Ahlul Bayt, Ahl al-Bayt, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Noble Qur'an, Ayat Al-Tathir, Mubahala

Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) is a phrase meaning Peopleof the House, or
family. Inthe Islamic tradition it refers to the household of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh).
Ahlul Bayt (Ahle Bait) in simple terms is to put trust of guidance to
Aal-e-Muhammad [descendents of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)], through
Fatima Zahra (pbuh) and Imam Ali (pbuh) and their descendents. Bayt is
to give the Oath of Allegiance to Imam Ali (pbuh) and accept his
guidance.
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) orhousehold members of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) refers to his daughter Fatima Zahra (pbuh), his successor and
son-in-law, Imam Ali (pbuh), their two sons Imam Hasan (pbuh) and Imam
Hussain (pbuh), and the nine Imams from the lineage of Imam Hussain
(pbuh).
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl-e-Bait) in Noble Qur'an
The Purified Ones: The Highest degree of purity means to be kept
constantly away from all the causes of impurity. This is termed as the
stateof infallibility in knowledge, character and action. It could
have been applied generally tothe whole mankind who are keeping aloof
from all the impurities as the word of Allah (SWT) commands; but,
Allah (SWT) expressively has confined His order to certain group of
individuals by excluding the rest of the mankind from it in His divine
will by declaring Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) as the persons purified by
Him to be constantly in touch with the Noble Qur'an in its original,
hidden, well protected, exalted and purified form. It was Allah's
(SWT) wish to remove all blemishes from them, as mentionedin the Verse
of Purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) in the Noble Qur'an:
The Verse of Purity (Ayat Al-Tathir): "... Allah only desires to keep
away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify
you a (thorough) purifying." Noble Qur'an (33:33)
The above verse from Noble Qur'an, is known as Ayat Al-Tathir, refers
tothe members of the household of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), which
include exclusivelyProphet Muhammad, Imam Ali, Fatima Zahra, Imam
Hasan, and Imam Hussain (peace be upon them all). Hence Prophet
Muhammad's (pbuh) other offspring, wives, sons of paternal uncles, and
dwellers of his houseare not to be called as Prophet Muhammad's Ahlul
Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt).
The argument is based on the genuine and authentic traditions narrated
by Sahaba, companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) recorded in both the
Sunni and Shia sources.
Ahlul Bayt (Ahle Bait) in Hadith's
1. Hadith-e-Kisa (Hadith of the Cloak):
It is narrated from Umm al-Momineen, Umm Salamah that once Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was in her house lying on a mattress, covered with a
cloak from Khaibar when his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra (pbuh)
entered with a dish called al-Khazira (a kind of food). Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) askedher to call her husband, Imam Ali and her two
sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain. Fatima Zahra (pbuh) called them and
as they all sat together to eat, Allah (SWT) revealed the following
verse of purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). "...
Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of
the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying." Noble Qur'an
(33:33)
Upon this Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) covered them all with his cloak and
lifting his hands towards the sky said: "O Allah (SWT)! This is my
family and the nearest of my kin, keep away from them uncleanness and
keep them pure as pure can be." Umm al-Momineen, Umm Salamah adds that
thrice Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) repeated these words and when she poked
her head under the cloak andasked him, Am I with you? In a refraining
gesture, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said twice: "You are (also) among the
righteous."
Thus it is clear from above discussion that Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh)
daily habit of stopping at his daughter Fatima Zahra's (pbuh) house
and addressing her household as Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt), was not
without reason. In fact he was expounding the meaning of the term
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) and practically explaining to the Muslimsthe
verse of purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) and the particular persons meant by
it. To be more precise, he was drawing the attention of the Muslim
nation towards the significance of his Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) and
their leadership after himso that the Muslims should love, obey and
follow them.

TAQWAA

Taqwaa (piety) forms part of the basic essentials of Islam. It means
to observe the Divine commandments conscientiously and scrupulously
and to avoidall forbidden, wicked and shameful things, believing
wholly and firmly in the Great Requital of the Last Day and fearin
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and His wrath and punishment. In other
words, it demands of us, on the one hand, to carry out, thoroughly and
well, the duties prescribed by the Almighty and to fulfill zealously
the rights of men who have a claim onus according to the Divine law,
and, on the other, to refrain strictly from doing anything thathas
been prohibited by Him. It calls on us to make the fear of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) our constant companion. Both in the Holy
Quraan and the Traditions a very great emphasis has been laid on
Taqwaa and righteousness and it has been urged on us most forcefully
and persistently to cultivate itin ourselves. Some of the relevant
verses of the Holy Quraan are:
O ye who believe! fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) as He should be
feared and die not except in a state of Islam. [III-102]
So fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) as much as you can; listen and obey.
O ye who believe! fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and let everysoul
look to what (provisions) he has sent forth for the morrow. And fear
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa); for Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) is
well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. [LIX-18]
The Quraanic verses, further, reveal that there is a great favour of
the Lord even in this world on those who fear Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and practise Taqwaa and righteousness. Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) shows special munificence to them and makes His help
available to them in thousand ways:
And for those who fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) He (ever)
prepares a way out and He provides for him from (sources) he never
could imagine. [XLV:2-3]
The Holy Quraan also tellsthat those who lead a lifeof Taqwaa and
righteousness become the Friends of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa),
and, then, for them there is neither fear nor shall they ever grieve.
Behold! verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear nor shall they
grieve, those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil; for
them are Glad Tidings in the life of the world and the Hereafter.
[X-62-64]
Some of the wonderful boons and blessings that await the pious. and
the righteous in the Hereafter have been revealed briefly in the
following verses:
Say: shall 1 give you glad tidings of things far better than those?
for the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord with rivers
flowing beneath; thereinis their eternalhome withCompanions (pure and
holy) and the good pleasure of Allah For in Allah's sight are (all)
His servants. [111:15]
And verily, for the Righteous is a beautiful place of (Final) Return.
Gardens of Eternity whose doors will ever be opened to them; therein
will they recline (at ease);therein can they call (at pleasure) for
fruit in abundance and (delicious) drink; and beside them will be
chaste women restraining their glances (companions): equal age.Such is
the promise madefor the Day of Account! Truly, such will be Our Bounty
(to you) It will never fail. [XXXVIII:49-54]
In the Holy Quraan., again men of Taqwaa aregiven the very special
tidings of place of exceptional nearness to Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) in the Hereafter:
As to the Righteous they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers in
an Assembly fo Truth in the presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent.
[LIV:54-55]
The sole criterion of honour and superiority with Allah (Subhaanahu
Watá'aalaa) is Taqwaa.
Verily the most honouredof you in the sight of Allah is (he who is)
the most righteous of you. [XLIX:13]
Similarly, it has been declared by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaibeWasallam) in one of his Traditions that:
"Nearest and dearest to me are those who possesses the virtue of
Taqwaa (no matter what race or nationality they belong to or which
country they live in)."
Taqwaa (i.e. fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and a over powering
anxiety for theHereafter) is the root of all virtue. It is the measure
of all goodness. We will be as good and noble and as free from what is
bane and corruptas there is Taqwaa in us.
Some other Traditions of Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) are:
"A holy Companion once said to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe
Wasallam), O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam)! I have heard so
many of your valuable sayings That I fear I may not be able to
remember them all. So I request youfor a comprehensive advice which
may suffice for me always. The Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam)
replied, "Fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) in proportion to your
knowledge and make that fear and Taqwaa theguiding principles of your
life."
"He who has fear will set out early and he who willset out early will
reach the destination in time."
"The fortunate and the successful, indeed, are those who fear Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and prepare for the life to come."
"Even a single tear shed out of fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
and of His anger and punishment carries a great value in His eyes."
"There are two drops," says the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam),
"and two marks than which nothing is more precious to Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). Of the two drops so exceedingly dear to Him,
one is the tear that may have fallen from the eyes of anyone out of
His fear, and the other is the drop of blood that is shed in His path.
Similarly, of the two marks one is the mark sustained in the path of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) (i.e. the scar left behind by a wound
sustained in Jihad), and the other is the mark which may have
developed as a result of the carrying out of a religious obligation
(as for example, the marks one often sees on the forehead and knees of
those who offer the Salaah regularly)."
We will take up one more Tradition of the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam). It says:
"Never can he go to hell who weeps in the fear ofAllah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
The sum and full substance of the entire discussion is that it is
great, indeed, to be blessed with true fear of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and a genuine solicitude for the Hereafter. It can
literally revolutionise one's whole existence.
Brothers! Know it thoroughly and well that one who is Allah-fearing in
this transitory world will have absolutely nothing to worry in the
Hereafter. He will have neither fear nor anxiety. He will dwell in
eternal peace, comfort and happiness by the Grace of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa). On the contrary, he who is not Allah-fearing and shows no
concern for After-life and refuses to look beyond the pleasures of
material existence for him. There will be terrible anguish and
distress in the life to come. For thousands of years he will be
sheddingtears of blood.
The surest way to develop Taqwaa, i.e. Allah-fearingness and
solicitude for the Hereafter is to avail oneself of the company of the
devout servants of the Lord who fear Him and obey His commands
honestly. Then there are good and reliable religious books which
should be read regularly, and, if a person is illiterate, he should
have them read out to him by others. Lastly, it is advisable to
meditate in solitude on death and onthe rewards one is going to get
from Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) for one's, good, and virtuous
deedsand the punishment that is going to be awarded by Him for one's
sins and transgressions against the Divine Law. One should dwel
mentally on one's state and visualise what is going to happen in the
grave. What will one's condition be when men will be raised up again
on the Last Day and produced before Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)?
What will one do when the balance-sheet of one's conduct on the earth
willbe unrolled? Where will one, then hide one's face?

A Thousand Camels

In the times of Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) there was a severe famine. All
the people of Madinah were suffering due to the shortage of food. A
caravan made up of a thousand camels loaded with a large stock of food
grains belonging toUthman (Radiallahu Anhu) arrived from Shaam
(Syria). Several merchants offered to buy all of it. He asked them
what profit they would pay. "Five per cent," they said. He answered
that he could get higher profit than that. They began to argue with
him, saying that they did not know of any merchant who would offer him
more than their quote. He saidto them, "I know of one who repays a
profit of more than seven hundred to a dirham (Arabian currency)." He
then recited the verse of the Noble Quran in which Allah Ta'ala
mentioned this profit."The likeness of those who spend their wealth in
the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows
seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold
increase to whom He pleases. AndAllah is All-Sufficient for His
creatures' needs, All-Knower." (2:261).
"O traders! Bear witness with me that I donate allthis to the poor
people of Madinah!" said Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu).
Source: Related by Shaikh Habibullah Mukhtaar in his book"Bringing Up
Children in Islaam" in the chapter ofGenerosity.
Dear readers, what ever we give for the sake of Allah is really ours
and whatever we keep with us will one day be someone else's. Let us
follow the footsteps of our Prophet and the pious Sahabah, with whom
Allah was pleased with, by helping the needy ones in this blessed
month of Ramadan.

Signs of Allah in clouds

Allah knows that we need water. As a result, He created a system in
the sky that produces water even as we talk, read, sleep, work and
doother activities. This system is visible to us through the clouds.
Clouds are amazing creations of Allah. At least once in our lifetimewe
look at an airplane and say "Wow, how can that big thing fly in the
sky?" But did we ever look at the clouds and wonder how they remain in
the sky? Let's compare the clouds and the airplanes. The airplanes
have specific shapes and designs. If one of their wings breakdown,
then the plane crashes. On the other hand, these clouds have no
specific shapes or sizes. Yet, they can fly in the sky without a
problem. In addition, theplanes have to come down to the earth for
re-fueling every once in a while. But the clouds can remain in the sky
formonths without coming down.
The airplanes are very heavy objects, however, the clouds are even
heavier. An average cumulonimbus cloud contain enough water tofill
10,000 swimming pools! Now, that's heavy.
Moreover, clouds provide us with shade during sunny days and let's us
see beautiful scenaries even in the sky. Did you ever thank Allah for
these blessings?