AHLULBAYT IN QURAN AND TRADITIONS OF PROPHET
There are a few occasions when the Ahlulbayt are directly referred to in Quran. But there are also countless occasions where the Ahlulbayt are referred to in Quran but it is easy to remove their mention if you do not talk of the background when the verses were revealed. The verse that was revealed when Ali gave away his ring to the beggar while in prayers or even the incident described in the opening lines of Surah An-Najm (Ch. 53) are two such cases. Let us see a few more!
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Erreth not the Prophet
The houses of the emigrants from Makkah were built around the Mosque at Medina with the doors of the houses opening in the Mosque. When, with the spread of Islam day by day, the number of the believers increased, the Holy Prophet received God’s command to get all the doors opening into the Mosque, to be closed, save that of Ali. When the revelation was announced, the first one who was prepared to carry out the divine order was Ali, but the Holy Prophet said
O Ali! The order does not apply to thee, for thou art of me and I am of thee.
Some people remarked that the Holy Prophet has been maddened of his love for Ali and has gone astray.
Ibne Abbas says that once we offered our ‘Isha’ night prayer with the Holy Prophet, who after concluding the prayer turned to us and said:
At dawn a star will descend from heaven. On whomsoever’s house it gets down he shall be my heir, my Caliph and the Imam (i.e., the Divinely Commissioned Guide).
Every one sat waiting for the star, and more than anyone, Abbas the uncle of the Holy Prophet, coveted for the star, but the star from heaven, descended on Ali’s house.
The Holy Prophet told Ali:
O’ Ali! By the One who has sent me as His Apostle, I say that for thee has been assigned by God, to be my Heir, my Caliph and Imam.
The hypocrites who could not relish it said that the Holy Prophet in his love for Ali had gone mad or gone astray. On this occasion, this verse was revealed:
By the star when it goeth down.
Erreth not your Companion (our Apostle Mohammad) nor is he led astray
And nor he speaketh of (his own) inclination.
It (the wording) is naught but a revelation revealed (unto him).
Quran, 53:1-4
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Verse of Mastership (Wilayah)
Many more verses and traditions reminded the Muslims that Ali was their master after the Holy Prophet. One of the most important verses is as follows:
Verily, your Master is only Allah and His Apostle and those who believe, those who establish prayers, and pay the zakat while bowed (in worship)
Quran, 5:55
The Muslim scholars, Sunni and Shia alike, agree that this verse was revealed in honour of Imam Ali. It clearly shows that there are only three masters of the believers. Firstly, Allah secondly, His Prophet and thirdly, Ali (with the eleven succeeding Imams).
Abuzar Ghaffari says that one day he was praying with the Prophet when a beggar came to the Prophet’s mosque. No one responded to his pleas. The beggar raised his hands towards heavens and said:
Allah! Be a witness that I came to Thy Prophet’s mosque and no one gave me anything.
Ali was bowing in ruku at that time. He pointed his little finger, on which was a ring. This incident occurred in the Prophet’s presence who raised his face towards heaven and prayed:
O Lord! My brother Musa had begged of Thee to open his breast and to make his work easy for him, to lose the knot of his tongue so that people might understand him, and to appoint from among his relations his brother, as his vizier, and to strengthen his back with Harun and to make Harun his partner in his work. O Allah! Thou said to Musa, ‘We will strengthen thy arm with thy brother. No one will now have an access to either of you!’ O Allah! I am Mohammad and Thou hast given me distinction. Open my breast for me, make my work easy for me, and from my family appoint my brother Ali as my vizier. Strengthen my back with him.
The Prophet had not yet finished his prayers when Gabriel brought the above quoted verse.
References to this hadees run in hundreds. This verse and the prayer of the Prophet jointly and separately show that Ali was designated to be the Master of the Muslims after the Holy Prophet.
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Ali as successor to the Prophet
Al-Allama Ibn Abdil-Barr writes in his book al-Istiab concerning the ahadees (traditions) which have been narrated about the superiority of Ali that: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Qadi Islamil ibn Ishaq, Imam Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Shuayb an-Nasai and al-Hafiz Abu Ali an-Naysaburi have said: “There have not come as many ahadees (traditions) with good chains of narrators (asnad) about virtues of any of the Companions as have been narrated on the virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib.”
It is a fact that the first open declaration of prophethood was the very occasion when the first open declaration of Ali’s caliphate was made. It was at the time of the “Feast of the Clan”.
When the verse: “And warn thy nearest relations” (Quran, 26:214), was revealed, the Prophet ordered Ali to prepare food and invite the sons of Abdul-Muttalib (Prophet’s grandfather) so that he could convey to them the words of Allah.
The command to warn the nearest kinsmen was with the idea that when the admonition is given to the very nearest relations of the Holy Prophet, the others in mankind automatically came under the warning. On receipt of this command from God what the Holy Prophet did is recorded in all the basic books of Sunni commentary on the Holy Quran and books on the biography of the Holy Prophet and Islam viz. Ma’alimut-Tanzil, Tafsir-e-Durre-Manthur, Musnade Imame Hambal and Riazun-Nazra, etc. When this verse was revealed the Holy Prophet called Ali and ordered making a few loaves, with some meat on them and a cup of milk and to invite the sons of Abdul Muttalib. Ali acted as he was commanded and there assembled forty men from the seed of Abdul Muttalib – among whom were the uncles of the Holy Prophet, viz. Abu-Talib, Abbas, Hamza, and Abu Lahab. The Holy Prophet commanded Ali to serve the food to the guests. Ali kept before the people the few loaves with the little meat and the milk in a small cup which would not suffice even for a single one on the assembly. The Holy Prophet blessed the food with the name of God and told the people to have it. Every one of the forty guests had his fill and yet the stuff remained the same. After the feast the Holy Prophet wanted to speak to the assembly but Abu Lahab took the initiative and addressing the assembly remarked that it was a great sorcery and the gathering dispersed giving no opportunity to the Holy Prophet to speak to them. The next day the Holy Prophet again called Ali and repeated the same command about the preparation of the food and inviting the same people but the assembly behaved in the same way. For a third time the same people gathered, food in the same way as on the previous occasions was served with God’s blessings from the Holy Prophet and immediately as the eating was over, the Holy Prophet stood up and addressed the assembly saying:
“O’ sons of Abdul Muttalib! Would you believe if I tell you that an army is lying in wait behind this mountain to attack you?”
“Aye!” exclaimed the assembly in one voice saying, “for thou hast never uttered anything but truth.”
Then the Holy Prophet addressed them saying:
Know ye all that I am the apostle of God to warn you of God and to warn you of an approaching doom. And I am the bearer of glad tidings of the abode of eternal bliss to those who believe in the only True God and in my ministry. And God did not send any apostle of His but he sent along with him his Heir and his Caliph. Who is there among you who would be a Vazier to me and my Heir and Caliph, and join me in task of the ministry?
None but the young Ali who was yet only twelve or fourteen years of age, stood up and readily exclaimed:
I am here for thee O’ Apostle of God!
But the Holy Prophet bade Ali to sit down and again he asked the same question and every time Ali alone got up offering himself for the service to God and the Holy Prophet. When thrice it was asked and every time none but Ali stood up in response to the call, the Holy Prophet called Ali to him, opened his mouth and dropping some saliva from his own mouth into Ali’s mouth, embraced him and holding up his hand aloft declared,
Know ye all! This is my Vazier, my Heir and my Caliph! Hear him and obey him!
Abu Lahab who was present there witnessing the whole event, could not suppress his evil feelings any longer and addressing the Holy Prophet said:
“Thou hast done an evil return to thy cousin for his ready response to thy call. Thou hast spat in his mouth.” To this the Holy Prophet replied, “I have filled Ali’s mouth with the Divine Knowledge.”
Syed Ibne Jubair relates that this event took place at the mound of Safa.
It is reported by historians the gathering in a taunt addressing Abu Talib remarked saying: “Now obey thine own son Ali when Mohammad has placed in authority along with himself.”
(See Tabari, Ibne Athir, Abul-Fida, Gibbon, W. Smith, Amir Ali, Early History of Islam, etc.)
This incident may be taken as a miracle that a boy (Ali) of about 13 years responds to the bargain of a man (the Holy Prophet) of forty three. The boy promises the assistance required and the man declares the status mentioned in return and throughout the vicissitude of fortune – throughout all the remaining 20 years of the Holy Prophet’s ministry neither the boy (Ali) failed to fulfill his declaration wherever the occasion suited it and thus the declaration of Ali’s succession to the office of the apostleship (as the First Imam or the First Caliph) and his other status was simultaneous with the declaration of his apostolic mission and the event of Ghadeer-e-Khumm, but it was an open and public confirmation of the first declaration in the presence of the dignitaries of the Quraish.
It is interesting to note here that the Leiden edition (1879 A.D., p. 1173) of at-Tarikh of at-Tabari records the words of the Holy Prophet as ‘wasiyyi wa khilifati’ (my successor and my caliph); but in the Cairo edition of 1963 A.D. (which claims to be checked with the Leiden edition) these important words have been changed to ‘kadha wa kadha’ (so-and-so)! How sad it is to see the academic world sacrificing its honesty and integrity on the altar of political expediency!
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Twelve Caliphs or Imams
Revered books like those of al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmizi and al-Hafiz Sulayman ibn Ibrahim al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi quote a tradition (hadees) that:
There will be twelve caliphs, all from the Quraysh.
Al-Hanafi has quoted many traditions to the effect that the Holy Prophet said:
I, Ali, Hasan, Husain and nine of the descendants of Husain are pure and sinless.
He also quotes that the Holy Prophet told Imam Husain:
You are a chief, brother of a chief; you are an Imam, son of an Imam, brother of an Imam; you are Proof (of Allah), son of a Proof (of Allah), brother of a Proof (of Allah), and father of nine Proofs (of Allah), the ninth of whom will be al-Mahdi.
After quoting many such traditions, he writes: “Some scholars have said that the traditions (which show that the caliphs after the Holy Prophet would be twelve) are well known, from many asnad (chains of narration). Now, with the passage of time and through historical events, we know that in this hadees the Holy Prophet has referred to the Twelve Imams from his Ahlulbayt and descendants, because:
“This hadees cannot apply to the four Caliphs comprising Khilafat-e-Rashida from among his Companions, as they were less than twelve.”
“And it cannot apply to the caliphs from the tribe of Umayyad, because (a) they were more than twelve; (b) all of them were tyrants and unjust (except Omar ibn Abdul Aziz); and (c) they were not from the Banu Hashim and the Holy Prophet had said in a hadees that: ‘all of them will be from the Banu Hashim. . .’
“And it cannot apply to the caliphs form the Abbassids, because: (a) they were more than twelve; and (b) they did not comply with (the demands of) the verse: ‘Say, ‘I do not ask of you any recompenses for it except the love for (my) near relatives’ (42:23), nor with the Tradition of the Mantle (Hadees-e-Kisa); (i.e., they persecuted the descendants of the Prophet).
“Therefore, the only way to interpret this hadees is to accept that it refers to the Twelve Imams from the Holy Prophet’s Ahlulbayt and descendants, because they were, in their times, the most knowledgeable, the most illustrious, the most god-fearing, the most pious, the highest in their family lineage, the best in personal virtues, and the most honoured before Allah; and their knowledge was derived from their ancestor (the Prophet) through their fathers, and by inheritance and by direct teachings from Allah.”
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Term ‘Ulul-amr’ of Quran does not mean any Muslim ruler
Quran talks of obeying those vested with authority. Many scholars tend to interpret ulul-amr meaning ‘those vested in authority’ used in Quran as ‘the rulers from among yourselves’, i.e., Muslims rulers. This interpretation is not based on any logical reasoning; it is solely based on twists of history. The majority of the Muslims have remained as a vassal of the monarchs and rulers, interpreting and reinterpreting Islam and the Quran to please the powers to be.
The history of the Muslims (like any other nation) is replete with the names of the rulers whose injustice, debauchery and tyranny have tarnished the name of Islam. Such rulers have always been and will always be. And we are asked to believe that that they are the ulul-amr mentioned in the Quran.
If Allah were to order us to obey such kings and rulers, an impossible situation would be created for the Muslims. The wretched followers would be condemned to the displeasure of Allah, no matter what they did. If they obeyed these rulers, they disobeyed the Command of Allah: “Do not obey a sinner.” And if they disobeyed such rulers, they again disobeyed the Command of Allah to “to obey the Muslim rulers”. So, if we accept this interpretation, the Muslims are condemned to eternal disgrace whether they obey or disobey their non-Masoom Muslim rulers.
Also, there are Muslim rulers of different beliefs and persuasions. There are Shafiis, Wahhabis, Malikis, Hanafis, as well as Shias and Ibadis. Now, according to this interpretation the Sunnis residing under an Ibadi Sultan (like in Oman) should follow Ibadi tenets; and those residing under a Shia ruler (like in Iran) should follow Shia beliefs. Do these people have the conviction of courage to follow their professed interpretation to its logical end?
In Kifayatul-athar, there is a tradition from Jabir ibn Abdillah Ansari, in explanation of this verse. When it was revealed, Jabir said to the Prophet: “We know Allah and the Prophet, but who are those vested with authority whose obedience has been conjoined to that of Allah and yourself?” The Prophet said:
They are my caliphs and the Imams of the Muslims after me. The first of them is Ali, then Hasan, then Husain, then Ali, son of Husain; then Mohammad, son of Ali, who has been mentioned as al-Baqir in the Torah. O Jabir! You will meet him. When you see him, convey my salam (greetings) to him. He will be succeeded by his son Jafar al-Sadiq (the Truthful); then Musa, son of Jafar; then Ali, son of Musa; then Mohammad, son of Ali; then Ali, son of Mohammad; then Hasan, son of Ali.
He will be followed by his son whose name and patronym (kunyah) will be the same as mine. He will be Hujjatullah (Proof of Allah) on the earth and Baqiatullah [the remaining part of (the spirit of) Allah] among mankind. He will conquer the whole world from east to west. So long will he remain hidden from the eyes of his followers and friends that the belief in his Imamah will remain only in those hearts which have been tested by Allah for faith.
It is now clear from study of Upanishads who those people vested with authority are. Muslims even didn’t realize it was not Prophet Mohammad but Quran, believed by them to be from God, which was talking of those vested with authority. Zulmat must have been working overtime during the period of Ahlulbayt so that the Muslims couldn’t understand the simple meanings, despite all attempts by the Prophet and the remaining Ahlulbayt to make them understand.
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Mubahila (malediction, imprecation)
You have already seen Verse 3:61 from Quran, in our earlier reference to ‘Mubahila’ or the Spiritual Contest with the Christians of Najran when the Holy Prophet declared the personnel of his Ahlulbayt. It is worth noticing whom the Prophet carried as his ‘selfs’ to reveal to the world who were the nearest and the dearest to him as the very soul itself.
This famous event of ‘Mubahila’ took place in 10 A.H. A deputation of sixty Christians of Najran headed by Abdul Masih their chief monk priest came and discussed with the Holy Prophet about the personality of Jesus. The Holy Prophet told them not to deify Jesus for he was only a mortal created by God, and not God Himself. Then they asked as to who the father of Jesus was. By this, they thought that since Jesus was born without a father the Holy Prophet would helplessly accept Jesus’s father being God Himself. In reply to this question was revealed the preceding verse i.e. 3:59 of Quran in which the instance of Jesus has been compared to that of Adam who was created without a father and also without a mother.
Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.
When the Christians did not agree to any amount of reasoning, then this verse was revealed enjoining upon the Prophet to call the Christians to ‘Mubahila’ (a spiritual contest invoking the curse of God upon the liar). To this, the Christians agreed but they wanted to return to their place and would have the Mubahila the next day.
The verse says:
And unto him who disputeth with thee therein after the knowledge hath come unto thee, Say! (O’ Our Apostle Mohammad!) (Unto them) ‘Come ye, let us summon our sons, and (ye summon) your sons, and (we summon) our women and (ye) your women, and (we summon) our selves and (ye) your selves and then let us invoke and lay the curse of God on the liars!
Quran:3:61
Early next morning, the Holy Prophet sent Salman to the open place outside the city, fixed by the two parties as the venue for the historic event, to erect a small shelter for himself and those he intended to take along with him for the contest. A number of the companions of the Holy Prophet also assembled in the Mosque for the Holy Prophet with a wish the Prophet would take them along with him to the contest. On the opposite side appeared the Christians with their selected Holy men, women and children. Though the challenge contained the plural for women also but the Holy Prophet took only one woman although there were nine wives of his at the time. Besides the word ‘Nisa’ could mean wives as well as women in general, but the Holy Prophet leaving his wives at home took along with him only his daughter. The Holy Prophet reaching the appointed spot stationed himself with his daughter, her two sons and her husband, raising his hands to heavens said:
Alla humma haa’oolaae Ahlul-bayt
Lord! These are the people of my house.
At the appearance of these godly souls with the hallow of the divine light radiating from their holy faces, the chief Monk who had brought the selected group of Christians, began to gaze at the faces and exclaimed:
By God! I see the faces which if they pray to God for mountains to move from their places, the mountains will immediately move.
The Leader Monk asked as to who were those whom the Holy Prophet had brought along with him. He was informed that the baby in the lap of the Holy Prophet was his young grandson, Husain, the child walking holding the Holy Prophet’s finger in his tiny hand was his first grandson, Hasan, the Lady coming behind him was his daughter (his only surviving issue was Fatima, who was the mother of the two children) and the one who followed the lady was his son-in-law, the husband of Fatima. The Chief Monk, the leader of the selected holy group of the Christians turned to the huge crowd of his people who had gathered on the spot, and addressed them saying:
O’ believers in Jesus of Nazareth, I will tell you the truth that should ye fail to enter into some agreement with Mohammad and if these godly souls whom Mohammad hath brought with him, curse you, ye will be wiped out of existence to the last day of the life of the earth.
Every one of the crowd of the Christians had also witnessed the halo of the divine light around the holy faces of the godly ones whom the Holy Prophet had brought with him. The people readily agreed to the advice counseled by their leader. They beseeched the Holy Prophet to give up the idea of the agreed ‘Mubahila’ and requested for themselves to be allowed to continue in their faith – offering to pay ‘Jizya’ the ‘Protection Tax’, the payment of which entitles the payers full freedom in their religious practice, with full protection for themselves, their religious places and their life, property and personal integrity.
This historic event of a unique triumph of Islam took place on 23rd of the last month of Islamic calendar in the year 10 A.H. and thus some Muslims celebrate it as religious thanksgiving festival of the triumph of the truth against falsehood.
This event has a great significance with regard to what it discloses about those who accompanied the Holy Prophet on that memorable and unique occasion of highest sanctity and great import. Many great Sunni scholars, commentators and traditionists have given the details of the event with the various aspects of its significance, saying:
1) The event unquestionably establishes the truth about the spiritual purity and the holiness of the Holy Ahlulbayt.
2) It proves beyond all doubt as to who are the members of the family of the Holy Prophet, i.e., the Holy Prophet’s Ahlulbayt, whose purity has been authenticated by God in the Quran.
3) The seriousness and the solemnity of the occasion demands absolute purity, spiritual as well as physical in the individuals, to serve in the fateful occasion for the Holy Prophet to present them to God as the best ones of His creation to be heard in their prayers for the Truth. [Remember, it was Quranic verse, quoted above, which had asked for Mubahila and not the Prophet. If it was God’s command for Mubahila, it will only be right to conclude that the Prophet carried out the God’s wish by taking those who were dearest to God after him, as his sons, women and selfs. Eventually God wanted to show that there is also a special place for Ahlulbayt in God’s plan for the future of mankind.]
Thus it was unquestionably and firmly established and openly proved beyond all doubts before the huge crowds of the Muslims as well as the non-Muslims to bear witness that the Holy Prophet, his daughter the Lady Fatima, her sons, Hasan and Husain and her husband Ali, are the divinely purified “Ahlulbayt” addressed to, in verse 33:33 and none else, for God’s command in this verse contains plurals as regards each kind of the relations to be summoned for the event, i.e., to call sons, women, and the selfs to invoke the heaven’s curse on the liars, but the Holy Prophet took only two children whereas there were innumerable other children of his followers, only one lady was taken whereas there were nine other ladies in his own household who were his wives among whom were the daughter of Abu Bakr and also of Omar, and only one soul Ali in place of his Self was taken whereas there were those who claimed to be his companions and very close companions too. This act of the godly selection on the part of the Holy Prophet loudly declares that there were no others, either among the children or the women or the other adults, to be compared to these godly souls in their personal purity and holiness
(Baidavi Tafseer-Mohammad Nasiruddin Abdullah Al-Baidavi, Managib-e-Murtazavi, Tafsir-e-Husaini)
The one most significant and the most important point is that the word about the ‘selfs’ or souls ‘Anfus’ is the plural, the singular of which is ‘Nafs’ (i.e., self or soul). Self or soul when used in relation to any individual only means as another being of the same identity of the person implying perfect unity in equality, each one of the two being the true replica of the other, be that in thought, in action, in status or position to the extent that the one to be fully qualified to be identified and substituted for the other whenever any occasion demands it. Unfortunately, the term ‘Nafs’ (meaning the Self or the Soul of the Holy Prophet) was misinterpreted as ‘the people’. Even so since Ali alone was taken on the occasion, Ali alone will be the ‘People’ of the Holy Prophet and none else.
All these points show Quran is exactly endorsing the content of the Upanishads but Muslims couldn’t understand the true role of Ahlulbayt.
The points to be noted her are:
1) That the Mubahila or resorting to prayer to curse the liar is after forwarding all sound arguments to convince the opponent and if he still insists on his wrong belief or doctrine, it was the test of the truthfulness of the persons commissioned with the apostolic mission. [It was the mission not only of Prophet Mohammad, but as we have seen in the Upanishads, the mission of the remaining Ahlulbayt as well.]
2) Each side has to stake all that is nearest and the dearest to him.
3) For a Prophet who has devoted himself and whatever belongs to him, to God, and has been purified from all egoistic liking and disliking and the limited carnal desires and passions, the dearest and the nearest to him, will naturally be those the closest or the identical with him in his devotional excellence.
4) The Prophet has been ordered to call certain categories of the people and to ask the opponents also to bring the similar categories, and the call is not of his own choice but of the order and the will of God. (see Quran, 33:46)
5) Right from the very commencement of his mission to the last moment of his departure, on all important occasions, the Holy Prophet called only Ali or one of the same categories as the occasion demanded:
a) The Holy Prophet called Ali, when he started his apostolic mission, when Ali was only ten years of age.
b) When he was ordered by God to call his closest kith and kin. Ali who was then of only thirteen years of age, was the first, the foremost to be called, and he was the only person who responded to it.
c) When leaving Makkah on his historic immigration to Medina. Ali was called by the Holy Prophet to lie down occupying his place in the bed, facing the dangers of the situation, when death for the one in the situation was a sure return.
d) To return the deposits entrusted to him. The Holy Prophet handed over the deposits in his possession in Makkah to restore them to the owners on his behalf when leaving Makkah for Medina.
e) In Badr, Ali was called to fight and repulse the enemy when many of his companions were quietly witnessing the critical event.
f) In Ohad, Ali was called to fight and repulse the enemy who had gained the upper hand against the Muslims on account of the desertion of the companions of the Holy Prophet who had even run away from the field and had disappeared for days together.
g) In Ahzab, Ali was called to fight the enemy whom none in the Muslim army was ready to face, to protect the disheartened army of the Muslims and save them from annihilation and lead them to victory.
h) In Khaibar, Ali was called to fight the enemy who was not conquered by any one of the Holy Prophet’s companions and win the decisive victory.
i) While proceeding to Tabuk. Ali was called to succeed the Holy Prophet in his place in Medina, as his vicegerent to assume the place as Haroon (Aaron) was for Moses with the exception of ‘Nubowwat’ (apostleship).
j) To preach the first verses of the ‘Surah-e-Bar’at’ which contain the declaration of complete disassociation from idolatry and paganism. Ali was called and deputed to rush and take away the matter of the ‘Surah’ from Abu Bakr who was leading the pilgrims to Makkah, as the only one identical with the Holy Prophet competent to convey what the Holy Prophet had himself to do to the people.
And here Ali is called as one of the ‘Selfs’ of the Holy Prophet. ‘Anfosona’; not alone but with his two sons Hasan and Husain in the term ‘Abnaa’ana’ (sons) and with his wife Fatima in the term ‘Nisaa’ana’ (women), while there were the other souls, sons and women of the Hashimides, the Quraishites, the Ansars and also the wives of the Holy Prophet, but the early Muslim historians, traditionists, commentators and even a man like ‘Ibne Hazm’ who was of a staunch Omayyad tendency, all have unanimously stated that on this important occasion of the Holy Prophet facing the enemy with the spiritual forces, none was brought to participate save Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain. And Sahih Muslim tells us that on this occasion the Holy Prophet praying to God said:
Allahomme Ha’oola’ee Ahlobaiti
O’ my Lord! These are my Ahlulbayt (the people of my house).
The irony of fate presents quite a surprising scene of the events which followed immediately as the Holy Prophet departed from this world. Far from recognizing the Ahlulbayt in consideration of their position par excellence, what happened to them was:
The same Fatima: The Lady of Light about whom the Holy Prophet had openly declared: “Fatima is my part and parcel; whosoever hurts her, hurts me; and whosoever hurts me, hurts God; and whosoever hurts God turns an infidel,” was martyred with a fall of the door on her side caused by the kick by one in an insurgent crowd which surrounded her holy house to arrest her husband Ali.
The same Ali about whom the Holy Prophet had declared: “I and Ali are of one and the same light (Noor)” and “He who displeaseth Ali displeaseth me” was martyred while in prayer in the Mosque at Kufa. Much prior to that, a rope was tied to his neck and Ali was dragged on the streets of Medina by the crowd.
The same Hasan who accompanied his grand-father to the fateful scene of ‘Mubahila’ while a child, walking besides him holding the finger of his holy grand-father, and who along with his brother Husain was referred to as the leader of youth of heaven by the Prophet, was poisoned through a woman who was hired for the purpose by Muawiya and a good portion of Muslims, to this day, attempt to prove that Muawiya was a respectful caliph of Islam.
The same Husain who appeared for the ‘Mubahila’ to defend the Truth from the lap of his grand-father, was put to the sufferings unequalled in any tragedy and was heartlessly butchered at Karbala with all his comrades and male relations, and his ladies and children were taken prisoners and put to the most miserable and the tortuous plight of indignity, suffering, captivity and imprisonment. The body of Husain was left unburied for days together.
Anyone who professed friendship with these holy souls was chastised, persecuted bullied and condemned and called as a ‘Rafazi’ or a dissenter, worthy of being killed.
But those blessed with independent minds, able to distinguish the right from the wrong, the truth from the falsehood, did not care and had always been with these divines, even if it was to cost them to suffer the worst miseries or to face death or even destruction in this life. In short those who are after the pleasures and the prosperity of this world can never be their followers.
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The Upanishads tell that the one Noor which got created by the Manifest Self is called Brahma. Mohammad called this first Noor as Noor-e-Mohammadi. Mohammad also said:
I and Ali were both created from one and the same Noor (Divine Light) four thousand years before Adam was created.
Maitri Upanishad while describing the same process of creation of the Devatas by Prajapati (Brahma), says the same:
Verily, in the beginning Prajapati (Brahma or the first Noor) stood alone. He had no happiness, being alone. Then, meditating on himself, he created numerous offspring. He saw them to be like a stone, without understanding, without life, standing like a post. He had no happiness. He then thought to himself, ‘Let me enter within in order to awaken them.’ He made himself like wind (spirit) and sought to enter into him. Being one, he could not do it. He divided himself five-fold and is called prana, apana, samana, udana, vyana.
Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana, Vyana were the names given to the five-fold manifestations that were the consequence of the Prajapati dividing “himself five-fold”, to create “numerous offspring”. Other Upanishads confirm that these numerous off-springs together comprised the Devatma-sakti. And we find Mohammad giving great weightage to Panj-tan (Five Bodies), who are described as the dwellers of heaven, leaders of heaven, perfectly pure, and by many similar descriptions.
Most of what we wish to prove is already known to you and if we talk of the subject further, it will be merely restatement of the facts. Svetasvatara Upanishad refers to Devatma-sakti (self-power) as the cause of this universe, and goes on to say in verse I.4 that the rope of this Devatma-sakti is manifold. That is confirming that there are more than one Devatas.
In this Upanishad, Sage Svetasvatara is asked the question, “What is the cause? Brahman? Whence are we born? By what do we live? And on what are we established?” Svetasvatara replies that the cause is the Devatma-sakti, which is presided by the Brahman (God), thereby confirming that Brahman (God) is not involved in the day-to-day affairs of the running of this world. All these affairs, including life and death, creation and destruction, and sending of the Messengers to lead us to the worship of Absolute God are in the hands of the Devatma-sakti; thus the Devatas.
Now see this verse from Svetasvatara Upanishad:
I.13
As the form of fire when latent in its source is not seen and yet its seed is not destroyed, but may be seized again and again in its source by means of the drill, so it is in both cases. The self has to be seized in the body by means of the syllable Aum.
The Eternal is very much present in the self inside our body but it cannot be truly known without a sincere effort in the right direction. The syllable Aum helps us in attaining this objective. It would be naive if we conclude that merely utterance of syllable Aum would lead us to salvation. If attaining salvation is so easy, what was the need of such detailed explanations in scriptures? Salvation cannot be attained unless we know the meaning of Aum truly. Most extraordinarily, if you read the Upanishads you will find that even syllable Aum is related to the flight towards attaining unity with God, but through a bird composed of 14 Devatas, one of whom is a Devi. The vowels of Aum signify the 5 Devatas, who were created from the One Self called Life or Prana, and the ardh-matra signify the 9 Devatas, also part of the Prana or Life. We are sure you are already aware of the names of these 14 Devatas and their inter-relationship by now. The Upanishads were talking of the role of Devatas when in Noor state, while we are here reading about their lives when the Noor descended in human bodies.
I.14
As oil in sesamum seeds, as butter in cream, as water in riverbeds, as fire in friction sticks, so is the Self seized in one’s own soul if one looks for Him with truthfulness and austerity.
Manifest Self can be realized within our self; one who is able to do so attains salvation. But it is prerequisite that we search for it with truthfulness and austerity. On the other hand, those who align their self with the negative forces end up in the fire of hell.
See what Isa Upanishad has to say further:
I.6
And he who sees all beings in his own self and his own self in all (14) beings, he does not feel any revulsion by reason of such a view.
This verse too states clearly that there are more than one being related with our self and hence it cannot be meant for God. It is the Devatas who pervade our soul and body to such an extent that there would be no life without them. That is why realizing one’s own self is possible only by knowing all the beings. (see Isa Upanishad, verse I.7)
I.7
When, to one who knows, all beings have, verily, become one with his own self, then what delusion and what sorrow can be to him who has seen the oneness?
Next verse again talks of Absolute God in Third Person, saying that all this is possible only courtesy the One God, who is the cause and source of all.
I.8
He has filled all; He is radiant, bodiless, invulnerable, devoid of sinews, pure, untouched by evil. He, the seer, thinker, all-pervading, self-existent has duly distributed through endless years the objects according to their natures.
The following verse shows that one who worships the Unmanifest Absolute God but does not cognize the Manifest is in blinding darkness and one who knows the Manifest but doesn’t know the Unmanifest is in still greater darkness. Eternal life (salvation or moksha) is only for those who have the knowledge of both Unmanifest and Manifest.
I.12
Into blinding darkness enter those who worship the Unmanifest and into still greater darkness, as it were, those who delight in the manifest.
I.14
He who understands the manifest and the Unmanifest both together, crosses death through the manifest and attains life eternal through the manifest.
That we have deviated from the true path far enough can be seen from the fact that none of us, Hindus or Muslim, know the distinction between Manifest and Unmanifest, something that the Upanishads are trying hard to preach. How then can we think of attaining salvation when it is clearly stated that salvation is directly linked to this knowledge?
God was fully aware of the nature of man and knew that majority of them would not be able to comprehend the presence of an Unmanifest God. Therefore, he initiated the entire process, starting with the Manifest Self of God and followed by Brahma, which is elaborately described in Brhad-aranyaka and Paingala Upanishads. The fact that these Upanishads, despite wayward translations, give the number 5 and 9 to constitute 14 is proof that the same knowledge is contained in both Quran, Gita, Vedas and Upanishads.
These were the 14 Noor (also described elsewhere as 14 Manu or the first progenitors of mankind). These 14, in their light state, are all powerful and at opportune time they take birth in human bodies, to guide and lead mankind towards the path of the Absolute God. When in human bodies, they have limited powers; this too can be confirmed from the Upanishads.
Lest these divisions make somebody think that their power diminished due to divisions, Upanishads have laboriously tried to send the message that all were equal in power and status to the original Noor created by the Manifest Self, and in spite of all divisions retained all the characteristics of the Noor created by Manifest Self of God. This has already been described previously in Isa Upanishad itself, which says:
That is full; this is full. The full comes out of the full.
Prophet Mohammad too was trying to convey the same message when he said:
First of us is Mohammad, last of us is Mohammad, the middle of us is Mohammad, all are Mohammad.
That the Manifest Self is the lord of 14 beings so created from Brahma or One Noor, they are ever united in approach and deeds, is said in II.5.15 says:
This Self, verily, is the lord of all beings, the king of all beings. As all the spokes are held together in the hub and felly of a wheel, just so, in thyself, all beings, all Devatas, all worlds, all breathing creatures, all these Selves are held together.
Let us see Hadees-e-Kisa narrated by Fatima herself and compare it with the aforementioned description. It is to be noted that Hadees-e-Kisa is extremely popular in certain sections of Muslims and is read and listened to on all auspicious occasions. It is to be noted that just as Gita, towards the end, attaches great importance to reading it or passing it to others, the same importance is attached to narrating the Hadees-e-Kisa. The reason perhaps is that here too, if read by the wise, the great secret regarding the real role of Ahlulbayt in the scheme of the Manifest Self of God is being told.
See its translation:
In the Name of God,
the All-merciful, the All-compassionate.
Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet is to have thus related (an event): -
My father, the Prophet of Allah, came to my house one day and said to me: “Peace be on you O Fatima,” to which I replied: “And upon you be peace.” He said “I feel weakness in my body” I said “May Allah protect you from weakness, O my father”. He said “O Fatima, please bring the vestment of Yemen and cover me with it”. So I brought the vestment of Yemen and covered him with it. Then I looked at him and saw that his face was shining like a full moon with its full glory and splendour.
After a while, my son Hasan came in and said:
“Peace be on you, my mother”.
I replied: “And upon you be peace, O Light of my eyes and the happiness of my heart”. He then said: “Mother! I smell a fragrance so sweet and pure, as that of my Grandfather, the prophet of Allah”. I replied, “Yes Indeed your Grandfather is lying underneath the vestment.” Hasan went near the vestment and said:
“Peace be on you my Grandfather, the Prophet of Allah; do you permit me to enter the vestment with you?”
He replied. “And upon you be peace, my son and the master of my fountain. I do give you permission to enter”.
So Hasan entered the vestment with him.
After a while my son Husain came in and said:
“Peace be on you, my mother”.
I replied. “And upon you be peace, O light of my eyes and happiness of my heart”.
He then said: “Mother I smell a fragrance so sweet and pure as that of my Grandfather, the Prophet of Allah”.
I replied, “Yes. Indeed your Grandfather and your brother are lying underneath the vestment”.
Husain advanced towards the vestment and said:
“Peace be on you, O my Grandfather, the chosen of Allah, do you allow me to enter the vestment with both of you?
He replied: “And upon be peace, my son and intercessor of my followers, I give you the permission”.
So Husain entered the vestment with them.
After a while, Abul Hasan Ali son of Abu Talib came in and said:
“Peace be on you, O daughter of the Prophet of Allah”.
I replied, “And upon you be peace, O Father of Hasan, and the Commander of the Faithful”.
He then said, “O Fatima I smell a sweet fragrance which is like of my brother, my cousin, the Prophet of Allah”.
I replied, “Yes, He is underneath the vestment with your both sons”.
Ali then went near the vestment and said:
“Peace be on you, O Prophet of Allah; May I enter the vestment with you?”
He replied, “And upon you be peace, my brother, my legatee, my successor and my standard bearer; I give you permission to enter”.
So Ali, entered the vestment with them.
Then I said, “Peace be on you, my father, O Prophet of Allah; do you permit me also to enter the vestment with all of you?”
He replied, “And upon you be peace, my daughter, O part of myself; I give you permission to enter”.
So I entered the vestment.
When all of us had gathered together underneath the vestment, my father, the Prophet, held the two ends of the vestment and raised his right hand towards the Heavens and prayed, “O Allah, these are the people of my Household (Ahlulbayt) and very specially my own and my protectors. They are of my own flesh and of my own blood. Whoever gives them trouble gives me trouble too; whoever makes them unhappy, makes me unhappy too, I am at war with those who are at war with them, I am at peace with those who are at peace with them.
I am the enemy of those who are at enmity with them; I am the friend of those who befriend them. Indeed they are from me I am from them. Therefore, send Thy Blessings, Mercy, Forgiveness and Pleasure upon me and upon them. Also remove all blemish from them and keep away impurity from them.
Then Allah, the Majestic, the Glorified, spoke (to the Angels), “O My Angels and the Residents of Heavens, verily, I have not created the erected Sky, the spread Earth, the illuminated Moon, the bright Sun, the rotating Universe, the flowing Seas, and the sailing Ships, but for the love of the Five Souls lying underneath the vestment.
The Gabriel, the trusted on, asked Allah, “O Lord, who are under the vestment?” Allah, the Majestic, the Glorified, answered. “They are the Household of the prophet and the mine of prophethood viz. Fatima, his father, her husband and her sons.
Gabriel then said, “O Lord, may I go to the Earth to be sixth of them.”
Allah replied, “Yes, I have given you permission to do so.”
Gabriel, the trusted came to the Earth and said, “Peace be on you, ‘O Prophet of Allah. The All Highest conveys His peace on you and His salutation, and has sworn by His Honour and Glory that he has not created the erected Sky, the spread Earth, the illuminated Moon, the bright Sun, the rotating Universe, the flowing Seas and the sailing Ships but for your sake and your love. God has given me permission to enter (the vestment) with you. Do you also give me permission, “O Prophet of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “And upon you be peace, O thou who art trusted with the Revelations of Allah; yes, I grant you permission to enter.” So Gabriel entered the vestment with us and said to my father that indeed Allah has sent this Revelation to you:
Verily Allah desires to keep away all blemishes from you, O Ahlulbayt (People of the Household) and keep you pure with perfect purification.
Then Ali asked my father, “O Prophet of Allah what significance does Allah attach to this Event of our gathering underneath the vestment?” The Prophet replied, “I swear by Him who appointed me a Prophet and chose me a confident Messenger, that no assembly, wherever this Event is narrated by my followers and devotees, shall remain without the Mercy of Allah descending on them, and encircling Angels asking Allah for the remission of their sins till the assembly has dispersed.” All exclaimed, “I swear by Allah the Lord of the Kaaba, we have succeeded and our followers have succeeded too.”
Again the Prophet said, “I swear by Him who appointed me a Prophet and chose me a confident Messenger that in any of the assemblies on the Earth, in which our followers and friends have gathered, wherever this Event is narrated there shall remain none grieved but Allah will remove his grief; there shall be none distressed but Allah will dispel his distress, and there shall be none who seeks a wish but Allah will grant his wish.” Ali then said, “Verily, by Allah, we have succeeded and become happy so also our followers have succeeded and become happy in this world as well as in the next world by the Lord of Kaaba.’
O Allah, send Thy Blessings on Mohammad and the Descendants of Mohammad.
Isn’t it clear that God is explicitly saying that it is His wish that all good comes to the doorsteps of Ahlulbayt (the people of the House) and they remain free from all impurity?
This Quranic verse (33:33 given above) serves as the background of this Hadees. In fact, the Hadees narrates the happenings that preceded and succeeded the time when this verse was revealed and identifies those who are intended as Ahlulbayt (People of the House). Had this verse not come, the Prophet’s wives, the wives’ children and other relatives too could have come forward to claim themselves as Ahlulbayt of Mohammad. The other authentic traditions and the unanimous verdict of both the sects (i.e. Shias and Sunnis) of Muslims throughout the ages is that none other than the Holy Prophet, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain were under the blanket when this verse was revealed.
Therefore, it is evident that Hadees-e-Kisa serves as an explanation of the one verse of Quran. Mohammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain came under a vestment (blanket) under peculiar circumstances and then Gabriel, the angel, who used to bring revelations to Prophet Mohammad, came with the verse.
We have already shown to you earlier that Paingala Upanishad has explicitly said that the Devatas were created from the sattvik or pure essence of God. Several other Upanishads too confirm the purity of the Devatas.
There is another surprise in store for you. We present here a passage from Radhakrishnan’s translation of Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad, which, in our view, is narrating the same incident, described in Hadees-e-Kisa. We have already said to you that Brhad-aranyaka is regarded as one of the most important of all Upanishads.
The only difference is that while Fatima is narrating the incidents as she saw them happen in her house, Brhad-aranyaka is narrating them, as somebody would have seen them happen from a great distance, as if from the heavens. From a great height, surely the scene would appear as if several people have converged inside an inverted bowl, when they were underneath a vestment, covered from all sides - like an inverted bowl. The narrator in Brhad-aranyaka listens to the conversation between God and his angel and narrates the conversation whereas Fatima has mentioned what happened down on the earth when she herself was present as one of the five who got underneath the vestment. We invite you to compare the conversation given in Brhad-aranyaka with that described in Fatima’s Hadees. Another subtle difference between Fatima’s description and that of Brhad-aranyaka is that while there were five persons inside the vestment, Brhad-aranyaka describes them to be seven. We will show later that even Hadees-e-Kisa is talking of more than five persons under the vestment, who are actually 14 with 7 names or spirits. Since there were only 5 members of Ahlulbayt who had taken birth till then, we could see only 5 underneath the vestment. However, seeing from a frame that transcends the boundaries of time, the one in heaven sees even those people who were yet to be born but who, through their parent, were very much inside that inverted bowl. He knows what their names are going to be, and there will be 7 names in all.
See what Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad says and relate it to the personalities under a vestment:
II.5.3
On this, there is the following verse: ‘There is a bowl with its mouth below and bottom up. In it is placed the glory of manifold forms. On its rim sits seven seers, and speech (Gabriel) as the eighth communicates with Brahman.’ What is called ‘the bowl with its mouth below and bottom up’ is the head, for it is the bowl with its mouth below and bottom up. ‘In it is placed the glory of manifold forms’; pranas (breaths), verily, are where the glory of manifold forms is placed, thus he says pranas (breaths). ‘On its rim sit seven seers’, verily, the breaths are the seers; thus he says breaths. ‘Speech as the eighth communicates with Brahman,’ for speech as an eighth communicates with Brahman.
II.5.4
These two here are Gautam and Bharadwaj. This is Gotama, and this is Bharadwaja. These two here are Visvamitra and Jamadagni. This is Visvamitra, this is Jamadagni. These two here are Vasistha and Kasyapa. This is Vasistha, this is Kasyapa. The tongue is Atri, for by the tongue food is eaten. Verily, eating is the same as the name Atri. He who knows this becomes the eater of everything: everything becomes his food.
We have shown later in this BOOK that Atri has been used for Fatima, Vasistha and Kasyapa are Ali and Mohammad. Therefore, we have reasons to believe that Gautam and Bharadwaj are none but Hasan and Husain and Viswamitra and Jamadagni are names of Jafar and Musa. These are the 7 names inside the inverted bowl; in essence, these are the 14 Ahlubayt who had only 7 names and spirits.
That the 14 are ever united in approach and deeds is said in II.5.15 says:
This Self, verily, is the lord of all beings, the king of all beings. As all the spokes are held together in the hub and felly of a wheel, just so, in thyself, all beings, all devas, all worlds, all breathing creatures, all these Selves are held together.
Isn’t it clear that God is explicitly saying that it is His wish that all good comes to the doorsteps of Ahlulbayt (the people of the House) and all impurity remains away from them? Also, the identity of the Ahlulbayt is being recognized, just as the verse from Brhad-aranyaka had done so.
We wish to add a very crucial point here. Note that God is addressing not just Mohammad, but a select group of people as Ahlulbayt, and Mohammad is surely included among those who are being addressed as Ahlulbayt. Therefore, those who call Ahlulbayt as meaning People of the House of Mohammad are wrong. Ahlulbayt are the people of the House of God. Or you may call them People of the House of Manifest Self of God. It is well known fact that Quran has addressed Ibrahim and Ishmael too as Ahlulbayt. Moreover, Quran has referred to Kaaba as Baytullah (House of Allah). Ibrahim and Ishmael had built Kaaba at the command of Allah at a place where Ibrahim had left his infant son, in the wilderness. Water miraculously appeared from close to Ishmael’s feet, thereby signifying that God wanted that place to be the abode of Ishmael’s progeny. It was in Ishmael’s progeny that the Ahlulbayt were born. Kaaba was called Baytullah even when Mohammad had not started preaching the teachings of Islam. If Kaaba was Baytullah (House of Allah), then Ahlulbayt had to be (People of the House of the Allah). It is unfortunate that Muslims created the confusion by translating Ahlulbayt as the People of the House of Mohammad, forgetting that even Mohammad was under the vestment when the verse of purity of Ahlulbayt was revealed.
Even in the Quran, Ahlulbayt are mentioned as Ahlulbayt of God and not of Prophet Mohammad. Muslims are of the opinion that certain members of Mohammad’s family are being talked about and hence the word Ahlulbayt has been used. If we read the Quranic verse, it talks of the wish of Allah and then refers to the Ahlulbayt, without mentioning that they are the Ahlulbayt of the Prophet. Therefore, it is evident that God has called them Ahlulbayt (the People of the House). We are sure it won’t be difficult to understand this in the light of the Upanishads and Vedas. What none knew till we read the scriptures assigned otherwise only to Hindus was that the status of Ahlulbayt is actually far loftier than what Shias believed till now, despite all the blames put on Shias for enhancing their status. Their true status was known only to the Sanatan Hindus of a particular period, to Messengers like Krishna, Rama and Isa, and also sages like Yajnavalkya, Svetasvatara and even Hanuman (wrongly referred to as the son of Marut or Vayu– Ali, just as Isa is wrongly referred to as the son of God).
However, we must remember that though they are People of the House (of the Manifest Self of God), Mohammad as head of the family is not wrong when he calls the remaining Ahlulbayt as ‘My Ahlulbayt’ (Ahlulbayti).
The fact that for Ali’s birth, the wall of the House of God – Kaaba – split into two and then got united shows that Manifest Self of God wanted at least one member of His house to be born in the house assigned to Him. This event itself was of such importance to God that even Buddha as well as David talked of the incident much in advance (you will see later). Not only this, you will find in Part-III that even the Vedas have mentioned this incident from Ali’s life.
There is another interesting observation that we wish to present. From the narration of this verse it is clear that not only the Prophet but also Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain (even though the two were young children) knew in advance that this verse was about to be revealed from God and all, including the two children, made preparations to come under the vestment so that anybody does not come to conclusion that the entire household, which even had a wife of Prophet, was included in the term Ahlulbayt. This also is a clear proof of the lofty status of these 5 who were all fully aware of the Quran in advance and even knew when a particular verse was to be revealed. They seemed to be the knower of the will of God (that is why they converged under the vestment when the verse was about to be revealed).
Now see how Allama Ali Naqi Naqvi has explained this. He says: “People forego the literal meaning of this verse of Tatheer (Purity), as these meanings do not fit with their interests. All of these Persons referred to by this verse knew that the Ayat was going to come. Even the Angel was looking forward to come. The Angel came inside the vestment to recite this verse lest the residents of the entire house are taken as meaning.
‘Innama’ meaning ‘only or alone’ at the beginning of the ayat points at a particular point, similar to the word ‘This’. Gabriel did not come to the door of the house to seek permission to enter. Rather he came to edge of the vestment, which already had the five, and recited the verse only upon getting inside.”
Allama says: “Ahlulbayt is actually combination of three words: (Al- meaning ‘the’, Ahl meaning ‘people of’ and bayt meaning ‘house’. ‘The’ indicates a particular group. If we say ‘Day’, it could be any day, but when we say, ‘The Day’, it means ‘Day like this’. This shows ‘Al’ points at the present persons. Therefore, Ahlulbayt points to ‘People of this house.’ The word ‘This’ cannot be understood unless you see who is being pointed at. When one points ‘This’, it will indicate the thing that stops the vision. If I say ‘This’ and points upwards, this will mean the roof, and if there is no roof, it will mean the sky.
At all times, Prophet was in one house or other, even so it was the House of God. So wherever the verse would have come, people of that house would be the ones being pointed at. That is the reason why the Prophet created a house within the house, and becoming the root cause or chief pillar of the house, went under the ‘chadar’ (vestment). And then all the constituents of the House came to gather inside the chadar. This shows that all the components of the House knew what Ayat is going to come. The Ayat was to come later, but they were creating the background for it beforehand.”
Some would say how a vestment could become a house? Allama has given several examples through the help of prevalent Arabic literature, where the term ‘Bayt’ was used for enclosure. It could have been an enclosure made by tents. A famous poet even called the face of a woman, hidden or enclosed by her hair, as bayt.
God addressed Ibrahim and Ishmael in Quran and says: ‘Keep my house free from blemish.’ It is clear from this that while God assigned the purification of the House (Kaaba) to the Ahlulbat, he kept the purification of the Ahlulbayt in His hands. One is the Ayah-e-Tatheer (verse of purity) for the Bayt (house) and the other for the Ahlulbayt (People of the house). In clear terms, God is addressing the Ahlulbayt to confirm that He would keep them pure, and the previous Prophets, in spite of their high positions, were to keep the house clean, whose rightful occupants are Mohammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husain and the 9 Imams after him. If Ahlulbayt took upon themselves the task of leading mankind to God, who are we to doubt? The difference is this that God’s promise was fulfilled in such a manner that all attempts to malign the identity of the Ahlulbayt remained fruitless, while the Ahlulbayt are still trying to lead the entire mankind towards God, despite all the sacrifices that they have given. However, it is the promise of God in Quran that they would eventually be successful, even if it would be at the hands of the last of the 14 Ahlulbayt, the last Manu or the 14th Devata, who is also the Kalki Avatar, and is about to come any moment now.
We give here few more hidden aspects of this Hadees-e-Kisa that are mostly not given attention:
1. It is evident that motive behind all actions in this Hadees is to identify the true position of the people who had accumulated under the vestment. And the purpose is to tell that the position of those under the vestment is far higher than what we perceive them to be. When the earth, the sky, the moon, and everything else have been created for them, all the Prophets that came to the earth were inferior to those under the vestment. This is exactly similar to the description of the Divinities (Devatas) in the Upanishads.
2. It is evident that not just Prophet Mohammad but all those who came under the vestment knew previously that it is time for the verse to reveal and they collected under the vestment to prepare the ground for the verse. If we are of opinion that the Quranic verses are revealed according to the God’s wish, then we have no choice but to conclude that these Ahlulbayt are aware of the God’s wish.
3. It shows that either there was some special fragrance in the Prophet at least, if not in all of them, that was recognizable only to those who carried the Divine Noor and not to the common men or people, including the Prophet’s wives.
4. Hasan has been identified as the master of the fountain (in the heavens) by the Prophet.
5. Husain has been identified as the intercessor of the followers of the Prophet.
6. Ali has been identified as Prophet’s legatee, his successor and standard-bearer by none other than Prophet. It is sad that the Muslims, who read this verse in the Quran and knew the background of its revelation, did not try to make Ali the successor after the death of the Prophet.
7. Fatima is described as part of the Prophet, which is exactly similar to the Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad’s description of the creation of Devatas, which says that the one self divided into two selfs and then a part of one was married to the second self. Prophet has also said that Ali and himself were divisions of the same Noor (light).
8. Prophet had prayed to God that those under the vestment were his Ahlulbayt. But when the verse was revealed, it is not said that they were Prophet’s Ahlulbayt. In fact, Prophet Mohammad is also included in the Ahlulbayt, owing to him being under the vestment. If you have read the content of the Brhad-aranyaka and our interpretation a little earlier, you will agree that both are right. While the 13 are the Ahlulbayt of the Prophet, all 14 are Ahlulbayt of (Manifest Self of) Allah. Twice Ali has referred to God as the Lord of the Kaaba, which is called the House of God (Baytullah). This is enough to indicate that just as the Kaaba is a physical manifestation of the House of God on earth, the Ahlulbayt are the physical manifestations of God’s Divine Agents (Divinities) on earth – they are proofs of God for all humanity and the ones whose path is to be followed in order to attain salvation (Ahlulbaytullah).
9. Prayer of Mohammad says: ‘whoever gives them trouble, gives me trouble; whoever makes them (Ahlulbayt) unhappy, makes me unhappy too, I am at war with those who are at war with them, I am at peace with those who are at peace with them.’ This clearly shows that not only those who killed Hasan or Husain, but even those who troubled Fatima and Ali were actually at war with the Prophet. This has to be believed by Muslims unless they wish to believe that the Prophet prayed and the prayer remained unfulfilled. Fatima died within six months of the Prophet’s death. And she is recorded as saying: “Oh father, after your demise the troubles that befell me are such that had they befallen the sun, it would have turned black.’ People accumulated and set the house of Fatima on fire; the door fell on Fatima’s abdomen and the child in her womb died because of this. If this is not trouble, then what is trouble? We invite the Muslims to go through the pages of history and see who all were the people who gave these troubles? But be prepared, some of the most respected names too may be found.
10. If waging the war against a person is trouble or unhappiness, then we also invite all to find in history the names of all who came in opposition to Ali. And you will then realize that Zulmat is continuously at work and it can corrupt the minds of even the seemingly most pious men and women.
11. In Part-I of this BOOK, we had seen from the Upanishads that the Devatas were created from the sattvik or pure essence. Here, the God is testifying the purity of the Ahlulbayt. The fact that God has taken a guarantee in Quran itself that the Ahlulbayt are free from blemish and perfectly pure, it has to be seen with an absolutist meaning, for it cannot be possible that a little blemish or a little impurity would remain after the God’s guarantee. Even those who deny the entire Hadees cannot deny the God’s words in Quran and the fact that it is Mohammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain who are the subject of discussion. If talking insane is a blemish, then we invite you to find the names of those who said that the Prophet was talking insane because of his illness and denied him the paper and pen that he was seeking. If labelling false accusations is a blemish then you will have to agree that when Fatima called certain men usurpers in the mosque of the Prophet, then she was perfectly right in wordings. Likewise, you will have to agree that all the wars that Ali waged, even so against the seemingly most pious of people, were righteous and true. Nahjul Balaghah, the book attributed to Ali, and various other narrations are full of Ali describing those who usurped what was rightfully his. He has even criticized the previous Caliphs and at one point of time refused Caliphate on grounds that he would not follow the path of the preceding Caliphs. Keep the words of Quran in mind and you will have to agree that whatever Ali said, at all points in time, was absolutely true.
12. The sky, the earth, the moon, the sun, the universe, the seas, the ships could be created for the five, in the words of God, but one of them, who was the main battle winner during the days of struggle, the acknowledged most learned among men, and the first to accept Islam in the eyes of the world, was not found fit to be the successor of the Prophet by the Muslims after Prophet’s death.
Question arises, how can the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky, etc. be created in the love of the Ahlulbayt. To understand this, you will have to agree to the Upanishadic description as per which God created the Manifest Self which went about worshipping and then it desired there be more (worshippers) and subsequently a Noorani Rooh emanated, which divided into 7 or 14 constituents all equal in might and power to the first from which the division took place. This Noorani Rooh was created from the pure tattvas (thus the purity of the Ahlulbayt) while Zulmat was created from the materialistic tattvas. The creation of the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky, etc. was subsequent to the creation of the Devatas and after rigorous worship performed by them in the highest heavens. In one his sermons, more popularly known as Khutba-al-bayan, Ali has described how intense this worship was.
13. If you believe that God is knower of all, then you will have to accept that He also knows your languages perfectly and not even a comma or sign in His book can be without significance or meaning. The language of Arabic does not have just singular and plural words. Rather, there are three, viz. waahid (singular), tasniya signifying two, and jamaa signifying more than two (plural). When Allah replies to Gabriel’s question regarding the people under the vestment, He said that it included Fatima, her father, her husband and her sons. Those learned in Arabic language tell that as per Arabic grammar, the wordings used refer to only one daughter, one husband and more than two (and not two) sons. This was despite the fact that there were only Hasan and Husain under the vestments. This suggests that those sons of Husain who were to be the future Imams too are part of Ahlulbayt. This is another justification that Ahlulbayt are 14 in number. We know that there were 7 noorani roohs who came in14 bodies having 7 names.
What is most interesting is that when an Upanishad described this event, it talked of an inverted cup with 7 names underneath it and then went on to give the 7 names. Clearly, from heaven, the vestment with people inside would have appeared as an inverted cup with all those who comprise the Ahlulbayt inside it. What is more interesting is that even the conversation of God has been described in this Upanishad.
14. Another interesting point that has been left unnoticed by people is that Fatima is the narrator who not only narrates the incidents taking place in her house but also goes on to narrate the conversation between God and His Angel Gabriel high up in the heavens. You will have to either discard this narrative as a pack of lies or you will have to believe that Fatima was actually aware of all that was happening in the heavens and was even listening to the conversation between God and the denizens of heaven. As we have said, so many advantages of reciting this Hadees have been talked about only because of the implicit meanings, some of which have not been unearthed till today.
15. The fact that the Prophet has sworn by the name of Allah that no place where this event would be recited would remain free from God’s blessings and mercy is evident proof why the Prophet did not mention about rebirth. The knowledge that he was leaving was such that those who would follow it would gain access to God’s mercy and won’t be sent again in this world. However, punishment for the unrighteous acts would be given and nowhere has this been denied.
16. This also is an evident proof of the words of Gita, which say that salvation is achieved when a person recognizes the Self. It has been clearly described in the Upanishads that the 7 or 14 Devatas comprise the One Noor created by God’s Manifest Self and therefore, upon knowing them one attains salvation.
17. That Ayesha, Prophet’s wife who came to fight Ali later, too has narrated this event is proof that knowledge alone is not sufficient to keep a person on the true path. He or she has to continuously strive for perfection and strictly forbid Zulmat from affecting his/her words and deeds, and ceaselessly endeavour to remain as close to the true path as possible.
18. It also shows that the proximity of the pious is not a proof that the person too is pious enough.
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