Ahl al-Bayt and Islamic History

The divine proof, who is the Sultan, encompasses both this world and the next. The Ahl al-Bayt (AS) are the supreme manifestation of the Sultan of God and the divine proofs over the inhabitants of this world and the next; divine mercy and blessings descend through them. Connecting with this divine proof is the way to attain the strength and ability needed to pass beyond the boundaries of the worlds.

The division of the universe into the divine realm (lāhūt), the realm of power (jabarūt), the realm of the unseen (malakūt), and the material realm (nāsūt) is a mystical classification, and religious texts contain no specific teaching about it. The levels of being of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) are complex and mysterious; the cited hadiths reflect some of the wonders of their existence.

To help your three-year-old’s love for the Prophets and the Ahl al-Bayt endure, entrust your child to God and seek His protection for them from the evil of devils. Nourish their spiritual life with the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet’s Household, and learn religious knowledge from authoritative sources. It is recommended that you recite the twenty-fifth supplication of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, as well as supplications for the end times, with yourself and your child in mind.

It seems that “rizq” in the speech marking the passing of Lady Zaynab al-Kubra (SA) means “day,” rather than provision or sustenance. God’s infinite artistry will be revealed on the tablet of womanhood, and the pure woman is like a vessel into which the wine of beauty and boundless delights is poured—and in which it will endure.

Lady Zaynab al-Kubra (SA) will emerge in the era of the advent of His Eminence, the Remnant of God Almighty (AJ), so that all people may benefit from her presence. We ask God in prayer to grant us the blessing of benefiting from her presence.

Attracting the widest possible audience by any means is not acceptable under the sacred law of Islam. On religious festivals such as Ghadir, the middle of Sha‘ban, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) made room for simple pleasures: visiting one another, outings, exchanging greetings, hosting guests, serving delicious food, enjoying refined and dignified art, sharing good-natured jokes, acts of generosity, wholesome recreation, visiting scholars, offering prayers, singing dignified songs and holding light-hearted contests.

The Fire of Hell is forbidden to Lady Fatima (SA) and her pure progeny, and God keeps the Fire away from their followers on their account. Likewise, earthly fire has no power to affect their purified bodies, except as a test and trial. Numerous narrations speak of their luminous nature and infallibility, and of their connection to the Verse of Light.

A person’s lifespan is in God’s hands. It is either fixed and unchangeable (ajal-e maqḍī) or subject to change through *badāʾ* (ajal-e musamman). Although the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) had the potential to live long lives, they devoted all they had to God’s cause. This sacrifice was a sign of their perfection and merit, not of a short lifespan.

Adam’s (AS) initial descent was in India, after which he was brought to Mecca. These two reports can be reconciled by taking their chronological and geographical order into account: he first descended in India, then traveled to the Sacred House and performed the rites.

Imam Hussein’s (AS) knowledge of the unseen included awareness of his own martyrdom and that of his household, demonstrating his submission to and acceptance of God’s decree. His family’s presence completed the epic of Ashura, and through this decision Imam Hussein (AS) rendered the highest service to God’s religion.

The story of removing an arrowhead from Imam Ali’s (AS) foot is widely reported and appears in both Shi‘i and Sunni sources. The incident is said to have taken place while he was praying: because he was so absorbed in prayer, the arrowhead was removed without his noticing.

Imam Ali’s (AS) warning against consulting women on political matters need not include women of sound judgment and experience; Dashti’s translation reflects a personal interpretation. It is possible that something was omitted in the transmission or in the manuscripts, since the Commander of the Faithful speaks the truth and would be unlikely to express such a point ambiguously.

The verse «ولن یجعل الله للکافرین علی المؤمنین سبیلا» means that God will never give unbelievers a way to dominate the faithful. This denial of any such way signifies the faithful’s ultimate ascendancy and authority over unbelievers. Although the faithful may appear to suffer oppression or even be martyred, ultimate and true victory belongs to them, and unbelievers will have no proof against them.

The verse “Kāf Hā Yā ʿAyn Ṣād” has several inner meanings. One interpretation alludes to Karbala, the martyrdom of the Prophet’s family, Yazid, thirst, and Imam Husayn’s (AS) patience. Another links these letters to divine names such as “Sufficer,” “Guide,” “Guardian,” “All-Knowing,” and “Truthful,” pointing to God’s care for the Shia.

The Praiseworthy Station is the most exalted station God grants to the Noble Prophet (PBUH) and his blessed family. It includes privileges such as holding the keys to the divine treasures, sitting upon the Throne, bearing the Banner of Praise, holding the keys to Paradise and Hell, and exercising a special right of intercession. On the Day of Resurrection, all will envy those who attain this station.

To put oneself ahead of the Ahl al-Bayt is to regard oneself as superior to them, reject their authority, and substitute one’s own thought and conduct for theirs. To lag behind them is to fail to follow, accompany, or support them. In this light, before their repentance the Penitents were closer to the group described as “those who lagged behind them.”

Salām—peace—is one of God’s names, and the Imam of our Time (AJ) embodies God’s beautiful names and is the servant nearest to Him in the divine presence. Greeting him in different states means remembering the most exalted servant in his most exalted states, and drawing closer to the God of the Mahdi. The Imam is the Master of the Age and, by God’s permission, has awareness of every dimension of time.

The Infallibles (AS) are called the pillars of divine unity because they are the intermediaries of God’s grace and embodiments of the primordial nature oriented toward divine unity. Without belief in them, no level of divine unity is attainable, for they transform the moon of divine unity into its sun.

Shiism is Islam itself; the sects arose among those who chose Islam without the wilayah of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS). The Verse of the Perfection of Religion points to this truth. The four Sunni schools of law—the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, and Hanbali—had students of Imam al-Sadiq (AS), yet they do not accept the Shiite Imams beyond the sixth Imam.

The epithet Abu Salih means “father of the inheritors of the earth.” The righteous—his followers and those who adhere to his teachings—will inherit the earth, and Imam al-Mahdi (AJ) is their leader and father. He is regarded as a father even to the prophets.