An exegesis of the verse of Tatheer

 

An exegesis of the verse of Tatheer

 

Allah Most High has described many excellences of the Family of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the Ahle Bait.  One of them is:

 

And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless. Surah Ahzaab (33:33)

 

In the aforementioned verse of the Holy Quran, Allah Most High described the excellence of the Prophet’s Family over others in 2 ways:

 

1.  Rijz i.e. the Prophet’s Family is free of all blemishes

2.  To keep the Prophet’s Family really pure i.e. to keep the Prophet’s Family free of all blemishes, be they worldly, related to the hereafter, actual, virtual, physical or spiritual.

 

The first thing that we ought to know is who exactly constitute the Prophet’s Family.  The exegetes have some opinions about this:

 

1.  The Prophet’s Family means Hadhrat ‘Ali, Hadhrat Fatima, Hadhrat Hasan and Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them).

 

2.  The Prophet’s Family means only the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

3.  The Prophet’s Family means Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

4.  The Prophets Family means the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

All the above opinions are extracted from the Hadith but those Hadith which state the Prophet’s Family to be Hadhrat ‘Ali, Hadhrat Fatima, Hadhrat Hasan and Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them), they are numerous and more authenticated.  Thus, most of the scholars give preference to this opinion, as numerous Hadith attest to this.

 

Some Hadith are being mentioned here:

 

1.  Hadhrat Abu Sa’eed Khudri (May Allah be well pleased with him) says:  This verse of Tatheer was revealed about 5 persons.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Hadhrat ‘Ali, Hadhrat Fatima, Hadhrat Hasan and Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them).  (Mo’jam Kabeer Tabarani, Hadith No. 3590)

 

Even though this Hadith is not Marfu’ but as per the principles of Hadith the Mursal Hadith from a Companion of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is acceptable.

 

2.  There is a Hadith in Sahih Muslim:

 

Translation:  Hadhrat ‘Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her) says:  One morning the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went outside and He had a black woolen patterned mantle with Him.  Hadhrat Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) came and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) summoned (seated) him under the mantle.  Then Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) came.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) seated him also under the mantle.  Then Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her) came.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) took her also under the mantle.  Then Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) came.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) took him also under the mantle.

 

Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) recited the verse: And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.  (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 3510)

 

The aforementioned Hadith of Sahih Muslim shows that the Prophet’s Family means the 5 great personages mentioned above.  It also includes the mothers of the believers, the clan of Hashim and Muttalib.

 

To show their high status, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has prohibited Zakaat and Sadqa for them.

 

Opinion of ‘Allama Ibn Katheer

 

Shaykh Ibn Katheer writes on the basis of his research that the Prophet’s Family means the mothers of the believers and he says that limiting the Prophet’s Family to only the mothers of the believers goes against canonical sources.  He writes:

 

Translation: It is correct to say that on the basis of the background of the revelation of this verse (the aforementioned verse), that the intent of the verse is the Prophet’s Family and not others.  However, it would not be correct to say that the Prophet’s Family means only the mothers of the believers and not others.  (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Surah Ahzaab-33).

 

Then Shaykh Ibn Katheer relates a Hadith.  Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) was attacked with a dagger by a wretch.  The Imam remained bedridden for some months.  When the Imam regained his health, he came to mosque, stood on the pulpit and said:

 

Translation: O denizens of Iraq!  We are your caliphs and guests.  We are from the Prophet’s Family (Ahle Bait), whom Allah Most High has praised.  The Imam kept repeating this until the whole gathering burst into tears.  (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Surah Ahzaab-33)