O Jabir! They are my successors and the Muslims’ leaders [Imams] after me. The first of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S.) and then al-Hasan (A.S.) and al-Husayn (A.S.) followed by Ali ibn al-Husayn (A.S.) and after him Muhammad ibn Ali (A.S.) who is known in Torah as Baqir: O Jabir! you will meet him, whenever you see him give my regards to him; next is Sadiq Jafar ibn Muhammad (A.S.); then Musa ibn Jafar (A.S.), Ali ibn Musa (A.S.), Muhammad ibn Ali (A.S.), Ali ibn Muhammad(A.S.), al-Hasan ibn Ali (A.S.), and finally the one having the same name and patronymic as mine, Hujjah of Allah on earth and His Remainder among His servants, will be al- Hasan ibn Ali’s son. The one in whose capable hands the Almighty Allah will open up the east and west of the globe; the one who will be concealed from his Shi’as and lovers and in that time nobody will remain consistent in believing in his Imamate except those whose hearts have been faithfully purified by Allah.
Al-Nadr ibn Suwayd: Quoting Amr ibn al-Miqdam as saying: On the day of Arafah I saw al-Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.) shouting most clearly in the plain of Arafat: O people! The Apostle of Allah (S.A.W.) was an Imam and after him was Ali ibn Abi Talib (A.S.), and then al-Hasan (A.S.), al-Husayn (A.S.), Ali ibn al-Husayn (A.S.), Muhammad ibn Ali(A.S.), and then "hah", repeating it three times to his right, left and back in twelve tones.
Amr said: Upon arriving in Mina, I inquired Arabic language experts about the meaning of "hah". They said: Hah is the dialect of such and such a clan (Bani Hashim) meaning I, so ask me.
Amr further said: I asked other Arabic language experts, they replied the same.
The hadiths that have directly and indirectly stated what Ahl al-Bayt meant by ayah of Tathir
The hadiths that have directly and indirectly stated what Ahl al-Bayt meant by ayah of Tathir are divided into five categories:
First group:
Hadiths narrated on the revelation occasion of the ayah tathir. These traditions distinctly and clearly introduce a particular group of the Holy Prophet’s near of kin, i.e., Ali (A.S.), Fatima (A.S.), al-Hasan (A.S.) and al-Husain(A.S.) as proof of "Ahl al-Bayt", disclaiming all his other relatives of this title.
The Sunni traditionists have narrated this group of traditions from four of the Holy Prophet’s (S.A.W.) relations, i.e., Ali ibn Abi Talib(A.S.), al-Hasan ibn Ali(A.S.), al-Husayn ibn Ali(A.S.), and Ali ibn al-Husayn(A.S.) two of his spouses, Umm Salama and A’ishah as well as seven of his companions: Abu Said al-Khudri, Bara ibn Azib, Jabir ibn Abd Allah Ansari, Zinat daughter of Abu Salama, Sad ibn Abi Waqqas, Subayh a retainer to Umm Salama and Abd Allah ibn Jafar.
The Shia traditionists, however, relate these traditions from seven of Ahl al-Bayt of Rasul Allah(S.A.W.): Imam Ali(A.S.), al-Imam al-Hasan ibn Ali(A.S.),al-Imam al-Husayn ibn Ali(A.S.), al-Imam Ali ibn Al-Husayn(A.S.), Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir(A.S.) Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq(A.S.),and Ali ibn Musa al-Reza(A.S.) as well as two of the Holy Prophet’s(S.A.W.) spouses, Umm Salama and A’ishah and two of his companions, i.e., Jabir ibn AbdAllah and Sad ibn Abi Waqqas.
Second group:
Traditions related as about scholarly interpretation of the ayah of Tathir by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) among which are hadiths asserting that after the revelation of this ayah the Holy Prophet would stop at Ali(A.S.) and Fatima’s(A.S.) house every day at morning prayer time for months to recite the ayah of Tathir upon sending salutations and calling them to prayers.
Great traditionists from both sects have narrated this event from some well-known companions and Ahl al-Bayt of the prophet (S.A.W.).
Third group:
Traditions mentioning proofs for Ahl al-Bayt in accord with what was said in the first and second groups, without referring to the ayah of Tathir. The number of this group of traditions is much greater than that of the first and the second groups.
Fourth group:
Traditions which bring up virtues or rights for the title "Ahl al-Bayt" without giving any proofs on the title; and other hadiths which make no reference to this title but bring up the same virtues and rights as proofs of Ahl al-Bayt(A.S.)
For instance, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) says: "whoever loves us the Ahl al-Bayt for the sake of Allah, they will be roused with us and we will take them to paradise with us". In another hadith his holiness took his grandsons al-Hasan(A.S.) and al-Husayn(A.S.) and said: "whoever loves me and these two and their parents, they will be ranked equally with me on the Day of Resurrection". Still in another tradition he said: "I swear you by God into observing the Ahl al-Bayt’s rights".
The number of this category of traditions exceeds the three groups stated before.
Fifth group:
Traditions which when compared they will clarify that al-Husayn’s(A.S.)descendants up to Imam al-Mahdi(A.S.) are all regarded as the People of Kisa and are included in ayah of Tathir.
Source:
The Image of Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) in The Qur’an and Hadith
By: Muhammadi Rayshahri
