ayaat of Quran as Tilawah. In the context of: "... and His Wisdom {i.e. fiqh} ..." it means narrating the fiqh, ahadith related to women issues, because the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} were sole custodians of knowledge which reveals how a husband, and wife should live, and what they should engage in, and what not. Therefore this verse instructs them to disseminate the knowledge which they learn in their houses, the hikmah, the Prophetic wisdom, the fiqh, and Hadith related to issues of wife and husband, which only the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} would know due to the privacy of the matters.

Wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are ahli bayt. The reminder of Prophet of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} about the rights, duties which a Muslim must fullfil toward ahli bayt also reffers to them, meaning we must honour, love, respect Ummahat Ul Momineen:

Surah Ash'Shura {42} Verse 23: "Say: No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin."

- And wives of RasoolAllah (sallalahu alayhi was'salam) are reffered in hadith in which Messenger of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} stated: "... I have left among you, that which if you hold fast to it, you shall not go astray: The Book of Allah (Quran) and my Family, the People of my House (Ahlul-Bait)." They the wives of beloved Messenger (sallalahu alayhi was'salam) are instructed to disseminate the prophetic knowledge which they learnt from Messenger of Allah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}, this knolwedge is essential to fiqh. Therefore the commentary on this part of hadith: “... I am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He exhorted (us) (to hold fast) to the Book of Allah and then said: The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family.” attributed to Zahid bin Arqam (radiallah ta'ala anh) in words: “... (but here) the members of his family are those for whom acceptance of Zakat is forbidden.” is partly invalid, due to it excluding wives of beloved Messenger (sallalahu alayhi was'salam) from being fallowed has source of knowledge, and guidance. To state it clearly, the aspect of commentary which implies that the wives of RasoolAllah (sallalahu alayhi was'salam) are excluded from: "... I have left among you, that which if you hold fast to it, you shall not go astray: The Book of Allah (Quran) and my Family, the People of my House (Ahlul-Bait)." Note, that aspect of commentary which forbids zakat for the mentioned people its valid.

Holding fast to the Quran, the Sunnah of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} and Ahli Bayt is essential for guidance. The knowledge which 'ahli bayt the wives of RasoolAllah' {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}, 'ahli bayt family of Hazrat', Ali, Abbas, Ja'far, Aqil {radiallah tallah anhuma ajma'een} have amassed is essential for right guidance. And the exhortation of beloved Prophet (sallalahu alayhi was'salam) to hold the ahli bayt includes the wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam}, and the knowledge of deen which they disseminate, and this is affirmed by Quran al qareem.

Conclusion:

Prophet Muhammed {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} stated, Quran contains right guidance, and light, and who so ever adheres to it, and holds fast to it, he is upon right guidance, and who so ever leaves Quran and will be lead astray by shaytaan:

* Sahih Muslim, Book 31, Number 5922: This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abu Hayyan but with this addition: "The Book of Allah contains right guidance, the light, and whoever adheres to it and holds it fast, he is upon right guidance and whosoever deviates from it goes astray.

Therefore the right guidance, path of light, the sirat al mustaqeem {i.e. straight path} is that wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are ahli bayt primarily. The verse of Tatheer was revealed about them primarily, to which the context bares witness to. And who so ever beleives the verse of Tat'heer were not revealed wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} but beleives they are part of ahli bayt of Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} such a person has gone astray {i.e. Biddah Sai'yah Zindiqiyah}, with regards to those who disbeleive in wives of RasoolAllah {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} being part of the ahli bayt they are upon kuffr {i.e. Biddah Sai'yah Kuffria}. Once the exhortion from Quran is made to them fallowed by authentic Sunnah, and they do not repent, and still reffuse to believe wives of blessed Prophet {sallalahu alayhi was'salam} are part of his ahli bayt then it would be legitimate to consider such a person as Kaffir.

Wama Alayna Ilal Balagh Ul Mubeen.
Muhammed Ali Razvi